Women’s natural bodybuilding > Carolyn Brinkley > women’s fitness and health
This article discusses natural women’s bodybuilding and how one woman has made it her passion.
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The Ideal: If you were to design the optimal female bodybuilder, what combination of physical attributes would you want? Start with bone structure: it would be important to possess proportional limb length; short arms or stumpy legs in relation to torso length would be disadvantageous. Narrow hips and wide shoulder clavicles (when viewed from the front) would be important. Trim joints with muscle insertion points set low on the bone would ensure long muscle bellies that create the highly desirous Flex Wheeler-like symmetry.
Psychologically the ideal female bodybuilder would need to be intelligent and have a high pain tolerance with no aversion to hard and intense work. Many individuals have terrific genetic gifts but lack the brains or the savage work ethic to capitalize on their genetic advantages. The ideal female bodybuilder would be extremely athletic: most elite bodybuilders were exceptional athletes in other sports before they became bodybuilders. Cory Everson went to the University of Wisconsin on an athletic scholarship; Bev Francis was on the Australian Olympic team as a track and field athlete and Lynda Murray was a top amateur athlete. A strong athletic background makes for a wonderful jumping off point as elite athletes have a great work ethic and most have a relatively fat free, highly-muscled body before they begin bodybuilding.
The ideal female bodybuilder would have a great bone structure, a strong athletic background, a fierce psychological makeup and a burning desire to succeed. At Parrillo Performance Press we come across a lot of exceptional female bodybuilders yet few have impressed us as much as Carolyn Brinkley. The Natural: In the famous baseball movie, The Natural, Robert Redford played the role of a young baseball player born on a farm that took his incredible genetic gifts and amplified them through hard work and determined effort. Carolyn Brinkley has obvious genetic gifts and a strong athletic background in a variety of sports. This woman has been bodybuilding less than two years and you would be hard put to come up with a logical explanation as to how someone could progress so quickly in such a short period of time.
Carolyn will be 43 in January of 2008. Her excellent genetic gifts are coupled with a strong athletic background and magnified by a terrific work ethic. Carolyn Brinkley is the bodybuilding equivalent of The Natural. Check out her list of bodybuilding accomplishments, all garnered since she commenced bodybuilding less than two years ago. In April 2006 she competed in her first competition, the United States Bodybuilding Federation Silver Cup. She won the overall title! The 40 year old rookie in her inaugural competition beat everyone in the show! She took 1st place in the heavyweight open division and 1st place in the Master division. Then in June of 2006 Carolyn com-peted in the USBF Battle of York Bodybuilding Championship. She took 2nd Place in the open women’s division and 1st in the Masters division. She also captured “best poser.” In October of 2006, with less than a year’s training under her belt, Carolyn competed in NEPA Natural Northeast Bodybuilding Championships and won the overall title, plus 1st place as a middleweight and her third straight Masters title. In her fourth show, the 2006 USBF Baltimore Natural Pro-Am, Carolyn again won the overall title and 1st place in women’s heavyweight and Master division.
In October 2007 she entered her first Pro show. Carolyn took 3rd place in the IFPA Yorton Cup national championships - thereby becoming a Natural professional bodybuilder after only five competitions. Quite an auspicious start for someone taking up competitive bodybuilding at an age when most competitors are retiring from the sport. What makes Carolyn tick: The secret to Carolyn’s meteoric rise can be traced to her excellent genetic foundation, her strong athletic background, her obvious intelligence and a disciplined approach to nutrition and bodybuilding. “I have been healthy and fit my entire life. I was extremely athletic as a youngster. I ran track in high school, the 440 and 880 yard run. I was awarded a college scholarship as a basketball player.” Carolyn began studying martial arts at age 21 when she joined the police force. “I started lifting weights and studying the martial arts when I decided to become a police officer. I was determined to become stronger and gain confidence. I was young and gangly and felt I needed to be able to handle myself in physical confrontations with much larger male perpetrators. By becoming seri-ous about intense physical training and becoming proficient in martial arts, I felt I would gain the ability to handle myself in arrest situations.”
Carolyn became a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy in Largo, Florida in 1986 and spent the next fifteen years as a law enforcement officer. She started off as a Patrol Deputy before becoming a Vice and Narcotics Detective. During her law enforcement career she wore many hats: School Resource Officer, Community Patrol Officer, and Law Enforcement Trainer for sworn officers and recruits. She also taught firearms training, defensive hand-to-hand tactics, driving skills and a “street survival” course specifically for female oficers. Eventually Carolyn ended up as an adjunct trainer at the Police Academy. In 2001 Carolyn retired from the force to take a position with a private training company owned and operated by a former Navy SEAL.
She traveled the country training police instructors in Arrest and Control Techniques that zeroed in on unarmed fight-ing and “subject” control. Carolyn moved to Baltimore in September of 2001, “I spent two years on the Baltimore Police department and then went to work with a team of law enforcement trainers.” For two years she trained officers at the Maryland Police and Corrections Training Academy.
The Parrillo Connection: In 2006 Carolyn retired from law enforcement training to open a personal training studio with her partner, Stephanie Samuels. C & S Holistic Wellness Studio is located in suburban Baltimore and focuses on a “holistic approach” to fitness. Carolyn and Stephanie cater to a wide variety of clientele: stay-at-home moms, small business owners, large corporation CEOs, people re-habbing from injuries, people completely new to fitness, police officers and athletes from a wide range of sports including golfers, lacrosse and basketball players.
Holistic is a word that has an elastic definition and Carolyn defines the C&S approach, “Our approach is Holistic in that we address different aspects of life: the mental, emotional and physical aspects. At our studio we offer Pilates, yoga, personal train-ing, group classes, massage thera-py, professional skin care, weight loss and nutritional consultations.” When Carolyn turned 40 she did a little self examination and decided to become a competitive bodybuilder. “I was a bit out of shape and thought a great way to motivate myself would be to 
compete as a bodybuilder. I sought out the best bodybuilding train-er in the Baltimore area, Jay Cockrell. Since 2005 Jay has guided my bodybuilding training. Jay is responsible for taking my physique to the next level. I think the man is absolutely awesome!” Carolyn Brinkley also had the good fortune to become acquainted with Parrillo Performance products and Parrillo training methods at this critical juncture. Stephanie Samuels had been introduced to Parrillo Products by Baltimore personal trainer extraordinaire Todd Swinney. Carolyn recalled the exact moment when she first tried Parrillo Products. “In 2001 I ate my first Parrillo Graham Cracker barTM and fell in love. I have used Parrillo Products ever since.” The Parrillo training and nutritional strategies were the last pieces to Carolyn’s puzzle. “Using Parrillo Products and training under Jay, I progressed quickly. I seemed to have a knack for bodybuilding.”
That’s a massive understatement; modest to a fault, within a matter of months Carolyn underwent a radical transformation dropping from a 21% body fat percentile to 7% body fat when she stepped onstage for her first body-building competition. The Natural becomes a full-time fitness professional: “I love my new life as a full-time fitness professional. The job satisfaction of aiding people in their quest to reinvent themselves is incredible. By using the tactics and strategies I have learned over the years, by introducing clients to the ABC’s of nutrition and supplementation, I have been able to make a profound difference in the physical condition of a wide variety of people. The needs of the competitive athlete are dramatically different from the needs of the untrained overweight person; the approach I might recommend for a business executive with limited time would be dramatically different from the program I might set up for an out-of-shape housewife - everyone is different and everyone requires a different training and eating approach. That’s what makes personal training both difficult and interesting.” With her personality, knowledge and excellent communication skills, Carolyn is a natural as a personal trainer. Additionally she is a massage therapist and her skills in this area make the perfect compliment to the holistic approach C&S exemplifies. Savvy in nutrition, she cannot say enough good things about Parrillo Performance Products. “I have used Parrillo products since 2001. Stephanie initially introduced me to them after she had been introduced to them by Todd Swinney. Nutrition is the cornerstone of my approach and Parrillo Products have been a huge part of my rapid progress. I educate my clients on nutrition and a big part is getting them away from fad diets and fad nutritional supplements. I recommend Parrillo diet strategies and Parrillo Products to all my clients because results count!” As far as future plans, Carolyn is enthused about every aspect of her life. “I am turning 43 in January and I am a proud grandmother.
I have a son-in-law Greg, in the United States Navy. My daughter Sa’Toya and Greg live nearby, so I have access to my grand daughter, Kyra, who will be 2 in January. I plan to compete as a bodybuilder far into the foreseeable future. I think I can continue to improve my physique to a substantial degree.” That is an inspiring scenario and we will keep you updated on the progress of The Natural, the Parrillo-powered bodybuilding grandmother!
Monday: Morning - Cardio p.m. - Back & Abs
Tuesday: Morning - Chest & Arms p.m. - Yoga
Wednesday: Morning - Legs, Abs & Cardio
Thursday: Off
Friday:Morning - Cardio p.m. - Back & Shoulders
saTurday: Morning - Chest, Arms & Abs
sunday: Morning - Legs & Cardio “
Jay and I feel that in order to improve my competitive placing in the coming bodybuilding season, I will need to add some muscle size. Our long term approach is progressive: we will start out using moderate weights and work up to heavy loads in successive weeks. Initially I will use 10 to 12 rep sets before shifting to 7 to 9 rep sets. Eventually I will drop to 4 to 6 rep sets. I include “drop sets” and other intensity magnifying tactics. I incorporate injury prevention and functional training exercises into my program to ensure a balanced body. I need to stay injury-free and by developing strong stabilizing muscles I have been able to avoid even minor training-related injuries.”
daily Meal schedule
Meal 1: 5:30am Optimized Whey ProteinTM with oatmeal, ½ table-spoon CapTri®
Meal 2: 8:45am Egg whites & cooked steel cut oatmeal • Essential VitaminTM • Muscle AminoTMTM • L-Carnatine • Ultimate Amino
Meal 3: 11:45am Salmon, sweet potato & spinach, ½ tablespoon of CapTri®
Meal 4: 3:00pm Chicken breast, sweet potato & asparagus • Muscle AminoTM • Essential VitaminTM • Ultimate AminoTM
Meal 5: 5:30pm Parrillo Hi-ProteinTM or Parrillo Energy BarTM
Meal 6: 8:00pm Egg white omelet & spinach, ¼ tablespoon of CapTri® • Essential VitaminTM • Muscle AminoTMTM “ • Ultimate Amino
I cannot say enough good things about Parrillo Performance Products. I have tried other nutritional products and supplements but always find them lacking when compared to Parrillo Products. When I talk to clients about nutritional supplements, I steer them to Parrillo Products; I inform them that Parrillo Products are performance-based products that taste way better than anything else I have ever tried. In addition to the Parrillo supplements I list in my meal schedule, I also will eat a Parrillo Energy BarTM midday and another before a work-out.
I have a Parrillo Protein bar after my workout. When I can’t sit and eat a meal, or if I’m at a health & fitness event, I always carry a Parrillo Hi-Protein barTM with me. I drink Optimized Whey ProteinTM shakes throughout the day and mix Optimized WheyTM with my oatmeal. I use Parrillo All-ProteinTM powder as a milk replacement and make Parrillo pancakes and muffins. I eat pancakes for breakfast or as a quick pick-me up. My favorite Parrillo supplements are Ultimate Amino FormulaTM, Muscle Amino FormulaTM, CapTri®, Graham Cracker Energy BarsTMTM. Pro-CarbTM and Optimized Whey ProteinTM are also huge favorites.” and Maple Flavored Pancake & Muffin mix
Parrillo Performance
(800) 344-3404
View our Parrillo Performance products page
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