Tiffany Vik - Trainer's Determination Pays Off

Canadian national Figure Tall champion Tiffany Vik struck a pose at Fitness World. Photo by David Aboudy.

Sizeable portions of discipline and hard work are the main ingredients for a Langley athlete's success.

July 15, 2008

Chocolate is not part of Tiffany Vik's vocabulary.

Neither is peanut butter, wine, hamburgers, pizza, cheese, or ice cream.

Denying herself what many consider to be the culinary guilty pleasures in life is actually a good thing for the 26-year-old personal trainer, who works at - and out - at Langley Fitness World.

"Eating clean" and dedication to a healthy lifestyle is what helped Vik become a Canadian champion in the sport of figure (a.k.a. body) sculpting.

"You don't see chocolate for, like, four months before a show," Vik said. "You cut out your breads, your sugars, alcohol... Nutrition is one of the biggest things. That's why a lot of people can't compete. The workout is not that hard, but nutrition, eating clean, is one of the biggest challenges."

Resisting those fatty temptations paid off when Vik captured top spot in the Figure Tall division at the 2008 Canadian Bodybuilding Federation's (CBBF) National World Qualifier show June 14 in Winnipeg.

Fitness Tall is for competitors measuring 5'7" or greater in height.

The win in Winnipeg earns Vik a spot at the IFBB Women's World Championships Oct. 3-6 in Santa Susanna, Spain.

Vik improved on her fourth place showing at last year's World Qualifier show in Toronto. At the 2008 event, Vik beat out Manitobans Lisa Gordon and Katy Unruh.

Vik earned a Canadian title in just her third show. She started off with a bang back in April 2007 in Kelowna, where she placed first in Figure Medium Tall at the 2007 Western Canadian Tested Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships. She followed that event up with the two world qualifiers.

In Winnipeg, the finalists stood side-by-side on stage. The third place finisher's name was announced, followed by the runner up, and then the winner.

Once the runner up's name was called, Vik realized she was a Canadian champion.

Relief, more so than satisfaction, washed over her.

"It was like, 'Yes'," Vik said. "I knew that if you get first, you go on to the worlds in Spain, and that's exactly what I wanted. I wanted to give myself a little bit of a break this summer. Otherwise I would've had to compete in the B.C.'s this year and would have gone on to the nationals next year."

Vik doesn't advertise her feat, although her co-workers at Fitness World organized a fundraising car wash at the Husky station at the corner of Willowbrook Drive and 200th Street this past Saturday, July 12, to help give her a financial shot in the arm as she prepares for the worlds in Spain.

"I am excited about it, but I don't really show that I'm excited," she said with a laugh. "I'm one to be more reserved. I'm ecstatic about it, definitely, but I don't go around saying, 'Yeah, I'm No. 1.'"

Her chosen sport doesn't receive much fanfare on the left coast of Canada.

"A lot of people are confused about fitness, figure, and bodybuilding. They don't know what figure is," she said. "They know more about fitness and bodybuilding, and then it's pretty much figure in between. It's been around for a long time, except it's not really well recognized. It's more prevalent on the east coast as opposed to the west coast. The east coast has a lot more federations, many more shows and way more competitors."

A lifelong athlete, Vik played softball for 10 years, but always had an affinity for the gym and weight training, a hobby of hers for the past six years. She's also worked in a gym setting for the past three years.

Meeting Dawn Alison, an accomplished bodybuilder and personal trainer at Langley Fitness World, set Vik on her current athletic path.

"She pretty much got me started," Vik said, regarding her friend and role model. "She's always been there for me. She was with me in Winnipeg, making sure everything went smoothly. We're really good friends."

Figure, or body, sculpting floats somewhere between the overly aerobic and almost dance-like fitness competitions and the awesome spectacle of body building.

"You don't want to be overly muscular," Vik explained. "You want to still have a feminine look. I like looking toned and athletic but still feminine."

- - -

Vik is heading to Spain for the experience of competing internationally.

"I want to pretty much be looking in the best condition I can. I will probably come out looking a little leaner than I had in the last show, and do my best. I'm not going out there to win, per say. That's not in my mindset. I just want to get my name out there, get recognized and just have fun."

She is driven, and driven away from temptation, by the vision of what she needs to look like on stage during a show.

As a result, Vik eats healthy mini-meals six times a day and logs long hours at the gym, sometimes coming back as many as three times in one day, balancing a cardio workout with weight training.

As the world championships close in, Vik will ramp up her workouts, and her diet. She admits it's a "real struggle" to stick to a regimented way of living.

"There are a lot of things you need to cut out of your lifestyle," Vik said. "It's very restrictive that way. You need to set aside your priorities. I still struggle with it."

With the biggest competition yet almost four months away, Vik is staying on course, but there have been some rough patches of late.

"I never used to have a sweet tooth, but with this training I've been craving peanut butter, and ice cream, and chocolate," she said. "No one knows me to indulge, so it's kind of funny."

Source:  Langley Advance