Bench Press Betty, a figure competitor, and data analyst, is passionate about empowering girls and women to explore their potential beyond traditional career paths. In this Best of Midland Texas podcast interview, she talks about her Super Girl Summer Camp, a week-long program designed to help girls develop life skills, problem-solving abilities, and confidence.
Introduction
Jennifer Jordan, also known as Bench Press Betty, is a super-talented and accomplished bodybuilder who has won numerous competitions in the figure division. But her fitness journey wasn’t always smooth sailing. In this post, we’ll dive into Jennifer’s story and how she transformed herself from a skinny-fat gym-goer to a champion bodybuilder. We’ll also learn how she maintains her physique in the off-season and about her upcoming summer camp for girls.
Getting into Bodybuilding
Jennifer’s introduction to bodybuilding was a chance encounter with a girl in the gym who had sculpted shoulders. She had never considered bodybuilding before, thinking it was only for big guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But after learning about the different divisions, she decided to give it a try.
Putting on muscle was a challenge for Jennifer, who had tried every diet and workout out there. She eventually found a coach who helped her with strength training, weight training, and nutrition to achieve her goal. She competed in the figure division, which is a beauty pageant for fit girls, and won first place in her first competition.
Preparing for Competition
Preparing for a bodybuilding competition is no easy feat. Jennifer’s regimen included several months of strength training, weight training, and cardio to build muscle and trim down. She also had to “dry out” before the competition to show off her veins and muscles. After the competition, she celebrated with a well-deserved junk food meal.
Maintaining Physique in the Off-Season
The off-season is just as important as competition preparation for bodybuilders. Jennifer’s approach to the off-season includes staying 80/20 on her diet and workout regimen and allowing herself some indulgences. She also emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between fitness and life outside of bodybuilding.
Bench Press Betty’s Summer Camp
Jennifer’s love for fitness and empowering women led her to create Bench Press Betty’s Summer Camp for Girls. The camp is designed to help young girls build confidence, self-esteem, and a love for fitness. The camp will be held at the Midland Horseshoe Arena on July 10-14, 2023.
Key Takeaways
- 💪 Jennifer Jordan, also known as Bench Press Betty, is a successful and accomplished bodybuilder who competes in the Figure division.
- 🏋️♀️ It took Jennifer several years of hard work and training to put on enough muscle to compete in bodybuilding competitions.
- 🥩 Jennifer aims to maintain body fat levels of around 8 to 10 percent during competition season and 20 to 30 percent during the off-season.
- 🎓 Jennifer credits her success in bodybuilding to having a coach and being competitive at heart.
- 🏆 Jennifer won first place in the open division for Figure in her first competition and also won the novice division.
- 🌟 Jennifer’s website and branding are on point, inspired by her grandmother Betty and strong women of the past in the pinup era.
- 🏕️ Jennifer also runs a summer camp for girls and offers healthy seasonings to keep people on track with their fitness goals.
- 🍔 Depleting the body through carb-cutting before a competition and then eating a meal with carbs and fats the night before can make muscles look fuller and more voluminous
- 🏋️♀️ Target heart rate is important for cardio, and it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise is done as long as it achieves the desired heart rate
- 🏋️♀️ Weightlifting will not make women look bulky, as it is a myth; weightlifting will make women look more defined
- 📏 Body fat percentage for women during competition is usually around 8-10%, while maintaining a healthy lifestyle will result in a body fat percentage of around 20-30%
- 💪 Bench Press Betty was created as a combination of honoring the speaker’s grandmother and her love for the pinup era, while also incorporating a workout-related name.
- 💪 Jennifer felt called to pay it forward after a competition and started Bench Press Betty, a blog and Instagram to share tips on fitness and diet.
- 🍴 Bench Press Betty also created a line of seasonings to make healthy eating more flavorful and sustainable.
- 🌶️ The seasonings were created with a retro 1940s and 1950s theme and include flavors like Mambo Italiano, Twist and Shout Taco, Boogie Woogie Bagel, Bombshell Buttermilk Ranch, and Lady Like Lemon Pepper.
- 🙋♀️ Bench Press Betty wanted to create a product that could reach a wider audience than protein supplements, including friends, family, and supporters who may not want to drink protein shakes or eat protein bars.
- 🌾 The seasonings are gluten-free, do not contain MSGs or sulfites, and are sourced in Texas through a Go Texan partnership.
- 🛍️ Bench Press Betty’s seasonings can be found in local stores like Ivy Cottage and Natural Foods.
- 🦸♀️ Jennifer created a week-long summer camp called “Super Girl Summer Camp” for girls aged 7 to 13 to introduce them to different career opportunities and teach valuable life skills.
- 🤝 Female speakers from diverse backgrounds will be invited to the camp to show the girls what they can grow up to be like.
- 🎨 Group activities, crafts, and projects will be conducted to build problem-solving skills and confidence.
- 📱 The camp aims to address the issue of children being connected online but disconnected in person, and help them develop interpersonal skills.
- 👩🏫 Each day of the camp will have a different theme, including white-collar and blue-collar jobs, and athletes or people with non-desk jobs will be invited to speak.
- 🏆 The final day of the camp will have a fair day, and the girls will dress up as their version of a supergirl.
- 🙋♀️ Jennifer is looking for volunteers, donors, and local sponsors to support the camp.
- 💰 Jennifer has invested her life savings into the camp and is offering sponsorship options with exchange marketing.
- 🌐 The camp website is supergirlsummercamp.com and the speaker’s website is benchpressbetty.com.
