Adela Garcia to Sit Out 2013 Fitness International

DOMINATION. That would be the key word used to describe Adela Garcia in the IFBB Fitness Division. Very few have had a presence in the industry quite like Adela has. Since 2010, she has won the Fitness International championship. In total, she has won 5 Arnold titles, with her win this year breaking the record of most Fitness International titles, which was previously held by Susie Curry at four. Today, Adela announced that she would sit out the 2013 Fitness International, making way for a new champion to be crowned in 2013.

Adela Garcia, 3X Defending Fitness International Champion, will sit out 2013 Arnold.
Photo credit: RxMuscle

Here's her official statement via her Facebook page:

After returning to the stage in 2009 I haven’t formally taken a break from the competition arena. I feel that it is time to give my body some rest and take a step back- and prepare myself mentally and physically for the 2013 Fitness Olympia. I have talked to my family, my manager Fitness Management Group (FMG), my trainer Mike Davies's Fitness Factory, and my sponsor GNC Live Well and we have decided to take off from the 2013 Fitness International. It was a hard decision for me as I love competing at the Arnold Sports Festival - but after doing 4 shows I feel that I need this break to get back in focus.  

I will be training hard this coming year and be back on stage at the 2013 Fitness Olympia where I will reach to join the legacies of Lenda Murray, Ronnie Coleman, and Lee Haney! 

Although I won’t be competing in Ohio, I will be in attendance representing my Sponsor GNC and showing my support for the contest. 

Thank you all for the amazing love and support!!!

Adela has more then earned this break. As mentioned before, she has been a domination force in the fitness division for quite some time. Champions deserve a break just like everyone else.

With this news, a new champion will emerge for the fitness side of the Arnold. Should Oksana Grishina, Tina Durkin, Myriam Capes, and Tanji Johnson have Fitness International invites (and quite honestly, I don't see why they won't), those four will no doubt be in everyone's favorites to win the Fitness International title next year. Maybe it could be someone who people have put under the radar. Regardless, this news today has further made the Arnold more interesting to watch come 2013.

We at Fitness Athletes Network wish Adela best of luck in her break and training in the coming year, hoping to add to her already-impressive resume as elite fitness champion!

IFBB Fitness Spotlight for September 2011: Adela Garcia

With the Olympia this month, the IFBB Fitness Spotlight for September 2011 was a no-brainer. This month's IFBB Spotlight goes to one of the most successful IFBB fitness champions in history: Adela Garcia!

Photo credit: Muscular Development

Adela is arguably THE top fitness competitor in the world today, and for good reason. She's competed (AND WON) many titles, including multiple Fitness Internationals and Fitness Olympias.She was born in Cabrera, Dominican Republic and raised in San Juan Puerto Rico along with two older brothers. For those wondering, yes, she was a tomboy. Growing up active, she tried anything and everything you could think of in sports, including volleyball, softball, and basketball. This wasn't a sport, but there was a time that she (along with her brothers) putting forks in electrical outlets to see if they could see their skeletons!! Crazy, huh?! Despite all of that, there was one sport she never officially participated in, and it's the main sport that is credited a lot for fitness competitions: gymnastics.  She wanted to take gymnastics classes, but financial issues kept her from doing so. So what did she do? She tried cartwheels and back-walkovers at home and kept myself busy playing games with my two brothers.

At the age of 17, she was introduced to weight training. In college, she joined the Army’s ROTC program,  After being in the ROTC for a couple of years, she decided to take a trip throughout the states to learn English. While I visited California, I remember a couple of people suggesting that I try to compete in a fitness show. She was a bit skeptical because she did not have any type of dance background to compete. She declined that time and moved back to Puerto Rico in 1995. During that time, she taught aerobics classes and did some personal training at the gym on a military base. It was there where she saw a poster for the NPC Armed Forces Fitness Championships in North Carolina. She entered that contest and ended up placing second and was immediately hooked from that point on. She would compete in more local and nationals shows until 1999, where she took the overall fitness title at th 1999 USA Fitness Championship and earned my IFBB pro card. And the rest, as they say, is history.

There have been many great fitness competitors to come and go, but Adela has proven time and time again that she's among the all-time greats, and she hopes to cement her place in history at the 2001 Olympia, as she will be looking to win her 6th Fitness Olympia title, a feat no other fitness competitor has ever accomplished. When you think of fitness, bottom line, there's no one who solidifies the sport more than Adela Garcia.

Photo credit: Fitness Rx

COMPETITION HISTORY:

2011
Arnold Classic-first place

2010
Fitness Olympia-first place
Arnold Classic-first place

2009
Fitness Olympia-first place
Europa Super Show-third place

2007
Fitness Olympia-first place
Houston Pro Figure-third place
Arnold Classic-third place

2006
Fitness Olympia-first place
Arnold Classic-first place

2005
Sacramento Pro Fitness-first place
Fitness Olympia-third place
Arnold Classic-second place

2004
Fitness Olympia-first place
Arnold Classic-first place

2003
IFBB New York City Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB Fitness International-second place

2002
IFBB GNC Show Of Strength Fitness-second place
IFBB Fitness Olympia-fourth place
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB Atlantic States Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB New York City Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB Fitness International-fourth place

2001
IFBB Fitness Olympia-fourth place
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Fitness-third place
IFBB Fitness International-third place

2000
IFBB Jan Tana Classic Pro Fitness-second place
IFBB Fitness Olympia-fifth place
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Fitness-fifth place
IFBB Atlantic City Pro Fitness-sixth place
IFBB Fitness International-eighth place

1999
NPC USA Fitness Championships-Overall (IFBB Professional Qualifier)

1998
NPC Junior National Fitness Championships-second place short class
IFBB North American Fitness Championships-sixth place short class
NPC National Fitness Championships-eighth place short class
NPC USA Fitness Championships-ninth place short class

1996
NPC Pennsylvania Fitness Championships-fourth place
NPC National Fitness Championships-twelfth place

1995
NPC Europa Sports Fitness Championships-second place

For more on Adela, visit her website at http://www.adelafitness.com.