👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
I am Mandy Harbin and I am a 33 year old mom of 3. I am from Georgia but moved to Alabama three years ago with my now husband, Stephen. I am a Product Owner for a medical software company, I work from home 40 hours a week and also an online coach.
I only started training in April 2018 for my first competitions. I fell in love with the sport and haven’t stopped since. I was a competitive cheerleader growing up.
I currently have all my food sponsored by Prestons in Troy AL. I asked for my Miami competition if they would provide the chicken (even offered to pay) and then a sponsorship aspired from there.
I love that with bodybuilding you meet so many new female friends. I keep in touch with them and some I talk to several times a week. And we are each other’s competition 🙂
Ha, so I hear it all the time “its only one bite”, “its only one drink”. People just do not get that it’s not just one for us, we cannot have it.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
I GO HARD, 100 %, all in, everyday!
I GO HARD, 100 %, all in, everyday! (except my one off day)
Typically, I work back twice a week. Quads and hamstrings are separate days and chest, shoulders and triceps are together. I do steady state cardio 6-7 days a week. And HIIT 3-4 days a week with steady state. I usually train weights for an hour – 1.5 hours. I have hired Autumn Cleveland as my coach this year.
Off-season, I keep it clean and stay pretty lean so that I can ease into prep.
My gym had the roof torn off so I have been training at a local rec gym here where I live. Really missing the other gym bad. It is definitely built for bodybuilders.
I take pre-workout and beta-alanine pre-workout, I take BCAAS during workout.
I love working shoulders, I feel like I am watching them get bigger. I also love working glutes. I use an Apple Watch to track all my workouts. And I use the Trainerize app to track training goals.
In my gym bag, I have: Plastic forks, gum, gloves, belt, elbow wrap, knee wraps, ankle straps and lip gloss. 🙂
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
I usually don’t have an issue going to the gym, with three kids, it’s my quiet space. I like to log my weight and reps each time and try to beat them on that movement the next time.
Sometimes I can’t because I am not feeling as strong but I sure as heck try. I keep going because I know there is always someone out there working just as hard for that #1 spot.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
I am FANTASTIC. I love my foods right now (currently 13 weeks out).
I love my training. I plan to get my pro card this year, 2020 and have a pro debut in 2021.
Just gonna keep killing it everyday until i get to where i want to be but honestly i will never be finished. I love the sport.
I would also tell my younger self to learn more about nutrition and lifting, as a teenager and adult I didn’t really eat great nor go to a gym and I could’ve been so much farther in my bodybuilding career if I had.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
Thankfully, I have not had any serious injuries, of course we can all get fatigued and be sore and that can be tough in itself. I make sure to try to get at least seven hours of sleep a night, in bed by 10:30. Usually up pretty early around 6 am.
I use Taurine for cramps that might keep me up at night. I also love NuEthix products and use most of them everyday. Please use my discount code Mandy10.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
Since I am in prep, I am on a prep diet from my coach. Still eating tons though. six times a day too. I love it. Lots of protein and lots of carbs!!! I am getting a little over 2000 calories a day right now (13 weeks out).
I am eating about the same as I did in the past off-season but my next off-season, I plan to have more now that I know my body can handle it.
If there are social events, I usually will take my food where I go if I know there aren’t options that I can have. When I have a high carb meal I use nuethix.com/GDA-Max (Code Mandy10).
I currently do not get a cheat day but I do get 50 extra carbs now and then. I try to eat every two to three hours. I do stay pretty lean the whole year but I do add about 20-25 lbs in the offseason.
I have a cup of coffee every morning to start my day. I also use MyFitnessPal to track all my food, even when they are the same thing everyday.
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
Tiffany Chandler and Autumn Cleveland. They were the first competitors I started following when I started my journey two years ago.
I love a few podcast:
- Real Bodybuilding Podcast
- Physical Culture Radio
- The Excellence Cartel
I use Spotify in the gym and have an array of music. I am really liking the station Yung Skrrt – Hit it right now.
The best advice I have ever been given was “Bring a better you each time” And that is ALWAYS my plan.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
Start by researching what it is and if you really want to compete. It takes a lot, physically and mentally. I think some people can under eat and over do cardio and you need food to fuel your body. A lot of people just don’t eat the right foods.
I am still learning every day new workouts and how to make the gym fun. I am not a fan of the same repetitive routine in the gym. I want it to make me sore and know I was doing the work.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
I am completely full with clients right now. I specialize in online-only clients for weight loss and training. I have worked with competitors as well but I love working with lifestyle clients and helping them hit one small milestone at a time, plus I help them with tracking and learning how to count macros so they can be successful without me.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
IG: @fitmandy_harbin
Facebook: MandyLee711
YouTube: Mandy Harbin
