Hazel Adames: Hi Carly, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed.
Carly Thornton: Hey Hazel, thank you for inviting me to be interviewed and taking the time to prepare it. Be kind hahaha!
HA: Where are you from and how old are you?
CT: I'm from London / Essex and I'm 28 years young :-)
HA: What made you decide to start working out? I have read a little about your 'transformation', can you tell us about that please?
CT: Oh yes that was a long time ago, well it all started when I joined a gym with a work friend at 21 and I loved it. I had never been into fitness before, at school I used to be the girl that used any excuse to get out of P.E and now you can't get me out of the gym hahaha!!
HA: Where do you train currently?
CT: I train at Fitness First and Euro Fitness.
HA: At what point did you realise you wanted to start competitive bodybuilding?
CT: Well I had trained for around 6 years and people I would meet used to say you should compete. But the thing is you never feel your good enough. Well I got invited to audition to be a Gladiator and I said that if I didn't get through I would compete, I always live by my word and this it what spurred me on, as I had thought about it for a while, but I didn't really know where to start. I also met my coach Nicole Pitcher-Scott through the auditions and she has helped me ever since.
HA: Can you give a run down of your competitions please?
CT: UKBFF South East Qualifier 2008- 1st
UKBFF British Finals 2008 - 2nd
IFBB Europeans Top 15, only the 2nd British lady to have ever placed :-)
HA: Is there anything you would like to see change in the bodybuilding industry?
CT: I would like to see more positive promotions for the sport. It is such a hard sport and takes so much hard work and dedication. I do feel it has started to get a lot more popular and I hope we can all inspire others to achieve their goals and lead a healthy lifestyle.
HA: What is your occupation and do you find it easy to fit in the pre competition preparation around your job?
CT: I am a carer for disabled children and adults. My job is very hard work and can be very mentally draining, especially when comp prepping and preparing food etc it takes up most of my time, but I wouldn't change it for the world as I love what I do :-)
HA: What is your training routine and what is your favourite body part to train? What do you consider to be your weakest body part and what exercises do you include trying to improve it?
CT: My routine has changed a lot since meeting Nicole, as I used to train very heavy and had a lot of bulk muscle, but she has helped my sculpt my body and make it more symmetrical, which I need for bodyfitness/figure. I don't actually have a favourite body part to train as I love all of my training. I used to dread leg days, but now I actually look forward to them, but I think this is because I am determined to improve them as much as I can. My weakest bodypart has to be glutes and hamstrings, my aim is to tighten them up, I did not used to train them so I am playing catch up. I will bring a better mini me on stage :-)
HA: Do you do cardio all year round, what kind of cardio work do you do?
CT: I believe that cardio is just as important as weight training as it not only helps with fat loss and conditioning but improves general health and well being.
HA: How do you alter your nutrition when you have a competition coming up and which supplements do you use?
CT: I eat clean all year round, when it's coming up to competitions my portion sizes change and I stick to one cheat a week. A girl has gotta have her chocolate fix :-)
HA: Do you find sticking to your pre-comp diet easy?
CT: I actually enjoy comp prepping as I find it so fascinating how you can change your body through nutrition and exercise.
HA: Who inspires you in and out of the bodybuilding world?
CT: American fitness model Jamie Eason first inspired me to start weight training. I think she is amazing and has such a solid feminine figure. British Figure Pro Nicole Pitch-Scott continues to inspire me no end with her dedication for the sport, the help she provides for up coming competitors, and she is such a down to earth, friendly and genuine lady. Oh not to mention 'What a figure!!'
HA: How do people outside of bodybuilding circles react to you as a female bodybuilder and your bodybuilding lifestyle?
CT: I think it is hard for anyone to understand the lifestyle we lead as they do not have the knowledge of how dedicated you have to be.
HA: You are also a fitness model with Model Mayhem, what advice would you give to any ladies who would like to start fitness modelling?
CT: I would say never give up, one knock back leads to another better opportunity, just believe in yourself, goals and achievements don't happen over night, it all takes time, but it's all worth it and you will get there in the end. If I can do it anyone can!!
HA: You are now sponsored by Myprotein and Udos Oil, things are definitely taking off for you!
Yes, it's a fantastic opportunity to be sponsored by such a large well known company, who provide top quality products, I am looking forward to working and promoting Myprotein and achieving the best results to fulfil my future goals.
HA: You are joining 'Team MuscleTalk' and you were popular on the MT stand at the Body Power Expo. What did you think about all the attention and what do you think to Team MT?
CT: All I can say is, WOW! What a fantastic response we had at the MT stand it was amazing and we have had so much positive feedback about the whole day. Myself and Darren enjoyed meeting so many fans and having our photos taken, but I think some of them left with a lot of fake tan on the hahaha!!
It is an honour to join the MuscleTalk Team and work with so many great people who have such a passion for the sport. It can only lead to positive things.
HA: Many thanks for taking the time to be interviewed and on behalf of all the MuscleTalk members, I'd like to wish you all the best in your future competitions. See you on MT!!
CT: Thank you so much and a huge thank you to all of the team. I would also like to add that if any members have questions do not hesitate to ask; I'm very honest and am a nice person...when I'm not dieting hahaha!!! xx