Local Sports
Gardner builds body and career
By Michael A. CummingsConnie Gardner’s new career is taking her far away from the farm.
Gardner, who owns a chicken farm in Berlin with her husband Daymon, took up a new hobby four years ago, one that would take her as far away as Pennsylvania.
After lifting weights for years, Gardner and her son Jeremy decided to take bodybuilding a bit more seriously.
“I’d been lifting weights for years, and I had pretty good kinetics and built muscle easily,” said Gardner, who is also a personal trainer around the Cullman area. “But my son got into it, and he wanted me to get into it too.
“So I did it for one year to see if I could diet, because that’s the worst part.”
When she found she could handle the dieting, Gardner said things took off for her. But it wasn’t until just a few months ago that her career in bodybuilding went to the next level.
Earlier this year, Stephen Mote, a trainer in Gadsden saw Jeremy’s pictures and asked about training him. During the conversation, Jeremy asked whether Mote would work with his mother as well.
When Mote agreed, Gardner said her career really took off.
“I was already going to do the Gadsden show,” she said. “We were six weeks out of it, and he really made a difference in how we looked.”
So much of a difference, in fact, that Gardner took first place in the women’s open lightweight and women’s open overall categories at the 2008 NPC Southeastern Gold’s Gym Classic Bodybuilding Championship.
Now, she’s preparing to go to nationals July 18-19 in Pittsburg, Pa.
“We learned a lot from (Mote),” said Gardner, who also pointed to the help she’s gotten at Cullman Regional Medical Center’s SportsFirst facility. “Your whole body can change. I’d never eaten to gain muscle before because I didn’t know how.
“Its kind of like an art or a science, they’ve got it all down.”
To prepare for nationals, Gardner said she follows a grueling workout schedule that includes weights and two cardio sessions per day.
“I’m at the gym at quarter of five,” said Gardner, adding her workouts last about an hour and a half. “Every day, I work a different body part. It’s hard and grueling and long.”
But even though the workouts are intense, Gardner said she enjoys the experience — in large part because of the time it allows her to spend with her son.
“Part of it was getting to do it with my son, then just realizing I could build muscle and I did have that control,” she said. “And I enjoy the competition and being around the people.”
With all the time she spends on the road and in the gym, Gardner said someone special had to take up her slack back on the farm.
“I have a very, very supportive husband and son,” said Gardner. “I raise chickens and (Daymon) had to take over the raising chickens work. He had to take over my job on the farm.”
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