1) Who is Samyra Abweh? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I am from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am currently in college right now, I attend University of New Mexico. I am 19 years old and a competitive powerlifter. The weight class I compete in is the 48kg/105lb class. My current meet PR's are a 275 squat, 203 bench, and a 363 deadlift. I am hoping to demolish those numbers in 4 weeks at Boss Of Bosses 4.
2) How many years have you been training?
I have been training powerlifting for about two years now.
3) Whats been the hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
The hardest part about my journey so far would have to be comparing myself to others. I had a hard time getting over that because I would always think, "why can't I lift as much as her?" Or "why can't I have a physique like her?" I was so in tuned to other people's accomplishments/goals that I would often forget about mine. So once I left the constantly comparing myself to others mindset, I became more focused on my goals and what I want to achieve in life/lifting. Focusing on myself helped me so much with life in general, and it constantly pushes me to become a better version of myself everyday because the only person I compare myself with now is the person I was yesterday.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
I lift powerlifting "style" (which means heavy) 4 times a week, on the days I don't powerlift I do cardio/bodybuilding training and on Sunday's I rest.
I do IIFYM. I don't limit myself to certain foods I just make sure they fit into my macros. I always make room for pop tarts.
5) What have you learned over the past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
I know it may sound cliche, but I learned that consistently and hard work triumphs all. I started to see changes in my body and in my lifts by being consistent and putting in the work. Even on the days that I don't feel "at my best" I still continue to push through it because I know I'll be one step closer to my goal.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Oh my.. I have so many. But I'm going to have to say IHOP pancakes and mozzarella sticks from Sonic.
7) One supplement that you could not live without?
Pre workout for sure!
8) If you had to start out from scratch with your physique what would you do differently and why?
I would not believe the "Carbs are bad for you, sugar is unhealthy, you can only eat tilapia and broccoli to look good" thread. When I first started lifting I didn't know anything about food so I would just go off of what social media was telling me, and it made me have an unhealthy relationship with food because I wanted to have that perfect physique so I would stay away from a lot of it. The thing I would do differently is actually doing my research first before believing everything off of social media.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
Dana Linn Bailey. She was one of the reasons why I started lifting. I looked up to her because I loved how she broke the norm of "girls can't have muscles" and because of how bad ass she is. I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to show girls that we can be just as strong as the boys, maybe even stronger than them.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Don't give up. That's the number one key to success. If things aren't going as planned, don't be discouraged. Just work harder and everything will eventually come together. Great things take time and effort to achieve.
11) What new goals are on the horizon? (new goals, aims, etc)
My goal lifting wise is a 285 squat, 215 bench and a 380 deadlift.
My other goal is to continue to inspire people and show them that being strong is bad ass.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Instagram and twitter. My username for Instagram is minimyraa and my twitter username is myraa_a. My YouTube is in the making!
