Cyberflexing.com Exclusive Interview With Fitness Model And Bikini Competitor Johanna Stavrakaki

Quick Bio:

Age: 30
Height: 5’9″ - 175 cm
Contest Weight: 138-140 lbs - 62-63 kg
Off-Season Weight: 147 lbs - 66 kg
Location: Los Angeles, United States

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

I had watched my first bodybuilding show back in 2009. A friend of mine was competing in figure and had invited me to go cheer her on. I was instantly hooked and I have always wanted to do things that were challenging since I was a child, so I decided to do my first show in 2010. I always like to push my limits to see how far I can go.

At the time I hardly lifted weights and all my conditioning was from soccer training since I was 10 years old. It was going to take time to change my body but I was up for the challenge.

How do you stay so motivated? What drives you?

The majority of the time I have always been self motivated - always wanting to improve and become the best I can be. The fire inside me to succeed in all that I tackle is what drives me. I am great now but I can be even better. Fitness is never ending, you can always improve, not just in fitness but in everything you do in life.

What is your training routine like?

I weight train 4 to 5 days a week with a 1 hour of cardio on my off days. I do 45 minutes of cardio on weight training days and mix it up between fasted cardio, steady and intervals. I never do the same workout everyday, so I don’t plateau and I find this way the results come much faster than before. I am being coached by Eric Broser as I find his training methods work the best for me.

If you had to choose only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

I would choose weighted cable crunches, Plie’ DB squats and seated side lateral raises. I like cable crunches because I find I get the best squeeze and contraction and I love the burn. I chose Plie’ DB Squats because they really hit my glutes hard and this is an area I am really focusing on right now because I am switching over to bikini from figure.

I chose seated lateral raises because they give the best pump and I like how they round out my shoulders. Also I like seeing my shoulder veins. 🙂

What is your favourite form of cardio?

I really like doing HIIT cardio on the stair mill or core trainer. I also love being outside, going for long walks or a hike.

What is your diet like?

I follow a high protein, lower carb, medium fats approach. I time my carbs around my workouts and spread my protein evenly over 5 to 6 daily meals.

What supplements do you use?

I don’t use many supplements anymore besides protein powder, BCAA and sometimes a fat burner for fasted cardio. I stopped taking pre workout powders before training. Now I just have a cup of coffee if I really need it. Right now the two brands I am using are BPI and PESCIENCE.

What are the highlights of your fitness career?

Winning overall in figure tall in my second figure show with the OPA. Placing top 5 at OPA Provincials. Competing at the CBBF Nationals in 2014 and working at the Olympia expo with a supplement company I use to be sponsored by. After Nationals I took a back seat on competing and focused on my brand STHENOS ACTIVEWEAR.

I have been focusing on my brand and transforming my figure body into a bikini body. I plan on doing my first bikini show in 2016 in the USA with the NPC and I can’t wait to show all my hard work.