Shaping beauty queens

The Philippines is not only home to a lot of beauty queens, it is home to a lot of beauty contests, too. It is, indeed, a national pastime to follow beauty pageants yearly, from the local tilt to the international competition, sending off winners with wishes and prayers for a successful bid to bring home the crown.

If you have been an avid viewer of beauty contests, you would have noticed that the contestants, especially in the contests abroad, are becoming more firm and well-toned.  I guess the definition of what is sexy and appealing changes through time. There was a time when soft and volup-tuous were in. No longer.

Having sat through the grueling selection of the final candidates, I saw a lot of contestants who were not worthy of joining. 

I have seen trainer to beauty contestants John Cuay in action for many years now. The first time I saw him, he was doing cardio-kick boxing in front of a huge crowd at Glorietta. His classes are also very popular, packed with moms, careerwomen, and teens raring to catch even just a tinge of his commitment and discipline to fitness. 

After the coronation of the 2007 Bb. Pilipinas winners, I received a multitude of SMS messages on the triumph of John Cuay anew. He was the personal trainer of this year’s Bb. Pilipinas Universe Anna Theresa Licaros as well as the one who relinquished her throne, 2006 Bb. Pilipinas Universe Lia Andrea Ramos.

The new winner is a 22-year-old summa cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines.  She finished Broadcast Communications with a general weighted average of 1.161 (the third highest among all 10 summa cum laudes).

PHILIPPINE STAR: How did you get involved in training beauty contestants? 

John Cuay: Two years ago, I was introduced to Jonas Gaffud, CEO of Mercator Modelling Agency, who made me the fitness consultant for his models. That was the time he was also preparing his bets for the Bb. Pilipinas pageant. He asked me if I could check the girls out and maybe give them tips on how to achieve a beauty queen figure. I worked with the girls during the course of the pageant preparation. I realized I was developing a keen interest in beauty queens and an eye for spotting potential winners.

Can you make anyone a winner?

I can help create a beauty queen. I’m a strong believer that there’s nothing impossible with proper guidance and discipline. From my experience with the girls I had worked with, the ones who took my advice for granted were not as successful as those who were really open to guidance.

How do you help an aspiring beauty contestant?

I usually have a one-on-one conversation with the girl before I start with my training, telling her that the path to achieving that specific goal is not an easy one. I remember telling one of my girls that she will be experiencing her worst Christmas that year, because I will totally have her stop eating simple carbohydrates. (Imagine Christmas without sweets.) It’s just a matter of letting them know that in any goal, a little sacrifice and discipline is a must.

Can you describe the discipline you impose on these girls?

When I work with them in the gym, I want them to focus their attention on what they are doing. On top of that, I give a proper explanation of the purpose of that particular move, just to give them a forecast scenario of the outcome. I also have them take relaxation exercises, like yoga and self-meditation. I stress the importance of ample amount of sleep. There’s always a time to play.

It is important, of course, to have a good gym or a place where everything you need in achieving your fitness goal is available. Depending on the problem areas of the girls, I usually do weight training with them to get the right curves. I prescribe Pilates, for them to achieve the lean look and hour-glass physique, and an ample amount of cardiovascular training. I am a strong believer of the South Beach diet (the only diet that worked for me) so with the help of a good friend Cristy Marasigan (a resident dietitian and gym manager), we work together in guiding the girls on proper food intake.

How do you tweak their programs for an international tilt?

I study the right figure that sells in the international arena. I then compare with the figure of our candidate. Then I make my game plan from there. 

Do you see this as a new calling?

Last year, when Lian Ramos did well in the swimsuit competition (I think she made it to the top 20 out of 80 ladies during that event), I felt she’s got what it takes. I have realized that I have the capabilities to help ladies achieve a Miss Universe physique as long as they work hand in hand with me.

How do you develop a good client-mentor relationship to yield the desired fitness results? How do you motivate your clients to follow your regimen?

I am not a friendly guy during training. I always put a distinction between a trainer and client relationship during training. Through that, the distinction is very clear on who is in charge. I am usually straightforward to my clients as to the consequences if they don’t follow the program that I designed for them. I always set realistic short- and long-term goals with them, so as to gauge if we both are doing our responsibilities. If for any reason we won’t be able to achieve the goal that we have set for a certain duration, we discuss it together and examine what caused it. Time spared for the training is important to me and I want to make sure that not a single second is wasted.

What preparation did you have for this passion or calling? How long have you been doing this?

I was an exercise physiologist before I went to physical therapy school. So to sum it up, it has been almost 10 years since I got exposed to the fitness industry, both in the US and here in the Philippines. Is it my calling? Hmmm, I was always big and fat during my childhood and I’m always amazed at how guys develop nice chests and biceps. Unfortunately, with my limited allowance, there was no way I could enroll in a gym. So the moment I went to college, I took every opportunity to utilize the free gym classes and equipment the campus provided. From then on, I started seeing results in me physique-wise.  I also shared that testimony with others.

Any other dream that is yet to be fulfilled?

There’s always room for advancement. I eventually wish I would be able to work with handicapped clients to maximize their fullest potential through sports and any extreme activity that they think is impossible. As far as the beauty industry is concerned, I would like to be known as a person who sculpts his body to tip-top shape without sacrificing his health.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph.