Dubai Muscle Beach - Pre-Competition Interview with Jen Towers
Three more weeks to go before the most awaited Dubai Muscle Beach by UMFF. Our Muscle Core Nutrition Athlete, Jen Towers will be competing very soon. How’s her preparation going? Is she ready for her first ever fitness competition? Let’s find out on our one-on-one interview with Jen.
It’s your first time competing in a fitness model competition. Are you ready for the stage?
Are you ever really ready for the stage? As we’re currently 3 weeks out, I’ve been having ups and downs with how I feel about my progress. Some mornings I wake up and feel lean and other days I feel as though I still have a lot of work to do. I feel like I’m slowly getting but I don’t think I’ll ever feel ready to step on stage as I’m such a perfectionist. I think I’ll always find parts of my body that I want to improve on and want more time to perfect but hopefully, by the time the competition is here, I’ll be most happy with what I’m bringing to the stage.
Tell us your daily workout routine. How is your preparation going?
Currently, I’m working out 6-7 days per week with a typical day consisting of 1 resistance training session followed by 20-30 minutes of steady state cardio in the late morning which is either on the stairmill or walking on an incline on the treadmill. I’ll also do another cardio session 20-30 minute steady state the evening on my resistance training days.
I split my workouts over 3 days and train chest, shoulders, triceps and abs on day 1, lower body on day 2 and back, biceps and abs on day 3. Day 4 is a ‘rest’ day of steady state cardio and then the cycle begins again on day 5. I actually took my first complete rest day in around 4 weeks yesterday and although I felt super guilty for not working out, I feel like my body and mind needed it.
What drives you and keeps you motivated?
This may sound really cheesy but it’s the people around me and everyone’s supportive comments on social media that keep me motivated and focused. If I’m having a bit of a down day, aside from my husband being there to support me through the tough days, my ‘instafam’ are always there pushing me to keep going and believe in myself. I want to prove to them that anything is possible with hard work and self-belief so I have to keep pushing through the hard days to continue inspiring both them and myself.
Also, as I said before, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and have to give my all to be the best that I can so if I think I’m not doing what needs to be done to get where I want to be then I’ll step it up and push harder.
What is your diet like at the moment?
I’m sure a lot of people think that all competitors eat is chicken, rice and broccoli for every meal and, although this is true for 1 meal of my day, I do like to keep it varied with lots of nutrients and also tasty snacks because, well, I’m human and I have a sweet tooth!
I always make sure I keep it clean and healthy and go with what works for my body and without fail, I always track my macros with MyFitnessPal to ensure I’m hitting all of my targets and if there’s room for a bit of dark chocolate, I’ll have it!
For breakfast, I have oats with ground flax seeds, blueberries and cinnamon or cacao powder which tastes amazing and is my pre-workout as I usually train at around 11:30 am. For snacks, I’ll usually have a Muscle Core Nutrition protein shake with mixed berries after my workout, Greek yoghurt with homemade granola and homemade almond/cashew butter (made with Muscle Core Nutrition protein for a boost of protein) on rice cakes for my afternoon and evening snacks. Lunch and dinners usually consist of a lean protein source such as chicken, egg whites or white fish with rice, sweet potato or a protein wrap and lots of veggies or salad – gotta get those greens in!
What keeps you busy aside from contest preparation?
As I’m a personal trainer, my clients keep me busy in the mornings and evenings and during the day, after my workout, I work on client programs and my online coaching program that I’m due to launch early next year. I also make time to play with my two fur babies Chihuahuas Yoda and Coco who make regular appearances on my Instagram stories.
Do you have other competitions coming up?
I hadn’t planned on competing in any other competitions until I found out about one that is taking place in Bristol in the UK a week after Dubai Muscle Beach so I decided to tie this in with a trip home to see family and friends.
What are your long-term fitness goals?
After the competitions, I’m going to have a couple of weeks off dieting (let’s see how long I last before the guilt sets in) but keep training around 4-5 days per week. My long-term aim is to stay strong and keep my fitness levels up by incorporating more functional training and HIIT workouts back into my workout routines. If I decide to compete again, I'll also be working on building on my weak areas which are my legs and glutes but let’s see how this one goes before we plan the next one.
About Jen Towers:
Jen is the other half of the Foundation-PTS. She is a qualified level 3 personal trainer and has experience working with both male and female clients with goals of weight loss, muscle building/toning and gaining strength.
Follow her on Instagram as @jen_dubai_pt for lots of tips, motivation and food ideas to help you on your fitness journey!