Magnum Brand Development Specialist & Sponsored Athlete Erica Williams Talks With Nutritionbeast.com

Meet Magnum Brand Development Specialist and Magnum Athlete, Erica Williams. Erica takes her training and nutrition very seriously. In this interview, Erica shares some of the struggles she faced. Despite her struggles, Erica’s overcoming attitude has made her a Magnum Superstar in more ways than one! Find out more.

  • Hometown: Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
  • Current Location: Langley, British Columbia, Canada
  • Height: 5’3”
  • Off Season Weight: 128 lbs
  • Competition Weight 115 lbs
  • Age: 21
  • Favorite Style of Cardio: HIIT
  • Favorite Flavor Protein Powder: Magnum’s Quattro Chocolate Peanut Butter Addiction

Social Media:

Facebook 
Instagram

For those unfamiliar with you, can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got involved in the fitness industry?

At the age of 14 I stepped into my very first gym, and I fell in love with it. I loved how it empowered me, taught me self-discipline, and gave me a platform to challenge myself. Let me be the first to say, I knew nothing about fitness and nutrition, but simply loved the feeling I got from working out. Sadly, because I knew nothing about how to properly fuel my body, I developed a poor relationship with food and developed an eating disorder. I was very good at hiding my eating disorder although I’m sure some of my friends and family suspected that there was something was wrong. I spent the next two years doing endless amounts of cardio and only dared to touch the weights after intently watching other gym goers. I finally was fed up with feeling so self-conscious and tired of restricting myself that I decided to let myself be free and eat whatever I wanted. I gained quite a bit of ‘healthy’ weight and totally shifted my perspective, and started to see myself in a positive light. I even started to think that I was ‘pretty’ which at that time, was a huge struggle for me. I can honestly say, I suffered from a mental image distortion, but I slowly started to uncover why. I know in some cases, it can be very rare to overcome any mental disorder without professional help, so I always urge others to seek out help if they feel they are suffering! For me, I was very young, and I didn’t know that kind of help that was available. During that time, I never stopped going to the gym. After being fully recovered for about a year, I started eating a lot healthier, and I learned the proper exercises to do. Around that time, I also met my now boyfriend of 4 ½ years. He introduced me to ‘real’ weight training, and I mean real weight training! (Laughs) I instantly fell in love! (Laughs) After three years of lifting weights about 4-6 days a week, I started university at UFV, for my Bachelors in Kinesiology. I learned so many things that directly applied to my workouts, and I spent my spare time reading about the topics that I loved the most.

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Although I was dedicated to fitness, the switch to university took its toll on my eating habits. In January 2015 after my 20th birthday, I started to look into different fitness competitions that would give me an incentive to achieve the physique I really wanted. I found an organization called the WBFF which brings fashion and fitness into one glamorous show. I registered, hired coach, Nate/Domin8 and by March I started my very first bikini prep! I placed 2nd in Bikini Diva Short, and I qualified for Worlds in Commercial Model. I was so proud of myself all of my hard work had paid off. I even had one of my photographs by Ron Perron published in Inside Fitness Magazine Top 100 Hot & Fit; that was so exciting! I have now started with my new coach, Jean Jacques at Active Protocol, and I already love his plan for me! I know this prep will be the best yet, and I’m excited what the future holds for me!

What were your biggest challenges when you first started training?

I was very intimidated and self-conscious in the gym setting when I first started training, and it took me a long time to feel comfortable in the weights section. I struggled with form, but after months of training with light weight, I learned proper technique and form.

Tell us about some of the recent changes you’ve made to your diet.

I just started my new prep with Magnum Super Star, Jean Jacques Barrett. Jean has helped me come off a Ketogenic diet, and I am now carb cycling; it’s only been a couple weeks, but I’ve already seen huge results!

How did you become involved with Magnum, and what do you love most about the company?

For years, I struggled to find a high quality protein powder. I have had digestive issues with so many protein powders, and I finally cut out protein powder and supplements all together! It wasn’t until someone at my gym had recommended Magnum’s Quattro Protein that I decided it was worth a try. I was so impressed and instantly fell in LOVE with the Magnum brand! Magnum truly provides the highest quality supplements, and I knew it was a brand I could not only trust, but represent! I applied for their job opening and to become a Magnum sponsored athlete, and I prayed I would get it. A couple of days later, I signed with Magnum to be a sponsored athlete and their new Brand Development Specialist!

Tell us about your job as a Brand Development Specialist at Magnum Nutraceuticals. And can you walk us through what a normal day at the Magnum Headquarters is like?

My day starts at 4:30 a.m. when I get up, pack my bags and head to Magnum’s head office for my morning weights and HIIT cardio. Magnum’s head office has a full gym, infra-red sauna, and a hot/cold tub! I start work every morning early at 7a.m. to get a jump start on east coast sales. The rest of the Magnum crew trains before work and of course Markus comes in to get a pump! Working at Magnum doesn’t feel like a normal 9-5 job; it’s such a positive environment, everyone comes in smiling and ready to crush the day! Working with such an amazing group of people is really the icing on top of the ‘protein’ cake! (Laughs) Our office is so much more than a company with employees; it’s a family of like-minded driven individuals that are dedicated to providing the best supplements in the world! I’ve also taken over event coordinating and a portion of our social media marketing, so my days are always super busy. My current ‘large’ project is planning our trip to Olympia! Markus has so many amazing things planned for us, and I’m so excited to be a part of it this year! There are so many reasons why I love to work at Magnum, one being that Markus and Bert will throw staff parties every so often; these parties always consist of some competitive team bonding experience and lots of laughter!

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What Magnum products are you currently using?

Erica’s Magnum Stack:

AM Pre Workout

  • 2 Acid
  • 1 Heat
  • 4 Volume
  • 4 DNA

AM Training

  • 1 Scoop Hi-5 (Blue Raspberry with Peach Kicker)
  • 1 Scoop Opus (Blue Yaspberry)

AM Post Workout

  • 4 Big C
  • 1 Mimic
  • 1 ½ Scoops Quattro (Chocolate Love/Vanilla Ice Cream)

Lunch

  • 2 Acid
  • 1 Scoop Quattro (Chocolate Peanut Butter Addiction)

Mid Afternoon

  • 1 Scoop Greens
  • 1 Primer Performance Pack

PM Pre Workout

  • 2 Carne Diem

Intra Workout

  • 1 Scoop Hi-5 (Strawberry with Black Cherry Kicker)
  • 1 Scoop Opus (Orange Dreamsicle)

Post Workout

  • Scoop Quattro (Half Baked Cookies N’ Cream)

Before Bed

  • 2 Carne Diem
  • 2 After Burner
  • 2 G-Spring
  • 2 Acid

What does your current training look like?

Erica’s Training Split:

  • Day 1: AM Cardio PM Chest/Shoulders
  • Day 2: PM Legs (Glutes/Hamstrings)
  • Day 3: AM Cardio PM Back/Triceps
  • Day 4: PM Shoulders/Legs (Quads)
  • Day 5: AM Cardio PM Back/Biceps
  • Day 6: Full Body Supersets
  • Day 7: Active Rest or Cardio

Erica’s Full Routine:

Day 1: AM Cardio

  • 10 minutes HITT Stairmaster
  • 10 minutes level 14 Stair Master

PM Weights: Chest/Shoulders

  • Warmup 10 Push Ups/10 Lateral Raises/Stretch Shoulders/Chest (Repeat 3x)
  • Bench Press 3 x 15 (Superset)
  • Shoulder Press 3 x 15
  • Cable Fly’s 3 x 15 (Superset)
  • Front Plate Raises 3 x 15
  • Incline Chest Press 3 x 15 (Superset)
  • Lateral Raises 3 x 15
  • Rear Delt Machine 3 x 15 (Superset)
  • Front Raises (Lying Face Down) 3 x 15

Giant Set: Repeat (No Rest)

  • Push Ups 4 x 10
  • Shoulder Press 4 x 15
  • Lateral Raises 4 x 15
  • Reverse Flyes 4 x 15

Day 2: Legs (Glutes/Hamstrings)

  • Pause Squats 5 x 12
  • Stiff Legged Deadlift 5 x 12
  • Smith Machine Wide Sumo Squats 5 x 12
  • Side Lunges 20 each leg 4 x 15 (Superset)
  • Leg Curl 4 x 15
  • Reverse Hack Squats 4 x 15 (Superset)
  • Good Mornings 4 x 15
  • Barbell Hip Thrusts 4 x 15
  • Cable Kickbacks 6 x 30 per leg

Day 3: Am Cardio/Abs

Usually, I’ll pick any four machines and go hard for 1 mile.

Abs: Repeat 4 rounds

  • Plank 1 minute
  • Side Plank 30 seconds each
  • Hanging Leg Raises 4 x 20

PM Weights: Back/Triceps

  • Pull Ups/Lat Pulldowns 3 x 15 (Warm Up)
  • Seated Cable Row 3 x 15 Final set (Drop Set)
  • T-bar Row 4 x 12 (Superset)
  • Overhead Cable Extensions 4 x 12
  • Rack Pulls 4 x 12 (Superset)
  • Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns 4 x 12
  • High Rows 4 x 12 (Superset)
  • Kickbacks 4 x 12

Burnout Set: Failure No Rest

  • Narrow Push Ups using Bosu Ball
  • Straight Arm Pulldowns
  • Pully Cable Rows

Day 4: Legs/Shoulders

  • Elliptical 10 minutes
  • Heavy Barbell Squats 4 x 8 (Superset)
  • Shoulder Press 4 x 8
  • Narrow Stance Leg Press 4 x 10 (Superset)
  • Lateral Cable Raises 4 x 10
  • Dumbbell Step Ups 4 x 12 (Superset)
  • Front Plate Raises 4 x 12
  • Leg Extensions 3 Drop Sets (Superset)
  • Rear Delt Fly’s 3 x 12
  • Jump Squats 3 x 20 (Superset)
  • Jump Rope 3 x 40 seconds

Day 5: Am Cardio

  • 30 minutes HITT

PM Weights: Back/Biceps

  • Warm Up/Stretch
  • Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns 15/12/10/8 (Superset)
  • Close Grip Lat Pulldowns 15/12/10/8
  • Good Mornings 4 x 12 (Superset)
  • Back Extensions 4 x 12
  • Seated Row 4 x 12 (Superset)
  • Rear Delt Fly’s 4 x 12
  • EZ-Bar Curls 3 x 10 (Superset)
  • Hammer Curls 3 x 10
  • Preacher Curls 3 x 10 (Superset)
  • Alternating Curls 3 x 10
  • 30 minutes Cardio (medium intensity)

Day 6: Circuit Training

Circuit 1

  • Jump Ups/Pull Ups
  • Push Ups/Glute Kickbacks 30 second each 4 x (1 minute rest)

Circuit 2

  • Kettle Bell Swings/Walk-Out Push Ups 4 x 30 (1 minute rest)

Circuit 3

  • Weighted Squats 4 x 20/Snatch/Shoulder Press 4 x 15 (1 minute rest)

Circuit 4

  • Bench Side Jumps 4 x 30/BB Curls/Overhead Extension 4 x 15 (1 minute rest)

Abs: Repeat 3 Rounds

  • Sit Ups (side/middle/side) 3 x 20
  • Planks using Bosu Ball
  • 10 minutes HIIT Stairmaster

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What’s your favorite exercise and why?

My favorite exercise would be weighted hip thrusts and glute kickbacks. I have a difficult time putting lean muscle mass on my glutes and legs, and I feel this exercise helps me the most. I have really noticed improvements since I have increased my leg/glute days to 3 times a week.

What does your current diet look like?

  • Meal 1: (Post AM Training) ¼ cup Oatmeal, 3 ½ ounces Blueberries, 1 ½ Scoops Quattro Protein (Vanilla Ice Cream or Chocolate Love) and 1 tablespoon all natural Peanut Butter
  • Meal 2: 1 Scoop Quattro Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Addiction, 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Cashew Milk, 2 tablespoons PB2 Peanut Powder and 1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder
  • Meal 3: (Tiger Prawn Spinach Salad) 7 ounces Tiger Prawns, 2 cups Spinach, 1 cup cherry Tomatoes, 3 ½ ounces Cucumber, ½ cup Snow Peas and 2 tablespoons light Salad Dressing
  • Meal 4: 4 ounces Ground Beef, 1 cup Zucchini, 1 cup Mushrooms, 1 cup Spinach, 1 cup Broccoli and 2 ounces Sweet Potato (high carb day only)
  • Meal 5: (Quattro Mug Cake) 1 ½ Scoops Quattro Protein (Half Baked Cookies N’ Cream), 1 scoop Flax Seed, 1 tablespoon Coconut Flour, 1 teaspoon Xanthan, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, 1 Packet Stevia, and Walden Farms Sugar Free Pancake Syrup

What’s your favorite ‘cheat’ meal or the one food you couldn’t live without?

I LOVE chocolate, and I have such a sweet tooth! (Laughs) During prep, I make Quattro mug cakes or Quattro ice cream to curve my cravings. My body is so used to eating clean that I actually start to crave my ‘healthy’ meals more than anything! (Laughs)

It seems like you get asked a lot of questions on social media about your diet. What are some of the most frequently asked questions you receive, and do you have any new updates or tips you’d like to share with us?

I definitely have a lot of people ask about my overall nutrition plan. I personally like to follow a macro based plan. I log all my food on myfitnesspal to make sure I’ve hit my protein, fat, carb and fiber targets for the day. I would highly recommend this type of nutrition plan to anyone starting out or thinking about competing. My last months of my prep are much stricter and although I always eat clean, I usually stick to the same foods every day for consistency. I get a lot of questions about how to stay lean while on vacation, check out my blog I wrote for Magnum.

What’s something that not many people know about you?

During my teenage years, I struggled with an eating disorder. Since then, I have learned what true health is all about. It is my vision to inspire anyone and everyone to overcome their fears and obstacles that might be in their way. If you are struggling with an eating disorder or negative self- image, just know that there is help out there, and it’s available to you. If I can live out my dream every day, so can you! All it takes is hard work, consistency and dedication to your goal.

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How did you and your fiancé meet, and what do you enjoy doing together outside of the fitness industry?

I met my boyfriend Devon almost 5 years ago! Well, we’re really high school sweethearts, so we’ve known each other for much longer. We have so much fun together and he makes every day feel like an exciting adventure! We enjoy getting outside and exploring beautiful British Columbia together. On the weekends, we like to go for hikes or get out on the water together. We both have the same mindset and goals, and I’m excited to see what the next couple years have in store for us!

What are your future goals or plans?

I have tons of very exciting things in store for the future, some of them I can’t disclose as of yet, but I can say that ‘big’ things are in the works! On a more personal note, I am always working to crush my goals and set new ones. Each morning, I start by listening to an informational podcast, then I turn on some motivational speeches; this always gets my mind right to start the day. I encourage everyone to work on their personal development; it has been a vital component to my success.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

Stay tuned and follow me on Facebook and Instagram for recipes, workout tips and daily motivation! Stay Hungry, Stay Curious!

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Looking for personal, 1-on-1 help with your diet and training? Let Nutrition Beast help you reach your goals and be your best self by checking out the services page!

Beastly Blessings!

Lisa

 

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