An interview with Kellie Davis – Mother, fitness model and advocate of women’s health

Today, Kellie Davis stops by to drop some ‘info-bombs’ and answer a host of ‘crude’ questions.

Kellie runs the fitness website motherfitness.com where she concentrates on helping other women achieve optimal health through education and experience. She’s a writer, a proud mother of two and didn’t even kick-start her training career until after she’d had them. Inspirational much?

Today I aim to find out what makes Kellie tick, what she’s been up to with Bret Contreras as well as find out how she’s made a name for herself in the industry…
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Thanks Kellie for taking the time to stop by.

Kellie Davis: I appreciate the opportunity, Clint.

How did you get started with training and becoming an advocate for female fitness?

Kellie Davis: I had a long hiatus from training between the births of my two children that lasted 5 years. I gained a good amount of weight with my second pregnancy, was on bed rest, and had a hard time losing it after my son was born. I grew tired of feeling unhappy with my body and not having energy. I knew that I didn’t have to live this way, so I kicked myself in the tail and did something about it.

I began reading everything I could about fitness and nutrition and joined a local gym. At first I just took classes, but headed out to the gym floor once I gained more confidence. After several months, we joined a local power lifting gym and I was introduced to the world of figure competitions. By then I was hooked and wanted to learn all of the big lifts.

I bring my kids (age 6 and 9) to the gym with me and teach them how to use the equipment. We dance after dinner, ride bikes, go hiking, cook healthy meals, and explore the world together.

The competition journey introduced me to many women in the same position and I didn’t like what I was seeing. Lots of starvation diets, overtraining, and lifestyles that induced stress. I felt that women were being swayed away from health in order to achieve the body they wanted rather than toward it. I wanted to help evoke a change, so I started MotherFitness.com.

What is the number one thing that has kept you motivated?

Kellie Davis: My kids, definitely. Children learn by example. What better way to teach them about fitness and nutrition than to show them through experience? I bring my kids (age 6 and 9) to the gym with me and teach them how to use the equipment. We dance after dinner, ride bikes, go hiking, cook healthy meals, and explore the world together. I never want to sit on the sideline and watch their lives pass by. I want to be in the game with them all the way through.

Some of my favorite lifts are barbell glute bridges, barbell hip thrusts, single-arm kettlebell snatches, kettlebell windmills, and hand clean and jerk.

What is your training routine like, and what does it involve?

Kellie Davis: I am always changing things up — not out of boredom, but because I want to try new things. I see something on YouTube or read a friend’s journal and feel motivated to attempt a new lift or set a new record.

But, I do keep staples in my weekly routine and always adhere to a basic template. I typically do either 3 full body workouts or upper/lower splits. Sometimes I will do 4-5 full body sessions or add on an extra day to my split if I feel I need the extra push.

Some of my favorite lifts are barbell glute bridges, barbell hip thrusts, single-arm kettlebell snatches, kettlebell windmills, and hang clean and jerk.
I love deadlifts and squats, too.

Kellie Davis training

What are some of the other writers, artists, models and fitness leaders that have inspired you?

Kellie Davis: Like everyone in the industry, I got started because of the works of others. The largest female influences in my life are Nia Shanks, Marianne Kane, Julia Ladewski. These ladies are incredibly strong, but also bring an element to the female training world that is missing in most arenas: compassion.

I’ve had great mentors in the field as well. Bret Contreras has really taken me under his wing and taught me so much about program design and strength training. Alan Aragon has been a huge influence in the way I eat and understand nutrition. Roger Lawson is so great with motivation. I am also a huge fan of Nick Tumminello’s work and can’t get enough of Performance U.

Gosh, I could go on and on about those who inspire and influence me.

I debunk a lot of gimmicks and scams on this site. Is there anything fitness related that you’ve fallen victim to yourself and wasted your money on in the past?

Kellie Davis: When I first started competing I fell for the ultra low calorie, overtraining BS that is sold in the bodybuilding world. I was so starved and rundown by the time I got on stage that I just hated life. The funniest (ironic, not ha-ha) part looking back is, I was already tiny. I had no reason to do what I did other than I had a ‘coach’ telling me to do so.

Now I eat ample calories, a variety of different foods, and training less than 6 hours a week. Amazing that I packed on 15 pounds since then and look better than ever.

There is no single food that is going to do the trick, and no single food that is going to ruin your body.

Your own physical feature that you are most proud of?

Kellie Davis: My glutes, of course.

Are there any KEY diet or training tips that you adhere to?

Kellie Davis: You have to eat to nourish your muscles. There is no single food that is going to do the trick, and no single food that is going to ruin your body. A good balance of foods that offer the right amount of calories is how you achieve the results you want.

What’s a day-in-the-life for Kellie Davis like? Give us a run-down of how you eat, train and move on a regular day.

Kellie Davis: I wake up around 5:30 AM to get ready for the day. After hustling my kids off to school, I cook breakfast (usually 3 whole eggs cooked in grass-fed butter with loads of veggies), guzzle embarrassing amount of coffee, then promptly squat at my desk to work.

I work at home as a writer and online coach, so it’s nice to work in my pajamas. I work until around noon, then chug a quick scoop of protein before heading off to the gym. At the gym, I just let everything go. I train with full intensity every session and don’t spend leisure time chatting it up with other members. On the off chance that someone does catch my attention, I am very friendly. But I try not to appear that way because I want to get in and out. I don’t have time in my day to mosey around the gym. It’s all business.

Sometimes I find time to squeeze in lunch, but that doesn’t happen every day.

I get home and walk my dog, then sit back down to work until my kids get out of school. My routine is pretty boring now that I wrote it out. I work a little more, cook dinner, and that’s about it. Sometimes I find time to squeeze in lunch, but that doesn’t happen every day. I run a couple corporate blogs, write for a couple publications, have a good handful of clients, and also run my own blog. So work is plentiful and I am never wandering too far astray from this routine.

Wow, that makes me sound incredibly fun, huh? I do wind down at night and often take my kids and dog up to the park if they don’t have sports. We also spend time in the pool in the evenings, and always go out on the weekends.

What supplements do you use if any? If not, why not?

Kellie Davis: I could definitely live without them. I don’t consistently take them, but when I do it’s usually fish oil, digestive enzymes, BCAA, and sometimes whey protein. I used to write for supplement companies (marketing and copywriting) and was totally turned off by the language used to persuade buyers. I know that’s part of my job as a copywriter, but so much of it is placebo—which can be a good thing, but not when you are dumping your hard-earned money down the drain.

Favourite quote?

Kellie Davis: “A man’s genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portal of discovery.”—James Joyce. I love that quote because I learned never to fear failure. I’ve come a long way in a very short period of time because I wasn’t afraid to fail. I’ve learned that rejection teaches you more than acceptance. I’ve made so many mistakes in my writing career and in the weight room. If I hadn’t, I would probably still be working low-paying gigs and toiling away at to curl rack.

Bret Contreras and I are finishing up our first draft of Strong Curves, which is due out in stores all over the world by the end of the year.

What’s next on the horizon for Kellie Davis?

Kellie Davis: Bret Contreras and I are finishing up our first draft of Strong Curves, which is due out in stores all over the world by the end of the year. I have also recently started online coaching, which exploded—and I thoroughly enjoy doing it. My clients are incredible. I am also working with some really great companies as a writer and will soon head up a blog for Autism Speaks.

Thanks so much for your time Kellie, is there anything you’d like to add?

Kellie Davis: Thanks so much, Clint! I can’t tell women enough (and men) that possibilities are endless when you start believing things are possible. Always look at how far you’ve come in life, with your goals, and your achievements. Never look at how much farther you have to go. Celebrate yourself every day because you are incredible.

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If you’d like to get in touch with Kellie, checkout her site and social pages:

Mother Fitness: motherfitness.com
Twitter: twitter.com/KellieHartDavis