Cindy Angelsberg
Featured Athlete - March 2011
Interviewed by: Mike Hall
Photos by: BBPics
Cindy Angelsberg is a brown belt in Kempo Karate and also trains in Ju-jitsu, boxing, MMA and Crossfit. Each one of sports is a uniquely different challenge and she enjoys every aspect of what it takes to be a great athlete and Martial Artist. What does it take to learn what she has? It takes work. That is no problem for Cindy, because she is in it for the long term, not the moment.
"... I train my body not just to look better, but also to work better. The irony about that is, when you take the focus off of vanity and put it on performance, your physique responds like never before. What good is it to look like Tarzan and play like Jane?"
WP: What made you decide to go into martial arts and Crossfit? What a great combination.
I quickly fell in love with martial art training because of the incredible mental and physical discipline that it requires. I added in crossfit because it enables me to be a better martial artist. My training emphasizes intensity, and intensity is what creates results. I consider myself an athlete; not a bodybuilder. I train my body not just to look better, but also to work better. The irony about that is, when you take the focus off of vanity and put it on performance, your physique responds like never before. What good is it to look like Tarzan and play like Jane? My workouts are competitive. Friendly competition motivates people like nothing else. Whether I am competing with my own previous time, or competing with a friend, it is shocking how much more fun this makes the workout. I consider myself a well-rounded athlete that uses functional movements along with a clean gluten free diet that results in longevity and performance. This is truly the closest thing to the fountain of youth.
WP: What do you recommend to our readers that will help with building mass and cutting at the same time?
I would highly recommend crossfit training, which is basically a combination of weightlifting, gymnastics and sprinting. This type of training makes a person increase their stamina, flexibility and dexterity with far better results then your standard stationary gym workout. The endurance of the cardiovascular and respiratory system of the body increases. This type of training involves vigorous physical workouts, as well as, diet control.
WP: Give me a break down of your diet.
I typically follow a combination of the “caveman diet” and “raw foods diet” and of course all of my food is always gluten free as well. I do not eat any refined sugar, processed oils, gluten or anything pre-packaged for that matter. For example:
Breakfast (pre-crossfit): Oatmeal with cinnamon and vanilla powder.
Post-crossfit: Protein drink with raw spinach, blueberries, blackberries, ice and vanilla protein powder.
Lunch: Chicken, brown rice and veggies.
Snack: Almonds and a protein bar.
Dinner: Salad with chicken, walnuts, cranberries, and salad dressing with amino acids.
Snack after martial art work-out: Protein drink with banana, peanut butter, green tea, chocolate protein powder and ice.
WP: Do you allow yourself a cheat day? If so, what is it that you usually eat when you do?
I have an obsession with dark chocolate. Most of my protein drinks and bars are chocolate flavored. I enjoy an organic dark chocolate bar usually once a week. I figure at least it’s loaded with beneficial antioxidants, and also decreased blood pressure.
WP: What supplements do you take?
What I take is very simple and basic. A multi-vitamin, additional vitamin B Complex and C Complex, COQ10, and 2 protein drinks a day. I also take herbs for overall health, which are Noni, Echinacea, turmeric, and ginger; all from Maui in their purest form.
WP: Could you tell me a story of how you have gotten where you are today?
I have learned to overcome many hurdles in my life. As a child, I was constantly in and out of hospitals, due to a debilitating unknown illness that resulted in malnutrition and tissue damage. At that time, no one had heard of an allergy to gluten or celiac disease until many years later. I suffered from constant abdominal pain, vomiting, weakness, and a basic failure to thrive. I never wanted any sympathy and I definitely developed a very high pain tolerance. I often daydreamed of being strong and healthy, and tried to picture this as often as I could. I thought that this was the way my life was going to be, until many years later when during a hospital stay, a biopsy was taken during an intestinal repair and celiac disease was diagnosed. This had developed from a severe gluten allergy. Thus, the second stage of my life had begun! A strict gluten-free diet was put into effect immediately and the workouts and healthy eating began!
WP: When you look at your photos from a photo shoot, what goes through your mind?
When I look at the pictures from a photo shoot, I often find myself reminiscing about the journey that it took to get to this point. The ability to push your body and soul to its maximum potential is a never-ending lifelong endeavor. How many times have you wanted to quit when you are so nauseous and tired during a workout and somehow you end up pulling through and finishing strong with your head held up high in accomplishment. There is no better feeling. “Give it your all everyday” is one of my favorite quotes that I truly live by in anything and everything I do in life.
WP: What is the hardest thing for you to face when it comes to keeping your physique.
I do very little typical exercises that you see in the gym. In fact, I don’t go to gyms at all. My training is mostly action-orientated that engages the core and total body at all times. Cardio endurance, stamina, strength, power, speed, flexibility, agility, accuracy, balance, and coordination sums it all up. The word that runs through my head, when the workout is hard, is to never quit! It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach that one, as well!
WP: John Mitchell at bbpics.com shot these photos of you we are showing on the website. What was it like working with him?
My experience with John has left a lasting lifelong impression that I will never forget. When I first saw the photographs that John Mitchell had taken, my jaw dropped. John has a unique ability to capture a moment in time that will be forever frozen like a scene from a Hollywood movie. All of his pictures have a way of telling a story through a wonderful artistic approach. His expertise shines through and immediately I felt very confident in his abilities. The way he is able to use the natural outdoor light is very impressive and unlike no other. Between the natural sunlight, background of the surroundings, natural resources of props and range of colors, I quickly learned that this was much more diverse then a posed studio picture that has been over touched and over processed.
WP: How did he go over and beyond for you?
With John’s many years of experience in the business, he has a true understanding and vast knowledge of the fitness and modeling industry that quickly became apparent to me. Any question that I had for him, he answered with ease. I became very comfortable and knew that I was in the hands of a true professional. My poses became free-flowing and soon they became effortless and natural.
WP: Give me a sample of your workout.
Here is an example of one of my favorite crossfit workouts that I would do in the morning. It is called “Murph”:
1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 squats
1 mile run
The crossfit workout changes daily. It is never the same and that helps to build muscle confusion. Does your workout make you nervous? It should! In the evening, I do martial arts training which could involve karate, Ju-jitsu, boxing, or a combination of all three. Depending on my schedule, during the morning crossfit workout I sometimes throw in a run along the beautiful beach trail in San Clemente where I live.
WP: The interview is about to end. Is there anything else you would like to add?
My favorite quote from Bruce Lee, “If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them”.
WP: You have been a pleasure to interview! Thank you for your time and good luck in your future bodybuilding endeavors!
Thank you for your time. It has been great answering your questions and I hope that this helps to motivate others in accomplishing their goals no matter what setbacks that they should encounter.
