Only three short years ago, Hollister’s Christina Sondgroth was
miserable.
Only three short years ago, Hollister’s Christina Sondgroth was miserable.
Overweight and depressed, she simply didn’t feel good about herself. And her negative mindset was effecting every aspect of her life.
So Sondgroth decided to take an active approach in acheiving happiness. She went to Gold’s Gym and hit the weights in an effort to shed some unwanted pounds.
Now, what started out as a way to lose weight has turned into a healthy lifestyle for her and her family.
Sondgroth quickly lost the excess weight and then took it a step further. After acheiving the look she worked so hard for, Sondgroth went to a bodybuilding competition as a spectator and decided that the stage was the place to showcase her triumph over a weight problem that now seems like a distant memory to her.
“After I lost the weight, I finally went to watch a bodybuilding event,” Sondgroth said. “And I decided, that’s it, I want to do a competition.”
Sondgroth has only participated in three competitions so far but she’s already making a name for herself in her chosen sport of weightlifting.
Earlier this month, Sondgroth signed up for the Sacramento Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships, where she took first place in both the overall and the heavyweight portions of the competition.
Now, the sky is the limit for Sondgroth as far as her future in the sport is concerned.
Sondgroth is methodically laying out her goals for the near and not-so near future. The ultimate prize will be to eventually compete in the annual Miss Olympia contest, where the world’s top bodybuilders vie for the honor of being recognized as the most physically fit woman on the planet.
But, even given her chisled frame as it appears today, Sondgroth isn’t planning on being ready for such a competition for a few years yet.
Very soon though, she will be a licensed trainer and plans to lend her expertise and experience to others, especially women who are struggling with weight problems of their own.
“I want to help women who are overweight like I was,” Sondgroth said. “I was trapped in a miserable cycle of, ‘OK, I’m overweight, I’m miserable, I eat more.’ It was awful and I was angry with myself. But after I lost the weight and got healthy, everything changed.”
“And so, I see women who are trapped in that same cycle that I was trapped in and I want to help them.”
While Sondgroth maintains that simply losing unwanted pounds and inches can be acheived with a good diet and exercise, those who wish to follow in her footsteps as a world-class bodybuilder had better be ready for the rigors that come along with the sport.
Sondgroth rises at around 3am six days a week. She eats a breakfast of egg whites and oatmeal, then it’s off to Gold’s Gym for two hours before returning home to be with her children as they start their days.
By 10:30am, she’s back at the gym for an hour of cardiovascular training and then on some evenings, she’ll return to the gym with her husband for yet another workout.
When it comes time to start training for a show, usually 12 weeks before the event, Sondgroth shows up at the Gym at 4am for her cardio work before working on resistance training later in the morning. Her evening sessions before a show consist of an additional, more intense cardiovascular workout.
Up next for Sondgroth will be the USA Championships in July, a national event hosted in Las Vegas. After that, no matter where she finishes in the competition, Christina will continue to persue her dream of becoming not only a future Ms. Olympia contestant, but a successful trainer as well.
So, next time you see Sondgroth at Gold’s Gym, check in with her to find out when she will be fully licensed as a trainer, you could do a lot worse than having a world-class bodybuilder helping you with your physique.
