Here are the winners you chose for our 2014 Arnold Sports Festival Best Body contest!
Hard work pays off. Just ask Yaroslava Nikolaeva and Gary Chaney, the winners of our GNC and Dymatize Nutrition Best Body contest at the 2014 Arnold Sports Festival. It wasn’t easy. First, they had to survive the initial elimination round. Hundreds of fitness enthusiasts entered for their chance to win at this renowned contest at the Arnold Expo in Columbus, Ohio, and after the sharp-eyed M&B editors chose the top five men and women finalists, it was up to you, the readers, to make the ultimate decision. You did well, guys.
Now, let’s meet them. We hope their stories and fit physiques inspire you to take your fitness to the next level. Hey, maybe we’ll even see you at our next booth contest.
“To be a successful athlete, you need a consistent schedule and rhythm of life. Any goal is reachable if you are dedicated.”
Yaroslava Nikolaeva: From Russia with Muscle
Growing up in the small Russian town of Solnechny, Yaroslava excelled in athletics from a very early age, specifically in track and field. Jumping from one activity to the next, she began skiing competitively, but soon realized her talents lay elsewhere. Yaroslava focused her efforts in the gym and found a new passion, becoming obsessed with lifting weights. She combined her love of competing with her newfound enthusiasm for bodybuilding and made the jump to the figure contests. She credits her participation in youth sports for helping her seamlessly make the leap.
“My path as an athlete was always a logical transition from [team] sports to [competing in figure],” she says.
Graduating from college with a degree in physical fitness, Yaroslava was ready to take on the wider athletic world. Since 2011, she has been battling it out in the figure category, where she credits her natural athleticism for making this body class a perfect fit (literally) for her to succeed. She applies a disciplined consistency to her diet and exercise program, which allows her to remain competitive throughout the year. Her work ethic and determination is evident in her shapely musculature, which caught the attention of our readers.
Eyes On The Prize
In order to continually make improvements to her physique during the off-season, Yaroslava focuses on “harder resistance training” and a fine-tuned diet that includes protein and larger portions of whole-grain carbohydrates, along with fruit and dairy products. Yaroslava would argue that there really is no true off-season. Maintaining proper training and diet year-round is a lifestyle choice that keeps her mind focused and positive when it comes time to hit the stage.
“You can’t be an athlete for just a couple months before an upcoming contest,” she says. “To be a successful athlete, you need a consistent schedule and rhythm of life. Any goal is reachable if you are dedicated.”
Leading up to a contest, Yaroslava increases the intensity of her resistance training and adjusts her diet by precisely monitoring her carbohydrate intake. Her motivation comes from fellow figure competitor Erin Stern, which helps her maintain an unrelenting faith in herself.
“We can make the impossible possible only when we believe in ourselves,” she says. She also credits her husband, a fellow Russian athlete who competes as a boxer, as a huge motivator, saying, “It’s helpful and motivating when you have a partner who thrives in sports with the same passion as you do.”
Yaroslava hopes that winning the GNC and Dymatize Best Body contest will introduce her to a wider audience. In the coming year, she plans to make a major impact on the American fitness community. “I hope one day I can move to the U.S. and thrive to reach the highest level possible!”
In her day job, Yaroslava teaches “free and charitable workshops and seminars for beginning athletes, fitness amateurs and people with a healthy lifestyle.” She also works for BSN and hopes to promote their products in the Russian market.
Congratulations, Yaroslava. Hope to see you in the U.S. very soon!
“It comes down to what your motivation is … and how hard you’re willing to work to get there. You can teach anyone any movement in the gym, but you can’t teach them to work their butts off to get where they want to be.”
Gary Chaney: A Natural Winner
Born in Warren, Ohio, Gary Chaney started playing baseball at the age of 6, but by the eighth grade his focus shifted to bodybuilding. “At that point, I fell in love with working out, and wanted to be competitive with anyone who would step in the weight room with me,” he says.
While at Kent State University, Gary majored in exercise science in order to learn as much about physiology and training as possible. He also “decided to take training much more seriously.”
After college, and with a new-and-improved physique, Gary was ready to take the stage, and started competing in 2006. “Once I stepped onstage in my first show, I knew this was going to be a sport that stuck with me for quite some time,” he says.
Unfortunately, Gary suffered a setback when he tore a pec muscle. Although the serious injury sidelined him for a few years, he continued to train, but arguably his strongest body part became his weakest. “I continue to work at building it up, but it’s an uphill battle,” he admits.
Excelling In Physique
Gary originally swore he would never cross over from bodybuilding to physique contests, but found that this new category allowed him to compete despite his injury. He’s thrived in the new division. “I have been a three-time men’s physique champion, a two-time overall champion (losing the third to my own client), and have placed as high as seventh in national competitions. I am currently taking time off to improve, but will give it another run for a pro card in 2015.”
When he’s not traveling for competitions, Gary resides in Aurora, Ohio, and works as a strength and conditioning coach, where he says he’s had the opportunity to work with students as well as professional athletes. After further developing his natural talent for coaching, Gary formed Team Gneticstrained to “help other athletes bring out their best physiques when they compete.”
Currently, Gary says he has about 12 clients to prepare, so it keeps him “pretty busy all week with check-ins and typing updated diets. I enjoy it though because it makes me feel as if I am personally competing all year,” he says. In fact, the last two shows Chaney has coached have resulted in two overall men’s physique champions, and he says he’s looking for a third at the North American Championships at the end of August.
Big On The Barbell
Gary keeps his own workout routine fairly simple. “I lift weights five to six times a week,” he says, “typically lifting heavy with lots of focus on form.”
A big fan of compound sets, Gary performs higher repetitions because it helps keep his heart rate up, allowing for a good mix of lower-repetition training as well as higher-volume training. Cardio is added only during contest preparations.
His favorite piece of gym equipment, one that he says is “all he needs,” is the barbell. “With a barbell you can do pretty much any resistance movement you want,” says Gary. “My favorite move is the bentover row.”
Supplements are essential to Gary’s regimen, but he says his stack is “basic” at best. “I use creatine, glutamine, protein, fish oil, a multivitamin and a preworkout from time to time.” In Gary’s mind, there is no special secret to achieve optimal fitness. “It comes down to what your motivation is in your fitness journey,” he says, “and how hard you’re willing to work to get there.”
In the end, Gary concludes that what you achieve in the gym—or life—is based on how far you are willing to go in order to realize your goals. “You can teach anyone any movement in the gym, but you can’t teach them to work their butts off to get to where they want to be.”
| Want your chance to be in Muscle & Body? Make sure to stop by our booth at the Mr. Olympia show in Las Vegas, September 19–20, and strike your best pose. Remember, the more of your hard-earned muscle you show, the easier it is for us to judge your physique, so come with your body ripped and ready. Then be sure to follow us at muscleandbodymag.com and on Facebook and to see if you made the cut. Good luck! |