Leigh Brandt is Canada’s First Ifbb Bikini Pro, International Cover Model, Owner Of BodybyBrandt Personal Training. She is one of Canada’s most dynamic fitness models. As a fitness personality, personal trainer and part of the BodybyBrandt sensational team, Leigh brings a wealth of experience and insight to all she does.
BodybyBrandt was founded in 2010 by top trainers Ifbb Pro Leigh Brandt & Dean Brandt. With over 20 years combined experience in the industry Leigh & Dean are able to help you in achieving your goals to living a healthier, fitter lifestyle! Whether you are an online client or in person we give you the tools you need to succeed. We offer a variety of programs to fit everyone lifestyle!
Achievements of Leigh Brandt
- Head trainer and CEO
- BCRPA Certified
- Canada’s first IFBB Pro
- 4-time cover model
- Fitness writer for Inside Fitness Magazine
- Creator of Canada’s #1 selling online training program – tightntiny
- Creator of Tight ‘N’ Tiny 8.0 Conditioning bootcamps for women at the B3 Studio
Leigh Brandt is an exceptionally talented and highly accomplished Fitness Model. She is Canada’s First Ifbb Bikini Pro, International Cover Model and Owner Of Bodybybrandt Personal Training. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You are a hard-training girl with a passion for the sport. You used to be a wrestler in high school and won a provincial championship. You competed in the figure class, but when you made the switch to bikini in 2009, you won the very first contest. You then have been a fitness model and a fitness and bikini competitor.Tell us about your journey that took you to the the world of fitness and as a winner in fitness competitions?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: As you said, I started wrestling in high school because my two older brother were doing it and they would practice there moves on me… So naturally I had to fight or flight …lol and training with them gave me the advantage when competing against other girls in high school matches.
Following high school, I followed my brother to the gym and began weight training. This is when I saw a girls I knew who were training and competing in figure competitions and being competitive I found out who they were training with and approached their trainer about training me for a competition also. This Trainer named Dean would later become my husband of five year from now, but that’s another story:)
Ms. Namita Nayyar: How your experience and background of early years as a wrestler, has helped you in your present profession of being a Fitness Model, Fitness Trainer and fitness competitor?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: Wrestling teaches you about the importance of discipline and work ethic, which would become very useful with sticking to my contest prep diet and the daily training and work ethic. It taught me that it was also very important with the lifestyle for maintaining a lean body for fitness modelling and bikini competitions.
Full interview on Next Page!
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All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Share your exercise routine that you do to maintain such a bikini perfect physique?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: Thank you, it’s always a work in progress. I train every day, or I listen to my body and take a rest day when I feel it will benefit me more then a training day. I currently do five days of weight training, cardio 30-40 mins every other day during off season and 1-2 conditioning style workouts per week.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What is your diet? Do you take a particular fixed regulated diet comprising of nutrients and vitamins to keep you in perfect health?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: I’m currently following a flexible diet, which consists of approx. 1400-1500 calories per day. I use a local meal prep company, so two of my daily meals are the same each day and I prepare my on breakfast, 2 x snacks and dinner each day. These are flexible as long as they stay within my macro’s for the day.
My Supplements consist of our own line of natural supplements “TotalBody Health” that my husband has developed and they consist of a natural fat oxidizer – OXY3rx, a BCAA – AMINO4rx , Probiotic15 for athletes and a Omega3 + Vitamin D- OMEGA1000. I also supplement daily with a fibre powder, & Whey Protein.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What is your motivation to take a multi-faceted personality of a fitness model, fitness competitor, personal trainer and nutritional expert ?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: For starters, I didn’t want to be labelled as just a bikini competitor, because there is still this misconception that we don’t really train hard, and just put on make-up and stiletto’s and strut across the stage. I enjoy the lifestyle and wanted to keep learning and progressing as a fitness entrepreneur. I was inspired by others like Jamie Eason & Lizabeth Lopez that they were using their notoriety from magazine covers and social media to become business women within the industry.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hair to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: I’m like anyone I get break outs and thankful for makeup to cover it up but I do try my best to stay on top of the minimizing the aging effect! I like to think I was blessed with pretty good genes to thankfully not look my age yet, or so I’m told. However, I do use top of the line skin care called ZO – Zein Obagi. It really helped reduce my breakouts, minimize my pores, brighten & tighten my skin I also supplement with Silica & Omega1000 these help with overall health for hair, skin & nail beauty.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Fitness modelling is about bold photo shoots. What advice you wish to give to the women of today to be body confident in order to do such bold modeling?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: Be classy not trashy! When I have my makeup and hair done for these photoshoots, I feel sexy and strong and I use this positive energy to have fun during these shoots and project that confidence to the camera. Being comfortable with the photographer and working with them to understand their vision for the shoot also helps, but don’t be scared to try different poses and outfits that you may not like at first, usually the more uncomfortable you feel in a pose it’s going to turn out being the best picture!
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding physique/bikini professional competitor girls who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to ladder of success in field of physique/ bikini professional competitions?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: Work hard and remain true to yourself. Think of yourself as a brand and carry yourself in a professional manner on & off the stage. Use competitions, photo shoots, trade shows, industry events as a way to get yourself out there in the industry, but don’t do anything that makes yourself feel un-comfortable. If a photographer gives you a weird feeling, ASK AROUND. If they are known or well established photographers don’t be afraid to reach out to other models they have shot with and ask for feedback.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us your experience on becoming Canada’s First IFBB Bikini Pro?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: It happened so fast, that I truly didn’t understand the importance of becoming Canada’s first IFBB bikini pro at the time. The class was just introduced at the beginning of 2009 and they didn’t have any qualifying shows, so it was an open class at the nationals, that just happened to be in my hometown that year.
I won my short class, then next thing I knew I was asking to go back on-stage for the overall against the Tall class winner. My name was called again for the overall and then they announced I was the first IFBB pro and awarded me a pro card. I was in shock to say the least.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Elaborate on your endeavor the online Personalized fitness training program “Bodybybrandt” and also tell us more about your Canada’s #1 selling online training program – “tightntiny”?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: This really came about, after I won the Inside Fitness HOT&FIT Magazine Cover and over night after my cover hit newsstands, my FB account went from 10k followers to 80k and I at the advice of the magazine publisher and my husband, who said you need to capture this opportunity & exposure and launch a online program with all the exercises you have been doing in the gym and using with your clients.
Because keeping in mind, no one really knew how to properly train for Bikini at the time. So I came up with the name Tight & Tiny after I noticed the Judges had this in their notes for what to look for when judging for the bikini class. BodyByBrandt is our company name for our Gym & Nutrition store here in Vancouver – aside from the sports supplement sales we do one on one personal training sessions, contest prep, and Men & Women Bootcamps all under one roof.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us more about your popular “Fit365” Conditioning bootcamps for women?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: These boot camp classes came about, because I, like most women bikini competitors hate doing steady state cardio, so I was looking for a fun circuit style class that incorporated high rep intervals for maximum calorie burn. We also brought in a LIVE DJ to keep it entertaining and fun and its been one of our most popular things we have ever done at Bodybybrandt.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Leigh Brandt: Anything that supports & empowers women like womenfitness.net is very important, as I still see a lot of negativity with women towards other women in the fitness industry. It shouldn’t be this way, as there is enough clients, sponsorship’s, magazine cover and opportunities for all of us and we need to be more supportive towards each other. Thank you for this opportunity!
To know more about Leigh Brandt, check her out at: http://www.leighbrandt.com/
To know latest about Leigh Brandt check out on her social networks:
- https://twitter.com/LeighBrandt
- https://www.facebook.com/LeighBrandt
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-brandt-01472a13
- https://plus.google.com/117813726000438751041/posts
- https://www.instagram.com/LeighBrandt/
Women Fitness Team thanks Leigh Brandt for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness