Avril Cunliffe-Keith
Southport 2007
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Where and when were you born?
I was born 7th april 1965 in a small town in the west of Scotland called IRVINE.
What is your profession?
i am currently a prison officer in a mens prison, which I have been doing for just over 3 years.
Were you involved in sports or fitness prior to bodybuilding/figure and how did you get started with weight training?
I was involved in athletics at school, then progressed into martial arts ( shotokan karate) for many years and went on to compete successfully for Scotland. Due to a change in my job I found it hard to carry in with this because of shifts at work and was encouraged to join a gym local to my work, which I did. I trained for a few years and had never thought about competing until a local show organiser came into the gym and made the suggestion to me, and I began in 2000 competing.
Was it a goal for you to compete in figure competitions right from the beginning or was it something that grew in your mind as time went on and you saw the progress in your body?
My first 2 shows were as physique but I soon realised I wasn’t big enough to compete with the other physique girls so I went to figure until 2005 I went over to physique again. Initially I found this quite strange as I had done over 25 figure comps but I soon settled into the different poses and also the prep for physique class.
Can you give me your competition history?
2000 EFBB mansfield classic physique heavyweight 4th
2000 SFBB physique heavyweight 1st
2001 prolab classic figure 2nd
2001 nabba scotland figure 2nd
2001 nabba europeans figure 5th
2001 nabba brits tall figure 4th
2001 WPF europeans all figure 4th
2001 WPF worlds tall figure 5th
2001 SPF scottish figure 1st
2001 WABBA miss uk figure 2nd
2002 prolab classic figure 1st
2002 nabba scotland tall figure 1st and overall
2002 nabba british tall figure 3rd
2002 WABBA miss uk figure 1st
2002 WFF universe tall figure 3rd
2003 prolab classic figure 1st
2003 nabba scottish figure tall figure 1st and overall
2003 nabba british tall figure 2nd
2003 nabba worlds tall figure 5th
2003 nabba europeans tall figure 4th
2003 WFF universe tall figure 3rd
2004 nabba scotland tall figure 1st and overall
2004 nabba british tall figure 1st
2004 nabba worlds tall figure 3rd
2005 EFBB mansfield classic physique heavyweight 1st and overall and best presentation.
2005 nabba universe physique heavyweight 4th.
2005 EFBB british physique heavyweight 3rd
2007 NABBA MS IRELAND open physique 1st
2007 NABBA universe physique 3rd
Which contest has been your biggest success; which has had the most meaning to you?
This last show…the nabba universe 2007 as this is my greatest achievement
Please tell me something about your training routine (ie: how many days per week / training split /cardio, etc.)
I train 5 days per week.
Monday..quads
Tuesday..delts and biceps
Thursday..back and traps and hamstrings
Friday..chest and triceps
Saturday..abs and calfs
I do a bit of walking on my days off work but generally don’t do much in the way of cardio as my job keeps me very active.
What is your favorite exercise in the gym and which one you don't like so much?
I love doing chest workouts…I love the pump after it. I hate doing delts….i suppose its because I cant seem to get any real size on them no matter how I train them, and ive tried low reps/heavy weights and also tried higher reps/low weights…drop sets super sets etc..but to no avail.
Which body part is your best in your opinion?
I think my back..it may not be the thickest or widest but I seem to get lots of detail in it. Its also one of my strongest bodyparts when training.
What do you enjoy about training for competition....what do you enjoy about the 'off season'?
When getting ready for a competition I love the changes that my body makes on a daily basis…its always good to see a new vein or deaper striations. The off season, I love my food but I also love the feeling of strength with being more carbed up and fuller.
Please describe a typical day in your life.
I awaken at 6am for breakfast, get ready for work then set off for the 10 mile drive at approx 7.10am. im at work until approx 5.15pm, where im running around keeping an eye on the men in my department and making sure they are behaving themselves and generally they are ha ha
At 5.15pm I leave work and head home to get ready for the gym. Im in the gym by approx 6.15pm until approx 7.15pm then its home for a shower and dinner and then relax infont of the tv or the computer before bed at approx 11pm…on 3-4 days during the week I head to the supermarket to stock up on food and essentials before I get home. Sometimes I feel as though im shopping all the time. My husband is also a bodybuilder so we get through a lot of food in our house.
Please tell me about what you do when you don't work out (hobbies, what do you do to relax?, etc.)
I love to go to the cinema and I also like to bake cakes and cookies, which I give to family and friends. On an odd occasion I may go out with friends to a club as I love to dance and listen to music.
What do you enjoy most about the bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle?
The biggest thing I enjoy most about the bodybuilding scene is all the lovely people ive met from all over the country and abroad, bodybuilders are such warm, decent people. Ive made many new friends since being involved in the sport and ide say that was top of my list of good points of being in the sport.
Tell me something interesting about yourself, something people may be surprised to hear.
I do snore and I do fart in bed ha ha
I don’t really think there is anything anyone would be surprised to hear as I am a pretty outward person and will talk to anyone who wants to listen ha ha
What are your competition goals or personal future goals?
I plan to go into judging in the forthcoming year as I feel my competition days are at an end. Im not getting any younger and I don’t feel im making any real improvements to be able to keep up with the younger ladies in the sport. Its early days yet and have made any real plans.
