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AGE IS NO BARRIER

BY JOHN PLUMMER // PHOTOGRAPHS BY TAUSEEF ASRI

The UK fitness, figure and bodybuilding scene has produced plenty of colourful characters over the years but no one quite like  Irina Cotton.

Irina became UK Fitness Champion for the third time in five years in 2010. She has never lost a fitness contest in this country and had it not been for a knee injury in 2009 she would have probably won the title four times.

There aren’t many unbeaten, three-time national champions kicking around the ranks of the United Kingdom Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation so that immediately makes Irina special. But what takes her across the threshold from special to extraordinary is the fact that she is 51 years old and competes in the toughest event of all.

Fitness events consist of a body round and a routine round so it’s not enough just to look good – you also have to be able to do things like somersaults, back-flips and one-arm push-ups while your body is depleted of carbohydrates and dehydrated.

When Irina appeared on stage at last year’s UK Championships it was difficult to believe this was a woman in her sixth decade. Buddy Holly was still alive and Bolton held the FA Cup when she was born yet there she was with her petite frame beautifully sculpted with taut, lean muscle while her routine, as always, included the kind of moves that would leave most people facing a trip to A&E. As usual, she finished first in both rounds, and never stopped smiling. She clearly loves being on stage and has an infectious joy.

So how does she do it? Irina has lived in the UK for 18 years but is very much a product of Eastern Europe. She was born in Ukraine, where gymnastics is taught more widely, and discipline and determination were instilled in her at an early age.

“When I was six years old my mum took me to a dance studio and I loved it,” she says. “I was a slim, strong and small girl in my class with lots of energy to expend. One day when I was seven we had a visitor in our PE lesson. As we finished the lesson she approached me and said ‘I think you will do very well in gymnastics’.

“Although I was only seven at that time I will never forget that day or the day after when my mum took me to a professional gymnastics centre. From that day I had another life and I loved it, even though it was not an easy one sometimes. I trained hard and never allowed myself to make excuses or cheat myself out of being the best I could be. I knew that if I didn’t give my best and do my best I would regret it later in life.”

Irina’s dancing skills meant she enjoyed the floor exercises the most, along with the beam. Fitness contests didn’t exist at the time but the combination of dance, gymnastics and showmanship were perfect preparation for later in life. “I became very creative and started choreographing floor and beam routines, which I still do now,” she says.

But back then it was all about gymnastics and Irina soon progressed up the ladder. She became a professional gymnast for 15 years, representing the Soviet Union and Ukraine in many national and international com-petitions. “You will probably laugh but I would love to go through that hard work again,” she says.

Besides gymnastics she played football and ice hockey and in her spare time climbed trees and fences. “I became powerful, strong, and fast by the age of 12 and took part in many athletics events,” she says.

Later she studied for a degree at Kharkov National Automobile and Highways University where she cultivated a second interest. “I was very passionate about cars.” she says. “I studied cars for two years. I knew a car engine like the back on my hand.”

One day during her final year at university it suddenly occurred to Irina that human bodies were a bit like car engines – they could be finely tuned or left in a sorry state of disrepair. “I understood biomechanics movements and really wanted to find out how the body works as a whole,” she says. “I applied to the National University of Physical Training and Sport where many high class athletes become high class trainers. And I wanted to be like them.”

Irina achieved a degree in sport science, biomechanics and sport therapy and subsequently got more involved in coaching and teaching sport. “Now I just can’t live without being healthy and fit for life,” she says. After her gymnastics career finished she kept in shape doing aerobics, cycling and dance. She also continued doing gymnastics just for fun. About the only thing she didn’t do was weight training. She never touched a weight until 2006, by which time her life had changed considerably.

In 1993 Irina moved to England and worked as a gymnastics coach at the boarding school where her children studied. “As a single mum I worked many hours to keep my children in private boarding school and hardly had time to go to gym,” she says. Although she no longer had the time to train seriously she never lost the desire and became an avid fan of a new type of contest on TV. “I watched the Ms Fitness USA show every year from 1995,” she says. “The breath-taking performances by some of the most beautiful and athletic woman made me want one day to take part in a fitness competition. It was my dream.” As her children grew older she began to think seriously about entering a contest in the United Kingdom.

Irina was in her 40s when she decided to do it. Most people wouldn’t dream of taking up something so demanding at such an age but Irina has never been one to shirk a physical challenge. She had seen a 52-year-old American grandmother do it on TV and didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t do the same. “I got inspired, and I wanted to inspire others too,” she says. “I always looked up to their condition and admired their physiques.”

The routine is the hard part of fitness contests for most women but being an ex-professional gymnast it presented few problems for Irina. Developing her physique was her priority so she started weight training for the first time at the age of 47. “I was in shape and all I had to do was put on some more muscle,” she says. “I started visiting the gym regularly, lifted weights and I noticed that my body responded rapidly to the exercises I performed. I felt beautiful, athletic as ever and healthier. The cold, hard iron can do more for a woman’s beauty than diamonds. And above all, it builds strength on the inside as well as the outside.”

But although she enjoyed the training, contest preparation was something else. “I was surprised to find out how intense it is,” she says. “But I loved every sweaty and sometimes hungry minute of it. First it was an aesthetic pleasure, and then it became more of a lifestyle. I began methodically training my body, learning as much as I could about diet and nutrition.”

Irina made her UKBFF debut at the 2006 North-East Championships in Leeds where she beat Angel McKenzie, who later found fame on Big Brother. The victory qualified her for the UK Championships where she became national fitness champion for the first time – and she did it all herself.

“I did not have a trainer or anyone who could help me and people find that very strange,” she says. “I did all my preparation by myself. I studied, read a lot, listened to my body and worked hard in gym. I did my own choreography for fitness routines, edited my own music, and did my own diet, training, and designed and sewed my own costumes.”

Irina has little doubt about what separates her from other women. “I have a very strong will to accomplish my goal,” she says. “Once I decide to do something, I am dedicated 110% and won’t give up. This carries through in my workout and life in general.”

She won the UK title again in 2008 and 2010. Last year’s victory, after turning, 50, was the sweetest of all. “I worked my Ukrainian booty off for last year’s show,” she says. “I knew I had to prove myself again and let people know that I was still alive.”

In between her domestic triumphs she has represented the UK at the World Masters Championships in Italy and the European Masters Championships in Serbia. She may have started late but she has certainly made up for lost time and now can’t imagine a life without weight training “I only started lifting weight seriously four years ago and working out has made a huge impact on my life and health,” she says. “I guess it would be safe to say I am addicted now to working out. No matter what happens to me in my life, working out always helps me to shake off the stress.”

Irina has no plans to retire. “I definitely want to continue to try to improve myself and take it as far as I can,” she says. “If the opportunity to turn pro presents itself, I will take it.” She still sees plenty of room for improvement. “I want the same as most girls – more V-taper, more shoulders, back, tighter glutes,” she says. She’s also practising new moves for her routine.

Her goals extend to inspiring others. “I want to be a fitness role model for women, especially for mothers out there that want to be fit, self-fulfilled, and feel desirable and sexy. I feel strongly about this. I want to connect with the other women out there and give them the affirmation that they can be a dedicated mum, a loving wife, an intelligent, savvy business-person and a smoking hot fit woman. We just have to believe in ourselves.”

Age, she says, is not a problem. “My philosophy is: ‘life isn’t about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself’,” she says. “There is no magic pill. The key is the combination of your diet, nutrition and training and you must stay happy. Being fit is the best feeling I could ever imagine. I can’t describe how much inspiration comes from seeing the muscles grow and the fat go. Working out has kept me feeling like a kid.”

IRINA TALKS ABOUT HER TRAINING

How do you prepare for contests?

I start 12 weeks out with the diet. For training I do three or four weight sessions a week plus cardio five days a week and I practise my routine five days a week. Two or three times a week I practise specific moves and dance: I do hip-hop, break-dance and street-dance. I also go to a professional gymnastics centre to practise my tumbling.

Does your training change in the offseason?

I still train three to five times per week and do 20 to 30 minutes cardio at maximum intensity three to five days a week. I will also train a little heavier – a lot of super-sets to keep the intensity high.

What type of cardio do you do? What is your training style?

I love plyometric training. Plyometrics are a great way to increase leg strength, stamina, jumping etc. I do supersets and also do ‘bleachers’, where I run to the top of stairs and back. I did this when I was gymnast; it’s hard but I love it. I love to do a fast walk uphill and to run also.

Does your diet change much when you’re not preparing for a show?

I don’t really have an offseason and an on-season. My nutrient intake changes depending on how far out from a show I am. I still eat clean every two to three hours with high protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates such as rice, potato and vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, asparagus. I do cheat once a week, which is something I never do in-season. I love all seafood, egg white, oatmeal, asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, mushrooms, soy nuts, natural peanut butter, turkey, chicken, protein powder.

Which bodypart do you most like to train?

Legs and glutes because I love the results. I have a lot of favourite glutes exercises but I think the one-legged squat would be my favourite. I feel it right in the target spot. I have to work the hardest to bring my legs up. For my heavy leg day I do heavy squats (4 x 10), leg presses (3 x 10), hack squats (3 x 10). leg extensions (3 x 10), straight-leg deadlifts (3 x 10); on my light leg day I do front squats (3 x 15), leg extensions (7 x 15) supersetted with leg curls (7 x 15) and walking weighted lunges (3 x 20). FLEX