A successful figure model, an international federation of bodybuilders pro and a physical trainer Jelena Abbou, hailing from Serbia is the inspiration behind M.A.C’s new Spring Colour Collection, M.A.C Strength.

More than just her impressive muscles and work as a professional competitor, the brand is inspired and motivated by Jelena’s commitment to total emotional and physical wellness. So to understand the life of a female bodybuilder we look into her daily itinerary, taking us through her daily workout routines, strict eating schedule and favourite things to do when she has down time. Here is her daily itinerary.

SATURDAY
7:00–8:30AM – Each day I usually wake up around this time and have breakfast, but since I’m getting ready for the Figure Olympia competition [an annual women’s figure competition held by the International Federation of Body Building and Fitness] I do my cardio session first. Before I leave for the gym I take Vitamin B complex, L-Carnitene and CLA pills. My favourite cardio machine is the stairs because they are hard work and don’t bother my injuries as much. It’s also helpful that I can read while I’m working out. My favourites are Allure, InStyle, Oxygen and Muscle and Fitness Hers. 

8:30–9:00AM After the gym I prepare my breakfast: egg whites and either cream of rice or oats. I take MCTs [Medium-chain triglycerides] with this meal and a multi-vitamin. My breakfast doesn’t change much between the off-season and when I’m preparing for a show. If I’m not dieting for a competition I may add some berries (blueberries and raspberries are my favourites) or peanut butter to my oats. 

10:00AM Time to begin a fun day with my girlfriends! We’re all going to watch and support another girlfriend of ours who’s competing. When getting ready I love doing my hair and makeup. Today I’m wearing M·A·C Woodwinked Eye Shadow, False Lashes Mascara and Refined Golden Bronzer. On my face, just a bit of moisturizer with some concealer under my eyes — it’s too hot for foundation.

1:00PM Ugh, I’m late for my next meal; that makes me cranky. That’s the life of a competitor, you always have to carry something to eat and drink with you. So here I am eating my chicken, brown rice and green beans while my girlfriend is munching on a protein bar.

4:00PM Time for another meal; I’m having tilapia and string beans again. I eat healthy all year round but I do have to be very strict closer to competition time, so I stick to plain food that’s all measured out.

5:00–6:00PM. Nap time. This is important – I try to get in naps when I can.

6:00–6:30PM Back to the gym for another cardio session. Today I took the day off from lifting. Usually I don’t have a set schedule with how I split my workouts; I like to go by how I feel. I just make sure that I lift six days a week.

7:30PM Tonight, I’m having my cheat meal of the week. It’s a clean cheat so I’ll have sushi. A clean cheat is when I enjoy something that’s not horrible for me, but isn’t part of my competition diet. I do this once a week throughout my contest prep and when I’m not dieting I allow myself small cheats during the week, whenever I feel like having them. My favourites are chocolate or homemade desserts. I try to keep it all on the healthy side – I love baking when I’m not dieting. 

SUNDAY
7:30AM I like waking up at the same time every day, even on the weekends, because my body is so used to it. And with contest preparations, it helps me to stay on schedule with my meals. As usual, I’ll take my supplements and begin the day with breakfast because I’m not doing any cardio today.

8:00–10:00AM (Non-workout) Work time: I make diet and workout plans for my clients and catch up on emails.

10:00–11:30AM Time for the gym, and today’s workout is back and biceps. I start with my back by doing light pull-downs to warm up. Then I go into pull-ups and do 3-4 sets of 12 reps, depending on how my energy level is that day. After that I go into one-arm rows, using different machines with different grips and widths so I can ensure that I’m targeting my back from every angle. I do about 4-5 exercises for my back, keeping the range anywhere from 8-12 reps.

11:30AM Right after my workout I make sure to have a protein shake with added glutamine for a quick recovery.

1:00PM Now it’s time for a bit of relaxation. I have the luxury of eating lunch while my girlfriend colours my hair. What great friends I have. We have an awesome time catching up, and, as an added bonus, I didn’t have to suffer a long wait at the salon.

3:00–5:00PM I prefer to prepare most of my food in advance, particularly my chicken, fish, sweet potatoes and rice. Having my meals pre-prepared helps me stay on track with my competition diet. Now they’re all measured, packed and ready to go.

5:00PM Time for another meal. I make sure to eat every three hours. Tonight it’s lean beef and salad. I always love a good salad, but I do miss my off-season salad when I add lots of good things that are not in my competition diet, like nuts, cranberries and fat-free feta cheese. It may sound too strict but I do make sure I live a little – I don’t do this all the time. As strict as it is, being a figure competitor is a full-time job between the food preparation and all of the training. No matter what, I always make sure there are healthy choices in my house so I have good snacks on hand.

7:00PM I’m going to spend the rest of the evening catching up on emails, reading or having dinner with my friends. It helps me to have friends that either compete or live a very healthy lifestyle – that way we can all prepare food together and they understand what it takes. Other women either respect what we do and love it, or they hate it. I get a lot of questions from women about how I manage to look so muscular, but yet still feminine and not like a guy. A lot of men are intimidated by how strong I am, although many find it attractive. Some people think it’s crazy what we do, but that’s the nature of the sport. 

MONDAY
7:00AM Wake up and it’s time for cardio. I am so not feeling it this morning but I have no choice. The one thing that keeps me going? Knowing that it’s all going to be worth it in the end. Working on what you have, making it your own and being your best – that’s what makes me feel the most feminine. I’m in the best shape of my life, have kept my curves and still feel sexy. That’s definitely worth the 7am workout. 

8:00AM Post-workout breakfast. I ran out of cream of rice, so I’m using oat bran today with liquid egg whites and lots of cinnamon. Don’t forget the multi-vitamin!

9:00AM–12:00PM At work training clients. 

12:00PM I’m a little late for my lunch so I have to eat in my car. I usually do this while driving between clients, but today I’m driving to NYC for a modelling audition.

3:00–5:00PM Relaxing, reading, Facebook time and answering emails. 

5:30PM Drinking my BCAA [Branched Chain Amino Acid] supplement on the way to the gym for my favourite leg workout. This helps me build lean muscle while also aiding my post-workout recovery. I like doing legs twice a week, and I prefer to emphasize the quads one day and hamstring and glutes the next. My rep range for legs spans anywhere from 12 to even 50 reps for a walking lunge. I don’t do heavy lifting for legs anymore because I’m happy with my size. Right after I’ve finished my leg workout I do another session of cardio. Then I finish up with lots of stretching and foam rolling. 

7:00PM Dinner time. Nothing exciting here, I’m afraid. Same old chicken and veggies. I do keep things interesting by using different spices and herbs (Mrs. Dash is a favourite) and alternating between chicken, extra-lean turkey and fish. For me the diet is not much of a problem. It does get a little annoying when you are at a restaurant and you have to ask the server how it’s prepared and then specify “no sauce, please, and no butter, no oil.”

10:00PM Reading before I go to sleep. Good rest for tomorrow, so I can wake up energized to do it all over again.