Karen Lee is centered. One can feel this immediately when standing within her presence. As with any athlete that has conditioned their mind and body through years of training, Karen’s calm collection is anything but docile. There is a hyper- awareness and intuition that is in operation, gears turning in full motion. Perhaps it is this quality that allows her to tap so readily into those she works with and trains.

A gifted motivator, Karen has the ability to help her clients reach within themselves,
find their grit, and use it as motivation to reach their personal fitness goals. In short, she understands her clients’ pain. “We are programmed to protect ourselves from physical pain, and working out hurts.” She says, however, that “it comes down to mindset.”

Fully knowing the challenge an early morning workout can pose while juggling a full schedule, the bodybuilder herself has been pursuing her love of physique training, while balancing her responsibilities as a single mom with her personal fitness-training career as one of Equinox’s Master Instructors. Here Iris had a chance to catch up with the demi-goddess while on set for her photoshoot at Equinox River Oaks.

When did you decide to become a bodybuilder, and what inspired you?

I started competing in 2013 as a way to challenge myself. I had been working out my entire adult life and I was starting
to feel like I was just going through the motions in the gym. So one of my friends suggested that I should prep for a show, so I did. And suddenly I had purpose and passion in the gym again. It sparked my competitive spirit and I have been addicted ever since.

Was there anything in particular that attracted you to it?

Because of my background as a gymnast, I have a tendency towards perfectionism. The tough thing about physique sports
is that there is no such thing as perfect and there is always something that can be improved. So I have learned to reign my inner perfectionist in a little, so that I can focus more on progress and improvement.

What challenges have you had to overcome in pursuing bodybuilding?

Most of the challenge for me comes in balancing my life with my passion. I have to take care of my priorities first; my daughter, my job, my health. I will never allow any of my priorities to suffer for my desire to improve my physique. That means late nights of preparing my food and early mornings at work to allow time for workouts, but my goal is to keep the rest of my life and my daughter’s life as normal as possible.

What feelings or emotions do you experience while training?

It is a complete spectrum. One day you walk into the gym feeling like, “I am on fire and I’m gonna kill this workout and then go home and be a great mom and take care of business!” The next day you wake up and think, “I’m not gonna make it, why am I doing this?” But ultimately, what separates good from great is your ability to push through those tough days. I have learned you can’t be spectacular every day, but either way you have to show up and give your 100% effort for that day, whatever that may be.

Can you explain a little about the sport science of bodybuilding?

Many people would assume that most bodybuilders and coaches are a bunch of “meatheads”. But in order to stay healthy and get your body to extremely low levels of bodyfat for competition, it takes a very specific, science-based diet and training program. You can’t just starve yourself and do a bunch of cardio, expecting great results. We go through a bulking season where the goal is to build muscle without gaining too much fat. This requires a lot of nutrient dense foods at specific times, and lifting typically heavier weights with not as much cardio.

Then, when preparing for a competition, I take about 16 weeks to diet down. This means everything I put in my mouth is measured and calculated and serves a specific purpose: some days are higher in carbs, other days are higher in fats.
It also means an increase in cardio and higher intensity weight lifting sessions. There are a lot of wrong ways to do it, but there is no one right way to do it; each competitor has to find what is right for their body.

Have you experienced any stigmatization because of how your body changed since you began training? From either men or women?

Definitely, from both men and women. Some of the comments are positive, but also a lot of negative. I just don’t think people are ready to accept that a woman can be strong and feminine at the same time. It used to really bother me at first, but now I try to take the comments in stride, even the negative ones.

Additionally, I find that people see me a s very one dimensional because of the way I look. I spend a lot of time in the gym, but I am not just a “meathead”. I have a college degree, a successful career, a happy healthy daughter, I foster rescue dogs, attend church, travel, read, etc. Lifting is just something I am passionate about. It is a part of me, but it is not who I am.

I don’t think their intention is ever to insult. I think they don’t know what to say when they see something out of the norm like a girl with big muscles. It used to really bother me but I’ve taught myself over time to take it as a compliment because they don’t know how to say, “Wow you look like you work really hard,” or “I can see your dedication.”

Do you think women need to push back on body image standards that have been imposed by fashion and commercial advertising?

As a society we are shown images of women who crash diet, don’t exercise, don’t sleep. And then the alternative
to that is plus size women who “love their curves” but have unhealthy body fat percentages. I don’t know that either one is really healthy. I wish there was as much marketing for health as there is for beauty. I really think that everyone has to look at their own body and embrace who they are. My body is more muscular so I’ve embraced it. I think the push needs to be toward more healthy bodies. Healthy bodies are beautiful. Just as it’s not healthy to be 30 pounds overweight; it’s also not healthy to be 30 pounds underweight.

Do you see bodybuilding as an opportunity to change the way we see beauty?

I realize this lifestyle and this physique is not for everyone. I think a strong woman with muscle should be included on the spectrum of beautiful women.

What advice would you give to other women who would like to start training to become a bodybuilder?

Identify your reason for wanting to compete. We all have different reasons why we are driven to push our bodies to the extreme, but I think you have to have a firm grip on what that reason is. When things get tough, you can always remind yourself why you do it.

What classes do you teach at Equinox?

I am a full time tier 3+ trainer and Master Instructor at Equinox. I focus all my energy into training my clients one on one and then training other trainers.

Do you have any easy workout routines that you utilize on a daily basis and might advise others to try?

With my clients, I like to start with the basics and work up from there. I always start with some easy mobility work, like stretching and foam-rolling. Then after about a 10-minute warm up we start in with the strength work. I typically like to incorporate several different movement patterns, depending on the client and their needs. A hip hinge, a pushing movement, (like a push up) a pulling movement (like a row) a squat of some sort, a loaded carry (like a farmers walk) and a twisting movement (like a wood chop). I think people try to get too advanced too quickly. My best advice is to get really good at the basics, and then progress slowly and systematically.

Do you think visualization practices help attain physical results in training?

Visualization and mindfulness is a must! Don’t get me wrong, I lift very heavy weights one or two days a week, and on those days it’s just about moving the weight. But on the rest of my training days it is mostly with lighter weights moving slowly and really squeezing the muscles. That’s where the mind/muscle connection really comes in. I visualize each muscle fiber contracting one after another like dominoes falling until the entire muscle is squeezed tight.

What advice would you give to anyone who’s wanting to reach specific goals in health and fitness?

I think clearly identifying your goals is the first is super important to make sure you know the “why” behind the “what”. Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to get more muscles? . It’s never just because I want to look good in my clothes, there’s a deeper reason and that reason is what’s going to get you up at 5 in the morning to do your workout. Looking good in your clothes is not going to get you up at 5 am. Wanting to keep up with your kids or wanting to become healthier are reasons that will motivate you, because working out is very counter intuitive right? It’s painful, it’s not just you! We like the result, we like the feeling that comes from it, but the actual workout is not always rewarding, initially. That’s why you have to know what that deeper motivation is and have a firm grip on it.

So in order to be successful you need to make a gradual lifestyle change that begins to include working out as a part of the normal routine?

For sure! Even if it’s not working out, whatever behavior it is that you want to change, you don’t ever set up a goal and say, “Okay, I’m going to go to the gym for the next 365 days.” That’s not manageable and unrealistic! I think people try to bite off way more than they can chew and often we see these things in fitness magazines that are “30-day challenges”. First of all that is an overwhelming idea to get fit it in 30 days. Secondly, what happens on day 31?

The new habits start to break down because they’re not the person doesn’t own that goal they just rented it for 30 days. Maybe for those 30 days they were so dedicated and had so much willpower. Maybe they even accomplished the challenge. But how do you maintain that over the long term? What I find that works a lot better among people is to begin training slowly and in stride with their bodies, even if it doesn’t seem like much at the time, they’re more likely to be successful in forming the new behavior. It starts with baby steps; it’s always baby steps. It’s never giant leaps.

Do you have any rituals that you practice that keep you centered and grounded?

I go to church with my daughter. That always keeps my priorities in check and reminds me that being a good person and looking good are two different things. I have to remember that my inside needs as much attention as my outside.

I’ve also been making it a practice to remain present, for example I limit my phone usage while I’m with my daughter so I can focus just on her. Even if I’m doing something not so fun like working, trying to be present by not thinking about what I’d rather be doing, but focusing on the task at hand. It’s more fulfilling because I am engaged in the moment and not thinking about what I have to get done later.

Is working out, in a way, its own form of meditation for you?

Before, I used to let my mind wander during my workouts, and they were not as productive. There is definitely a mind muscle connection, so you can’t just zone out and mindlessly sit on a machine. You can, but your body won’t change at all. So in order to really see change and make the most out of your workout then you definitely have to be present in what you’re doing. There’s a lot of risk involved. There’s potential injury, so if you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing and zone out, you can get hurt.

What makes you feel beautiful?

It took me a long time to accept this, but I feel most beautiful with a clean face, clean body right before I go to bed. I know my body is healthy from the inside out and that makes me feel beautiful.

What makes you feel powerful?

There is nothing like the feeling of hitting a personal record! You set a goal, design a program, and then after systematically executing the program, you are lifting weight you never thought possible. It makes you feel like you can literally accomplish anything!

What makes you feel confident?

Preparation. When I take the time to be prepared, I feel like I can take on the world. So I take Sundays to prep meals, do laundry, write my clients workouts etc. Then Monday morning hits and I feel like a time management machine and I can take on anything that comes my way! ‡

For more information contact Equinox River Oaks, River Oaks District, 4444 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77027 281-936-0963 | equinox.com