NPC Amateur Bodybuilding
Featured 2008 “Impact Athlete” – SHONA PRYCE

FigureRX Online Magazine
Volume 3

At FigureRX we are advocates of achieving physique excellence, and one of the things that we have found is that some of the most talented and genetically gifted female athletes find themselves somewhere between competing in figure and bodybuilding. Florida’s Shona Pryce has a stunning physique, with perfectly capped shoulders and some of the best legs that we have seen on either the bodybuilding or figure stage. When we first saw her on stage in Florida in 2007 we knew that she was destined to be a star, but the question was whether that would come to her as she stretched the envelope to bring more muscle to figure or by switching back to bodybuilding. The NPC judges in Florida helped to make the decision when Shona was overlooked on the figure stage at the Palm Beach Amateur and then rewarded with a solid 2nd place finish in the lightweight bodybuilding division at the All South. Then Beni Lopez successfully transitioned from figure to bodybuilding and won a pro card at 2007 Nationals, and the answer was clear. We look for the beautiful Shona to be very successful during her first trip to national level competition this year,beginning with the USA’s in Las Vegas, and that’s why she is a 2008 FigureRX impact athlete.

Please tell us about how you were raised and did you have any interesting experiences while growing up?

I was born and raised in Daytona Beach. My mother was 17 with two kids, we grew up extremely poor, but she loved me more than anything. She taught me so much in life. She went back to school and got her high school diploma and then her RN degree. My mom overcame so much and taught me to respect others and to appreciate everything in life. Unfortunately things changed a lot when I was eight years old. I watched my mother get mugged and assaulted in a parking lot where no one would help us. Then two years later our home was broken into and she was brutally raped and beaten. This changed our lives. This horrible experience is the reason I picked up a weight for the first time at age 17. I wanted and needed to feel strong enough to put up a fight if I had to do so. On a lighter note I was extremely gifted in school. I missed 45 days of school my senior year, yet still graduated in the top 10% of my class. I received almost straight A’s without attending. That made high school so much fun….

You have been training for how long and why did you start?

I have been training off and on since I was seventeen years old, and seriously for four years.
Training is my “drug,” it completes me, without it I can’t function at 100%

What is your athletic background? Are there any notable achievements that you would like to relay?

I did competitive gymnastics as a kid and cheerleading throughout high school.

What is your academic and professional background? What is your current occupation and how long have you been doing it?

I have a BA in Economics from the University of South Florida, and my RN degree as well. I work part time as a nurse and I am in negotiations to purchase a gym. So hopefully I will be a gym owner by the time this interview is released.

What is a typical day like for you, when do you usually train and how often? How much cardio do you do before a show?

Let me start by saying I have a serious thyroid disorder, an underactive thyroid.. So my input and output is calculated differently than most. I train in the AM and AM, with cardio and abs in the morning and weight training in the evening. I up my cardio to twice a day before a show. Total cardio equals 75 minutes a day six weeks before a show, and in the off season I do 30-40 minutes six days per week.

Where do you work out and who do you work out with? Is there anyone in particular who encouraged you to do bodybuilding over figure, or vice versa earlier in the year?

Until last week I trained at the gym I’m trying to purchase, I have had to settle for a local chain now, one I’d rather not say. (competition if I re-open my previous gym!!). I always train with my husband, who is my trainer and nutritionist and show prepper. He encouraged me to enter the bodybuilding Musclemania show. The judges encouraged me to switch from figure back to bodybuilding.

Shona as a bodybuilder at the 2007 NPC All South

What is your training philosophy (heavy or light, cardio, lifting)? What differences have you made in your training since deciding to return to bodybuilding?

My husband trains me with periodized cycling. I alternate from heavy low reps, and medium for a few higher reps. I cycle my workouts weekly through a variety of supersets and cardio. Again I do more cardio because of my thyroid disorder, and I lift heavier on days that call for an increase in calories. He tried to make my physique slightly less muscular for figure, but this did not help my figure placings. Therefore, he put me back on my regular bodybuilding training with a focus on increasing my muscle bellies.

What is your favorite thing about training or competing? What is your least favorite thing about competing?

My training keeps me grounded and self confident in an ever changing and uncertain world. It enables me to be a better wife, mother, and friend. Competing gives me short-term goals and a chance to test myself, my true self. The least favorite thing about competing is stepping on stage and feeling like you’ve brought the complete package the judges are looking for and your placing clearly shows you’ve missed the mark my a wide margin.

What are your upcoming plans to compete? How will you determine when and where you will be on stage?

I was accepted to compete in the Arnold Amateur, but unfortunately complications from surgery have made me unable to bring my best package to that stage. I will, God willing, have the best physique possible at the USA’s in Las Vegas in July. Then depending on how I do and the input from the judges I will be in Atlanta for the bodybuilding Nationals. I am my hardest critic; therefore I rely on my trainer to determine if I am ready to get on stage.

What are your areas of focus and how do you plan to get there, prior to your next show? What have you focused on since you last competed?

I have focused on being more comfortable with my posing, perfecting the form that shows off my physique the best. I struggled in my last show with posing and in the pictures some of my definition and extreme lines were lost. I have enlisted the help of another female bodybuilder (a veteran) in the sport. I’ve been watching videos of the pros, looking at and practicing the posing in pictures of the female bodybuilders online and in the magazines.

What are some of your skills and hobbies, outside of bodybuilding?

My husband and I travel a lot. We went to Europe for Christmas (Rome, Venice, Monte Carlo, and Paris). I want to see the world, I love going to new places. I’m active in my daughter’s school, she goes to a gifted education school (The Weiss School), and I try to participate in the variety of activities they offer. The kids are very interested in the “muscles” on Caitlyn’s mom. I love driving my M3 convertible BMW; my daughter loves that it “flys”. My husband and I are trying to fulfill our dream of opening up our own gym, “Gardens Gym” in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Shona competing in Figure at the NPC Palm Beach

What makes you crazy – any pet peeves? You have an interesting quote on your MySpace right now – care to elaborate?

It’s about people who judge others without knowing them. The games and lies people do and say because they are jealous or unhappy with themselves. I don’t understand people who are mean, because kindness is easy. My biggest pet peeve is people who call themselves your friend, only when it’s convenient for them. You don’t have to like everyone, but if you are my friend don’t stand and listen to something talk down about me. Stand up for something, otherwise you will fall for everything.

What are your future goals in sports, in your job and in your life?

My goals are to compete for my pro card this year. I want to be an influence in women’s bodybuilding and I am hoping to have an impact on changing the look. I hope to get credit for a more feminine physique, bringing sexy back …LOL. I want to show women that you can have a beautiful body and still do well in the sport. I hope to bring back the venues of the 1980’s. My life goals are to give my daughter a role model she is proud of and a rock she can lean on. In my job I am hoping to open my gym and make it the best gym for training in town.

What’s your general philosophy in life? How does training help you in your daily life?

If you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always gotten. I truly believe if you find one true friend in your whole life you are blessed. You must take responsibility for your life; things happen and what you choose to do with those things separates you from everyone else.

Training has given me the outlet and strength to live a happier life. I watched my mother slowly die inside from the day she was raped until the day she was killed 5 years ago. Training allows me to be happy, mad, sad, stressed, worried, to laugh, to smile, and to be proud without hurting myself or others. I walk into the gym and what I get out of the next two hours are up to me. No one else can do it for me. There are no other teammates to take up the slack if you are falling short that day. You get to test your inner self every day you train, and getting there is half the battle, the results are not only measured by your physique changes but everything that makes you, U! Those of us who choose this life are in that 1% of people, and we live in a muffled world of whispers and stares. You have to be okay with you or it will make you crazy. You have to be okay with being alone, but not being lonely.

Do you have any comments about the recent direction in female bodybuilding judging at the national level (seems to be more emphasis on beauty and symmetry relative to size)?

I think it’s great. I truly hope they continue with rewarding the athletes who bring the more feminine physiques and pretty faces. A female bodybuilder should make you go hmm not ugh.

What are your favorite supplements, if any?

I like Hydroxycut Extreme for six weeks prior to my show. I take CLA and amino acids daily as well as Sugar Free Red Bull. I actually get my vitamins from Airborne Gummie Lozenges (they are made for kids but help with your immunity system and provide a lot of needed nutrients ... AND they remind me of gummie bears!!

Is there anything else that you would like for people to know about you?

Yes, most people see me in the gym and think I’m unapproachable. Which is not accurate. In the gym I am focused and determined. However, I am a “dork” so my husband says. I’m always trying to be funny and say some outrageous things. I prefer honesty over a little white lie, there’s no need to say something to protect my feelings. I welcome constructive criticism and can always laugh at myself. Everyone has an opinion and they are entitled to it. Once you get to know me I’m very friendly, just focused.

Do you have any suggestions about how we can add to or improve FigureRX (the web site or otherwise) this year?

Just one thing, I find it hard to navigate the site sometimes to find what I am looking for, could just be me, maybe a link to all the athletes on the site would be a good addition. Thanks for the opportunity to work with you!!
Shona

Thanks Shona!!
Photographer credits: Dan Ray

We welcome any comments that you may have about this article at FigureRX@verizon.net.