BATTLE GROUND RESIDENT Danielle Phelps recently placed first in two different categories at the 2015 NPC Oregon State Bodybuilding Championship. She took first place in the fitness category, as well as in the 5-foot-2-inches and under figure portion.
GYMNASTICS AND FITNESS are a huge part of 26-year-old Danielle Phelps life. Phelps works as both a master personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness and as a gymnastics coach at Northpointe Gymnastics in Vancouver.
DANIELLE PHELPS holds up the awards she received at the 2015 NPC Oregon State Bodybuilding Championship in June. She received first place in two different categories.
BATTLE GROUND – When 26-year-old Danielle Phelps, of Battle Ground, was in the running to be the 2014 Miss Washington USA in October 2013, she that although the networking and experience itself was worth the time and dedication, having an athletic background and being the only girl with six-pack abs led her to believe she was in the wrong competition.
Now a master personal trainer for the 24 Hour Fitness at 131st Avenue off of Fourth Plain Boulevard and a gymnastics coach Northpointe Gymnastics in Vancouver, Phelps has learned more about different bodybuilding and fitness competitions and has been able to participate in some herself. She participated in her first show ever, the 2015 NPC Oregon State Bodybuilding Championship, on June 27 at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, OR. As a “natural competitor,” Phelps decided to compete in the fitness and figure categories.
“The judging criteria for NPC fitness contestants is two-thirds of the total score based on physique while the fitness routine round is worth one-third of the total score,” Phelps said. “To measure physique we stand side by side with each competitor and the judges rank us first place on down. The fitness routine is a gymnastics/dance-style routine with four mandatory movements – a one-arm push up, a high kick, side splits and a straddle hold. The rest is up to the athlete and the choreographer.”
Phelps, a 2007 Battle Ground High School graduate, ended up placing first in both the fitness portion of the competition, as well as in the 5-foot-2-inches and under figure portion.
“Figure is much more popular among female bodybuilders than fitness because the strenuous gymnastics routine portion is out,” Phelps said. “Figure is strictly based on the developed physique. Being more popular, this category is the one to win because, well, there is more competition.”
Phelps described her preparation for the bodybuilding competition as “16 weeks of 110 percent dedication, preparation and coaching.” She said Cody Watkins of Cody Watkins Fitness, of Battle Ground, we her exercise program and nutrition mastermind. Phelps’ workouts changed every two to four weeks and through watching her body transform, she said they would make small changes to her nutrition, describing the process as “a science and an art.” As she got closer to show day, Phelps said the nutrition became more precise, even down to how many minutes she waited to drink water after eating a meal.
Phelps’ workouts to prepare for the competition consisted of morning fasted cardio and strength training that took anywhere from one and a half to two hours four days a week; two days of high intensity interval training and, of course,a rest and recovery day.
“With working two jobs, personal training and coaching gymnastics at Northpointe, it was not easy, but I was determined to push myself more than I ever had before,” Phelps said. “The end result, not only did I win both categories I entered, I learned about the science behind how the body processes different foods, how the body reacts under strenuous workouts and most importantly how to properly put the two together so I could still function in my careers, I can thank Cody for that.”
Regarding her job as personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, Phelps said she considers her position a passion, not a job. She said she has been surrounded by people of all shapes and sizes, all working to be a better version of themselves.
“Through inspiring and empowering members to live fit healthy lives, each client and I work together to get results,” Phelps said. “From my senior clients improving their lives through my balance and mobility program to my young athletes that want to improve their speed and agility for high school sports. Every day I walk into the gym and work with members of the community who have decided that they are ready to change their lives. Together we develop realistic goals and it is my challenge to figure out how to get there in a timely, safe manner.”
“It is only through education, experience and God’s grace that I have developed an elite level of training,” she said. “Over the past two years I have been 110 percent focused on each of my clients’ goals and how to develop myself so that I can reach more members of the community. God led me to challenge myself on a whole new level, bodybuilding.”
Phelps’ future endeavors include competing in the 2016 Washington Emerald Cup, the largest bodybuilding show in the Pacific Northwest. She is already qualified for a national show in both fitness and figure categories since she won both of those categories at the NPC Oregon State competition. So, Phelps plans to go to nationals and compete for her International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Pro Card.
“Earning an IFBB Pro Card is in comparison to winning a Super Bowl,” Phelps said. “Will it be a challenge? Yes. Am I up for it? Absolutely!”
