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March 19 2011 is a day professional body athlete Raechelle Chase is unlikely to forget. When the New Zealand body builder placed in the top three at the New Zealand International Federation of Body Builders Pro Figure Show (NZIFBB) she became the first New Zealand woman ever to qualify for The Olympia.
Placing third behind current Figure Olympia champion, Erin Stern (USA) and Latisha Wilder (USA) Raechelle is one of only two Australasian competitors to qualify for the prestigious competition. Darlene Escano from Australia is the only other non-American on the qualifying list.
"This is such a big achievement for me," Raechelle says. "At the beginning of the year one of my goals were to place in top three in a Pro show, and another one was to qualify for the 2011 Figure Olympia and I've achieved them both, so this makes it doubly special for me."
The Olympia is held annually in Las Vegas, usually in September, by the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) and is considered the highest accolade in the sport of professional bodybuilding. Past winners of Mr Olympia include actor, and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The competition was created in 1965 by Joe Weider, co-founder of the IFBB. In 1980 a Ms Olympia category was introduced and since then the Fitness Olympia and The Figure Olympia categories have been created. The Figure Olympia was introduced in 2003 and has been something Raechelle has been aiming for since 2009 when she gained Pro status and joined the professional circuit.
The former fashion model trains six days a week and by her own admission likes to 'train heavy, train hard and do the basics well.' Raechelle focuses on a different part of her body each day, adding ab work every second day and cardio work after every training session. During the competition season, Raechelle can do up to three hours of cardio a day, easing it back to 30 minutes during offseason.
"My favourite time of day to train is in the morning after I drop the kids off at school and before I do anything else, I find that by making my training a priority and doing it before anything else it gets done. When I am dieting for a contest it is even more important to take this opportunity to train while my energy levels are high right after I've had breakfast and there are more carbs in my body than there will be for the rest of the day. "
In preparation for the Olympia qualification Raechelle focused on bringing a more balanced physique to the stage. Like many female body builders, Raechelle struggled for a while with bringing her lower body 'down' to match her upper body to create a more balanced appearance.
"You are judged on your overall appearance when you are up on stage. Hair, makeup, suit, presentation, and most important you have to have a balanced physique to really stand out."
To combat the problem Raechelle increased her cardio intensity and began to 'mix things up.' High incline treadmill, elliptical trainer, cycling and stair master paid off when Raechelle was called up for third place.
"It's pretty amazing what our bodies are capable of handling and just how much you can actually push it without it breaking," Raechelle says.
"Competing is such a personal experience and what works for one person may not work for someone else. It's learning the science of your own body and that comes with the experience of doing it over and over and tweaking things here and there until you find out what works, and what doesn't."
Raechelle uses Body Ripped's products 'Body Tone protein powder, HGH +ZMA which assists in fat loss and muscle growth along with Thermogen liquid as a metabolic booster. In additions she also uses flax omega, omega 3, 6 and 9 with every meal as well as multi vitamins, L-carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
When Raechelle arrives in Las Vegas in September, competing in The Olympia will be a dream come true -- but it won't be the only thing on her mind. Ten years ago Raechelle met Chris whom she married three years later. Chris will be accompanying Raechelle on the trip to America and while the couple are in Las Vegas they will renew their wedding vows.
"It was something we wanted to do and since we're going to be there for The Olympia, why not do it then," Raechelle says shyly. She laughs a moment later at the idea of perhaps an Elvis look alike conducting the ceremony.
"I don't know," she says. "But I do know the whole experience is going to be totally exciting."
Placing third behind current Figure Olympia champion, Erin Stern (USA) and Latisha Wilder (USA) Raechelle is one of only two Australasian competitors to qualify for the prestigious competition. Darlene Escano from Australia is the only other non-American on the qualifying list.
"This is such a big achievement for me," Raechelle says. "At the beginning of the year one of my goals were to place in top three in a Pro show, and another one was to qualify for the 2011 Figure Olympia and I've achieved them both, so this makes it doubly special for me."
The Olympia is held annually in Las Vegas, usually in September, by the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) and is considered the highest accolade in the sport of professional bodybuilding. Past winners of Mr Olympia include actor, and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The competition was created in 1965 by Joe Weider, co-founder of the IFBB. In 1980 a Ms Olympia category was introduced and since then the Fitness Olympia and The Figure Olympia categories have been created. The Figure Olympia was introduced in 2003 and has been something Raechelle has been aiming for since 2009 when she gained Pro status and joined the professional circuit.
The former fashion model trains six days a week and by her own admission likes to 'train heavy, train hard and do the basics well.' Raechelle focuses on a different part of her body each day, adding ab work every second day and cardio work after every training session. During the competition season, Raechelle can do up to three hours of cardio a day, easing it back to 30 minutes during offseason.
"My favourite time of day to train is in the morning after I drop the kids off at school and before I do anything else, I find that by making my training a priority and doing it before anything else it gets done. When I am dieting for a contest it is even more important to take this opportunity to train while my energy levels are high right after I've had breakfast and there are more carbs in my body than there will be for the rest of the day. "
In preparation for the Olympia qualification Raechelle focused on bringing a more balanced physique to the stage. Like many female body builders, Raechelle struggled for a while with bringing her lower body 'down' to match her upper body to create a more balanced appearance.
"You are judged on your overall appearance when you are up on stage. Hair, makeup, suit, presentation, and most important you have to have a balanced physique to really stand out."
To combat the problem Raechelle increased her cardio intensity and began to 'mix things up.' High incline treadmill, elliptical trainer, cycling and stair master paid off when Raechelle was called up for third place.
"It's pretty amazing what our bodies are capable of handling and just how much you can actually push it without it breaking," Raechelle says.
"Competing is such a personal experience and what works for one person may not work for someone else. It's learning the science of your own body and that comes with the experience of doing it over and over and tweaking things here and there until you find out what works, and what doesn't."
Raechelle uses Body Ripped's products 'Body Tone protein powder, HGH +ZMA which assists in fat loss and muscle growth along with Thermogen liquid as a metabolic booster. In additions she also uses flax omega, omega 3, 6 and 9 with every meal as well as multi vitamins, L-carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
When Raechelle arrives in Las Vegas in September, competing in The Olympia will be a dream come true -- but it won't be the only thing on her mind. Ten years ago Raechelle met Chris whom she married three years later. Chris will be accompanying Raechelle on the trip to America and while the couple are in Las Vegas they will renew their wedding vows.
"It was something we wanted to do and since we're going to be there for The Olympia, why not do it then," Raechelle says shyly. She laughs a moment later at the idea of perhaps an Elvis look alike conducting the ceremony.
"I don't know," she says. "But I do know the whole experience is going to be totally exciting."