EMILY PLAJER

​Emily is a realtor who lives in South Florida and is the founder
of Tall Girl Gang. She started competing in 2013 and after a 5
year break, returned to competing with the goal of earning her
pro card. She did so in 2020 at National Championships and then
won her first pro show to earn a spot at the 2021
Olympia. 



Because Emily’s mom was a competitor, she was inspired by her
hard work and dedication to building her body. Watching her mom
conquer prep helped her through her prep. Her mom is extremely
supportive. Emily tells us that before she steps on the stage,
she looks out into the audience to find her family to get her
excited.



Emily explains why she needed a break after her first
season. She was 18 years old when she started competing and
needed to recover mentality from the prep cycle. She also focused
on school and all of the things that go along with that. She
talks about how she initially wanted to be a doctor and then
switched to nutrition, but her heart wasn’t in it. She made the
choice to drop out so she could prioritize her
happiness. 



Celeste asks what inspired Emily to start Tall Girl Gang. Emily
explains that after winning her pro debut, she received so many
messages thanking her for representing tall girls. Emily tells
how she was the shortest in her class growing up until high
school, when she had a growth spurt. As a competitor, she often
receives feedback to “fill out” her muscles. 



When started working out again, she regained the desire to
compete and reach her original goal of turning pro. She started
without a coach and eventually hired a coach to help her get to
the national stage. She talks about feeling the frustration of
having shows pushed back due to COVID in 2020 and being eager to
get back to the national stage after not having won her pro card
in 2019. 


 


Celeste asks how she’s approaching her offseason. This reverse
she has focused on how she is feeling in her body and not the
number on the scale. Her coach is local to her, as well as some
of her teammates, and that allows them to workout together. Even
during prep, Emily lifts heavy because it helps keep her muscles
fuller. Emily describes how she maintains flexibility in her
offseason diet, but keeps the same daily routine that she does
during prep. 



Emily sees her coach almost daily. As the have more experience
together, they have gained trust for each other, which makes
communication easy. They decided to jump into a pro show because
it was so close to her home. She wanted to get feedback for the
2021 season, but she ended up winning and qualifying for the 2021
Olympia. Eventually, she dreams to be Ms. Bikini Olympia.



Celeste asks how she would use the platform if she became Ms.
Bikini Olympia. Emily feels it’s bigger than just the title. She
would want to give back to the people who have helped her,
possibly starting a charity to give back. She feels added
pressure to do well because she won her pro debut. For her pro
debut, Emily didn’t change her posing routine from Nationals. She
says it was an honor to stand on stage with girls she has admired
for so long. 



After she moved to Florida, she became a realtor to earn money
while competing and to have flexibility. With Tall Girl Gang, she
wants to inspire other tall girls to know they can do well in the
sport. 



A listener asks what her biggest life lesson learned form
competing is. Emily says that we are capable of anything we set
our minds to. Completing a prep is a huge accomplishment and we
should be hard on ourselves if the placing isn’t what we want.
She doubted herself when she first started, but stuck with it and
proved herself wrong. 



Emily talks about losing her father when she was young. He passed
away from brain cancer when she was 13. It taught her that life
is too short and you need to go after what you want. It took her
a few preps to figure out how to balance her relationship with
her boyfriend. She couldn’t use prep as an excuse to slack on
their relationship. She practiced more patience and listening.
She realized she can’t dictate what he eats just because she is
on prep. Being on prep can amplify problems in your
relationship. 



To first time competitors, Emily recommends to just try it. Go to
a show and see what it’s about, reach out to someone on
Instagram. For seasoned competitors, regardless of how long the
road is, don’t give up. 


 


CONNECT WITH EMILY:


https://www.instagram.com/emily_plajer/


https://jointallgirlgang.com/


 


CONNECT WITH CELESTE:


https://instagram.com/celestial_fit


 


Episode Time Stamps:


[0:51] Introduction


 


[1:49] Pre-stage ritual


 


[2:30] Emily talks about what inspires her


 


[5:00] Celeste asks why she returned to the stage


 


[7:25] Inspiration for Tall Girl Gang


 


[9:39] Emily talks about competing as a tall girl


 


[14:14] Celeste how she’s approaching her offseason


 


[16:30] Emily talks about a hospital visit


 


[18:10] Lifting during prep


 


[20:35] Working with a coach


 


[23:50] Celeste asks how she would use the platform if she became
Ms. Bikini Olympia.


 


[26:35] Emily talks about posing. 


 


[29:23] Emily talks about her career. 


 


[32:35] Pre-Olympia plans


 


[33:05] Biggest life lesson learned from competing


 


[35:08] Emily talks about losing her father when she was
young. 


 


[37:10] Emily talks about her relationship with her
boyfriend. 


 


[41:53] Celeste mentions Emily’s consistency.


 


[44:13] Emily offers advice for first time competitors and those
wishing to turn pro


 


[46:00] Emily and Celeste rap up the conversation.