Desiree Ellis Part 1

Desiree and I met in 1997, at Fitness Quest Gym in Vancouver, BC Canada. At the time, I remember being intimidated by her size and confidence as she worked each and every weight in the gym. As time moved on and I became more at ease in my new surrounding, we became good friends. Watching her train others to what seemed like tears, and herself until she reached the point of welcomed pain, you couldn't help but be motivated. Desiree had me in a trance, and I too hit the competition stage in 1999.

Born in London, England, Desiree has four sisters and one brother. She grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada from the age of nine, and then moved to Vancouver, British Columbia a year after graduating from high school.

Before picking up a dumbbell in 1990, at the age of 24, Desiree's activities were running, teaching aerobics and dabbling in kickboxing and kogido. At first Desiree saw weight training as another form of physical activity, since she wasn't able to run for five months after a badly sprained ankle (from running). The physical results from training came fast, and she became more interested. "After two years, I was talked into doing a show, won my first two, and got hooked on it. The rest as they say is history."

Talking about history, there is some famous pro blood running through Des. "Yes, Lennox Lewis is my second cousin but we've never met." Another interesting point is Desiree is a mother to her 12-year-old daughter Livona.

Being very self motivated, Desiree prefers to train herself, rather than with a partner. It's her passion for training, and the physical challenge that keeps her going. "It's hard to find a good training partner that can push me harder than I push myself and train with the same intensity although I have had a couple over the years that were very good."

Between us, I would dread being her training partner; I already know what it's like to wrestle Desiree and that was enough! What was I thinking? Fawnia wrestling a killer pro - yeah right.

Desiree's Best Lifts

* Flat bench press: 225lbs
* Barbell curls: 135lbs.
* Shoulder Press: 135lbs.
* Squats: 315lbs.
* Led Press: 900lbs.
* Lat Pulldowns: 225lbs.

Check out Desiree's competition history.

Looking great on stage with the proper combination of balanced muscularity and symmetry, Desiree also possesses the power of raw strength. No longer pushing herself to extreme limits, she can still squat 285 pounds, leg press 720 pounds, and cable row 200 pounds. I love watching Desiree train! Seeing the weights fly makes me want to drop my pathetic 'Get in Shape Girl' pink baby weights, and... well I don't know what, but Desiree is simply awesome to train next to. Be sure to visit her site to check out her impressive stats!

In Part Two, we'll learn more about Desiree's workout philosophy and training regime; see what's in store for Desiree professionally and among other things, find out why Des eats chocolate minutes before appearing on stage during competition! How can you not come back after hearing that? See you soon ...

Contact Information:

Website: www.desireeellis.com
You can e-mail Desiree at: desireeellis2002@yahoo.com