 For March, the Mayhem Crue is bringing to you a very special,
outspoken interview with one of the most talented Pro Fitness Stars in
the sport today, Kelly Ryan. We are thrilled that Kelly took the
time not only to answer the questions for us, but also to put so much
effort and heart into them. This in depth interview will give us
a colorful and very interesting perspective on her views of fitness and
the "Industry", as a whole. So, a big THANKS to Kelly! We
are sure all our readers will enjoy this piece, very much.
 1. Mayhem: A person would have to be isolated on a deserted Island to not know who
you are, but, just in case, please give us a little background on
yourself; age, where you grew up, where you live currently and who you
got your start in fitness (who or what prompted you to begin competing)
KR: age- just turned 30 Where
I grew up- the longest I lived anywhere due to my Father's job was
South Carolina -I lived there for 11 years (5 yrs Greenville, 6 yrs in
Columbia for College) I currently live- Las Vegas, Nevada How
got started in fitness- in 1994 saw my very first fitness show on ESPN
and had just finished college at USC. I was the Captain of the Varsity
Cheerleading squad for 2 yrs and then the Captain of the Dance Team for
2 yrs and besides my college education, I was looking for something to
keep me active. I was going to try-out for the Lakers Girls once
I moved out to Los Angeles California while I pursued a career in
Advertising and Marketing like my Father. In 1995 the NPC chairman for
SC, Ken Taylor, was my strength coach for cheerleading at USC and he
added the very first fitness show to the SC State Bodybuilding Show and
asked all of the cheerleaders and dance team members to compete.
I won out of 13 girls with a routine to the theme song of The Lone
Ranger or 1812 Overture sp? And I wore a neon yellow bikini with neon
yellow dye able shoes to match. What was I thinking?
Ha-ha-ha. From that show I went on to place in the top 15 out of
120 girls at my first NPC Nationals, The Team Universe in Chicago,
IL.  2)
Mayhem: Before becoming an IFBB Fitness Pro, you competed on the
Fitness America Pageant circuit, but how did you turn pro in the IFBB
ranks? KR: I competed in the Fitness America
Pageant in 1995 by winning two regional shows, the ESPN2 Series in New
York, and the Atlanta Regional. I placed fifth in my first FAP
Nationals. In 1996 I won the ESPN2 Series again to qualify for
the Nationals in Redondo Beach, California, and ended up winning the
FAP Nationals for that year. I entered that organization because
I thought the television exposure would help launch my fitness career,
especially being from South Carolina where fitness had just
begun. Unfortunately though I was still an amateur within the NPC
and because I won money at the Nationals (FAP) I was suspended from
competing in any NPC shows for the next year being 1997. I had to
write a letter to Jim Manion and ask permission to be let back into the
NPC again because I had realized that I would go no further with that
other organization. All of the endorsement contracts are given to
only NPC and IFBB athletes, not Fitness America competitors. I
also wanted to become a Professional in Fitness and could not do so
through the other organization. In the end, I got a lot of
television exposure but that was all, and I used the prize money to
move myself out to California to begin my pursuit of an IFBB Pro
card. Jim Manion granted me the right to compete again in 1998
and I started at the bottom with a local show to qualify for the
California State Show promoted by Jon Lindsay who helped me re-enter
the NPC organization. After winning the Cal, I went on to win the short
class and overall at the 1998 team Universe Nationals which qualified
me for my official IFBB Pro Card. That day was one of the best
days in my career because I knew what opportunities lay ahead of me if
I worked hard enough to make them to happen.  3)
Mayhem: With the current lack of prize money for women in the
IFBB, do you feel there is room for Women's Body Building, Fitness and
Figure, or do you think it is overkill? How would you propose to
raise more prize money? KR: I think that there
is plenty of room for all three divisions within the IFBB. I feel
that Figure gives women a chance to get their feet wet in the
competitive environment, and since a lot of women do not have athletic
backgrounds, and I emphasize athletic, not just gymnastics, they will
have an easier time trying to compete by just having to prepare their
physiques. I think it is a brilliant move business wise and will
generate more exposure for women in the IFBB. When it comes to
the prize money though, I honestly feel that the women Bodybuilders and
Fitness should be paid a lot more than the Figure because of the time
and type of physical preparation it takes to compete. Fitness has
four different rounds where each has its own individual look with a
hair and make-up set, and four different costume changes. To be
the best you have to spend a lot of money to look the best, it is just
a plain fact. The more professional you can be on stage, the
better competitor you will become over time, and that requires a lot of
financial support. Preparing a fitness routine is extremely
taxing on the body physically and the hard stages we compete on are
taking their toll on a lot of competitors. It takes twice the
amount of effort to do a Fitness competition versus a Figure because of
the workload so I feel it should be reflected in the prize money as
well. I believe that a great way to be able to increase the
amount of prize money for the women's Fitness is to have each vendor at
each major competition donate $100. If you have 600 booths at the
Olympia, then you will collect $60,000. That is a huge amount of
money from just one show that can be added to the total purse.
This is just an idea but I think it would work very nicely. J 4)
Mayhem: I'm sure you hear all the time that you are considered
the Carol Semple of your time. Just as hers, your routines, no
question is the best. And, in terms of difficulty, skill and
originality, they are miles ahead of your competition. With this
in mind, does competition ever become boring for you or do you ever get
bored thinking of new, fresh routine ideas? --Or is this a part
of competing that helps push you? KR: First of
all to be considered as the Carol Semple of my time is a total
compliment. I looked up to Carol when I was coming up in the
ranks, so to hear people like yourself Chad, talking about me like this
is a huge honor for me. Thank you very much. I do not think
that I will ever become bored at the idea of competing and I think that
is because I am so competitive that I drive myself insane on becoming
better each performance I do. I constantly drive myself to come
up with new and creative ideas to increase the entertainment value of
our sport as a whole. I feel that each girl has their role in
coming to the stage with the best performance possible and something
new each time for the fans. If you keep the fans entertained and
inspired, you will keep them coming back for more every time, resulting
in increased ticket sales every year. I also come up with new
routines and tricks so often because I feel the judges will get bored
if they see you with the same routine every time. The poor judges
have to travel so much and see us so many times throughout the season
if you are competing like I do in at least three to four shows a
year. They too need to be inspired and entertained because most
of them were former competitors and have been where we are today.
I will forever keep working hard to prove myself not only as a
competitor, but also as a person who absolutely loves the sport and
fitness lifestyle. 5) Mayhem: Here's a question
not many people address, or really even stop to think about. The
IFBB has 6 (six) mandatory moves that are required of the fitness
athletes, period. Though you are definitely deserving of winning
the routine rounds and are a great gymnast - part of your success is
that you are able to impeccably perform all 6 mandatory moves. Do
you feel it is fair that girls are placing high in the routine rounds
for their tumbling ability (Note: tumbling IS NOT a requirement
in fitness), when most of these same girls can't even correctly perform
the required mandatory movements?  KR:
This is a great question and I will give my honest opinion on this
matter. I believe that the mandatory routine was developed for
those competitors who might not have had any dance or gymnastics in
their background. This routine is an objectively judged round
that helps make the routines exactly 50% of the total score. The
moves are not gymnastics oriented at all, only strength and
flexibility, as well as how smooth the transitions between each move
are. We have been instructed to NOT have any transition moves or
extra tricks like gymnastics overshadow the mandatory moves
themselves. It is my opinion that if a competitor does not
perform mandatory movement with the exact or proper technique it
requires to make it look correct, than they should be placed
accordingly so. Girls that do not hit nor hold their straddle
presses ever, have high kicks below 45 degrees, nor have a right or
left split, or straddle split to finish the routine with, should be
scored as missing elements of the routine. In the two-minute
routine round, it is a little different situation. More factors
come into play because of the longer time limit of the routines.
Sometimes I wish that gymnastics, or really major tumbling runs would
be banned from the routine rounds, to force competitors that have no
dancing ability, poor transitions, and lack of entertainment value in
their routines to rise to the occasion. I do feel on the
contrary, that high tumbling runs are eye catching and visually
stimulating, and to the crowd, very exciting to watch. So it is a
catch 22 and for a lot of competitors a hard topic to discuss.
For a lot of women, the idea of tumbling on concrete or wood stages at
the age of 27-35 is just not appealing. I feel that this is an
area that will have to be figured out if fitness will survive.
The numbers have dropped off considerably since the creation of the
Figure Division, and I honestly believe from what I always hear, it
always is due to the importance of gymnastics in the upcoming
competitors' minds. 6) Mayhem: It seems
due to this situation, a lot of great competitors are leaving fitness
and going to figure. After all, if they can perform the
mandatories, but can't tumble, it doesn't seem they get any, so if you
could, what would you do to help turn this situation around? KR:
It is funny how without reading through the interview in its entirety,
you should ask this as the next question. I guess what I was
offering as a solution would be to take a lot of the major tumbling out
of the routines. This might allow more women to be competitive
and level the playing field a bit. Those that are scared off by
the routine round to the Figure Division might reconsider if they knew
less gymnastics was a requirement. Other than that, I will be
opening a Fitness Studio in Las Vegas once I am done competing, to
prepare women for fitness competitions. I feel that since a lot
of women are still competing, they do not have a lot of time to help
choreograph up and comers' routines. I think this is a great
solution for the temporary lull in fitness. A lot of women are
lost as to what it takes to put a routine together, and if there were
more sources of info available, like retired IFBB Pro's as
choreographers, maybe the Fitness entry forms would increase at the
shows. 7) Mayhem: On the flip side of this
situation, although you always come into a show in superb condition, it
seems as though you don't get high marks in the physique rounds.
I know you have made many changes to your physique in the attempt to
change your placements in this round. What do you feel you are
going to have to do to make your physique score more on par with your
routine rounds scores? KR: I feel that in order
to make my physique scores more on par with my routine scores I have to
figure out what the judges want to see from Kelly Ryan. Over the
years I have made drastic improvements to my physique. Even since
the year 2000 when I started working with my husband Craig Titus, my
physique continually changes as I get to know my body more. I
began my fitness career with more of a gymnast's body, being straight
up and down, narrow shoulder development, and a dominant lower
body. I have concentrated on my upper back and shoulder training
while trying to keep my legs in check with my upper body. It has
taken me several years to develop my physique into what the fitness
judging criteria requires. In fact, over the past year or so, I
have even gone further as to push my body training wise to create
curves I have never had before. From dieting all the time, I had
lost the curve to my glutes from the side view and have been training
glutes twice a week minimum to drastically increase the overall
roundness of my hips and glutes. My goal behind this effort was
to make my waist look even smaller. The part I am confused about
is why my scores are getting worse as I feel that I am improving over
time. I am not complaining about this, I would just like to be
able to understand it. People in the industry are brutally honest
when it comes to comments about my body. Fans will come up to me
and say things like "you were a lot better at the last show, or you
look better a bit fuller." I would say that over the last two
years people have consistently been coming up to me with very positive
comments about the changes I have made, and I try to use the trend in
comments to guide my progress. I feel that as a whole, people in
the industry such as high-level trainers, diet gurus, and former
competitors feel that I have improved dramatically but are not sure why
I am placing so low. This is just an area I will keep working on
until I achieve my goal of becoming Miss Fitness Olympia.  8)
You have had a fantastic career, basically winning every fitness title
possible, with the exception of the Fitness Olympia. Do you still
feel a Fitness Sandow is in your future, and why? KR:
I have been really blessed when it comes to track records in
Fitness. When I look back at the titles I have won, it almost
blows my mind. You see when I compete so much during the season;
I do not take much time to enjoy those winning moments like I
should. I always enjoy them, do not get me wrong, but I just move
onto what I need to do for the next competition. It is times like
these, in interviews, when I actually sit and take time to think about
what I have accomplished so far. Yes it is true I have won almost
every title there is except the Fitness Olympia. So far I have
taken second place almost four times in a row, which tells me I am
close to achieving my goal. Will I ever win this particular
competition, I do not know anymore. Sometimes when I feel like I
am getting closer to winning, my scores reflect that I am getting
farther away. In 1999, I actually beat Susie Curry at my first
Olympia when my body was not where it is today, nor my routine.
Today I feel Susie is unbeatable in the judges' eyes so unless she
retires, I do not see myself as winning the Sandow anytime soon.
Her record speaks for itself. It is very hard to knock a champion
out of their spot once they have won the major shows three times in a
row or more. Another reason why I do not know anymore is because
I just took third at the Fitness International behind someone I have
never lost to my whole career. This tells me that with my
physique improving as well as my routine, my placing overall is getting
worse. My heart and soul tell me that I can become Miss Fitness
Olympia one day, and if and when that day comes, I think I will pass
out on stage from the excitement and relief I will feel at that
moment. 9) Mayhem: Kim and I have often
commented to one another that a persona as talented as you has so much
more to offer than just competing in fitness. With this in mind
and especially living in Las Vegas, have you ever considered trying out
for the prestigious Cirque Du Soleil? KR: I
have never really considered trying out for the prestigious Cirque du
Soleil but you and Kim are about the ninth and tenth people to suggest
it to me in the industry. I am flattered that people actually
consider me talented enough to do so, but I have seen this performance,
and those folks have the most amazing skills I have ever seen. I
love living in Vegas just for this reason. I live in a city where
some of the most amazing acts perform just miles from my house. I
love it! 10) Mayhem: How do you feel
about industry magazines picking models for articles and covers based
on their "personal feelings" for a particular person, or by whom they
feel the public wants to see, rather than promoting the stars of the
sport?  KR:
I feel that the industry's magazines picking models for articles and
covers based on their personal feelings for a particular person, or by
whom they feel the public wants to see rather than promoting the stars
of the sport is one of the true downfalls in the industry. I know
that you and Kim experienced this while she was the reigning Miss
Olympia. I do not recall seeing Kim on a bunch of covers when she
was the best in the world three and four times over. I have never
seen Susie Curry on a cover of any fitness magazines. She has won
the title three times now, which has never been done before, and I
think it is sad she doesn't get to be on the cover automatically for
what she has accomplished. In the seven years I have been
competing, I have only had one cover of a major magazine and that was
Oxygen. Nancy LePatourel, the editor of Oxygen, the only
major magazine to offer this to me, gave me the amazing opportunity to
grace one of their covers, and it was a dream come true. You
always think that if you win shows, they will put you on covers, and it
just doesn't work like that at all. So many times you will see
girls who don't compete or are not even in shape on the covers of
fitness magazines. I also dislike it when the magazines get
fixated on certain girls when it comes to the Swimsuit spreads and
Lingerie issues. A lot of competitors get passed up for fitness
models on these types of shoots. Top five competitors get
stereotyped as being just athletic and not sexy enough for these types
of shoots. One of the main reasons why I colored my hair blonde
was to change my image for the magazines. I don't want to just be
considered a top competitor. When people see you in the magazines
a certain way all the time that is the only way they see you.
Being more versatile in print, makes you more marketable and worth more
money to sponsors. That is really my only gripe when it
comes to exposure. I have had tons of articles run about me or my
type of training and diet regiment in every major national and
international magazines, which I am very thankful for. I just
wish we could see more top female competitors on the covers like the
male bodybuilders. 11) Mayhem: How do you feel
the sport of fitness is progressing? Do you see it dying out or
outliving women's bodybuilding and figure? KR:
I see the sport of fitness progressing at a rate, which is
astronomical. I remember having a conversation with someone about
a former Miss Fitness Olympia competitor coming back into the
sport. The former Miss Olympia had been out of the sport for just
a year, but within a year so much had changed that a Former champion
would have to consider not placing in the top five if they came
back. This was not an insult to the former champion, just a mere
observation of the progress the sport had made competitively. I
always see the sport of fitness surviving. It is extremely
entertaining to watch, and gives women an athletic event to compete in
professionally while maintaining femininity. I am not directing
this comment towards female bodybuilders at all which people always
assume. Most professional female sports athletes are viewed as
being Dikes and manly. Very few pro athletes are promoted into
marketing positions or spokesperson roles. Mia Hamm, Gabby Reece
and Lisa Leslie are only three out of how many athletes that play
professionally, but mass marketed to represent their sport as a
whole. Fitness allows you to do just that compete on a
professional level, while the emphasis on femininity is never lost. 12) Mayhem: How would you like to see fitness evolve? And, if you could make any improvements, what would they be? KR:
Like I said before I do not see fitness ever dying out as a
sport. It will have its times where it may not be as popular as
the Figure, but it will forever last because of its entertainment value
in the industry. A Figure competitor cannot guest pose at a
bodybuilding show. A female bodybuilder and female fitness
competitor can, so there will always be a need for them. If I
could make any improvements they would be to make the stages softer to
land on- LOLOL and for the prize money to increase. The men's
prize money continually goes up every year, so I feel that there is
room in the budget for the women's to do so as well. I think if
the vendor's would contribute small amounts, there would be enough to
increase the total purses every show. 13)
Mayhem: Tell us something about Kelly Ryan that not many
know: for instance, do you work with any charity groups; are you
interested in a family one day, etc? KR: Craig
and I work very closely with the Special Olympics out here in
Vegas. We are currently helping the Special Olympic programs find
locations to train their athletes. Craig and I feel that with our
competition experience, we can bring some great ideas and helpful
information to their training programs. As far as family plans
for the Titus's, we might have children in the future, but it would be
by surrogate birth. Due to the knowledge we have about my body,
there would be too many complications for the baby. We honestly
are not even talking kids yet. We are too busy with our
competitive careers; traveling and doing the party promotions to even
think abut settling down to have a family. I would however like
to see what our combined genetics would produce in a child. Maybe
we could have a little fitness star-who knows! 14) Mayhem: Currently, you write for several fitness publications. After you retire from competition, is this still an avenue of the industry you want to  continue with? KR: I currently write for Oxygen and the Internet site www.Bodybuilding.com
every month plus other freelance articles I am paid to do. I plan
to continue writing articles even when I am done competing because it
will keep me involved in the sport. I would love to become a
spokesperson for the industry as a whole in some fashion, and be able
to bridge the gap between the mainstream audience and ours. I
also plan on continuing the emceeing of shows and television- type
commentating in the future. I loved doing the commentating of the
Fitness Olympia for Fox Sports last year. What better way to shed
a positive light on our industry than through television? 15)
Mayhem: At this point in time, what do you feel has been
the high point (professionally) of your career, and what do you feel
has been the low point (again professionally)? KR:
At this point in time, I feel that winning the Fitness International
the first time I was ever invited to compete was a high point. I
felt that the next big win for me was going to be the Fitness Olympia
after winning the International that year. The low point in my
career is right now. I just took third at a show I have won
before by 32 points against the same competitors except Susie. I
can take second place positively because Susie is the reigning champ
right now, but third behind someone I have never lost to my whole
career is very hard for me to accept when we thought I was only getting
better every year. I find myself second-guessing my own abilities
as an athlete when there isn't a clear-cut reason behind my
placing. There is so much hard work that is put into each and
every show and so much emotion behind every change made. I love
to compete and I compete to win. 16) Mayhem:
Compared to the average career expectancy of a fitness pro, you have
been able to stay in the sport for quite a long time. Many girls
end up retiring after only a couple of years due to injury. To
what do you attribute your luck in avoiding career threatening
injuries? KR: I definitely attribute my
knowledge and dedication to the prevention of further injuries as my
luck in avoiding career threatening injuries. I am endorsed by an
ART, Active Release Therapy, Doctor out in Las Vegas. The Las
Vegas Pain Relief Center owned by Dr. Jon Petrick is what keep both
Craig and I very healthy physically speaking. Dr. Petrick and his
staff introduced ART to me and I must say that it is the only reason
why I was able to compete and win the Jan Tana Classic with a torn
calf. As I get older, my routines are getting crazier trick wise
and the stages are not getting any softer, so something has to give and
usually that is my body. ART allows a fast turn around time from
an injury as long as you are consistent with your treatments and follow
the Doctor's orders. Along with ART, message therapy is a must to
keep the body flexible. I use both message and ART religiously,
but thanks to Dr. Petrick I only have to cover the cost of one. 17)
Mayhem: One of the main points I stress to athletes just getting
into the sport is to remember, there is life after body building - or
in your case, fitness. What do you have planned for your life
after fitness competition? KR: You are so
right; there is life after fitness so you better be ready for when that
day arrives. I just became a partner in my own supplement company
called Pure Form Nutrition. We are based out of Las Vegas and I
wanted to secure my future with something I know will earn substantial
money. The food industry alone earned up to 44 billion dollars
alone last year. My company has taken the all-natural, super high
quality approach to supplementation. Artificial sweeteners are a
thing of the past and my company uses a Chinese herb called Stevia to
sweeten their whey protein powders with. We also make Liquid
Vitamins, organic power greens, liquid joint formula (great for
competitors), glutamine, ultra filtered whey isolate powders to name a
few. Aside from this business, Craig started Emperor
Entertainment for party promotions and productions. We have the
exclusive rights to the after parties that will follow IFBB and NPC
shows as well. We know that competing will only take you so far.
It is what you do with your exposure and titles that makes you
successful. 18) Mayhem: What tips or pearls of
wisdom can you give to amateur fitness competitors and/or girls just
discovering the sport? KR: Some great advice
that I was once given was; never sit back and wait for things to
happen. You have to go out there and make them happen. When
it comes to supplement endorsement contracts, the companies will
usually not come to you, and that is something I did not know when I
first started competing. Get out there and hustle for work.
Send out press kits and create work opportunities for yourself. 19)
Mayhem: You are married to IFBB pro body builder, Craig
Titus. Do your careers compliment one another, or is it difficult
at times being married to another industry pro in terms of getting
ready for shows at the same time, or say if you were to get more press
at a certain time, or vice versa? KR: Being
married to Craig has been the best thing to ever happen for me in my
life. He is my absolute soul mate and best friend therefore we
never clash when it comes to our careers, magazine exposure, or
competing. I always want Craig to win his shows and get more
nervous and wound up when he is on stage, than when I am on stage
myself. You've seen me. I am a total mess. I crack up when
I read that a bodybuilder could not handle his girlfriend being a
fitness competitor. It was printed that he couldn't take his
girlfriend getting more exposure than himself in the magazines.
He actually said that he wanted to be the only one in the relationship
to get that kind of attention. Craig is the complete opposite of
someone like that. Craig not only trains and prepares me for
shows, but he manages my career as well. Craig and I look at it
like this, the more exposure either one of us has, the better the both
of us do. Craig gets so involved in my shows. He even helps
me pick out the themes and costumes of my routines. We make a
killer team, and I know without one shadow of a doubt that I would not
be where I am in the sport today if it weren't for Craig. People
also ask if we fight when we get ready for shows. I am being
totally honest when I say that we don't fight when we get ready for
shows at the same time. We both know what it feels like to get
ready for a show. We understand the sacrifices that need to be
made in order to win. With both of us getting ready at the same
time, it actually makes us work even harder because we motivate each
other, and keep each other focused on the competition. Craig and
I have our first opportunity to go for a duo win at the Night of
Champions May 30th in New York. Come see if we can pull it off for the first time in history. 20)
Mayhem: If there were one thing, anything, you could change about
the INDUSTRY, what would that one thing be? KR:
If there were one thing I could change about the industry it would be
to make companies offer more endorsement contracts for fitness
athletes. There are a lot of professional fitness athletes
without contracts and I see a lot of talent go without any
reimbursement for their competition expenses. The expense of
competing can cut short the promising career of a fitness
competitor. Too many supplement companies make millions of
dollars off the industry but don't give back to the people that make
them rich at all. 21) Body Builders and Fitness
Competitors are looked upon as having superhero physiques. If you
were a superhero, what one power would you possess and why? KR:
If I were a superhero, the one power I would want to posses is to be
able to read people's minds. Being able to see what people think
would be very beneficial in life, especially when it comes to business
situations. Thank you very much to Chad and Kim for
taking this time with me, for putting so much passion into the
questions, and for giving me this great opportunity for exposure.
Thanks to all the fans and their support, and to everyone who came to
the Physique Columbus after party. Once again it was a huge
success because of you the fans and athletes who came and danced the
night away with Craig and me. See everyone in New York for the
NOC and the crazy after party!
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