iron man magazine lo ne star · bodybuilding. com bodyspace spokesmodel. you may also find her...

96 JUNE 2011 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Jennifer Rankin describes herself as a tomboy due to her passion for competing in track-and-field in her youth. Yet, it’s obvious that there’s

much more to know about this Lone Star beauty. Her intoxicating Texas charm shines through as she says, “I love hitting the gym because of the challenge. Having a goal and a vi-sion is the most important thing we can do for our-selves.”

Jennifer also loves helping others, and that forms her phi-losophy for her role as the 2011 Bodybuilding.com BodySpace Spokesmodel. You may also find her playing the acoustic guitar, wake-boarding and camping in the summer—or simply playing with her dog Chloe, a Chihuahua-poodle mix.

DY: Nice work in winning the BodySpace SpokesModel com-petition at the ’11 Los Angeles

Fitness Expo. What made you decide to enter it?

JR: Entering was a no-brainer! I knew the competition was going to be fierce, and that would push me to achieve a new level. I saw the Bodybuilding.com BodySpace competition as a platform for in-spiring and reaching others who are on their own health and fitness journey.

DY: How much prepa-ration did you do?

JR: I had just started my off-season training pro-gram, and when I found out that I had made the finals and had about five weeks to prepare for the contest on January 29, I kicked my training back up a few notches and started my cutting diet. I allowed myself a cheat day on Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. That

way I got to enjoy the time with my family and still be on track for the stage.

DY: How would you assess your condition at the finals—was it the best shape you’ve

achieved so far? JR: Yes, I believe that the

BodySpace competition was my best conditioning to date. I had really been working to bring up my legs and glutes after I’d gotten them too small for my first couple of biki-

IRON MAN Magazine

WINNER

L one Star Beauty

by David YoungPhotography by Michael Neveux

2011 BodySpace Spokesmodel Winner Jennifer Rankin Wants to Inspire Others

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JUNE 2011 97

L one Star Beauty


“I saw the Bodybuilding.com BodySpace competition as a platform for inspiring and reaching others who are on their own health and fitness journey.”

L one Star Beauty

ni shows. I also have had some seri-ous issues with stage fright and not being able to relax, show my per-sonality and have fun onstage. Here, it just seemed to all come together and happen at the right time.

DY: I won’t comment on your “problem” glutes. [Both laugh] Going back to your beginning in fitness and competition, can you think of three rules that you’ve learned that form the basis of your training strategy?

JR: Rule 1: Don’t overdo the post-competition celebration. After my first-ever figure show in ’08 I defi-nitely overdid it and gained about

20 pounds in three weeks! It was horrible and made my next prep

much more difficult, emotion-ally and physically. I felt like

a hypocrite. I was no longer being healthy and treating my body like an athlete and trainer.

Rule 2: Surround your-self with like-minded people, and forgive those who don’t under-stand why you do what you do, train the way you train, eat what you

eat and dream what you dream. The turning point

was when I focused on what I was trying to accomplish. I was able to start believing in myself more and more.

DY: That’s two. What else? JR: Rule 3: Listen to your

body and know when you just need to rest—physically and/or mentally. A point comes when your mind and body need a rest or a change—even a small one can make a huge differ-

ence. Learning to listen to that “voice” has made a huge

difference and improved my overall outlook, attitude and


training results. DY: Describe your mind-set

when you walk into the gym each day.

JR: My mind-set is always fo-cused on goals. I have a goal to ac-complish my workout and to work as hard as possible in that one to two hours. I also focus on the bigger goal, like a competition coming up, a photo shoot, being a good repre-sentative of my sponsors Optimum Nutrition/American Body Building and now Bodybuilding.com. I tap into the basics and focus on the fact that being healthy and fit is worth the time and worth the effort no matter what. Without goals, I’m lost!

From here I need to keep work-ing on my lagging bodyparts, keep practicing in those five-inch heels, keep learning more about my body and about the most beneficial types of training, nutrition and supple-mentation. There is always room to improve!

DY: Yes, I know about those five-inch

heels. The last time I tried

wearing them for

walk-


ing lunges, it didn’t work out so well. [Both crack up] What about your nutrition program?

JR: Well, mine is pretty classic, simple and basic—which I like. It focuses on high protein, lean meats, slow-digesting carb sources, natural fat sources and fruits and veggies. I have to take in a lot of protein be-cause I need to keep adding fullness on my legs and glutes, but because of the intensity of my workouts, I

“My diet is pretty classic, simple and basic—which I like. It focuses on high protein, lean meats, slow-digesting carb sources, natural fat sources and fruits and veggies.”

L one Star Beauty

don’t store the extra protein as fat. DY: Please take us through a

sample day of eating.JR: Sure! This would be more of a

normal everyday/off-season plan.

Meal 1 4 egg whites, 1 yolk1/3 cup oatmeal1/2 banana, 1/3 cup berries

Meal 22 scoops whey isolate1 tablespoon natural peanut

butter

Meal 34 ounces chicken, turkey or white

fish3 ounces sweet potato or brown

rice1 cup veggies


“Listen to your body and know when you just need to rest—physically and/or mentally.”

L one Star Beauty

Meal 42 scoops whey protein1 tablesopoon natural peanut

butter

Meal 54 ounces chicken, turkey or

white fish (red meat or salmon the night before my first leg day each week)

3 ounces sweet potato or brown rice

1 cup veggies 1 small green salad1 serving light dressing

Meal 63 egg whites

DY: That almost looks like a precontest plan, so I imagine it keeps you pretty lean.

JR: Sure does!DY: Which nutritional prod-

ucts do you find useful?JR: Here is a list of my favorite

products. I am a sponsored Opti-mum Nutrition athlete, and I hon-estly use all of their products—and love them! I was actually using many of them before I signed. My favorites are Opti-Women, a mul-tivitamin and -mineral; melatonin, a sleep aid; EFAs, or fish oil; gluta-mine caps: CLA; Threshold mixed with Amino Energy; Glucosamine + CSA; ZMA; HMB; Platinum Hydro Whey; 100% Gold Standard Whey and Amino Chews.

DY: Do you have a trainer, and is that an important part of the preparation process for you?

JR: I do have a trainer, Jeff Dwelle, out of Plano, Texas. Having a trainer and coach is definitely important because it takes most of the guess-work and stress of contest prep and nutrition off of my shoulders. He can also look at my body unbiased and give me direction.

DY: How about listing a week’s worth of sample workouts?

JR: You bet!

Monday: LegsSuperset

Free squats (heavy) 3 x 8Kettlebell plié squats 3 x 8

SupersetDumbbell jump squats 3 x 15Stiff-legged deadlifts 3 x 8

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JUNE 2011 107

SupersetLeg presses (feet high, pause at the bottom) 3 x 15Walking lunges 3 x 30

SupersetSmith-machine stationary lunges 3 x 12Lying leg curls 3 x 10

SupersetSeated leg curls 3 x 10 Leg extensions 3 x 10

Dumbbell squats 1 x 100

Tuesday: Upper bodyGiant set

Pullups 3 x 15Barbell bent-over rows 3 x 15Stiff-arm pulldowns 3 x 15

Giant setReverse close-grip pulldowns 3 x 15One-arm dumbbell rows 3 x 15Seated cable rows 3 x 15

Giant setDumbbell presses 3 x 15

Dumbbell upright rows 3 x 15Dumbbell lateral raises 3 x 15Bent-over lateral raises 3 x 15

Giant setBiceps exercise 3 x 15Ab exerciseTriceps exercise 3 x 15

Giant setBiceps exercise 3 x 15Ab exerciseTriceps exercise 3 x 15

Note: The exercises for giant sets and supersets change at every workout, and the rests between exercises are short.

Wednesday: PlyometricsDumbbell deep squats 3 x 30 Superset

Dumbbell lunge jumps 3 x 20Walking lunges 3 x 40

Squat jumps (weighted bar) 3 x 20 Box jumps 3 x 20 Sprints 5 x 40 yards

Walking lunges 3 x 50 Leg presses

(drop set) 1 x max (max)

Thursday: Upper bodyGiant set

Back exercise 4 x 15Shoulder exercise 4 x 15Back exercise 4 x 15Shoulder exercise 4 x 15

SupersetHyperextensions 3 x 15Stability-ball crunches 3 x 20

Giant setBiceps exercise 3 x 12Triceps exercise 3 x 12Biceps exercise 3 x 12Triceps exercise 3 x 12

Friday: Lower bodySmith-machine squats

(warmup) 1 x 100Giant set

Lying leg curls 3 x 10Plié squats 3 x 10Stiff-legged deadlifts 3 x 10

SupersetLeg presses 3 x 20Barbell squats (deep) 3 x 20Smith-machine lunge/lunge/squats* 3 x 12

Leg presses 1 x 100

*Lunge to one side, then the other side, and then squat

Saturday: Cardio or active rest

Sunday: RestDY: What’s your height, and

what was your weight at this competition?

JR: 5’ 7 1/2”, 130 pounds.DY: Name someone who in-

spired you in your fitness ca-reer?

JR: Jamie Eason! She is just the whole package as a model, athlete and genuine person. And that is why she is my inspiration—because she has the brains, personality, style, attitude and career to go along with her rockin’ bod!

DY: Do you have a Web site readers can visit?

JR: Yes! Please visit JenRankin Fitness.com. Also check out OptimumNutrition.com.

Editor’s note: Read David Young’s blog at www.IronMan Magazine.com. IM

84 JUNE 2011 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JUNE 2011 85

Steve Cook fell in love with lifting weights while play-ing high school football in Boise, Idaho. Using the weight room to overcome

life’s disappointments, he walked through the challenges, racking up wins in a number of natural body-building competitions. Then he won the Bodybuilding.com Fit Body Contest, Muscle & Fitness Maga-zine’s Male Model Search and now the 2011 BodySpace Spokesmodel contest.

It’s not hard to see why. The guy’s got great symmetry and strives to emulate the physiques of Steve Reeves, Bob Paris, Lee Labrada, Serge Nubert and Frank Zane. His goal is to help others achieve their own natural bodybuilding goals. This is how he puts it all together to come out a winner.

DY: Going into the finals of the Bodybuilding.com BodySpace contest at the 2010 Los Angeles Fitness Expo, what did you think about your chances?

SC: I’m a believer that confidence is gained when you know you’ve done everything possible to prepare.

I knew that it was going to be a won-derful chance to compete against the best. Every day I would wake up and ready myself, much like I would when I was playing college football. I knew if I gave everything in the gym and stayed on top of my diet, I would have a chance to win!

DY: Was there something else you could have done to im-prove your con-dition, or was this your peak?

SC: I always feel like I can get better. That’s the beauty of the sport—there are always ways to improve. I felt a little less than my best, probably from having to get ready in four weeks, but I’m still happy with the way I looked. I know I need to con-tinue to improve my weak areas and bring up some bodyparts like my back, but I’m excited to do so and

look forward to stepping onstage again with improvements.

DY: How did you overcome the mental challenges that it takes to achieve competitive condi-tioning? I’m talking about crav-ings, hunger, workout energy.

SC: I have a lot of sup-port from people around me. I work at a steak house, and it’s not always easy when dieting to pass on ribs and cheesy fries, but my co-workers know how much being healthy means to me. My family also supports me, and they understand why I bring my chicken and rice when they go out for pizza.

DY: I’ve always felt that we have within us the power to bend the universe to our will.

What makes the difference for you in terms of results?

SC: I agree with you 100 percent. We are what we think about, and I believe that our thoughts shape our reality as well. I’ve envisioned win-

by David YoungPhotography by Michael Neveux

2011 BodySpace Spokesmodel Winner Steve Cook Went From the Gridiron to

the Weight Pit

IRON MAN Magazine

WINNER

onComing Out Top


ning every competi-tion I ever won before stepping onstage. I prepare physically and mentally and know that the mind is much more powerful than the body. Being able to control how I think allows me to stay positive. I’m willing to go through anything to get where I want to be. And it all happens in my mind before it does in reality.

DY: How did tak-ing the competitive challenge change you—that is, how did it improve who you are?

SC: Working out has gotten me through my tough-est times. It took my mind off of my failed marriage by making me focus on my goals. I never stopped lifting after I was done with football, but my diet was awful. I started reading about diet on Bodybuilding.com and in IRON MAN. Going through a con-test prep and winning my first competition gave me confidence that I could handle anything.

DY: Let’s touch on your diet. Can you list a sample day of eating?

SC: Sure.

PremealThermocuts, Threshold (beta-ala-nine), L-carnitine, BCAAs

Meal 16 egg whites2 yolksVeggies60 grams oatmeal CLA, HMB, Opti-Men multivitamin, glutamine

onComing Out Top


Meal 2 (preworkout)Brown riceBroccoli6 ounces chicken, turkey or fish

Half hour before workoutCreatine, L-carnitine, Ther-mocuts, arginine, beta-alanine, glutamine, BCAAs, caffeine

Meal 3 (postworkout)1.5 scoops whey isolate, 1-2 scoops Glycomaize, HMB, gluta-mine, creatine, BCAAs, arginine, tribulus

Meal 4Brown rice or yamBroccoliChicken or steakMultivitamin, vitamin C

Meal 52 scoops whey with water and almonds; BCAAs

Meal 6Tuna salad with olive oil

Meal 71.5 scoops casein and almonds;CLA, HMB, ZMA, melato-nin, tribulus, arginine

DY: Who’s your sponsor, and what are your favorite products?

SC: I’m proud to be sponsored by Optimum Nutrition and American Body-building and now Body building.com. Both companies are the best at what they do. I love Platinum Hydro Whey, the

purest whey on earth—and it tastes so good.

DY: Let’s talk about training. What system have you found to be the most effective?

SC: I don’t think just one work-out works the best. I’m constantly changing rep range, rep tempo and volume to make sure the muscle is always being shocked into new growth. When I’m cutting, I typi-cally follow a nonlinear style, where I train heavy at one workout and then do more volume at the next. Right now I’m getting back to the basics and doing heavy compound movements to build that dense, hard muscle. I feel like this gives me the best bang for my buck. I like Dorian Yates’ routine, I really like FST-7 and even some Arnold-type workouts with a lot of sets and reps. Currently, I’m following a Dorian-style routine with one-minute’s rests between sets. Warmups are generally one or two sets of 12 reps. All works sets are done to complete momentary muscular failure.

Here’s a sample week:

“I’m a believer that confidence is gained when you know you’ve done everything pos-sible to prepare.”

onComing Out Top


Monday: Quads, hams, calves Leg extensions (warmup) 2 x 15 1 x 10-12Leg presses (warmup) 2 x 12 1 x 10-12Hack squats (warmup) 2 x 12 1 x 10-12Seated leg curls (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 10-12Stiff-legged deadlifts (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 10-12Calf presses (warmup) 1 x 10-12 (rest/pause 10-15 seconds) 3 x 12Seated calf raises (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 6-8

Tuesday: Chest, biceps, absDecline-bench presses (warmup) 2 x 12 1 x 6-8Incline dumbbell presses (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 6-8 Concentration curls (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 6-8Hammer curls (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 6-8Barbell curls 2 x 8-10Superset Kneeups 3 x max Crunches 3 x maxSuperset Rope crunches 3 x max Reverse decline legups 3 x max

Wednesday: Cardio only

Thursday: Back, tri-ceps, calvesDumbbell pullovers (warmup) 2 x 12 1 x 8-10Close-grip pulldowns (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 8-10One-arm rows (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 8-10Wide-grip cable rows (warmup) 1 x 10-12

1 x 8-10

Coming Out Topon

“I want a body that is appealing to the masses. My goal is to have the perfect balance of size, shape and symmetry.”

onComing Out Top


Deadlifts (warmup) 1 x 10-12 1 x 8-10Pushdowns

(warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 8-10Lying extensions (warmup) 1 x 12

1 x 8-10Seated triceps presses

(warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 8-10Calf presses (warmup) 1 x 10-12(rest/pause 10-15 seconds) 3 x 12Seated calf raises (warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 6-8

Friday: Delts, traps, absDumbbell presses

(warmup) 2 x 12 1 x 6-8Lateral raises (warmup) 1 x 12

1 x 8-10Cable lateral raises 1 x 6-8 Reverse dumbbell flyes

(warmup) 1 x 12 1 x 8-10Dumbbell or barbell

shrugs (warmup) 1 x 12 2 x 8-10Upright rows (warmup) 1 x 12 2 x 8-10Rope crunches 3 x maxReverse decline legups 3 x max

Saturday: Cardio only

DY: What’s your height, and what did you weigh for this competition?

SC: I’m 6’1”, and I weighed 205 for the show.

DY: So your workouts are four days a week, and basic move-ments are the core. You seem to work fairly fast, with good warmups followed by all-out ef-forts. That’s an approach most naturals can thrive on. Can you

list three or four of your per-sonal rules for success in body-building.

SC: The first is that the body does what the mind tells it to. You have to have a great mind/muscle connec-tion in the gym.

Second, never sacrifice quality for quantity. Having big muscles means nothing if they’re not proportionate or if they are covered with fat.

Third, listen to your body. If it’s telling you to rest, rest. If you’re thirsty, drink more water. If you’ve got food cravings, there may be nutrients missing.

Fourth, keep training with heavy weights along with lighter iso-move-ments to bring out striations. This will help you keep that dense, hard muscle while dieting. Too many guys don’t train heavy, and it’s a

“I draw inspiration from guys like Frank Zane, Serge Nubret, Arnold and Bob Paris because their physiques in their primes had size, great shape and proportions.”

Coming Out Topon


mistake.Fifth, train legs! Too many

fitness models have sticks for legs.

DY: Name someone who inspired you in your fitness career.

SC: I’m a big fan of body-builders from the ’70s and ’80s, even back in the ’50s with Steve Reeves. He had ideal proportions! I draw inspiration from him and guys like Frank Zane, Serge Nubret, Arnold and Bob Paris because they had the whole package. Their physiques in their primes had size, great shape and propor-tions. I read daily from books written by these guys and strive to master the techniques they used to sculpt their bodies. Also, modern bodybuilders that I like are Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray and Phil Heath.

DY: So where is Steve going from here?

SC: As far as the future goes, I want to be the best I can be genetically, and that means healthy, strong, muscular and lean. I want a body that is ap-pealing to the masses. My goal is to have the perfect balance of size, shape and symmetry. I’m hungry for more competi-tion. I feel like this new NPC men’s physique division was tailor-made for me, and I can’t wait to step onstage this sum-mer.

Long-term goals are to be-come a household name, one people associate with fitness. I want to use my talents and gifts to help motivate and edu-cate people on how to become healthier, happier human beings.

DY: Do you have a Web site that readers can visit?

SC: Yes, SteveCook_32.com. Also visitOptimumNutrition .com.

Editor’s note: Read David Young’s blog at www.Iron ManMagazine.com. IM

“I don’t think just one workout works the best. I’m constantly changing rep range, rep tempo and volume to make sure the muscle is always being shocked into new growth.”

Coming Out Topon

iron man magazine lo ne star · bodybuilding. com bodyspace spokesmodel. you may also find her...

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