1.Where and when have you been born? I was born 12 December 1976, Truro, Cornwall, England,UK.

2. Where do you live now? L.A. California, USA.

3.What is your profession? I dont have an exact profession or degree, I did complete 2 years of nurse training and may return to it.

4.What kind of activities/sports did you do before you started lifting 
weights? I didnt do any sports as I was very badly asthmatic for most of my 
childhood.

5.How and when did you get involved into lifting weights? I was 14 when I looked at a bodybuilding magazine a student my parents had at our house had, it was one of the late 80s. I looked at the women and thought it was something I wanted to look like, I have always been a promoter of 80s bodybuilding as in shape not size. The other reason I began lifting was I needed something to do to keep fit and running was not an option being so badly asthmatic, the good thing about working out is almost anyone can do it!

6.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? I always knew I would compete from a very young age and by the time I was 17 was training hard to do so, by the time I was 18 years old I was telling my first coach I wanted to win every show in the country, people laughed at me then but at 21 was the youngest to win my procard in the UK and still am today, if you have a dream......go for it, you just never know you may catch it!

7.Which competition was your first one and how did you place? It was in 1997 at 20 years old, the North East EFBB qualifier held in Nottingham, I won the middleweights and qualified for the EFBB British that year.

8.And which contest has been the biggest success for you yet? I won the Jantana Classic in 2001 and qualified for the Ms Olympia.

9.Contest history:

1997 - EFBB Northeast Qualifier - 1st middle weight
1997 EFBB British Championships - 3rd Lightweight
1998 EFBB Northwest Qualifier - 1st Middle weight
1998 EFBB British Championships - 1st and overall lightweight (procard)
2001 IFBB Jantana Classic -1st Lightweight
2001 IFBB Ms Olympia - 10th place
2003 IFBB Jantana Classic - 2nd Lightweight

10.Please describe a typical day in your life? Thats hard to answer! at the moment I am getting ready for a show and am waiting on my workvisa so its basically taken up a little like this .....get up around 9am and go to the gym to do 1 hours cardio, go home eat, shower, emails etc, eat, household chores,shopping etc or posing practise, see friends, tanning, various stuff, eat, train with weights maybe more cardio, eat, go home eat, relax or we could go out and eat, emails etc, tv, go to bed around 12mid, Its really hard to answer this though as stuff comes up and I may travel or have to go somewhere, help friends etc. I am nothing special I am fairly a boring human!

11.Please tell me something about your daily training routine. Im getting ready for a show and so its a little different to offseason in the respect that Im doing more cardio, Im doing cardio around 1 - 1 & half hours a day split as in I go before breakfast and do 1 hours, train in the pm 4/5 with weights and maybe do another half an hour, have in the past done 2 hours a day.

12.How often do you train a week? Ive done it all over the years,but recently am doing a 5 day split as follows

Chest/biceps
Quads/calves
off
Back/abbs
Shoulders/triceps
Hamstrings/calves
off
off

13.What are the main differences when you train for a competition and in the offseason? I am a believer in not changing your style of workouts throughout your contest prep as you do in the offseason, the only difference is I cant be as intense as I dont have the energy, but Im not into going into a higher rep mode or circuits than I would normally do, you need to keep it the same to give the muscle a reason to stay, cuts come through with diet, not 100 rep thigh ext and all the crap I hear over here, youve either got the maturity and muscle under there or you dont! But thats my opinion. Another thing is Im a big believer in changing your training all the time, ie using different principles of training and also I do more isolation than compound, gains are slower but better quality, its the difference between a powerlifter and a bb. The other big difference is cardio, I do around 1 to 1& half right now each day, offseason maybe 20mins 4 times a week, although next year I want to stay leaner for myself so may up that to around 45 4 times a week, have to see how I go.

14.If you dont mind would you give us some stats/best lifts? Um no sorry I wont, I havent measured in years apart from my arms at 15 and a quater. I really have no interest in what I can lift, its all about my look and Im small boned and am not as strong as many of the girls so whats the point? LOL. Just look at my shape and V taper and ask how many have that, thats all that matters in bodybuilding.

15.Which is your best bodypart in your opinion? My V taper ie shoulder/lats to waist ratio in shape, my over all symmetry I feel is one of the best around, dont touch many women in maturity or size, maturity I want, size I feel Im big enough apart from a little on the lower body.....and my blue eyes, many people tell me I have great eyes.

16.What is your favorite and least favorite exercise in the gym? I love chest exercises as I feel them, there are many exercises that Im not so into LOL, sometimes I have days I love training and other days like I am today dieting down, I feel tired and am bored with training, I do what has to be done and am glad to go home, we are all human at the end of the day.

17.Judging in Womens Bodybuilding has always been critised in one way or another, But please tell me your honest thoughts about womens judging today? Judging a 'sport' that is subjective and very new can always have wrong decisions. Being a fan of later 80s bodybuiding I am a preacher of shape, bodybuilding to me should be judged a a complete package ie muscle on a womans shape, we are not judging how fast we can run, its about being a man or a woman and I feel it should be judged a little different than the men, this is my opinion and not everyone will agree and thats my tough, however at pro level they are starting to improve and the sport is moving away from the more extremes to a pleasing package which is my goal, another thing to consider is as much as we would like people do do as they plesse with their bodies on one hand the other hand is how are we as pro athletes to make money from this, getting away from extremes I feel will help, I know many wont agree with me but sitting here without any sponsors as a pro athlete is very frustrating, there are many reasons for it one marketabiltiy Ive just mentioned but Im not going into it all, make your own view on this.

18, What are your hobbies etc outside of the sport? When Im not dieting Im much more laid back than I used to be and enjoy life here in Fort Lauderdale. I enjoy spending time with my friends from the beach, dinners, clubs, entertainment, riding on a harley, boat rides, lying in my back garden or using our hot tub, watching the TV, listening to Music. Candles and red wine! Assisting my friends with their training, emails! He he, I go to Fort Myers and see Amanda Dunbar sometimes or fly to NYC to see Mara Brecsia and Andrulla.

19.What are your future plans for 2003/2004? My competitive goal is to requailfy for the 2003 Ms Olympia, depending on how I do and what happens to me this year Ill decide on next year, Ive had thoughts from retiring to pro figure to competing again, but as Ive gotten older Im looking to try and secure more in my life and one of which means making money in what I do and so its becoming harder for me to justify my bodybuilding as I should be looking at school etcand my longer future, however I may be able to combine both, have these decisions to make, its too complicated to answer.

On a personal note find more security, settle my greencard over here, look at what I want to do with myself professionally, enjoy my friends, travel in the US and see things as well as being finally able to travel home to the UK to see my family (not able due to my visa at present) to find total peace and happiness,the last is the most important!

Finally a big thanks to my friends and family in the UK, the USA and fans worldwide for their support and for knowing me!

Please note:

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