One On One With Lorie Forman

This stunning 43-year-old Masters Bikini champion is ready to take on all comers.

Interview by Mike Carlson

 

Lorie Forman gets questions about her age all the time. The ever-humble and classy IFBB Bikini Pro swears she doesn’t mind, but instead of focusing on the number 43, we offer these numbers: 16, 1, and 3.

In 2014, after taking 10 years off from physique sports to raise her daughter, Forman returned to the stage in the NPC Bikini division. A decade earlier she had been a promising amateur Figure competitor and, true to form, she won a few regional Bikini shows and qualified for the 2014 Nationals. At Nationals in Miami she placed 16th and received one of the very last call-outs.

“It was tough for me, mentally,” Forman admits. “I said to myself, ‘I have two choices. One, give up. Or two, persevere.’ I let it light my fire, and I decided to strive for that pro card. I took that time and trained really hard from November 2014 to May 2015.”

Just six months later she was back onstage at the 2015 Team Universe in Teaneck, New Jersey. In what is the single best comeback story so far in the history of Bikini, Forman scored three pro cards by sweeping the 40+, 35+, and Open divisions.

“I look back at the Miami Nationals and I realized that I needed to step it up another notch,” she says. “When you think you give it your all, there is still room for more. I didn’t leave the gym. I knew what the judges were looking for, and I pushed hard and I did not give up. I wanted it to so bad. Everything I had in me knew I was going to do it.”

 

Mike Carlson: Where do you train?

Lori Forman: I have a home gym. I’ve trained out of it for 14 years. Every time I walk past it, I feel like it tells me to get back in there. I like the atmosphere, the privacy of training. It is nice to be able to do it when I have a minute. Or if I feel like training right now, I can just get my clothes on and train, and I don’t have to drive anywhere.

 

MC: How do you break up your workouts?

LF: Right now I’m in the gym a minimum of three times a day. I do my first cardio of the day in the morning, fasted. After that, I eat and then train for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, depending on what I’m doing. And then in the evening, I do a second cardio. If I look at myself and feel like there’s something that needs a little extra, I’ll do a little bit of abs or whatever I need. If I didn’t work out at home, I’d be back and forth to the gym three or four times a day.

 

MC: Why two cardio sessions a day?

LF: For me, it brings it up. I like it. It keeps my metabolism going. Fasted is always a staple in my preps, and a second cardio is always good. Depending on how I’m looking and how lean I’m getting, I’ll keep it in or take it out. The majority of the time I keep it in.

 

MC: How would you describe your training style?

LF: I am very old school. I believe in the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I know what works for me. What I mean is, I don’t do box jumps. I don’t do all that new stuff. I do the original Arnold Schwarzenegger/Cory Everson way of training. I always admired Cory Everson.

 

 

MC: What is your best body part?

LF: I would say my glutes and my hamstring tie-ins. I have always had pretty good glutes, but I brought them up tremendously this last year. During prep, I try hit my glutes in two to three separate workouts a week. Off-season, I try to do one strong day, and a second day will be lighter. Some of my favorite exercises for glutes are deadlifts, cable kickbacks, donkey kicks, and a lot of sumo squats.

 

MC: One of the best photos from the Iron Man shoot is a picture of your abs.

LF: I have always had to work on them. But I’ve learned that the less I do with my abs the better they come in at showtime. Planking is big in my prep. All I do is planks, ball crunches, and hanging knee raises. I do zero crossing. I don’t do left-to-right. It widens my waist.

 

MC: What kind of diet works best for you?

LF: My body seems to respond well to carb-cycling and fat-cycling; I am good with two days carbs no fats, and then two days fats no carbs. That’s just how my body moves. Basically, I start off with more carb meals the first few weeks in prep. When my body hits a standstill we start to carb-cycle and fat-cycle and my body starts to move. Near the end we start to take a little bit of the fats out and eat a little more carbs and my body is like an engine after a few weeks.

 

MC: Your skin is as amazing as your body. What’s your secret?

LF: I am as basic as you get. I don’t get facials, I use a five-dollar bar of Dove soap and Oil of Olay lotion and that’s it. The women in my family are all the same. No crazy skincare. We are very simple. We do the basic stuff. I even sleep with my makeup on. It seems to work with me.

 

MC: Do you think there is a disadvantage in this sport when it comes to age?

LF: The only thing that can be negative about your age is if you allow yourself to think there is something wrong. If you 100 percent have the right mindset, you can 100 percent compete with girls half your age.

 

MC: Is your goal to be a contender in the Open Class?

LF: One hundred percent. My goal is to win the open and qualify for the Olympia. I’m always in it to win it. For me, I envision a goal and I accomplish it. I envision the Olympia stage and I will accomplish it. I definitely have my sights set pretty high.

 

MC: Are fans surprised when they hear you’re over 40?

LF: Most the fans on social media don’t know my age, and they assume I am half my age. And when they see me post my pictures of my daughter they are like, “No way! You don’t have kids!” The majority of the time it’s a positive thing to seem much younger.

 

 

Name: Lorie Forman
Age: 43—feel 25

Lives: Currently Las Vegas, from Long Island, NY

Profession: IFBB Bikini Pro

Likes: Humility, kindness, positivity, perseverance

Dislikes: Lack of gratitude, negativity
Favorite Drink: Coffee with flavored creamers

Favorite Clean Meal: Chicken, avocado, sweet potato

Favorite Cheat Meal: Pancakes and carrot cake

Favorite Movie: Pretty Woman 

Who Would You Cast To Play Yourself In A Movie? Sandra Bullock

Desert Island Exercises: Deadlifts, sumo squats, shoulders all day long

Favorite Charity Or Cause: The Fox 5 Surprise Squad in Las Vegas, St. Jude’s, Make-A-Wish

Sponsors: United Nissan

Instagram: @lorieformanfit