The Debi Laszewski Story

by John Hawley

10/1/06

When Debi Laszewski was asked a few months back if she is where she wants to be in terms of size and definition as one of the elite amateur female bodybuilders competing today She responded unequivocally “Yes!” And no wonder she responds so confidently considering she was told her best chance of winning at the NPC Nationals in Miami in November would be if she did not squeeze and show as much of her picture perfect sinewy femininity. Only two points came between her and that pro-card at nationals last year. Laszewski was told she looked too much like a pro last year, and was informed she needs to look less! Willing to do what it takes, Laszewski’s plan is to win at nationals and turn pro in Miami this November then next year compete in the Arnold Classic and qualify to compete in the Olympia. Considering her extraordinary physique enveloped in the total package of dedication, commitment to her diet and exercise regimen along with her prominence as a sought after guest poser who can doubt her likely success?

She played track and field in high school, but the impetus for getting into bodybuilding was something else. “I’ve always been a competitive person,” Laszewski said. “What really motivated me was when I saw that first Terminator movie. I saw how the actress in that movie looked and I thought, how awesome! I started out at about 110 lbs and now I’m at 145 lbs. I spent all of those years putting on muscle. That motivated me and being of a competitive nature through the course of developing my body found that it develops easily.”

Laszewski arrives on bodybuilding’s center stage after numerous other women bodybuilders paved a path for her to develop her own style. “I spoke to mentors in the industry and they guided me,” Laszewski said. “So I just kind of went with it and took their advice and started to compete and did quiet well with it.” She had numerous mentors growing up in Wisconsin an area well known for farming great bodybuilders including Cory Everson who Laszewski admires along with other luminaries including Kim Chivesky. Her home now is in South Florida where she is geared up for her hometown advantage at The Battle of South Beach on November 10-11.

Laszewski’s parents are proud and supportive, but a bit perplexed by their daughter’s success and notoriety in a sport that still is not mainstream. “I have one older sister that is seven years older than me,” Laszewski said. “She is a pro in another federation. And she actually turned pro after seeing me compete in the nationals and got real excited about it. She has really good genetics. She was very excepting of it. My parents are very supportive of my competitive edge and where I’m at in it. As far as bodybuilding it is hard for them to understand all that. They travel a lot and people correlate, are you Debi Leszewski’s parents?”

Laszewski doesn’t measure her success or failures by strictly the number of trophies she acquires. “Success is how we make it,” Laszewski said. “Success comes even with failure. You still are a success as long as you try to do better and make your improvements. Success is shown also in how you affect the lives’ of others along that journey that you take. I’ve been fortunate to get very good feedback from my fans, people around me, and my support system.”

Fellow bodybuilders, fitness, and figure competitors probably understand what Laszewski goes through with her diet & training regime better than anyone else as it does all strays far from what the average person is accustomed to. “I’m a perfectionist,” Laszewski said. “So everything I structure. I’m very anal and very consistent. I make my meals every single night. I have a structure I follow a game plan. I always have a goal in mind with everything I do whether my program is integrated with my food or the goals I’m trying to set. I’m never just like in off-season doing what I want missing workouts. I don’t miss workouts and I don’t miss my meals.”

Laszewski sets herself apart from much of her bulked up competition with her posing routines that even though she is in the amateur ranks she is sought after internationally to perform. “As far as performances I’m always thinking about creativity as far as how to put together performances what I consider big that will “Wow” people,” Laszewski said. “And then in posing I’m constantly thinking of new poses and new ways to present myself. I don’t know I do it naturally like 24/7.”

For other women who hope to quickly whip themselves into the shape she touts Laszewski has some thought to share. “I’ve trained for 17 years and within that timeframe I probably haven’t taken a week off,” Laszewski said. “I work out an hour and a half for five days per week and during contest times I train seven days a week. Last year when I did the Southern States and then Nationals I took eight months and never had one day off even during the hurricanes down here.”
Laszewski notes there is no magic to her technique or real secrets to accomplishing what she has thus far in her bodybuilding career. “It is the consistency of being in the gym and setting small goals and doing baby steps and assess your body as they come,” Laszewski said. “Some people say they don’t want to get too big too quickly. Well that just is not going to happen. It is a slow process and you do have time to change if you don’t like the direction you are going.”

Her focus going into Nationals this year is “to make my whole package even better,” Laszewski said. “There are always little areas you can tweak. I’m trying to build a little more thickness in my left bicep as I had an injury this year. And I’ve made some great improvements. I do really look at my body constructively and look at other peoples’ and see where I can improve and see where everything is at. That is how I take it all very intricately and don’t leave anything out. Right now I’m trying to improve my overall package so it is even more of a Wow this year so they cannot deny me.”