FigureRX Spotlight on Sharlyn Thames
at the 2008 NPC Texas Shredder Classic

FigureRX Magazine Volume 5

To discuss this article or to see how Sharlyn did in her show please visit the FigureRX forums.

Sharlyn's Fast Facts:
Name - Sharlyn Thames
Height - 5'2"
Weight - 108 lbs contest/ 139 lbs off season
Birthday - November 26, 1982
Home town - Austin, Texas
Hair / Eyes - Blonde / Blue
Favorite music - Hip hop and anything that pumps me up during my workout
Favorite diet food - Oatmeal
Favorite cheat food - Ice Cream
Current occupation - Master trainer at 24 Hour Fitness
Athletic background - Dance for 15 years
Web Site - http://www.myspace.com/texastinigirl

Please tell us a little bit about your background, such as where you grew up, your family, other athletics, when you began weight training, and how you became interested in competing.

I was born in Los Angeles, California to my parents Karl and Sharon (no brothers or sisters). I was raised there, in Pullman, Washington and in Lincoln, Nebraska before moving to Austin in 2001. I was a dancer for 15 years then after graduating from high school I became addicted to cardio kickboxing classes. I became an instructor in 2002, started teaching at various places then got a job working the front desk at 24 Hour Fitness in 2005 where I met my current partner and best friend, Matt Grube. He is the one who inspired me to start competing, it was a dream of his for years. I wanted to see if I could push my body to the absolute limit, somewhere I had never remotely come close to doing at that point. We started training for the OCB Texas Shredder on January 1st of 2007, and that’s when I would say I started weight training. I “did weights” before but really had no clue what I was doing, so I don’t even count it!

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

I started my freshman year of college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, then when I moved to Austin I continued taking classes at Austin Community College and finished an Associate’s degree in Business Administration. I’ve been with 24 Hour Fitness for a little over 3 years total. I have been a trainer for two years and I reached Master Trainer status in January of this year.

What is your training philosophy (heavy or light, cardio, lifting)? Any particular body parts that you consider to be strengths, or weaknesses?

I LOVE lifting heavy, I don’t think you can get anywhere if you’re not lifting as heavy as you can. I lift generally 5 days a week, focusing on one body part each day. I believe it’s extremely important to give each muscle group that much attention. Most of my body parts are strong, my back has always been most developed and I’ve had to make the rest of me come out like it. My triceps are probably my weakest part, they are always the last to come down for a show which gets pretty frustrating. Off-season I don’t do a whole lot of cardio, 3-4 days a week for about 30 minutes. On-season it’s 45 minutes usually right after my workout 6 days a week.

Where do you find the best training and diet advice? Where do you work out and who do you work out with? Is there anyone in particular who you would like to thank, such as a sponsor, significant other, etc?

Matt has been the one to do the research for our training and diet. I’ve pretty much figured out what works for me and what doesn’t and basically go by the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. I mostly workout at my 24 Hour Fitness with Matt and Adrien, my roommate and co-worker who competed for the first time with us at the NPC Texas Shredder this year. I would like to thank my parents, my other best friend Laura and my awesome clients for their constant support. The most thanks goes to Matt for being there for me every minute of our training and everything he’s ever done for me – from helping with my diet to pushing me in our workouts to tolerating my sensitivity and moodiness! I cannot imagine doing this without him.

Does being in a healthy city like Austin help keep you motivated, and did it contribute to your knowledge base when you started out? Of course it is the home of Monica Brant, and Beth Horn is frequently down there as well.

To be honest, not really. Austin is a great place to live and I think it’s great that so many people here are health-conscious but I don’t think it would matter what city I lived in, I would still stay motivated and train as hard as I can.

How has competing helped your personal training career? What are your specialties as a trainer, if any?

It has helped IMMENSELY. I’ve acquired several clients from them just looking at my picture on the wall or even just me walking past them, they will ask if they can train with me. That’s probably one of the best feelings when people you don’t even know will know who you are and have complete confidence and faith that you will get them to their goal. Besides the first personal training certification, I am certified in performance enhancement and corrective exercise, all from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

How excited are you about the upcoming Sex and the City movie? New Yorkers seem to love Texans and vice versa, what’s the longest amount of time that you have spent in the Big Apple?

I am SO excited! That’s been my favorite show for years and still is. My good friend Erin bought us tickets like 2 weeks ago for the midnight showing the day it comes out. We’re going to, in her words, “wear something fabulous” and I have a pair of Manolos that I will have on. If you’ve never put on a pair, they are THE most uncomfortable and painful shoes you’ll ever wear in your life but I guess beauty is pain!

Do you have any role models in NPC or IFBB fitness, figure or bodybuilding?

I’ve always been inspired by Mary Lado, I think she looks amazing. I had pictures of her on my fridge for the longest time for motivation.

Do you have any plans to compete nationally this year? If so which shows? If you plan to wait what are the reasons, and what areas will be your focus?

I would love to compete nationally, but I don’t think it will happen this year, hopefully next year. I’m trying to put on some muscle right now and start dieting for October either next month or July. I’d really like to put some size on my legs, shoulders and work on getting my lats wider. I’m definitely going for my pro card in October and I might compete in November as well.