NPC Fitness Spotlight for November 2010: Viko Newman

Save Women's Fitness Now is kicking off our monthly NPC Fitness Spotlight with someone who I feel will be a future IFBB Fitness Pro: Viko Newman!

Photo credit: Muscular Development

Viko is a NPC Fitness Competitor from Olympia, Washington. In 1983 after her high school graduation, she went to live with her father in Japan for a while. For those wondering, yes, she is of Japanese decent. She met my husband Mark there who was in the US Air Force, who taught her how to work out. She was training in a gym on base with all guys. Being the only female, she was taught how to lift heavy and eat heavy int he process. I was soon squatting 200 and benching 145. She was a pretty strong individual at the time (she still is, but in a different way) After gaining a good deal of weight (not all of it was muscle), she decided that the look was not her thing and decided to find a way to obtain a "fitness" look. Needless to say, that look was better for her in the long run.

She started to compete when she turned 30 years old. Hey, you're never too old to start, as long as you are committed. She entered a local fitness show in Florida and won in fitness and in bodybuilding, in addition to wining in benching the most reps with ½ my weight. For that, she did 93 reps with 60 lbs! 2nd place girl only got 71 reps! From there, it was the beginning of more and more shows.

In her quest to becoming a pro, she is a part of IFBB Pro Tanji Johnson's Save Fitness team, which Tanji put together to help reignite the fitness division. With Tanji by her side, and the constant improvements that Viko has been making on her routines and physique, it's only a matter of time before Viko gets that rightful IFBB Pro card and compete with her idols. Who knows, we might see the teacher and the pupil share the stage at a future Arnold and Olympia soon!

Photo credit: Muscular Development

COMPETITION HISTORY:

• 2010 NPC Junior USA Bodybuilding Championships, Fitness Medium Class (3rd)
• 2010 Team Universe, Fitness Medium (5th)
• 2010 Emerald Cup, Figure: 5'3" to 5'4" (4th), Overall Fitness Winner, Fitness > 5'3" (1st)
• 2009 Team Universe, Fitness Medium Class (5th)
• 2009 Washington State, Figure Overall, Fitness (1st), Figure Short Class (1st)
• 2007 Emerald Cup, Fitness Class B (2nd), Figure Class C (4th)

For more on Viko, check out her interview with World Physique at http://www.worldphysique.com/vikonewmaninterview.html?reloaded=true