Yvonne Edmunds - NPC National Level Bodybuilder
Some Info about YVONNE:
Where and when were you born? Madison Wi December 22, 1960
What is your profession? I am a Certified Personal Trainer and Consultant.
Were you involved in sports or fitness prior to bodybuilding and how did you get started with weight training? I had a little gymnastics when I was a kid, and with a large family we played a lot of sports from football, to baseball and badmiten, as you had enough people for a team! The strongest sport or skill I had was riding and training horses in Saddleseat Equitation, as I competed at the local, State and National level. I didn't start weight training until my early twenty's, and then just coaxed into it through friends.
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? It wasn't even something I considered but a lot of others saw I had potential and they encouraged me to give it a try. So once I started to see the changes and liked what I saw, after my first competition it was hard to think about giving it up.
Can you give me your competition history? This is the list! As many as I could remember anyhow!
1986-Ms Central Wisconsin: 1st Middleweight
1986-The Titan Open: 2nd Middleweight
1986-NPC Nationals in Miami
1989-Titan Open: 2nd Heavyweight
1990-Titan Open: 1st Heavyweight
1991-Madison Bodybuilding Championships: 2nd Middleweight
1991-Wisconsin State Championships: 3rd Middleweight
1993-Wisconsin State Championships: 1st Heavyweight
1994-Jr. Wisconsin Bodybuilding: 1st Heavyweight
1994-Wisconsin Natural Championships: 1st Heavy and Overall
1995-Illinois Power House Classic: 1st Heavy and Overall
1995-Minnesota's Midwest Iron Maiden: 1st Heavy and Overall
1996-Midwest's Grand Prix: 1st Heavy and Overall
1996-Jr. National's: 8th Heavyweight
1997-Jr. USA's: 3rd Heavyweight
1997-Masters Nationals: 2nd Heavyweight
1998-Jr. USA: 6th Heavyweight
2002-Masters Nationals: 4th Heavyweight
2003-Jr. Nationals: 3rd Heavyweight
2003-Masters Nationals: 1st Heavy and Overall
2004-Jr. Nationals: 1st Heavyweight
2005-Jr. USA: 1st Heavyweight
2005-USA- 9th Heavyweight
2007-Jr. Nationals: 9th Heavyweight
2010 Jr. Nationals: 3rd Heavyweight
Which contest has been your biggest success; which has had the most meaning to you? My biggest success has been winning the Master's Nationals Overall Title as it has been a long tough battle to make it to the top any of these National Shows, it means a lot to me, but I have strong feelings about the Jr. Nationals Show in which I took first in a tough Heavyweight Class with all of my fans and friends from Wisconsin watching and missed the overall title to my friend Christine Sabo.
Please tell me something about your training routine (ie: how many days per week / training split /cardio, etc.) I change my workout all of the time, but right now I train quads: Monday, Shoulders on Tuesday, Wednesday rest or cardio, Thursday is Back and Hamstrings, Friday is Chest, and Saturday is Arms. Sunday is always a rest day because I dedicate the day to family only.
What is your favorite exercise in the gym and which one you don't like so much? Since I am on this new leg routine, I despise them because just as they heal up I hit them again! So I would say they are my least favourite. My very favorite is arm day! My back is getting strong so I like that too!
Which body part is your best in your opinion? I would have to say my arms, I have worked long and hard on those and they have a great shape.
If you don't mind would you give me some stats (best lifts and some body measurements)? I have been known to curl 50lb dumbbells in my heavy workouts, along with a bench of 245lbs, sometimes using 80lbs for presses. At my small gym I use the whole stack for lat pulldowns and people get a charge out of that! I have 26 inch quads and Biceps hit 16 inches this winter!
What do you enjoy about training for competition....what do you enjoy about the 'off season'? I truly enjoy the whole process. I really like to be strong. I love to train hard and heavy all winter (in Wisconsin it's about one of the few things you can do) and really try to see how strong I can get each year. I love to eat a lot of food so off season is a lot of fun, but I do enjoy getting buffed and challenging myself to see what all that hard work has proven to be.
Please describe a typical day in the life of Yvonne Edmunds. It's pretty busy. I run the kids to school, if I have a client in the AM I train them, or do my workout, or both, run errands, and take care of a few chores (we have a small farm with my pets. a few cows, sheep horses, dogs and cats) and then off to work. I typically work until five-thirty, six days a week, training or coaching several people a day. Then I run any other errands and go home to make supper, help the kids with their homework or run them to their sports, and again do a few chores, and get them to bed, and talk to my husband. Whew!
Please tell me about what you do when you don't work out ( hobbies, what do you do to relax?, etc.) What little free time I have I love to spend it with my family, playing sports with my kids. I still find a little time for my animals, and ride more horses weekly, it's a way for me to relax. Just take a good long ride alone.
What do you enjoy most about the bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle? It keeps me in great shape, it keeps me challenged to do everything I want to do. It has opened the door to meet a lot of very great people and help others help improve themselves.
Tell me something interesting about yourself, something people may be surprised to hear. Well, although I grew up on a farm and live on a farm; I hate to be sweaty, dirty and have messy hair. I always like to have my hair and nails just so! My husband calls me a pixie!
What are your competition goals or personal future goals? I will continue my Certifications through education for my Personal Training Business, and as far as competitions; I take those one at a time as I love to win, and especially that overall title! I will be going back to the Masters Nationals to pursue it again!
