Eleonora Dobrinina

Bodybuilder

Born and raised Russia, Eleonora Dobrinina has always been fit and active hiking in the mountains and working in gyms teaching aerobic classes. She started to take fitness to a whole new level after her father’s death. His presence as a champion wrestler for the Soviet Union stood out in her mind as a powerful and confident character that commanded respect.

But, things weren’t all plain sailing for Eleonora, she moved to a new country at a young age leaving everything behind. She faced endless roadblocks and hurdles. Her fitness began to suffer, and at one point, she doubled her weight.

After gaining the extra weight, she made a promise to herself to get fitter that she’d ever been before. Needless to say, Eleonora did exactly that. She’s succeeded in becoming a WBFF Pro athlete as well as representing the IFBB as a Pro competitor.

This is her story:

Athlete Statistics

Accomplishments

• 2012 WBFF 1st Place Pro Fitness Model
• 2015 IFBB 1st Place Pro Fitness Model
• OPA and CBFF Pro Athlete

“I was born active. It is in my blood!  I cannot imagine my life without sport/fitness! In all aspects of my life, I include fitness.”

Biography

Lasting Impressions

When Eleonora Dobrinina was growing up as a child in Russia, her father had a lasting impression on her as he was one of the most successful sports persons for the Soviet Union.

Her father (Viktor Dobrinin) was a professional wrestler who always got 1st or 2nd in any competition he’d take part in. His demanding presence and ability to get anything he wanted really stood out in her mind. HE was admired and respected by everyone. This cemented a lasting impression in his young daughters mind.

“He always got what he wanted, and people around him loved him and admired him. That image really parked itself in my memory forever.”

Leaving such an impression on the young Eleonora, it was incredibly hard on her, and her mother, when he died at the youthful age of 36 years old. She was only 14 at the time of his death. At the time she said to herself; “I will be like him at his best, and I will do everything I can to make him proud of me. Even if he’s not close.”

From this point onwards, Eleonora started hitting the gym non-stop. She was already teaching aerobic classes, but the gym owners saw how enthusiastic she was and offered her a position as a personal trainer. She remembers feeling “blessed” but a thought loomed over her, “ I wasn’t sure I could really handle being one-on-one with anyone and inspire someone to listen to me and follow me as an authority on training.”

Becoming An Inspiration

Not realizing it, but many people in the gym looked to her for inspiration and motivation by seeing her total commitment to training and a healthy lifestyle. Elanora said, “I didn’t even realize how I looked, and that people looked at me as a professional athlete and professional coach.”

“People followed me like crazy and jumped into my classes with happy smiles, telling me that I inspired them to perform better and to look better and that they admired me because of my look.”

Helping others in the bid to become healthier by showing them wait can be achieved with hard work and commitment, everyone looked to her for diet and training tips, Eleonora was all too happy to help.

She completed her course in personal training, which was one of her biggest dreams, she’s grateful for everything she’s accomplished. Eleonora takes a philosophical view on her progression through life; “sometimes we don’t realize what we are accomplishing and where we are until suddenly we find we are no longer mere students, but teachers.”

 “The goals are attained, and the responsibilities that follow the achievements grow. Constant effort, plus constant positive visualization, really works for sure! If you really want something, you dream about it every single day and you follow your dream, and one day it will come true for sure! You can’t even “expect” it; you just think, and do, and it just will happen.”

Moving To America

After a few years establishing herself as one of the best trainers in her local area, her mother decided to move from Moldova to Canada in 2005, and Eleonora followed. She was 23 at the time and the move was hard as she had to give up everything she worked for and start again from zero.

Her relationship with fitness suffered as she had to work two jobs that weren’t in the fitness industry, her lack of English in the beginning, held her back, and working in many different places she struggled to go to the gym. At this moment in her life, the gym was her only salvation, she’d look forward to every day when she could get back into the gym.

Not having the possibilities to go to University as she had to work many jobs to pay the bills, or take English classes because of her busy schedule working constantly, things were looking tough for Eleonora, but one thing stood out in her mind all the way through these difficult moments, and that was her father’s smile cheering her on to keep moving forward.

” kept my number one person in my mind — my father — remembering how he never gave up and always was positive and smiling. Thinking about that keeps me strong and I just keep moving forward, step by step, learning English on my own, starting to meet new people and getting a chance to spend more time in the gym when I could.”

Becoming Overweight

At a young age Eleonora realized that if she stops training, or starts to eat more than she needs, her body holds on to extra weight very quickly. This was okay in the beginning as she worked in the gym where she gave classes from 8am to 11pm most days, but with her new lifestyle in Canada, the weight started to scale up.

After six months of being in the country her weight went from showing 118 to 126, this was the first time she realized that she had to start controlling what she ate.

---

 

Eleonora then and now.

“Mornings, day time and especially nights, my mouth never closed!  I ate non-stop, but I

couldn’t control it. Well, now I think I was able, but at that time I kept telling myself, ‘I am going to lose everything as soon as I give birth, and magically become the same Ella,’ and all my friends and family told me the same.”

The eating didn’t stop and neither did Eleonora’s wanting to be fit and lean again right after the pregnancy. She was adamant the weight was going to come off. Close to the time she was giving birth, her weight scaled up to 220, this was almost half of her normal weight.

---

 

Pro Fitness Model

Soon after Eleonora gave birth she weighed herself and saw on the scales 226lbs staring back at her, this was a huge shock for, she knew it was time to get back into shape. Ignoring the doctors advice to avoid any type of physical activity for a least six weeks after giving birth, Eleonora smiled politely, but kept silent, as she knew she’d be getting back into the gym much sooner than others expected.

“At that time, when I woke up every morning, I hated to look in the mirror. I tried to not look, but when I did, I kept telling myself  ‘I hate this person,’ ‘I am going to change myself,’ ‘I am going to fix this,’ ‘I am going to look even better than before,’ because I love myself enough to do so.”

It’s clear to see the change was hard for Eleonora, she spent the majority of her life in peak condition, but now weighing 226 lbs, she was desperate to make a change. Elenora worked harder than she ever did before, her diet was “on-point” her training was long and rigorous and the weight started to creep off.

It wasn’t long until she started to become recognized on social media as a fitness icon and a professional competitor. Her dream of losing weight and getting back into fitness became a reality, when, in October 13th, 2012 during the summer, she met some friends who introduced her to the WBFF organization, and without hesitation, she stepped on stage in amazing condition.

This was the beginning but by no means the end for Eleonora, she’s become one of the most successful fitness models on the planet who boasts one of the strongest and defined physiques the world’s ever seen.

---

 

“I made decision to switch organisation from WBFF to IFBB ,now I can say it was my the best decision in my short but yet full of experience competitor life!”

Competition History

After battling hard to bring her weight down and train like she’d never trained before, Eleonora stepped on stage for the first time in 2012 and took home 1st place.

Eleonora then made the switch in 2015 to represent the IFBB. She went on to win a total of three competitions, the first being with the OPA and then CBFF in Canada. In July the 18th she became an IFBB Pro fitness competitor.

---

 

“My nature is that I am never satisfied with what I am doing, and to me it is seems not enough, and not perfect enough! So what keeps me motivated is the desire to become the best I can be!”

Training

Cardio

Eleonora’s favorite forms of cardio are low-impact with low intensity. Wen she’s in the gym, she’ll prefer the step master or workout on the spinning bike. There will also be times when she’ll go jogging outside at a steady pace.

Favourite Exercises

Some of her favorite exercises that she’ll like to include in her workouts are hip thrusters for targeting the glutes and hamstrings. And for her upper body, she loves doing chin-ups.

Eleonora’s Workout

Monday 

• A1 – Romanian deadlift: 6 sets, 12 reps, 10, 8, 6, 6 – break 90 sec
• B1 – Lying leg curls: 5 sets, 10 reps your max weight – break 45 sec
• C1 – Seated leg curls: 5 sets, 8 reps your max weight – break 45 sec
• D1 – Incline crunches: 4 sets, 15 reps till failure – break 60 sec

Tuesday

• A1 – Seated DB press: 6 sets, 12 reps, 10, 8, 6, 6 – break 60 sec
• B1 – DB Lateral raises: 5 sets, 10 reps – break 45 sec
• C1 – BB bench press: 5 sets, 8 reps – break 45 sec
• D1 – Dips: 4 sets, 10 till failure – break 60 sec

Wednesday 

• A1 – Seated lat pull down front: 6 sets, 12 reps, 10, 8, 6, 6 – break 60 sec
• B1 – Chin ups: 5 sets, 10 reps – break 45 sec
• C1 – One arm DB row: 5 sets, 8 reps – break 45 sec
• D1 – Dragon flag: 4 sets, 8 reps till failure – break 60 sec

Thursday

• Low-intensity cardio 20-30 mins

Friday

• A1 – Front squats: 6 sets, 12 reps, 10, 8, 6, 6 – break 90 sec
• B1 – Leg press: 5 sets, 10 reps – break 45 sec
• C1 – Leg extension: 5 sets, 8 reps – break 45 sec
• D1 – Seated calves raises: 4 sets, 12 till failure – break 60 sec

Saturday 

• A1 – DB curl standing: 5 sets, 12 reps, 10, 8, 6, 6 – break 60 sec
• B1 – Inside grip bicep curl with EZ bar: 5 sets, 12 reps – break 45 sec
• C1 – EZ bar lying triceps extension: 5 sets, 12 reps – break  45 sec
• D1 –  Rope pushdown: 5 sets, 12 reps – break 45 sec

Sunday

• Off

---

 

Nutrition

Paying close attention to her diet like all Pro fitness athletes, Eleonora will have a healthy mix of macronutrients in each meal. She pays more attention to portion control than the timing of the meals, but she also states meal timing is an important factor to consider when losing weight.

Eleonora will supplement with micronutrients with multivitamins and minerals. Her advice is;

“Eat clean. Dieting takes discipline, but it is not that complicated.”

 

---

Editor’s Tip

Inspired to reach your maximum potential like Eleonora? Read our comprehensive guide on how fat burner supplements can really up your game!

---

 

Idols and Influences

Apart from her father who was the main influence in her life, she also mentions Dana Linn Bailey and Bella Falconi as her inspirations that spur her on in the fitness industry.

---

 

“I am always dreaming big and setting my goals so high that it seems impossible for me to achieve them!  It always scares me, but at the same time, the adrenaline, the determination and my desires give me strength to move forward.”

What we can learn from Eleonora Dobrinina

What we can learn from Eleonora is that even when things were looking down and she doubled her weight to 226 pounds, she kept the inspiration of her father in mind and worked hard towards a healthier life.

Moving to a new country wasn’t easy, especially when English wasn’t her first language. Working two jobs, meeting new people, training hard and overcoming endless obstacles, Eleonora shows us that her determination paid off.