Erica Blockman

IFBB PRO PHYSIQUE

As an active athlete, Erica needed a personal challenge and she found it in Figure. She stepped onstage at the 2011 Seven Feathers Championships and not only did she win her class, she won the overall and made a major impact in the Northwest. Erica has also just added to her credentials by winning her class at the 30th Anniversary Emerald Cup. Now, it's time for her to take it to the Nationals this fall and bring home an IFBB Pro Card!

1. When and why did you decide to start competing?

I first decided that I wanted to start competing out of high school when I could no longer run track or wrestle due to knee injuries; however I did not get to start competing until I met my fiancé Chris. I never had the support system I needed until I met him. Athletics have always been a huge factor in my life and I felt that competing was a great idea to keep me fit and on track without having my sports to do so. The year of 2010 I first stepped on stage and haven’t wanted to stop since.

2. What makes you want to go farther in the sport?

I have many reasons to continue on in this sport. Besides the obvious (taking home a first place or overall is always motivation in itself to continue), I am extremely competitive and If I know that I am good at something or have the slightest potential to win I am going to go for it and see it through… so with that said, I am aiming for my procard!

Also with this sport, I love seeing the changes that it brings to my body. It has given me the sensation that I can shape it to my desires if I really want it. Its indescribable the motivation it brings me to wake up in the morning and see my body develop in ways I use to believe it could not. Most importantly, I love the way this sport inspires not only me but the people around me to do better with their lives. Promoting fitness and health to others and inspiring them to make changes for themselves is a huge reward in itself. People need to know that their fitness goals are always attainable with hard work and dedication; competitors prove it to be true every day.

3. What type of training do you implement during contest prep and the in the off-season?

I used to use Quantum body method’s program by Robert Hatch in contest prep and on the offseason. Now I just use the basics, heavy stacked sets of 3-4, 10-12 reps with a few pyramid or suicide sets here and there to spice things up during offseason with some HIIT training, then higher rep training a few weeks before the show, sometimes reverting back to QBM training. I would typically keep cardio out of my routine if possible but being that I am also a group fitness instructor I can’t avoid a few hours of cardio a week both on and off season.

4. What is your favorite type of dieting meals and what is your favorite type of cheat meal?

I love food too much to have an absolute favorite diet or even cheat meal! But if I really had to narrow it down I’ve fallen in love with dymatize waffles/pancakes… with a few touch ups to fit my prep. Just ½ cup gluten free oats, 6 egg whites, ½ scoop iso 100 dymatize protein(vanilla or chocolate), a dash of cinnamon and stevia and blended for 1 minute. Top it off with Walden farms sugar free syrup and if I’m really naughty some pb2 on top! As far as cheat meals go… “It’s peanut butta-jelly time!

5. Who are some of the people that have helped you along the way to get where you are now in life or in the sport?

My dad would probably be the first one I have to thank for being in this sport. He threw me into the gym at the age of 12 to start training for track and field. He was my own coach; I rarely listened to my real coaches. He had me up on the track on weekends practicing sprints then in the gym every other day after school working on my cardio and strength training. He was very adamant about teaching me the importance of being mentally into anything that I am doing, especially with weight lifting. I have always been driven to be like a mirror image of my dad when he was my age… and those in my opinion are big shoes to fill.

Secondly, my fiancé Chris has emotionally made this journey possible for me. I could not imagine having a more supportive figure in my life than Chris. He understands my diet induced tantrums and is always honest about my conditioning. He is my right hand man, I almost feel like I should refer to him as my manager. I know that I will embarrass him by saying this… but he even sews and helps customize my figure suits. He is the bedazzle master J.

Of course I would be even more of a wreck without help and support from my trainer, Noel Fuller who always makes sure to dial me in before hitting the stage, as well as being there for me as a friend when things are rough. I feel his role in my life is almost like a big brother. I hate him (when he trains me, or drops my carbs), I trust him even when I think his ideas are crazy and on more rare occasions I love him (when he says I can have a cheat meal). My team, Team Dream Quest is always there for me support wise, whether it’s dialing in my posing, or the beautiful Kiana Phi, shoveling rice cakes in my mouth while I pump up ;) I always know that I will have a good outlet of friends backstage.

6. Who or what inspires you to strive for more in the sport?

Like I said before, my original inspiration was my father. Not to sound like too much of a nerd, I am a huge she-hulk fan; she is the perfect combination of beauty and muscle that always inspired me. Since I was a child watching TV shows like Xena warrior princess, X-men and even Dragon ball Z, I always imagined myself growing up to look like a sexy marvel superhero who kicked butt all the time. The mixture strength and beauty has always been something I consistently strive for. Sometimes it’s very difficult to balance the two out. I still have yet to reach the look that I am envisioning for myself but I have a feeling that I will be reaching it very soon. Besides me embarrassing myself talking about superheroes, the image of myself with a pro card in my hand is inspiration enough!

7. What is next for you as a competitor?

My next event will be this November in Atlanta Georgia at Nationals where I will be taking another stab at victory! This time with at least 3-4 lbs of muscle on my lower half!

8. What is your favorite memory good or bad while prepping or competing?

My favorite memory is oddly enough a very bad one… though we can laugh about it now that it’s over. One of my very first competitions I had ordered a customized suit that was lost in the mail and not delivered on time. Unfortunately, this was the day before the show. I was panicking, Chris was panicking and it was total chaos. The woman we ordered the suit from felt so bad she said we could have another bikini dirt cheap that was somewhat close to my size and ready to go… only issue was that she and her business was 6 hours away from our hotel. Chris, being the knight that he is took one for the team and drove 6 hours to Las Vegas and 6 hours back for a suit that barely fit me. At 4am that morning when he returned with the suit he spent the rest of his waking hours sewing it to fit me. Am I a lucky girl or what? So like I said, very bad experience but definitely the most memorable.

10. Anything you would like to say to all the visitors to NPC Oregon?

If you surround yourself with only people that love and truly care about you, whatever negativity that comes from others about you is like water on a ducks back. Be true to yourself, keep your goals and the end outcome always in the back of your mind and let others doubts fuel your fire and further ignite your passion to succeed!