Aisling Farrell Q&A: ‘There’s nothing easy about getting up on stage in a bikini in front of hundreds of people’

Dr Aisling Farrell from Longford is a bodybuilder in her first year of competition. She won the overall prize for Miss Toned at the recent NIFMA Mr & Miss Ireland Fitness Model Championships.

The Mr & Miss Ireland Fitness Model Championships took place at the end of October. The categories comprised of Mr and Miss Body Art, Mr and Miss Body Transformations, Mr Athletic and Miss Bikini, Mr Physique and Miss Toned, Mr and Miss Formal Wear, Mr and Miss Muscle, Miss Themed Diva and Miss Yummy Mummy. Age classes ranged from under 16s to over 50s.

Q: When and why did you first get into bodybuilding?

A: Competitively, this is only my first ever season, so I’m very new to the sport. I first started in the gym in early 2015 and I was only training for the competitions for the last five or six months.

Q: Had you a sporting background before this?

A: No, I was the most unathletic of my family! (Laughs) I would’ve played basketball in school but other than that, not really.

I work as a doctor and throughout my schooling and job, it’s very difficult to be able to commit yourself to team sports. You’re not always going to be available two or three times a week when it’s time to go to training. Bodybuilding suits me more because I can work it around my own schedule.

Q: What do you enjoy most about bodybuilding?

A: There are a couple of different things. You can fit it in around your lifestyle no matter what you do. You’re always trying to better yourself – you can always push yourself harder in the gym and there are always new goals to reach for.

I like that it’s a very social sport. I’ve met a huge number of friends even this season. You also learn a huge amount as well. Working in my job, I’ve obviously always had an interest in health and fitness and this has just expanded my own knowledge of the area, particularly nutrition. It’s also a big challenge too – there’s nothing easy about getting up on stage in a bikini in front of hundreds of people. It’s a huge challenge and I enjoy it.

Q: Tell me a bit about the diet you follow…

A: You have to eat a lot, that’s the big thing I learned from it. You can’t grow and develop the muscles unless you’re eating a very healthy, balanced diet. I would follow a healthy diet anyway. I’d stay away from processed foods and I like cooking. The diet hasn’t been difficult for me, it’s the volume of food you have to eat for bodybuilding that’s actually impossible! (Laughs)

Q: Is it all weight-training then?

A: Mostly it is. I would generally train five to six times per week. Coming up to the shows you might add in a little more cardio.

Q: Does your medical knowledge help with bodybuilding?

A: Absolutely, and I’ve learned so much about it in the course of the past two years. A lot of that is down to my own coach, Stuart Ward. He’s based in Body Health and Fitness in Sandyford. He’s just taught me a lot about bodybuilding, as well as general nutrition and fitness.

Q: Are there different categories in competition?

A: There are male and female competitions, obviously. The three federations that I have competed with this year are NABBA (National Amateur Body-Builders’ Association), RIBBF (Republic of Ireland BodyBuilding and Fitness Federation) in October and with NIFMA (Northern Ireland Fitness Model Association) most recently.

There are different classes between the different federations. So, at NIFMA, I competed in Miss Toned and Miss Bikini. There’s huge variation of categories and levels of bodybuilding that you can enter into. At the moment, I would be focusing on the bikini bodybuilding.

Q: What qualities are the judges looking for?

A: Again, that varies between federations. But, in general, with the bikini level they’d be looking for symmetry and making sure that you’re toned, but everything comes in a package.

You’ve got to make sure your hair and make-up look well, your tan looks well and that your overall conditioning is good. Whereas in some of the other categories, like in female fitness bodybuilding or female bodybuilding, they’d be looking for more muscle tone and more muscular development, in bikini you wouldn’t need as much muscular growth.

Q: Are the poses on-stage a major factor in judging?

A: Yeah, it’s all one package and the posing is very important. I was very lucky to have a great posing coach, Jennie Mayberry, who taught me to do that.

She was brilliant because it can be quite difficult to master. They set poses that you have to do and each federation has their own particular rules in regard to posing, so you have to learn them. It’s a fun challenge.

Q: What’s the purpose of the tanning?

A: You put on tan a couple of days in advance and it’s to enhance your muscular development.

Q: Is there a big bodybuilding circuit in Ireland?

A: Well I’m only new to it and I’ve already entered three this year. They run year-round but the main ones would be going on in spring, around March or April time, and then there’s another big season around September and October.

Q: Is steroid use something you’ve come across in your time in bodybuilding so far?

A: In any sport, people are always going to try enhancements. Personally, I don’t take any steroids or anything like that. I wouldn’t use any of that kind of stuff but that’s not to say other people wouldn’t and that’s their own decision. But, personally, it’s not something that I do or will be doing.

Q: What are the next aims on your to-do list?

A: An absolute dream would be to compete internationally at some point down the line. That’s a big goal of mine. I’d love to be able to do that. I’ve a huge amount of work to do over the next year.

This was my first season so I was learning about the sport and how my own body responds to training. Now, I’d just like to apply the things I’ve learned this season to bring a better overall package to my next competitive season.