Life is not easy for single mothers in the Cayman Islands. Time is precious, especially for bodybuilder Susanne Clements.
Her days are spent at the Department of Counselling Services with her evenings devoted to two kids. Outside of that, she states her focus is strictly on natural bodybuilding.
“People think I’m crazy but I enjoy it,” Clements said. “I have to juggle a number of things. I’m a single mother with two kids aged 15 and 11. I work for a counselling centre full-time. In my offseason I go two days on at the gym and one off with each session being one hour and 15 minutes. Prior to competition, within eight weeks of a show, I’m going two or three hours a day.”
Pursuing bodybuilding to a competition level is a relatively new experience for Clements. She got into the sport two years ago, competing abroad for the first time in 2009. She states her decision to commit came from a desire for healthy living.
“I started in January 2009 with Michael Salmon being my trainer. Basically the opportunity presented itself to get into bodybuilding. I started out at 171 pounds and I dropped down to 121lbs in five months. I’m about 134lbs with more muscle density now and I work out two days on and one day off. For shows I go down to about 130lbs.
“Commitment to yourself is the biggest thing. I made a number of lifestyle changes. I’m making sure fitness is a bigger component of my life. Now I need less sleep and I’m more confident.
“The hardest part of competitive bodybuilding is endurance. The length of time needed to be in a pose is extensive and the body has to be tense. You’re flexing your entire muscles for 10-15 minutes but it feels like a lifetime.”
This month Clements gained acclaim for her showing at the Organisation of Competitive Bodybuilding Yorton Cup nationals in Washington, DC. Often called the natural bodybuilding world championships (due to being recognised by the International Fitness and Physique Association), she produced three top-five finishes at the event.
Clements, 41, placed second in the women’s novice division, fourth in the women’s masters (35 and above) and fourth in the women’s open class. She would beat out competitors from locales like Canada, China and Nigeria. She states the competition was more of a strain mentally rather than physically.
“The pressure and challenge are all mental. It’s all about focus and listening for your trainer’s voice. You’re focused on the poses because of the training and practices we’ve done.
“I was proud to represent Cayman under the Natural Bodybuilding Federation, led by Tiger Wilson. At this point I thank my friends, family and the Cayman public for all of the support. Thanks go to my coach Dave Connolly and trainer Michael Salmon at Creative Fitness studio as both of them were there with me. I also thank Princess World Jewellers, Smiles Dental Clinic, Sameena’s Hair and Beauty Centre, Finab International Services, Sharon Solomon, Shelly Ware, Sydney Shaw and a number of anonymous sponsors.”
Salmon, a veteran bodybuilder, also competed in Washington and placed sixth in the grand master (over 50) and eighth in the master (40 and above) sections. Salmon, 51, states his focus was on Susan’s success.
“Susan was on top of things because she was in training early, for over 20 weeks,” Salmon said. “Dave was her coach and a lot of thanks should go to him. I just wanted to give her the boost to do well and I did that.”
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