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| Photo provided by Julia herself |
FitGems Nation: Let’s kick this off by telling us a bit about yourself. When did you first start competing?
Julia Hubbard: I started competing in 2010, i did a local show last April to see if i liked competing and got the bug! I was so nervous about being on stage in a bikini, but once i was up there i loved it! I see it as a chance to show off the hard work i put in! 3 weeks after my first show, i was back onstage at at UKBFF (UKs IFBB)qualifier and came 2nd and got an invite for the UK Champs, i competed there in October for experience but i wasnt really ready for the big stage yet, i learned a lot about preperation though! A week later i decided to take part in the first qualifier for the 2011 UK Champs, The Hercules Show, and as its held only a week after the UK Champs, its a popular and high quality competition. I came 2nd again and got my invite to the UK Champs 2011, so now I have a whole year to put in some work and make the improvements i need to try and place highly at the UKBFF national champs!
FitGems: What is your strategy when you head to the gym? Is it mostly weight-training, mostly cardio, a balanced mixture of the two, or something else?
Julia: Well my background is in Sprints and Bobsleigh which are both speed / power sports, so i have always weight trained, i do a split routine training a seperate body part each session. I dont really go for traditional 'cardio' i prefer to do circuits and sprint training (which is basically HIIT) for my conditioning. Pre contest i keep the weight training the same and just add in an extra session of cardio and may do some lower intensity cardio, if im dieting and lack the energy for a high tempo session!
FitGems: Due to your muscularity, has anyone mistaken you for being in something OTHER than physique competitions (MMA fighter, boxer, pro wrestler, track and field runner, etc?)
Julia: I am actually also a Track competitor, I have started to compete in Masters Track and Field this year and am heading to Sacramento in July for the World Masters Track and Field Champs!
FitGems: With women’s physique and bikini now part of the NPC and IFBB, do you feel that there’s now a division for every female who wants to compete?
Julia: I think Physique, Figure and Bikini give us 3 clear classes so a woman can choose the look she would like to achieve. Bikini class is seen as more attainable for most women and will undoubtably get more girls into competing. In the UK we have only just introduced Bikini class and its already proving to be popular.
FitGems: Along those same lines, where do you personally see the direction of figure in the long haul? Do you think it will remain in a “soft” state where there are those that say that it’s dangerously close to drawing a line between figure and bikini, or do you see it going back to a somewhat harder look, like when Davana Medina was queen of figure during its birth?
Julia: I would like to see figure keep its softer look, more muscular and with lower bodyfat than the bikini girls, but not the level of muscularity and bodyfat as the physique girls have. It needs to be somewhere in the middle, but a clear class of its own. Maybe a maximum height to weight ratio could be introduced, to limit how muscular the figure girls can achieve would help prevent the class 'outgrowing' itself. Feminine and athletic!
FitGems: If you weren’t a part of the female physique world, what would you be doing right now as your profession?
Julia: Im a personal trainer, so id still be involved in the fitness world. Im passionate about health, fitness and sports, so i will always be involved in some way!
FitGems: What (if anything) would you change about any of the IFBB female divisions?
Julia: We have 3 clear divisions to suit whatever look you want to achieve!
FitGems: Which competitor (past or present) you look up to the most for your inspiration?
Julia: Monica Brant, she has had (and still has) such a distinctive career in competing and fitness modeling, she is proving that age is not a limiting factor and is a fantastic role model. Balancing a competition, modeling and fitness career with style! She is definately the female competitor that has inspired me the most!
FitGems: What are your future plans heading into 2011 and beyond, and where do you see your career after you’re done competing?
Julia: At the moment I have two main goals for 2011.
The UKBFF UK Championships in October is my main goal and i intend to compete at the Hercules comp the week after again, as it was such a fun competition last year!
My second goal is to win a medal at the World Masters Track and Field Championships in July.
Beyond 2011, my goal is to compete internationally in Figure competitions and medal at the World Indoor Track champs in 2012.
I am currently involved in preparing the GB Bobsleigh Youth Team as they train for the Winter Youth Olympic Games. Once I am not competing any more, I would like to continue to work with athletes and help develop the next generation! and I would like to develop my Personal Training Business further too.
We like to once again thank Julia for taking this time to do an interview with us! If you would like to know more about Julia, check her out on Facebook at her personal profile or her Personal training / modeling / fitness fanpage. You can also follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/juleshub1.
