| Where and when were you born?
I was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on January 15th.
What is your profession?
I started my won business and have changed my focus onto helping others as a certified personal fitness trainer. I was a national level gymnastics coach for 12 years but do not train athletes in gymnastics any longer.
Were you involved in sports or fitness prior to bodybuilding and how did you get started with weight training?
In public school I participated in some sports such as cross-country, gymnastics and a little bit of track and field. I seemed to be a well-rounded athlete. I was a provincial level gymnast on my way to a national level throughout my high school years. I had injured my knee in my senior year preventing me to reach my goal as a national level gymnast. During the summer prior to college, I began a little bit of weight training to maintain my strength and also for rehabilitation to my knee. In my college years I began the sport of trampoline and reached the national level there. My sister and I also competed in synchronized trampoline together. I was not able to continue in the sport because I moved to an area where trampoline was not offered but my sister continued on. I then took up windsurfing. It was a great past time and had considered competition in this sport but I would have had to move to where there was consistent wind, but I was not about to do that. In the winter months I had no activity in my life and wanted to maintain my strength and physique so I took up weight training again.
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 was never a goal to compete in bodybuilding. The sport found me. When I started lifting weights again, there were a few people who thought I should take up power lifting because I was very strong. The owner of the gym, a power lifter, taught me the proper lifting technique for power lifting. Others thought I should do fitness because I had the gymnastics background. I didn’t know anything about fitness so I never considered it. Living in a smaller city, it was not a well-known activity to get into with no trainers to assist me. At this time I still coached gymnastics. I was offered a position at a gymnastics club in Michigan, USA. I moved there, found a gym and continued with my weight lifting there. I still had the physique of a little more muscular gymnast. The owner of the gym talked me into a bodybuilding competition. I had never seen a show and here I was competing in one. I knew nothing about the sport other then looking in the fitness magazines and seeing fit bodies in there. If there was fitness in the competition I would have possibly liked to have tried that first, but I stuck with bodybuilding. I still think about doing fitness sometimes even just to try it once.
Can you give me your competition history?
2007 IFBB Women’s World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 14th in Heavyweight 2007 OPA Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships (Level 3)
Placing: 2nd Masters, 3rd Heavyweight
(re-qualified for CBBF Canadian Championships)
2007 CBBF National World Qualifier (Level 4) (drug tested)
Placing: 1st Heavyweight, 2nd Masters
(qualified for IFBB World Championships)
2007 INBF Northern States Super Natural Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships (drug tested) Canadian & American Pro Qualifier for WNBF
Placing: 1st in Masters, 1st in Heavyweight, 1st Overall
1st in Bench Press Contest (65 lbs for 62 reps)
**Earned WNBF Pro Card**
2007 WNSO Ian Walling Fame Centrals (drug tested)
Placing: 1st Overall in Pro Division
2006 IDFA Canadian Classic II (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Open, 1st Overall
Best Poser Award
**Earned IDFA Pro Card**
2006 NGA Olympus Pro/Am (drug tested)
Placing: 7th In Pro Division
2006 WNSO FAME Centrals (Pro Qualifier)(drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Heavyweight, 1st Overall
**Earned WNSO Pro Card**
2006 NGA Can/Am
Placing: 1st in Open, 1st Overall
Best Poser Award
**Earned NGA Pro Card**
2005 NGA Canadian Classic Natural Championships (Pro Qualifier)(drug tested)
Placing: 2nd in Heavyweight
2005 NFSO Canadian International Natural Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Open Division
1st Overall Most Symmetrical Award
2005 NFSO Canadian Natural National Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Open Division
1st Overall Most Symmetrical Award
2005 NFSO South Western Natural Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Open Division
2003 IFBB Women’s World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 9th in Middleweight
(top placing North American in bodybuilding)
2003 CBBF National World Qualifier (Level 4) (drug tested)
Placing: 2nd in Masters, 3rd in Heavyweight
Best Poser Award
2002 CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Championships (Level 4)
Placing: 5th in Middleweight
2002 OPA Natural Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships (National Qualifier)(drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Heavyweight, 1st Overall (qualified for World Qualifier)
2001 OPA Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships (Level 3)
Placing: 2nd in Middleweight (qualified for Level 4)
2001 OPA South-Central Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships (Level 2)
Placing: 1st in Middleweight, 1st Overall (qualified for Level 3)
2001 OPA Festival City Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships (Level 1)
Placing: 1st in Open Division, 1st Overall (qualified for Level 2)
Best Poser Award
1999 NPC Michigan Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships (National Qualifier)
Placing: 3rd in Middleweight
1998 NPC Western Michigan Bodybuilding Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Middleweight, 1st Overall
Best Poser Award
1998 NPC Key to the Sea Bodybuilding Championships
Placing: 2nd in Middleweight
1998 NANBF Northern Classic Physique Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Short, 1st Overall
Most Muscular Award & Most Symmetrical Award
1998 NPC Grand Rapids Bodybuilding Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Middleweight, 1st Overall
1998 Mr./Ms. Natural Classic Drug Free Bodybuilding Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 1st in Short, 1st Overall
Best Poser Award & Most Muscular Award
1997 NPC Western Michigan Bodybuilding Championships (drug tested)
Placing: 3rd in Heavyweight
Which contest has been your biggest success; which has had the most meaning to you?
My biggest success was making the Canadian Team to represent my country at the IFBB World Championships. I have been brought up to work very hard and to do the very best I can. I had always wanted to be a national level gymnast and to compete in national and international competitions, but that was never to be, after my injury. My sister was my motivation for my success. She had made the Canadian Team in her sport of trampoline and double mini-trampoline to represent Canada at their World Championships. She showed me that dreams really do come true, but it does take lots of hard work. I have finally reached my goal. It wasn’t in the sport I first chose but I am very happy with what I have accomplished so far.
Please tell me something about your training routine (ie: how many days per week / training split /cardio, etc.)
I lift weights 4 days a week, 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on and 2 days off, for the most part as my schedule allows me too. My lifting doesn’t change much because I have found what works best for me. I lift as heavy as I can handle most of the time but listen to my body when it needs a break. I try to do as much cardio as possible in my off-season and am getting better at it. I use to really enjoy running and have taken it up again recently as a form of cardio for me. When I prepare for competition I increase my cardio to 2 sessions a day.
What is your favorite exercise in the gym and which one you don’t like so much?
As I said earlier, I was taught how to power lift, so the bench press is my favourite because I like to challenge myself as to how much I can lift. There are no exercises I do not enjoy.
Which body part is your best in your opinion?
This is a very hard question, so I will not pick a body part, but when I am dieted down and in the shape I should be in, I would have to say I like the separation and striations I can see in my muscles. Many people have told me that I have excellent symmetry.
If you don’t mind would you give me some stats (best lifts and some body measurements)?
I don’t measure my body often because I go by how I look in the mirror not by size.
Some of my best lifts in the past are as follows:
Bench Press 225lbs max
Deadlifts 315lbs max
Squats 245lbs for 4 reps
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 65lbs for reps
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press 80-85lbs for reps
Incline Bench Dumbbell Press 70lbs for reps
Decline Bench Press 225lbs for reps
Decline Dumbbell Press 70-75lbs for reps
Military Press 155lbs for reps
I don’t always do these exercises and weights but these are some of my best lifts that I have worked up to before changing my program to something else. My reps are anywhere from 6 to 10 and sometimes even lower when I go to failure.
What do you enjoy about training for competition....what do you enjoy about the 'off season'?
I always enjoy lifting weights and seeing results when preparing for a show. In the off-season I am able to cut back on the cardio and relax my diet more so it isn’t as strict.
Please describe a typical day in the life of Maria Mikola.
My schedule changes all the time based on when my clients book with me. I don’t have a typical day really. I usually book in my training with my training partner either in the late morning, afternoon or evening depending on his schedule. I will book in my clients around my training, usually first thing in the morning 6:30 or 7:30am, in the afternoons and early evenings but try not to get any later past 7pm. I try to get in a cardio session sometime during the day in between clients and/or run errands. I try to keep my evenings open for myself to prepare my meals, do paperwork, get in my cardio at night, and chores around the house. Sometimes when I get very busy with training clients, I do what I can to fit everything in, which means not getting to bed until late or missing something on my very long “to do” list. I have found when I had a regular job it was much easier for me to stay on a consistent schedule with my meals and cardio. Since I am on my own as a personal fitness trainer, I find it much more difficult to stay consistent with my diet in terms of eating every couple of hours and getting a second cardio session in. When I am not preparing for a show, usually my cardio suffers.
Please tell me about what you do when you don’t work out (hobbies, what do you do to relax?, etc.)
For me to relax I actually go for a tan. This is where I can take a quick cat-nap to regenerate myself. I sometimes watch a bit of TV when I am doing my cardio. On my day off I will sleep in and then later spend some time with my mom. I also like to spend time with my dog and go for walks.
What do you enjoy most about the bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle?
I enjoy the opportunity to be able to do a little bit of traveling and meet like-minded individuals and learn a little about them.
Tell me something interesting about yourself, something people may be surprised to hear.
Not a lot of people know but I have an identical twin sister.
What are your competition goals or personal future goals?
I feel very focused this year and made another Team Canada to the IFBB World Championships. I would also like to use the 4 natural pro cards I won and compete as a pro. I would also like to work on securing sponsorship to help me reach my competition goals and representing them well by maintaining a professional position. As for my personal future goals, the sky’s the limit! Please note: Maria does not do sessions or wrestling of any kind. Please don't ask!! |
