Holly Bricken didn’t always look like this. Believe it or not, the blond bombshell was pounding Coke and doughnuts for breakfast right after she graduated from college, going from fit personal trainer to pudgy kindergarten teacher. Obviously, that didn’t last. She kicked the junk food, entered the NPC bikini circuit, and propelled herself into the dreams of men everywhere.
Height: 5’ 10”
Weight: 135 lbs.
Residence: Houston, TX
Web: Hollybricken.com
M&F: How did you get into competing?
HB: In college I was into fitness, and I was a certified trainer. Once I hit the real world I got my teaching career going, and that meant a lot of snacking with kindergartners. I saw a picture of myself from my sister’s wedding and I was just disgusted, so I started working out again. I always looked up to [figure competitor] Monica Brant, and I saw an ad for one of her camps in a magazine, and I did it. It worked, and she still trains me today.
M&F: Are you still training people?
HB: Yes, but right now it’s just women. I’ve had a lot more women come to me for help than men. Women usually come up and say, “Oh, I wish I had a body like yours. ”I have a lot of men asking me for advice online, though.
M&F: Maybe the guys are intimidated. Do you get hit on at the gym?
HB: [Laughs] I have a lot of older men that hit on me. It usually hap- pens when I’m running. If I’ve been on the treadmill for an hour, they’ll be like, “Are you ever going to get off?” Or, “You’re just like Forrest Gump.” That’s how they start the conversation.
M&F: That’s awful. What’s the absolute worst thing you’ve had to deal with in the gym?
HB: One of my biggest pet peeves is when people throw the weights. I hate that. One time these guys were making a ton of noise. I kept on looking at them, like, “Are you serious? You’re throwing the weight down. It’s not that much.” I eventually went over and said, “Hey, do you mind not throwing the weights? When you throw the weights you bend them and break them, and then other people can’t use them.” So then they gave me a look like, “You’re not going to use that weight—why do you care?” It was a pre-loaded bar, so I grabbed it and I banged out 12 reps and then gently put it back. The looks on their faces were priceless.
