1) Who is Kelsey Horton? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota and have lived here most of my adult life. I am a registered nurse I work at a surgical hospital and do administrative work at an assisted living. Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, specifically being outside and hiking adventures. My little ones are 9 and 4 so they keep me plenty busy.
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
I have been strength training close to 10 years. I initially started training with a friend of mine to break the monotony of cardio via treadmill and stairclimber but ended up falling in love with the iron.
3) Whats been the most challenging/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)
Fortunately, I have been fairly healthy in this game. I did have some issues with pain in my deadlift which forced me to pull out of a meet last year. It was especially frustrating because it had been over a year since competing and I was really looking forward to it.
Another especially challenging task was competing at Boss of Bosses this summer and then heading into 100% figure prep for a show just 7 weeks later. I learned the hard way that, for me, I need to have plenty of time to prep for both because I found that I underperformed for both which was incredibly frustrating.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
Workouts are variable depending on what my goals are. My bodybuilding prep was significantly different training and diet wise than what I’m rolling with now. I do count my macros for the most part but I’m not nearly as strict as I was when I was prepping for my show. As far as my training I do a 4 day split 2 upper and 2 lower and try to integrate 2 days of cardio as well.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition? (And How has it changed your focus for the future).
The biggest learning curve for me this past year was prepping for my figure show. I always assumed the dieting part would be hard, and no doubt, it was. The mental fortitude involved with a show prep is something I thought I always had. I hear powerlifters jokingly say, “I think I’ll try bodybuilding.” I can tell you from experience, bodybuilding tries you. It was one of the most mentally challenging things I’ve ever done.
I think learning this has helped me to be a stronger person in many aspects of my life. That prep built more mental toughness and I’m forever grateful for the experience.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
I am a sucker for Qdoba. I’ll get a chicken fajita rice bowl with spicy habanero salsa, cilantro, and sour cream. Then of course have to top that off with some type of ice cream novelty.
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
Because of my busy lifestyle getting the appropriate amount of protein every day can be a challenge and for that reason I would not want to live without Universal’s Ultra Whey Pro!
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I think I would remind myself to relish and linger in the victories longer. I had the tendency to get so wrapped up in my next goal that I completely neglected to live in that moment.
It’s easy for me to say that I would change my direction when first starting out because I knew next to nothing and therefore did endless hours on the treadmill and ate very little. I don’t know that I would change that part of my journey. Without that struggle I wouldn’t be where I am now which provides me a unique position to be in terms of helping other women. I think many women start with a similar mindset, where the only way you can achieve the body of your dreams is by running yourself into the ground and starving. I know because I’ve been there.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
That’s a tough question because there are certainly a lot of people in this industry I respect but I think the people I look up to most are those who put aside excuses and make shit happen.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Be patient and graceful with yourself but also don’t let anyone make you feel bad for wanting more. It’s easy for the onlooker to chime in and kick their two cents; it’s okay to not be satisfied where you are and it’s okay to want more for yourself.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
In terms of fitness, I am trying to get the sport of powerlifting to grow more in my little neck of the woods. I am hosting a few meets in 2020 and I’m super excited about those.
I plan on competing at CC Ingraham’s all women’s powerlifting meet May 2020 in New York and potentially have my eyes on another figure show for late fall 2020.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
IG: kelseyhorton1989
Twitter: kelseyh89
Facebook Athlete page: Kelsey Horton
