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Lena Johannesen Interview
by Luv2lft, Moderator @ www.Extreme-Athlete.com
For more information on Lena Johannesen click the above banner.
Miss Lena Johannesen, the IFBB pro figure star, has recently joined our site at Extreme-Athlete.com gracing us all with her modest presence and grand beauty. Lena has been a joy to have around, and is truly dedicated to being accessible to her fans.
She was born in Oslo, Norway in 1971, and grew up in a very sports minded, athletic family as an only child. Both parents having been active in the gym, it was a natural progression for Lena  to take up competitive swimming at the age of 9. By age 16, however, other interests had grabbed her attention, and she was tired of having to conform to the rigors of daily training and living by someone else’s schedule. She joined her local gym and began hitting the iron and loved it! (As a side note, her Mother was one of the first women in Norway to compete in a women’s body building competition) She obviously passed her great genetics along to Lena!
In 1991 Lena entered her first bodybuilding competition, the Norwegian Championships, and placed 2nd! She went on to place 2nd in the NABBA European show, and 5th in the NABBA World championships, which was her last show competing in bodybuilding. Lena enjoyed the sport but was very disappointed with the inconsistency in the judging criteria and also with her ever increasing size, as she didn’t want to become that big or lose her feminine curves. From there she ventured into the fitness arena for a while, taking 1st place in both the European Pro in ‘97, and the Midwest Pro in ‘98. She came in 3rd at both the Fitness Olympia and the Fitness International in ‘97 and ‘99 respectively. In 2000, Lena injured her hamstring preparing for a competition and has since decided to concentrate her efforts on Figure, as the gymnastics required for fitness were not really her thing. We are all looking for great things from Lena in this arena!
Because of her many successes thus far, Lena was one of the first women’s fitness and figure competitors to be signed to a 4 year contract by Joe Weider. This sponsorship allowed her to move to LA, where she still resides today with her boyfriend.
Here are Lena’s stats and some personal views on some current issues of her life and the competitive world in general:
- Lena,you've been Pro since when?
Since 1996
- Height?
5'6
- Weight: on and off season currently?
140 off season, 130/32 contest.
- Did you weight train steadily since the age of 16? How many breaks have you taken and for what length of time?
Yes, steadily since age 16.....maybe 1 month off at the most.
- What was your build like at 16 before the weight training? You have mentioned you are genetically blessed by your parents, how much of your success do you attribute to genetics verses time in the gym compared to your peers?
Well, I was a swimmer from age 9 - 16, so I already had a 'nice' figure. Not fat, but thinner. I responded pretty fast to the weights and of course 16 years in the gym pays off. My mom was a bodybuilder in the early 80's and she has kind of my frame, so a big thanks to her I guess....
- Would you have had to resort to A.A.S. to continue in the bodybuilding arena to reach the top level?
AAS?
Is it steroids you mean? I will say Yes.....I saw the winners in the World Championship.....I didn't want to be THAT big.
- What are your current thoughts on AAS in women’s bodybuilding and fitness? What do you see being abused, if anything in the figure arena?
We all know it's there, but what or how much the women use I can't answer......I just see that some take WAY too much and get a manly look which I don't think is a great thing for our sport.
- When you injured your leg in the fitness competition in 2000 how long were you side-lined from training and how did you rehab yourself?
I pulled my hamstrings doing sprint training for my fitness routine.  I warmed up, but forgot to stretch before sprinting. Too bad - it hurt like a mother....I had to do a lot of one legged stuff because this was just a couple of months before the 2000 Olympia. I managed to get through, but not at my best.
- Your current interest being in Figure, how do you feel you are progressing, have you competed this year? Results? How would you change your game plan to reach the top for the next competition?
I did the Arnold Classic and NY Pro last year (2003), and didn't place well at all. I got 11th at the Arnold due to being too lean............and got 10th in NY Pro (being maybe too soft - go figure!) out of 30 girls. This meant I didnt qual for the O 2003. This year I will come in where I think I look my best - a bit bigger and hard. Can't place much worse, so what do I have to lose? At least I will feel good about my showing, and I get most of the magazine work anyway - lol
- If you could create a "perfect competition" for women to evaluate their physical fitness and all around athleticism and beauty, what would it entail?
I would go for an obstacle course, chin ups and dips. This test real fitness level and can be judged FAIR. Its most reps wins and the fastest time. I would also keep the TWO piece round only (no one piece that covers up the physique and goes more for the suit choice etc)
- You have been photographed so much, how do you like being portrayed the most? General modeling or fitness related?
I love the modeling part of this business! I like the fitness part, but also the more 'glamour' side where you can dress up and change your look into different images.
- A somewhat sensitive question: What are your feelings on some of your peers past and present, that have decided to "promote" themselves through ventures such as "private modeling", "private wrestling sessions" and sometimes pornography?
I get lots of e-mail from fans asking if I do 'private sessions' wrestling etc.....but I NEVER did and never will. Not my cup of tea, and I really don't need it. If some DO, that’s their issue, and not for me to put my nose into.
As for what keeps Lena busy when she isn’t training or traveling to shows, she keeps up her personal website www.lenajohannesen.com and is always looking for new modeling and endorsement opportunities. Most recently, she has made a commercial with Sprite, and has picked up an endorsement deal with Muscle Link supplements, along with personal appearances at many Expositions world wide. She also does private personal training in LA. In the future, she is considering starting her own clothing line for training apparel
.
We look for great things from Miss Johannesen in the present as well as the future!! Thank you Lena for your candid answers and your time.
* Article by Luv2lft, Moderator @ www.Extreme-Athlete.com
* Back to Issue #6 Frontpage
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