AMG Lite

 

 

Last update:

 

July 31st 2018

 

 

Welcom to the Profile Page of the incredibly beautiful and very muscular IFBB Professional Bodybuilder MARINA LOPEZ!

(all pictures are used by Marina's personal permission)

 

 

Some Info about MARINA:

 

Where and when were you born?
Hello Andy, I would first like to say thank you for inviting me do an interview with you and featuring me on AMG-Lite.com as the Goddess of the Month. You do an amazing job keeping up with all the current and past competitors. My trainer spends allot of time on your site researching potential competition and looking at the winners of previous shows for comparisons.

I was born and raised and currently reside in Colorado. I grew up on the North side of Denver in a predominantly Hispanic and Italian neighbourhood. I am currently 42 years old, I was born in 1968.


What is your profession?
I am a business owner. I own a private personal training studio in the Cherry Creek area of Denver. I also own a GNC Franchise in Downtown Denver.

Were you involved in sports or fitness prior to bodybuilding and how did you get started with weight training?
I danced in Ballet Floklorico since I was 8 years old. I became a professional dancer at the age of 16. I toured with the group until I was 20. I have always been interested in weightlifting and was inspired by Gladys Portugues and Rachel McLish. I took a weight training class in high school and I have been lifting ever since.

Was it a goal for you to compete in bodybuilding competitions right from the beginning or was it something that grew in your mind as time went on and you saw the progress in your body?
When I began lifting I never really considered competing. I have always been very competitive with anything I was involved in. For most of my life I have always maintained some level of fitness. When I purchased my nutrition store I decided to participate in a fitness challenge sponsored by iSatori in 2003. I was very successful and was featured on the Lean System 7 label and in the Lean System Success Plan Nutrition Guide. In 2004 I entered my first competition here in Colorado. I won my class and the novice division. After this show I hired a full time trainer and started trying different training and diet philosophies and my body responded very quickly to the new training principles.

Can you give me your competition history?

Contest History:
2004 Northern Colorado
1st Place Lightweight Bodybuilding
1st Place Novice Bodybuilding
2004 Rocky Mountain Bodybuilding
1st Place Masters Bodybuilding
2nd Place Lightweight Bodybuilding
2006 Northern Colorado
1st Place Masters Bodybuilding
1st Place Lightweight Bodybuilding
Overall Bodybuilding
1st Place Figure Masters 35-39
Overall Figure Masters
1st Place Figure A
Overall Figure Open
2006 Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am
1st Place Figure A
Overall Figure
2006 USA Championships
15th Place Figure A
2008 Jr. National Championships
N/P Figure B
2009 Colorado State
1st Place Middleweight Bodybuilding
Overall Bodybuilding
2010 Jr. National Championships
1st Place Lightweight Bodybuilding
Overall Bodybuilding
2010 USA’s
2nd Place Lightweight Bodybuilding
2010 Nationals
1st Place Lightweight Bodybuilding - earned IFBB Pro Card


Which contest has been your biggest success; which has had the most meaning to you?
The 2010 Jr. Nationals was the most exciting. I never had anticipated winning the overall at my first National Bodybuilding show. My goal was to win my class; I was very excited to have won the overall. From day one we have taken a business approach to bodybuilding, with the understanding that we would use the publicity from competing to build our business and my brand. This was very exciting for us because winning is an important part of achieving our goals from a business prospective. We felt like we were on to something and we were goign to take advantage of it.

The show that sticks out to me the most was again the Jr. Nationals in Chicago in 2008 when I competed in figure. It was here that the late Steve Stone told me I need to consider crossing over to Bodybuilding or quit lifting and do hours of cardio if I wanted to stay in figure. This is where I decided that I was going to pursue bodybuilding in full force.


Please tell me something about your training routine (ie: how many days per week / training split /cardio, etc.)
I train between 5 and 6 days a week. I use a variety of training principles. I train high rep volume for my legs. I often use pause rep training for all body parts. There are periods in which I utilize supersets comprised of insertion and origin point supersets. I use allot of heavy compound movements. Heavy compound movements seem to be what makes my body respond the best. The only part that really changes during contest prep is I increase my cardio at 10-12 weeks out. I start with 30 minutes increasing it by 5-10 minutes each week. For my Nationals I was up to 130 minutes a day. I am not a big fan of cardio, but it is a necessary evil. My focus is on growing my legs and maintenance on my upper body until each are balanced with each other.

Here is my current leg routine.
7 sets of wide stance back squats at 10 reps heavy with 2 minutes or less rest between sets.
5 sets of Romanian Dead lifts at 12 reps. Increase weight each set
Superset leg curls and extensions 5 sets at 16 reps no rest until all sets are completed. Use same weight for all 5 sets.
2 sets at 20-25 reps weighted hyper extensions.


What is your favorite exercise in the gym and which one you don’t like so much?

I don’t have a favorite exercise. My workouts change every 4 to 6 weeks. The exercises vary so much from workout to workout I stay fresh and excited about my whole workout. I like to see the changes occur in each body part as I develop. I like to lift heavy and enjoy the exhilaration of achieving new personal bests. I have a difficult time squatting. It’s not that I don’t like squatting, but I injured my tail bone when I was young and it is very painful for me to go deep with heavy weights.

Which body part is your best in your opinion?
I would have to say my back. When I competed in figure my trainer placed a huge emphasis on my back and shoulders. So for several years that was my target body part. My back it has a few years of training emphasis compared to the rest of my body.

If you don’t mind would you give me some stats (best lifts and somebody measurements)?
I recently benched 185 for 5 reps a week before Nationals. There is a YouTube Video posted on my channel- MarinaLopezfbb. My current measurements - arms 12.5” waist 26”, thigh 22”, calf 14”, weight at Nationals 112 lbs., current weight 118 lbs., at my heaviest I am around 120 lbs.

What do you enjoy about training for competition....what do you enjoy about the 'off season'?
The mental preparation that is involved with contest prep is what intrigues me. The idea of pushing my body, and mind to an extreme is a test of who I am. In bodybuilding it is a world of the “Did’s” and “Did Not's”; you either succeed or fail! It’s not the fear of failing that motivates me, but rather the desire to be the best.

The off season means more time to focus on my businesses and family. A few diet changes, but I eat relatively healthy and maintain my physique year round. I do enjoy my weekly Sushi date. Watch my leg training video on You Tube you will see how much Sushi I can put away...OMG


Please describe a typical day in the life of Marina Lopez.

I am out of bed at 5 AM. My first Bootcamp class begins at 6 AM. I teach three classes back to back. I then do an hour of cardio. Eat meal 1. I complete business essentials, accounting, inventory, banking and so forth for a few hours in the morning. I train a few clients mid day. I then get my training in and some more cardio. I train another client or two and then teach two more evening bootcamps. I usually go home around 8 PM, spend some time with my children before getting some things done around the house and goign to bed around 11:30-12

Please tell me about what you do when you don’t work out (hobbies, what do you do to relax?, etc.)

That’s easy… SLEEP. I could stay in bed all day. I have one day off a week. I get up at my regular time eat and go back to bed. Other than that, most of my free time is consumed with family and household responsibilites. I like to sit around our fire pit and make smores in the evenings or watch movies. In the winter I spend timne in Vail skiing.


What do you enjoy most about the bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle?

The part that attracts me the most is the healthy lifestyle of eating clean and exercising. I like the challenge of pushing my mind and body as far as I can. The structure and discipline required for bodybuilding is a test of my will power. I really enjoy lifting with my husband who was also a competitor before several shoulder surgeries, a brain tumor and cancer. I like being around people with healthy lifestyles. I do enjoy performing on stage. The pressure of performing is a final test for all the preparation that goes into each performance.

Tell me something interesting about yourself, something people may be surprised to hear.

I use to own my bird toy company. Lucky Bird Toys Int. We designed and distributed high end bird toys worldwide. The toys were constructed using a bulletproof polymer and we marketed them to large bird owners. My bird toys were featured on The Jay leno Show. There is more, but you will have to go to my web site for that side of me...

What are your competition goals or personal future goals?
My Competition goals are to compete at the Olympia and the Arnold. We will continue to pursue bodybuilding for now and consider the physique competition once the IFBB establishes guidelines and standards. If my physique is relative to what they desire then we will try our hand at that.
My Personal goals are to grow my web site and continue to pursue the idea of franchising my personal training studio. At this time I am seeking investors and potential franchisees.

 

Please note:

Marina does not not do sessions or wrestling of any kind. Please don't ask!!

 

 

MARINA's Photo Gallery:

 

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© Photos 1-3 are courtesy of MuscleGirlFlix

© Photos 6-8 are courtesy of Dan Ray

© Photos 9-12 are courtesy of Paul Ditter

 

 

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