Tina Nguyen

Tina Nguyen is an IFBB figure competitor from Vietnam. She lives in Texas (USA), and rose to fame as a professional athlete, while being admired for her toned physique on social media.

Tina combines her bodybuilding lifestyle with her business career. She works full time in real estate in the Texas area, but always finds time to hit the gym and improve her body.

With this hard work, she managed to win her pro card at the 2014 NPC Nationals. Following this victory, she was labelled FitGems ‘Nation Breakout Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year,’ and began to receive high-profile media attention.

In recent times, Tina has decided to use the skills she has learned to help others. She has started an online personal training company, which aims to help aspiring professionals achieve their goals.

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“You have to set a goal, determine what exactly do you want or how much do you want to change your body and your lifestyle. It’s not easy, but slowly it will push you to work even harder and becomes an amazing hobby addiction.”

Athlete Statistics

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Accomplishments

Career

• IFBB Professional competitor

Competitions

• 2013, Texas State Championships, Qualified
• 2014  NPC Nationals, 1st (pro card)
• 2015 IFBB Europa Dallas, 2nd

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Biography

Bodybuilding As A Refuge

Tina was born in Vietnam to an African-American father and Vietnamese mother. When she was 13, the family decided to move to the United States – settling in Dallas, Texas.

Initially Tina says she found it hard to “fit in” to American society. Because of this, she spent a lot of time reading and exercising, and found the gym to be an ideal refuge.

She went on to study the sciences, and achieved an associates degree in this area. Following this, she began working in real estate and pursued another degree in nursing.

Being Persuaded To Compete

Even though she enjoyed going to the gym as a youngster, she didn’t take the sport seriously until she was 20 years old. By then, she had built an incredible physique due to her genuine love for weightlifting and working out.

As her physique improved even further, her friends began to suggest that she should give competing a go. She accepted their challenge, and easily qualified for the Texas State Championships in 2013.

Rising Through The Ranks

After lining up together with 26 other amateur athletes at this famous competition in Dallas, she was listed among those who had qualified for the NPC nationals. Unfortunately for her though, these nationals clashed with her university degree.

Because of this, Tina took some time out to graduate, before going straight for the NPC Nationals of 2014. At this competition, Tina Nguyen stole the show and received the winners trophy. Through this victory, she managed to win her Pro Card, which is unusual for a first time competitor.

Her pro debut was in the IFBB Europa Dallas. She managed to take a respectable second place at this show – an excellent feat for a first time Professional competitor.

Helping Others

Following this victory, Tina decided it was time to give back and branch out into personal training. She began to advise female clients on proper technique, and created an online training company that would help aspiring models and competitors shape their physique.

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Training

Heavy And Determined

Tina trains heavily and focuses on increasing her muscle mass in certain areas. She loves to see the results of her hard work in the gym, and believes that women can be attractive and muscular.

Training Routine

Tina’s training routine follows a muscle group split which includes three days of leg muscle workouts. She has included this element, as she wants to improve her glutes and quads as much as possible. The routine is below.

• Monday (arms): (triceps and biceps)  (3 sets) (25 reps)
• Tuesday (legs): Glutes and Hamstrings (6 sets) (25-50 reps)
• Wednesday (back): Lower back and lats  (3 sets) (25 reps)
• Thursday: Off
• Friday (shoulders and calfs): (3 sets) (20 reps)
• Saturday (legs): Glutes and quadriceps (5 sets) (20-30 reps)
• Sunday: Off

Tips For Beginners

Tina loves to help other women with their training routine. She talks about a number of tips which will ensure they get the best start possible in their fitness journey. One of these tips is below.

“You have to set a goal, determine exactly what you want and how much you want to change your body and your lifestyle. It’s not easy, but slowly it will push you to work even harder and it becomes an amazing hobby.”

Cardio

Tina is dedicated to completing cardio twice a day. She does a variety of cardio exercises such as jogging, using the spin bike and HIIT. Tina says that she needs it for her figure.

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“I can’t stop thinking about how much meat I am eating, or if it’s cooked in too much salt or oil. It has changed the way I think, and my life in general I can’t express how amazing the feeling is.”

Nutrition

Focuses On Hydration

Tina places a lot of importance on staying hydrated, so she drinks liters of of water everyday. She values it as a means to improve protein synthesis, but also because she completes cardio twice a day. This HIIT makes her sweat profusely, so she needs to replace her fluids regularly.

Meal Plan

Tina eats an extremely healthy diet. She focuses on hitting her daily macronutrient needs, eating a lot of eggs, chicken and lean beef. Sometimes, she includes tilapia to mix things up a bit.

Her daily meal plan is below.

• First meal: Oats and egg whites
• Second Meal: Carbs and 4oz of chicken with asparagus
• Third Meal: Protein shake
• Fourth Meal: Sweet potato and chicken
• Fifth Meal: Asparagus and Lean sirloin
• Sixth Meal: Protein shake

Cheat Meals

On rare occasions, Tina likes to treat herself with “yummy meals” to break the monotony. She likes to eat fast food occasionally, before going back to her diet immediately after.

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“I get the anxiety when I stand in the line up. The thoughts going through my head would be perfecting my posing, smile, make a good impression and hoping to get top 5.”

Idols and Influences

Tina’s main influence is her mother. She says that “she always finds solutions to everything and always strives to be the best.” Tina aims to emulate this.

In terms of athletes, Tina says that the first competitor that inspired her “to be better” is Khanh Nguyen. She says that one day she saw a picture of her online, and immediately wanted abs just like hers.

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What we can learn from Tina Nguyen

Tina had traveled to live in a new country, finding her sense of belonging in the gym. This place of refuge for her, became the place where she would start her new career. She showed a dedication in the gym that she matched in the business world – becoming a real estate professional in the process.

If you want to make your mark in the fitness industry, it would be useful to show the level of dedication that Tina has shown. You may have to juggle your career with your gym sessions – but it can pay off in the end.