Sienna Bahlmann - IFPA Pro

WPM's Competitor of the Month - July 2011





Interviewed by: Mike Hall


“Sienna Bahlmann is a client of mine. She came to me wanting assistance getting ready for her very first competition. She is a personal trainer, but realized the importance of having someone else hold her accountable and help her realize her dreams! She followed her meal plan, workouts, and worked on posing and presentation as much as she could! I saw a lot of potential in her, and instead of entering the “beginner” figure class, we decided that the “open” figure class would be more of a challenge, and provide some great competition! The day of the competition, she was radiant on stage! She won the Open Figure Tall Class at the NANBF Natural Mr. and Ms. Minnesota competition, and placed 2nd overall to take home her IFPA Pro Card at her very first show! I am so incredibly proud of her and how hard she worked!” Written by: Tara Thatcher Haertzen whom nominated Sienna Bahlmann.

We couldn’t have written a better intro for Sienna.

"...I worked in two very depressing situations before waking up and realizing this career path was not making me happy! Switching my career and being involved in health and fitness has been completely life changing. I love that I am working with people to help them achieve life changing habits! Nutrition and fitness are my true passions and it is definitely true that when you are doing what you love you never work a day in your life!"

WP: Congratulations on your big defeat! I am happy to have you here with us today. Let’s begin with you telling our viewers about yourself. Go into great detail.

Thank you! I am happy to be here! I am 27 years old and from the Midwest. I grew up in Iowa and Wisconsin, after high school I moved over to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. I graduated from there in 2006 with a B.S. in Child Psychology. I dabbled around with related and unrelated desk jobs only to realize that sitting all day was not for me! I have always been very athletic; I competed in soccer, hockey and even boxing through high school. I worked at the front desk of a gym through my teens and knew of guys that competed in bodybuilding but remained unaware of the possibilities for females in competitions and in fitness related careers. In college, I thought the way to stay ‘skinny’ was cardio, cardio, cardio! I ran countless miles and numerous races including two marathons. I began lifting minimally during my last year at the U of M, but I didn’t want to get ‘bulky’ so I avoided heavy weights and stuck to more cardio! It wasn’t until I befriended a trainer at a gym that I began to realize the benefits of weight training and high intensity workouts.

WP: How has weight training benefited you?

The change that I noticed in my physique as a result of lifting was very motivating. I wanted to learn as much about training as possible. I had always loved fitness magazines, but I really started to notice the fitness models and the competitors being featured. I decided I wanted health and fitness to be a bigger part of my life; I got my personal trainer and nutritional counselor diploma from the National Personal Training Institute and am also a certified personal trainer through NSCA.

WP: Are you planning to compete again in the future?

I am definitely planning on competing again. The whole experience before, during and now after the show has been amazing. I have learned so much about myself, both physically and mentally, and cannot wait to go through the process again!

WP: There are so many pre-competition methods out there in terms of diet and workouts. How did you prepare yourself?

I would not have had the success that I did at my show without my coach, Tara Thatcher Haertzen with Perfectly Prepared. We met weekly to practice posing and she guided me with my diet and training.

WP: You are a personal trainer, why did you need help with diet and training?

As a trainer I do know the components of a great workout and with a passion for nutrition had a strong hold on clean eating. Despite this, there is so much information and varying theories on pre-competition diet and training that I wanted to work with someone who had been there and done that, someone who could look at me weekly and know what was working and what wasn’t. I wanted to work with someone who knew what kind of manipulation through diet and training was necessary for me to look my best on stage, I found that expert in Tara.

WP: What other sports or activities do you enjoy?

I like to play soccer and hockey, but only get the chance here and there. I play softball in the summer. Right now, I am looking into trying out jiu-jitsu soon. I love trying and learning new ways to challenge myself physically! I’m also an avid snowboarder during the winter months.

WP: Tell me about your family. In addition, are you married, single, or dating?

I am in a committed relationship with my boyfriend of three years.

WP: What has competitions taught you thus far?

Discipline, patience, and confidence! It was a really neat experience to become confident strutting my stuff in an itty-bitty bikini on stage. I told myself that if I were going to do this competition I was going to be 100% confident in what I was presenting-meaning no mediocrity, simply the best I could be. I did exactly that and that feels awesome. I also know what I can do better but you have got to keep pushing that bar higher.

WP: What was the hardest thing for you to overcome when you first started?

I enjoyed the shift in my workouts and diet. It was very rewarding with each week there was progress being made. It is amazing the difference that can happen when you go from being 85% committed to 100%. I’ve always eaten healthy but eliminating the dairy, sugar and wheat from my diet consistently really made an incredible difference. I would have to say the most difficult thing for me is working long hours as a waitress on the weekends, at a very busy restaurant, makes it difficult to squeeze in all my meals. I always have to make sure I am prepared with a cooler packed with 5-6 clean meals.

WP: What are the key factors that dictate the way you train today?

Since the show, I know what I want to work on and develop. I have been changing up my workouts. I have still been including the full body workouts but also incorporating different splits in order to achieve different goals.

WP: Are you doing any modeling? If so, please tell me about it.

It is something that I am very interested in and hope for the opportunity.

WP: Can you tell me any photographers you’ve worked with, or someone you’d like to work with?

I’ve had a photo shoot with Eric Larson Photography, who I can thank for the submitted photos!

WP: What supplements do you currently take?

I take a liquid multi-vitamin, CLA, B-Complex, Vitamin C, and L-Carnitine (pre-workout). I also supplement with a clean protein powder and powdered greens.

WP: What are your pet peeves?

I can’t stand to be hit on in the gym. I’m there to get sweaty and work hard, not chit-chat and waste time. Thank you.

WP: What do you consider to be important in life, and why?

Love is the most important thing in life! I also think it is important to be reminded to always enjoy the present. It is important to set our goals and always look to the future but you can’t forget what is happening now and get the most out of it.

WP: How have you changed over the past few years when it comes to thinking, actions, and life in general?

Absolutely. I worked in two very depressing situations before waking up and realizing this career path was not making me happy! Switching my career and being involved in health and fitness has been completely life changing. I love that I am working with people to help them achieve life changing habits! Nutrition and fitness are my true passions and it is definitely true that when you are doing what you love you never work a day in your life!

WP: Any shout outs?

Thank you to my coach Tara Thatcher Haertzen and her company Perfectly Prepared. I’ve got to say that any woman looking to get into competition or fitness modeling needs to contact Tara!

WP: Give me an example of your workout.

Pre-competition I was doing mostly full body workouts 3-4 days a week including a lot of plyometrics, with HIIT cardio 2-3 days a week.

WP: Give me an example of your diet. What do you normally eat each day?

I try to eat 6-7 meals a day. Typical day might look like this:

Meal 1: Egg whites, oats, blueberries

Meal 2: Protein Shake (Coconut/almond milk, Promasil, powdered greens, oats)

Meal 3-5: Some mix of 3-4 oz chicken/fish, brown rice or sweet potato, veggies

Meal 6: Protein shake

I love to cook and am always making different things. I never feel deprived because the meals are so good and never the same (unless I get hooked on something)! Lots of vegetables, lean meat, complex carbs and fruit too.

WP: Could you tell me about your future projects?

I plan on doing the Fitness America Pageant in Las Vegas this fall. Other than that, I will be planning to do an IFPA Pro show within the next year as well.

WP: It has been a pleasure interviewing you! I wish you all the best of luck!

The pleasure was mine. It has been an honor to be selected as your July competitor of the month. Thank you!