Bodybuilding Weekly: Julie Ann Kulla - Lakeville Woman Turns Pro

Julie Ann Kulla - Lakeville Woman Turns Pro
================================================================================
Hardbodies News on 08 August, 2008 06:26:00
 
August 8, 2008
by Andy Rogers
After thousands of hours in the gym and years of eating a high protein, low
carbohydrate diet, Lakeville's Julie Ann Kulla can now say she has one of the
best figures in the nation.
And she has the card to prove it.
Kulla earned her professional status with the International Federation of
Bodybuilders after winning the NPC Junior Nationals June 19 -21 in Chicago.
Even though her pro card says "bodybuilder" that's not exactly what she spends
her time doing.  She won the figure portion at the national event, which is
separate from bodybuilding and fitness.
There's no flexing chiseled, bulging muscles.  It's not a swimsuit contest
either.  It's all about the individual's physique.
During competitions she poses and turns on stage. They look for symmetry,
muscle tone, posture and specific lines and definition in the muscles.
At 27, Kulla didn't take her time in the gym too seriously until her early
20's.
Kulla moved to Lakeville when she was about 15 from Iowa where she participated
in competitive gymnastics. She didn't participate in competitive sports while at
Lakeville High School, but after a few years she missed it.
After graduating in 1999, Kulla paid a visit to the Ms. Olympia competition in
Las Vegas and she was hooked. Her desire for athletic competition reached a new
level, so she worked out tirelessly in the gym.
She's been competing in local and national shows for the past four years.  In
2005 she placed second in the NPC Northern States Natural Classic Figure. She
won the Ms. Minnesota Figure short class in 2006.  At local shows there are
about 20 women competing from around the state. At nationals, there are
hundreds.
She placed eighth at Junior Nationals in 2007. She gained a sense of her
potential so she took the year to build muscle.  On June 7th she competed in the
Gopher State at Myth in Maplewood and won the competition.
That qualified her for the NPC Junior Nationals. There are six height
classifications:  Kulla won Class B out of 40 women. She then took the overall
title beating out the other five weight-class winners, which earned her the pro
card.
She said she was calm entering the national competition. She said she did her
homework, so she knew the judges' criteria.
"I worked so much that I was very confident," Kulla said. "The moment I stepped
on the stage the judges whispered to each other like I was the one. They called
me out first in each round, which pretty much means I was in first."
Near the end they called her forward with the top three women and she emerged
as the winner. Ever since then, she's been inundated with photo shoots,
autograph signings and interviews.
"It's a bit overwhelming," Kulla said.  "I've been very tired lately, but it's
a dream of mine to be in magazines."
Her recent accolades have earned her a celebrity status with certain crowds.
"But I'm still the same old Julie Ann," Kulla said.
Now that she's in the elite category, she'll compete with the best from around
the world.  She's competing in her first professional show in six weeks in New
York City.  If she claims a top-three finish, she'll qualify for the Miss
Olympia show in November is Las Vegas, right back where she started.
For now it's dining on fish, fitness and more photos.  This week is a photo
shoot in Los Angeles.
She said it will be difficult for her to maintain her rigorous training
schedule with her recent onslaught of photo shoots and competition invites.
For years she has spent mornings doing a half hour of cardiovascular exercise
on an empty stomach.  At night she does another 45 minutes to an hour of cardio
and up to two hours of resistance training and weight lifting.  She's at the gym
until 10 p.m. almost every night.
In between she works a 9-5 job as a graphic designer.
"My nights are consumed with being at the gym," Kulla said.  "There's no going
out to dinner. No parties."
Her routine stays with her during the weekend, but on Sunday she takes a break
from weight lifting to rebuild, but she still focuses on cardio.
"I don't do a full body work out every day," Kulla said.  "On certain days I
work certain body parts. Basically I tear down the muscle and build it back.
"There's not much time off for me.  It takes a lot of mental focus and
preparation to do it."
Kulla is sponsored by Species Nutrition, which provides her with supplements
and proteins. Her diet is very regimented. She plans her diet on her own, which
is unique at her level. Most professional trainers hire a dietician.
She eats meals every two-to-three hours consisting mainly of tilapia, broccoli
and almonds — almost no carbohydrates.
Earning a sponsor was a significant accomplishment for Kulla because the sport
isn’t cheap. Competition outfits are custom made and can cost more than a
$1,000. Add that with the cost of travel and gym membership, being a
professional doesn’t mean automatic profits.
She’s trained almost exclusively at Lakeville Lifetime Fitness. She said she
receives plenty of looks from people curious about why she’s always there and
why’s she’s in good shape.
“Once I tell them, it all makes sense,” Kulla said.
Besides qualifying for Ms. Olympia, her other goal is to inspire others to live
a healthy lifestyle. She teaches an eight-week boot camp in Lakeville with her
sister that runs Tuesdays and Thursdays in a local park.
“I get people who haven’t worked out in a while and it changes their
lives,” Kulla said. “It’s very rewarding. It’s a passion of mine. I just
want to be an inspiration to people. If I can get one person to start working
out and change their diet.”
Information about her career and boot camp can be found at julieannkulla.com .
Andy Rogers is at andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com.
Source:   Dakota County Tribune