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Watching Kizzy Vaines hypnotically transition from one fluid and seemingly effortless move to another put to a classic James Bond soundtrack and theme during her fitness routine performance at the Ft. Lauderdale Cup last year wasn’t the best part.  There really wasn’t a “best part” of her routine.  The whole routine was the best part.  In a two minute time period Kizzy Vaines went from “that nice British girl with an unusual name” to “seasoned fitness pro that has the body and the routine to challenge anyone at any show for first place”.

 

Fitness is a different animal than anything else we see in physique sports because of the added complexities of the routine round.  Pretty elementary observation of course but when you think about what it takes to master not only your physique and presentation, but all of the varied skills and talents required to put together 2 minutes of absolute magic you gain a whole new respect for fitness competitors.

 

When one shining star rises high above the very best with a body and face that could launch a thousand ships in perfect harmony with a fitness routine that so gracefully yet powerfully mesmerizes every mind in the entire building, you know you are seeing something very special.

 

After making her pro debut in 2005 and getting lost somewhere near the bottom of the score sheets, Vaines returned to IFBB competitive fitness in 2009 at the Atlantic City show.  She placed a respectable 6^th place there but felt she could do so much better.

 

After a quick re-tooling of her fitness routine she set a course for Ft. Lauderdale and what would be the turning point in her competitive career.  Near tragically when her flight landed on U.S. soil she was so dehydrated from the flight that she was unable to disembark.  After a brief stay in hospital and plenty of I.V. fluids, she was released and went back to her hotel to prepare for the contest.  Undaunted by the ordeal, she got on stage and handily won her first IFBB pro fitness contest.

 

Now, just over 4 weeks out from the Arnold Classic Fitness International, her very first appearance on the biggest stage in the sport, Kizzy Vaines is understandably excited yet in many ways she logically approaching it like it were any other show.  The bubbly yet engagingly hard-nosed Brit gave us a few moments of her time to talk about fitness, the Arnold, and what it’s like being from Britain and competing in professional fitness.

 

Changes?

“As far as changes since Ft Lauderdale, I feel that I could get in better condition for sure as i had that mishap with dehydrating on the plane and having three bags of saline pumped in me at the A&E the morning before the show. So the first thing is to ensure that I get plenty of water drank on the plane especially traveling from the UK.  The other change is that I have incorporated boxing into my training program as part of my cardio. I have not been doing this long and can already feel the difference improvement wise it as had to areas of my physique.”

 

Measuring up to the best

“This is only my third comp since my four-year break in the sport. The four years I had out, I used to try and bring my physique up to the standards that was required in the states. So I still have to stand on stage with a few more athletes in order to be able to criticize myself constructively and choose which areas need the more improvement and what better place to do it than the Arnold classic where the top athletes are.”

 

The not so routine, routine

“As for my routine, I have stayed with the same approach as Ft Lauderdale. I am from a dance background so the music I have chosen fits my routine well. I can't wait to see what the audience's reaction will be. That’s nerving for me but at the same time exciting. I would say that my routines are different to what most audiences over there are used to. So to anyone that will be watching me on the stage, please yell if you like it while i am on stage, I need all the support I can get, it is nerve racking being in another Country and especially trying something new out.”

 

Injuries?

“Injuries, i have been suffering from a shoulder injury for a couple of month but that seems to have improved and luckily has not interfered too much with my training. The other one is just headache from my husband about getting that darn chicken down my neck, ah!”

 

On track?

“At 5 weeks out I feel that ,yeah I would say on track. I have got a fast metabolism, so I can peak too early. Being on the smaller side of the category, I have to train up I train like a bodybuilder in order to keep  my muscle density up to scratch. If I diet too hard I have a tendency to lose some of that muscle size and I don't want that, as that is where I failed when I first started on the pro scene back in 2005.”

 

Living abroad, better and worse?

“The challenges that I face living over here in England are first of all the expense of getting over there. Plus the traveling itself is tiring due to not being able to eat on the plane.  My dehydrating at ft Lauderdale from the plane journey is one example of the stress it can cause, although that was a one off situation. I try to arrive there at least a couple of days before the show in order to rid of any water retention from flying at high altitude for such a long distance.  Missing out of getting some publicity is another disadvantage that I have as I can't get to do any photo shoots or interviews over in the states.  The advantage of being over here is that there aren’t many fitness competitors in England, so I hope that me competing over there will encourage more to break through onto the circuit from England.”