Rachel Baker

Rachel Baker, once a competitive gymnast, began weight training in high school as part of physical therapy for a knee injury. The pesky knee injury put a halt on her career in gymnastics but through it born a love of lifting weights and working out. She hails lifting became as her outlet, stating that it kept her strong and limber enough to do other enjoyed activities such as skiing, gymnastics and football. Rachel would suffer her 5^th ACL reconstruction and hand surgery before being introduced to the world of body building.

Baker has been training for 22 years but competed for only 1. She recalls her first competition in May of 2009; the OCB Eastern Regional’s, citing that she “did pretty well, had a great time and was hooked!” Within two months she competed in two more competitions: The INBF Natural North America and The INBF Barbados Grand Prix and earned her pro card in Figure, Fit Body and Bodybuilding in the WNBF. She won first place in Figure in that show and qualified for national NPC competitions, deciding to compete in the NPC National Figure Championships in Hollywood, FL., winning her first pro show in Yorton -Figure.

Other accolades that year include NPC BWI Sykesville, Maryland - October 3, 2009-1^st Masters, 1^st Open Short, 1^st ALL AROUND (qualifying for Nationals) IFPA Yorton Cup Pro World Championships: Bowie, Maryland, November 13, 2009, 1^ST Open Short, 1^st All Around and the NPC National Figure Championships: Hollywood, Florida-November 21, 2009.

“My philosophy,” Rachel offers, “is that you compete against yourself. You have no control over who is judging, what the judges are looking for and who shows up to compete. You are the only constant amongst all of the variables. You need to be confident in the package that you bring to the stage. If you have dieted, trained and conditioned yourself to the best of your ability then you’ve already won and if the judges happen to agree then that is just icing on the cake!!”