Interview with athlete Mariana Duarte.
- Name: Mariana Duarte
- Age: 25 years
- Height: 1.65m
- Weight: 64kg
How and why did you start training?
My interest in the gym began for the first time around the age of 14/15, I don't know for sure.
I've never felt good about my appearance, but from an early age I've always been a person who, when they want something, doesn't just regret it, but rather looks for solutions to achieve what they want and that's how it was.
I saw that it was in the gym that I would achieve my transformation.
In the early days I was a bit adrift, I didn't know exactly how or what to do, I still gave up, then I came back when I was 18 and from then on, I never left, but there was a long journey full of battles and achievements, also with some less good moments.
It's complicated because there's a lot to learn, test and fail.
Even today I know that there is a lot I have to learn about nutrition, training and supplements to continue to evolve.
What type of diet do you follow?
I follow a special diet of course.
I often say that I'm on a diet, but I think that term is wrong, because a diet is for a certain period of time, a diet is something for life, it's a commitment we make when changing our diet to something healthy and super controlled.
I count calories and macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) daily so that I do the same every day.
Depending on the goal I change, sometimes I have more calories, sometimes less, the macros can also vary.
Diet example:
Meal 1
Protein pancakes:
- 150g clear
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein
- 25g oats
- Topping: 1 banana and 10g peanut butter
Meal 2
- 100g Roasted pork loin (cleaned)
- Lettuce and 100g tomato salad
- 5 unsalted rice rusks
Meal 3
- Protein mousse
- 1 apple
Meal 4
Protein pancake with:
- 150g clear
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein
- 25g oats
- Topping: 100g cottage + cinnamon + sweetener
Meal 5
- Lettuce and spinach leaves
- 50g strawberries
- 100g chicken
- 20g fetta cheese
- Lemon juice and dijon mustard dressing
What type of training do you follow?
Bodybuilding always, cardio increase when I'm in the ?Cut? (fat loss), now as for the types of training I have tried several, I vary, I confess that I understand little about this part on a theoretical level because I have someone who accompanies me both in terms of training and nutrition.
I don't like having to explain what I still don't understand ;) but now training is really hard :P.
Example of training
- Warm up – 5 minutes on the treadmill
- 4 supports in smith – 4 sets x 10 repetitions
- Hip thrust – 4 sets x 10 repetitions
- Adductors – 4 sets x 15 repetitions
- Abductors – 4 sets x 15 repetitions
- 20 minutes - Cardio HIIT
- Stretches
What are the main differences when you want to gain weight and when you want to lose fat?
Especially food.
First we have to find our maintenance calories, that is, the calories we burn just by basically being alive.
After that, we either increase X calories to gain weight (always being careful not to gain too much fat at this stage), or we decrease our entire lean body mass).
As for training normally increasing, we work towards hypertrophy and reduce cardio a little or completely.
As for drying phases, we maintain a good bodybuilding workout (which with fewer calories means we end up having less strength and therefore less loads) and we increase cardio, for cardio-only days, fasted cardio, post-workout cardio.
Now I'm in this phase of losing fat, so that's what I do. That's what has worked for me. I train to maintain my muscles and then throughout the week, I have a good dose of cardio.
Where does your motivation come from?
I don't know!
I think that, to take this seriously, we have to be a little “crazy” :P.
My motivation comes from the desire to overcome myself, to want to be better every day, to enjoy seeing changes and wanting more and more.
In short, I like to take the best possible care of myself, my body is what carries my soul and the person I am, why not take care of it in the best way possible?
This is also addictive and the motivation comes a lot from there too.
Not to mention some idols that I have that make me want to get there too, because one day they told me that it would be impossible and today here I am to prove otherwise :P I'm not where I want to be, but I've already changed a lot.
What supplements do you use?
Yes, I use some supplementation, the main one is protein. whey post-workout, and a protein mix to replace meals or even to make certain recipes and increase their protein quantity (pancakes, oatmeal...).
Use Glutamine, BCAA's and every now and then there's a fatburner.
Multivitamin also above all because those who follow these diets tend to have a lack of vitamins in their body.
Any tips in particular for those just starting out?
Set your objective very well and go in search of your dream. Keep in mind that it is not easy, and that the battle will be hard.
Not every day will be victorious, there will be disappointments, tiredness, demotivation and everything else, but what will determine the true desire to achieve your goals will be continuing to fight even with all these obstacles in the way!
So put yourself to the test, and be surprised by the strength you will discover that you thought you didn't have.
Always believe in yourself, and there is one phase that I particularly love:
“We become what we think about.?
I was able to prove it to myself, so you can too!
If you need help, I'm available to do what I can, just access my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mariana.d.duarte.1 and follow my fight.
