How does a working single mother with a high-stress career transform into a competitive figure athlete? Just ask Carisa Wherry. She did it all!
Being a physique competitor is often a solitary pursuit. Sure, many can boast a supportive team of friends, family, and trained handlers who provide encouragement and advice along the way. But when it comes down to the workouts, it's just you putting in the reps. It's your sweat, angst, and energy that go into building a standout body.
CARISA WHERRY'S CONTEST HISTORY
NPC Denver Open, Mar. 2015: first place women's physique
NPC Rocky Mountain Championships, November 2015: first place masters figure, overall figure champion, first place first-time figure competitor, second place open figure class B height
Well, not for Carisa Wherry. In preparation for her first-ever physique competition, the NPC Rocky Mountain this November, her training ritual quickly grew into a family affair. Each day, she was joined at the gym—at 4 a.m., no less—by her sister, a friend, and her 62-year-old mother. As she lifted and did cardio with her vision of a perfect figure shape in mind, her family worked on their own fitness goals: her 62-year-old mom to improve her health, and her sis to lose a bit of weight.
"It was encouraging to see their transformation during my contest prep," Wherry says. "They would help me get up and do my cardio with me."
The team effort didn't stop there. Often, Wherry's 12-year-old daughter was waiting for the four at the gym, and when she wasn't, Wherry's father would wake up early to be with her. Wherry's good friend Anthony Harvey also stepped up, arranging her travel, cooking her meals, managing her schedule, and, as she says with a grin, "putting up with a lot of attitude."
You'd think with all that help, Wherry must be a seasoned fitness veteran. The truth? She just started this a year ago, at age 40.
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