1) Who is Shannon Seeley? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I am a momma to a 6month old, Adley. A wife to a disabled vet, Kyle who served 7 years in the army. I am passionate about health and fitness and love helping people change their lives. I have a degree in health science, nutrition and finance. I also have to beautiful fur babies (my cats) Sly and Coconut. When I am not in the gym I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter.
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
I have been in sports since a young age. I was a competitive runner throughout high school and my senior year I broke my leg and fell off the running train. I began to lift weights in the gym to strengthen my leg and began to fall in love with the iron and soon after began to compete.
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)
The most challenging part of being a Bodybuilder is actually the stigma that us females get for putting on muscle. The more shredded and muscular I get the more negative feedback I get from individual's. It makes you have a very hardhead and a very strong mind. I guess that is the positive of the sport and the journey is that it has created a very powerful and driven mindset.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
Offseason (bulking season) - training 5-6x a week. Heavy weights and low reps , really looking to put on size and increase overall mass. Cardio is 95mins total weekly -4x a week fasted and diet is regimented but if I am craving something I can eat it and now feel guilty.
On season (cutting season) - training 5-6x a week , start off heavier weight lifting and as I get deeper into prep season I taper off and do more volume and less weight. I am doing fasted cardio 7x a week as well as nightime cardio 7x a week. Very routine and strict diet. High protein with a carb cycle.
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).
Proper form and a solid training plan makes for the best results. Spend time researching and visualizing yours goals before you put action into them. Slow and steady progress is much better than hitting max lifts and then burning out for a few weeks. Training smarter is essential for my lifestyle and it took me a long time to realize that. In relation to nutrition. you can't cheat everyday and expect results. Discipline is key and crucial to excel and again it took me years to realize how important solid nutrition and what you use to fuel your body directly correlates to the results.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Gummy candy
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
Whey isolate
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I would research and start working with my coach right away. I went through random coaches for a few years not fully understanding the commitment that you need to stick to one coach and I honestly think it messed me up early on because I was not familiar with proper training, etc. I would train differently and take my offseason a lot more seriously early on. I am just now taking my offseason seriously and I have been in the sport for almost a decade.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
John Meadows: amazing prep coach and very knowledgeable within the fitness industry. Has been in the sport for a long time and cuts through the bullshit and a very old school style of training.
Helle Trevino: have you seen her physique? It is absolutely amazing. She is what I strive to be. She is beautiful and her physique is decades of hard work.
Aleesha Young : beauty and brains. Another pro in the sport with relatable lifestyles. I love how she is a Mom and still keeps her lifestyle solid within her life.
Jill Blondin: the level of graininess that this chick can achieve is absolutely insane and impressive. I watched her go from amateur to Olympia stage in such a short time , it gives us amateurs hope that anything is possible if you are willing to suffer.
Dorian Yates: Old School bodybuilder in a modern world. I love his style of training, his mentality and his physique. He is an icon in the bodybuilding world.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Patience, patience, patience. It takes years and years to get a physique my size. This sport is always about improving, I never have an end goal only checkpoints throughout my journey.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
Getting that IFBB pro status after taking a year off from competing.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Facebook: Shannon Baxter
Instagram: @shanisfierce
TikTok: @shanisfierce
