Finding the Secret to Flat Abs: Interview with Barbara Mencer
I met Barbara Mencer through Twitter and after talking to her I realized she is truly an inspiration for women of all ages, competing in her first NPC Figure Competition at 46 and helping small business owners create successful marketing campaigns. I had to ask Barbara for some of her secrets so I could share them with all of you and we could all be inspired.
1) Tell us more about yourself. Who are you? How long have you been training and what are your goals and aspirations in the fitness industry?
I am a marketing consultant and a business development coach. My company is Business BreakThrough Institute. We work with small business owners and professional service providers to help them overcome their fear of sales and marketing so they can attract more clients and make lots more money!
Beyond that, I have a passion for fitness and I’m an NPC figure competitor. I only started training 7 years ago and started competing 4 years ago. I just turned 50 years old and have found that training and competing is a way to turn the clock back. I feel more like 35 than 50.
I haven’t told many people this, but my goal is to get my pro card in Masters Figure. Who knows how long it’ll take me to turn pro, but I figure I have time. Right now I’m shooting for Masters Nationals in 2010 and may do a couple shows between now and then. Other than that, it’d be great to do a little fitness modeling for magazines that target older women. I’d like to encourage middle-aged women to get out there and get fit. I’m concerned that too many women settle for being in less than stellar shape (and less than stellar health too) just because they’re getting older and gravity is starting to do its thing. It truly doesn’t have to be that way!
(WOW – LOOK at THOSE ABS!!!)
2) You just won your Masters Division 45+ (I hope that’s okay to advertise) and you placed 6th in the Open Division at The Cal – what was your motivation to start competing and get into fitness?
I love goals and I love challenges. After I got into shape I was going to the gym about 4 days a week and just maintaining. Nothing wrong with that but I was a little bored. Someone asked me if I ever did any physique sculpting competitions. I hadn’t heard of that and was intrigued. Soon thereafter I saw an MTV “Made†show where a young woman was “made†into a fitness competitor. The gymnastics/dance piece was a bit much for me (I am NOT flexible), but I soon found out about figure and that seemed just perfect for me. It became a way to take myself to the next level in my fitness. I did my first competition in 2006 and came out of it with 3 trophies. That’s all it took to get hooked. I’ve been doing it ever since.
3) To get into great shape like you are you must be very particular about your training. How would you describe your training? Are you into body part splits or full boy training? Why?
I’m very fortunate because I have Kim Oddo, trainer and nutritionist to many NPC and IFBB figure competitors as my coach. Between Kim and my husband, Dan Mencer, who is also a certified personal trainer, I’ve got all the help I need to set up the best training program for me and my goals. I typically train 5 days per week, training two body parts per day. This will switch around depending on my physique goals at the time. For instance, right now I’m focusing on widening my v-taper and building my hamstrings. So, I work my back by itself two days per week and add a second day of hamstrings onto, say, my chest/triceps day in addition to working hammys on legs day. In a few months, I may switch things around if I want to focus on something else. I find this type of training helps me sculpt my body to be along the lines of what the judges are looking for in figure. Plus I just like it!
4) Your nickname on Twitter is 6pakgirl – Diet is a HUGE part of getting a six pack or flat stomach – what does your diet look like? If I’m trying to get a flat stomach what are three things I should be doing with my diet?
Yes, a six pack is about 70-80% nutrition based, the rest of it being training and cardio. My diet is pretty strict, whether I’m on or off season. I eat completely clean. No butter, salt, sugar, mayo, sauces, etc. I eat very little pasta and bread and even less dairy (it’s bloating). My diet tends to be high in lean protein – grilled skinless chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, and egg whites and my carbs are yams, oatmeal, brown rice, and lots of fresh veggies. Of course all good nutrition plans include healthy fats. I get mine from avocado, peanut butter and almonds.
In order for a six pack to show, you must be lean. You can do all the crunches in the world and you won’t have a six pack if there’s a layer of fat over the muscles. Three musts for a flat stomach: 1. Eat more lean protein and less starchy carbs; 2. Drink lots of water (I drink 1.5 gallons each day) 3. Eat clean! Cut out salt, sugar, and alcohol from your diet.
5) Many women want a flat stomach, yet life sometimes gets in the way and makes reaching this goal that much harder. What are your top four secrets to for a tight, toned stomach?
Well, as I mentioned before, the main secret is to eat correctly and to do so in several small meals each day. That’s huge. Beyond that, when you’re training your abs, don’t just do crunches. Focus on building and strengthening your core and also add variety to your ab training, using all the ab machines available as well as floor work and hanging ab straps. Consistent cardio at a fat burning speed is also important because, as I mentioned before, your abs won’t show if your body fat is too high. Finally, love yourself during the journey. Getting a toned stomach or six pack abs is absolutely a process. You’ll have your ups and downs along the way. That’s okay. Just pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward.
6) Where can we find more information out about you?
You can find out mor
e or contact me by going to my website: www.BusinessBreakThroughInstitute.com, emailing me at bmencer@san.rr.com, or following on Twitter @6PakGirl. I’d love to hear from you!
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Melissa, thank you very much for this interview. She is an inspiration. I am 43 going on 43 and that is exactly what I wanted to do. I am building my strength back and getting back into shape. I started my bellydancing again and am actually performing in shows and stuff and also picking up my kickboxing again. My thought is to start in the fitness modeling gig along with competing. At first it was cause someone close to me basically said I was too old to get into that kind of stuff and to grow up. I basically told that person where he can stick it. I have been working out with a vengeance. I\’ve lost 45 lbs and have 20 lbs to go. Now I not only want to show that person but anybody else that has that same stupid mentality. So thank you again Melissa and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Barbara Mencer. If you want Melissa, you can forward this to her with my info.
What an inspiration Barbara is! Wow….now to put down this cookie and get to the gym!