Jennifer Searles IFBB Pro Figure,
Personal Fitness Trainer,
and Fitness Model

By Eddie Cervantes, Muscle-4Life-Nutrition.com

Editor's Note: Special thanks to Jennifer for taking the time to speak with Muscle-4Life-Nutrition.com. All photos courtesy of Jennifer Searles

It was a great thrill to have the chance to meet and interview Jennifer Searles. Jennifer is an fascinating and energetic athlete. She has worn many different hats in her life, from actress to IFBB pro figure competitor and has been very successful at it. Today she continues to be a successful and motivating personal fitness trainer that enjoys giving each of her clients the special attention they need in order to achieve their personal best!

Eddie: Hello Jennifer, It is great to have you on Muscle-4Life-Nutrition.com , I know growing up you were very competitive and an athlete, but what made you decide on fitness and bodybuilding as your career?

Jennifer: Thanks so much for wanting to chat with me Eddie! I actually was an actress before all of this craziness started. I moved to NYC in my very early 20's to pursue an acting career. After going on audition after audition I realized in order to really step up my game and set myself apart, I should get my bum into the gym and work on the physique. I LOVED it and was amazed by the changes in such a short period of time.. I also had grown up a competitive figure skater, so missed having a competitive outlet. My love for the gym, and the encouragement from others combined with my need to be competitive again started the ball rolling.

Eddie: Working on your physique can be very addicting. I personally would like to know how did it feel to stand on stage at the Olympia?

Jennifer: A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! I qualified for the O at my 2nd pro show, so was simply floored that entire year lol... Not only was I so proud that I was now an IFBB Pro, but here I was qualifying for the biggest pro show on the circuit. The anticipation was almost more than I could bear leading up to my first O.... I couldn't wait to actually be standing on the same stage with some of the girls I had only read about and looked up to... it was nothing short of a surreal year and experience for me!

Eddie: That must of been an amazing honor but you deserved every bit of it. Where are you originally from? Where do you reside and train at currently?

Jennifer: I'm from Nantucket, Massachusetts but live in New York City and have for the past 10 yrs. I run my personal training business *THE WORKS* PT out of a facility in the Wall St. area and mostly train there. I also have a gym in the building that I live in.... I sweat it out there sometimes too.

Eddie: A personal training facility in the Wall St. area, that is very impressive! As a fitness trainer you have trained many different clients, have you trained clients for competition and would we know any of your clients by name?

Jennifer: I train everyone from Wall St. execs to stay at home mom's to pro figure competitors. I probably have about 10 girls that I train for competition. I have many more than that I help with posing for stage, and several more online that I help with diet and contest prep. I train an WNBF pro who is doing quite well.... Carol Ruiz. She has been with me for 3 years and turned pro under my coaching. I also train Tiana Gonzalez, who JUST missed her IFBB pro card last year at the North Americans... I am gunning for her to get it this year at Team Universe in NYC.

Eddie: You have done so many projects from magazines to television, what has been one of the most memorable projects you have done?

Jennifer: Probably my first REAL acting gig... I scored extra work for ABC's All My Children several years ago. After working with them for about 6 months, one of the casting directors asked me to read for them. He must have thought I did well, because I started being cast in bigger parts that ACTUALLY had lines lol... I remember doing a scene with Susan Lucci and thought to myself... "wow, I'm acting with Susan Lucci!" I was so excited. For once I was working WITH the actors and not beside them... Shortly after that I started competing in figure and acting took a back seat....

Eddie: You acted with the drama queen herself Susan Lucci lol, but seriously I can see that whole experience as one you would not soon forget. Can you give us a rundown of how a workout with Jennifer would go?

Jennifer: I am a BIG fan of traditional weightlifting as a base type of workout. There are many trainers that may disagree with me on this, but unless someone is recovering from an injury, or looking to improve track speed or jump height, basic weight training is key to looking tight and sculpted (along with cardio of course). With this being said, I focus my workouts around training 1-2 bodyparts per session. I really like a 4 day on, 1 day off split. For example, day 1 is shoulders and tri's, day 2 back and rear delts, day 3 chest and bi's, day 4 legs, day 5 rest... then repeat. The body does get used to the same routine and eventually plateaus due to adaptation, therefore, I will mix it up with different exercises, weights and rep ranges every few weeks. I might do a few weeks of circuit type training and functional routines, but I stick to a basic 4 day split as a base routine. Cardio is a constant and is done 5-6 days a week for 45-60 minutes. I alternate steady state with HIIT in order to burn the most calories and stay lean.

Eddie: I agree with you 100% traditional weight training with cardio is the way to go. What does your figure pro competition history look like?

Jennifer: To answer your question:

COMPETITION HISTORY

2006 Figure Olympia - 9th place

2006 Motor City Pro Figure Championships - Overall Champion

2006 New York Pro Figure - 2nd Place

2005 Figure Olympia - 9th place

2005 North American Pro Figure 2nd place

2005 New York Pro Figure 2nd place

2005 Pittsburgh Pro Figure 16th place

2004 National Figure Championships 1st place Figure E (Pro-Qualifier)

2004 Jr. Nationals 3rd Place Figure C

2004 Jr. USA's 8th place Figure C

2003 National Figure Championships – 16th place Figure D

2003 Jr. Nationals Figure 7th place

2003 Bev Francis Atlantic States Figure Tall Class and Overall Champion

2002 Women's Extravaganza Figure 4th place

2002 Women's Extravaganza Fitness Tall Class and Overall Champion

2001 Fitness America Pageant Nationals 18th out of 96

2001 Natural Eastern Classic Figure 2nd place

Eddie: Do you have any plans of stepping on stage to compete once again?

Jennifer: Never say never, but I'm pretty pleased with all that I've accomplished in the competitive arena. For now I'm 100% focused on my business. I'm getting such amazing enjoyment out of helping others reach their fitness goals and am fully committed to this. I have so many other projects going on right now, I would need another set of arms and legs in order to do all of it AND step onto the stage again lol... Stay tuned for what I have in store :-)

Eddie: We will keep our televisions tuned to Jennifer TV..lol. How important are supplements in your nutrition and fitness program and which supplements do you use year round?

Jennifer: Supplements are VERY important in building a successful fitness routine. Tons of money spent on supplements is not necessary as eating the right foods will give you most of what you really need, but I find it very important to supplement with the following:

BCAA's, Glutamine, Multivitamin, alpha lipoic acid, extra Vit C, extra Calcium, and a good fat burner if you're trying to melt the fat away (green tea extract is GREAT for those that don't like the stimulant effect of many on the market).

Great advice Jennifer! What is your favorite body part to work out and why?

Jennifer: I LOVE to train shoulders.... I feel like sculpted shoulders are the basis of a person's frame. Nice, rounded shoulders make anyone's shape seem more athletic and pleasing. In my opinion anyway ;-)

Eddie: You do have well developed deltoids. I am sure all the guys out there are wondering, are you married? Can you tell us about your family?

Jennifer: Lol... I'm not married, but am very happily taken. He swept me off my feet and I'm not looking back! I presently have no children but hope to change that someday!

Eddie: He is a very lucky man! What other sports do you enjoy participating in?

Jennifer: I figure skated for many years before I became interested in the gym... I attribute this to my thick lower body - a bit of a detriment to me while I was competing, but insurance that I will never lose the booty even if I do tons of cardio haha.. Other than that, I'm a true gym-rat. I DO however like watching other people watch sports.... I find it awesome how people get so into it! I personally don't understand the excitement, but love watching other people's excitement.

Eddie: The booty is a keeper..lol. That is a very interesting view point on watching people watching sports. Do you have a ritual of some sort before an intense workout, you know to get pumped up?

Jennifer: Yes, it's called caffeine, you might be familiar with it? lol... In all seriousness, I MUST train with my Ipod...

I crank up my favorite house or hard rock tunes to prepare me for the impending doom that I'm about to put my body through....

without the music it's tough for me to get through it... I CAN do it, but it's not nearly as fun!

Eddie: LOL..You must be a fun training partner. I love your energy! Would you like to give a shout out to anyone?

Jennifer: I'd love to say "HI MOM" haha cheeeezey.. but ummm, hi Mom. I also want to say hello to my boyfriend Leo.. he makes everything so much easier.

Eddie: That is not cheezy, always show love for your mom lol.

Are there any future plans you would like to share with our readers?