KIM SERMENO

In this episode, Celeste speaks with Kim Sermeno, a Salvadorian
immigrant who learned English in three months, obtained US
citizenship and her college degree in nutrition, and who is a
soon to be gym owner who earned her pro card at North Americans
in 2019.

Celeste starts off the episode in her usual fashion by asking Kim
about her pre stage ritual. From there, Kim shares with listeners
how she got started in fitness and competing and what led her to
pursue achieving her pro card.

Kim shares that growing up she was always athletic, participating
in various sports such as track, soccer, and softball. When she
came to the United States she discovered the gym and it was then
that she started the transition from being a runner to immersing
herself in the world of weightlifting.

After being asked by other gym goers if she was a competitor, Kim
started researching the sport and decided to give it a try. Next,
Kim talks about her experiences with her first two competitions
being self coached and the approach she took to her nutrition.
She then goes on to share how she started off competing in
smaller shows to allow herself to manage her nerves and allow
herself to get comfortable with the stage and the sport.

Celeste asks Kim if her nerves have progressed as she’s climbed
through the ranks from amateur to pro, yet Kim shares how she
believes her background in modeling helped her feel comfortable
on stage. Since Kim jumped into competing without knowing a lot
about what bodybuilding entailed, Celeste asks Kim if, looking
back, there is anything she wishes she had known prior to
starting in the NPC.

Kim explains that her approach to nutrition has changed since she
started, from being self-taught to now working with a coach who
has her on a structured meal plan for competitions. Then, Kim
gives listeners insight on how her approach to nutrition changes
during the off season and she admits that she doesn’t track
macros or calories. She shares that she doesn’t feel the need to
count meticulously in her off seasons as this has become her
lifestyle and she understands how to fuel her body properly
regardless of her current “season.” Kim and Celeste discuss the
concept of treating the body like a treasure and how that
translates to leading a healthy lifestyle.

From there, Celeste transitions into Kim’s competing career and
asks how her approach has differed over the years. Kim explains
that she follows the plan her coach gives her and that she never
sees competing as a chore, as it’s something she  loves
chooses to pursue.

She shares that although she does have cravings during prep, she
never gives in and loves seeing how her body changes the closer
she gets to a show. With that being said, Celeste asks Kim to
share her favorite prep meals and the ladies discuss their shared
love for meals including oats. Next, Celeste asks Kim to share
her favorite exercises for glutes, hamstrings, and shoulders if
she could only choose one exercise for each muscle group.

The ladies discuss how much they both love smaller isolation
movements and band work as well as typical heavy compound
movements, which many prefer to emphasize when it comes to
building muscle. After discussing training, Celeste asks Kim to
walk listeners through her experiences competing in various
national shows and how she addressed the feedback given to her by
the judges.

Kim shares how she took first her class at her first show, the
Olympia Amateur, then from there proceeded to do well in other
shows, almost achieving her pro card, yet at one national shows
she landed in one of the last call outs, making her reconsider if
competing was for her.

Despite being on the fence about her future in competing, Kim had
already signed up for the next national show and also had plans
to vacation with her boyfriend. Kim recounts her experiences of
being on vacation and how the time away from her training and
diet affected her physique. After coming home, Kim realized she
was up 10 pounds being only 11 days out from her show and she
explains how she and her coach addressed the setbacks and
persevered regardless.

Kim felt a newfound sense of confidence in herself during the
show after hearing other women compliment her physique backstage
and how that was the day she achieved her pro card. Celeste and
Kim reflect on the various challenges Kim faced before finally
reaching her goal and how that only made her a stronger athlete.
Celeste then asks Kim what she would like to accomplish with her
IFBB pro status and Kim shares her hopes and aspirations to one
day step on the Olympia and Arnold stages. 

Switching gears from all things competing, Celeste asks Kim more
about her journey to citizenship; how she ended up in the United
States being an immigrant from El Salvador, and what inspired her
to come to California.

Kim explains that growing up she was one of five children and
after seeing how hard her mother worked to provide for her and
her siblings, Kim knew she wanted a better life for herself. She
also shares how life in El Salvador differs from that in the
United States, stating that the weaker economy and lack of
options and opportunities in terms of higher education and jobs
limits ones potential. Kim sought a better life not only for
herself but for her family as well.

She opens up and reveals that she originally came over as an
illegal immigrant, recounting her experiences on her journey to
the United States, which she plans to write about and publish,
titling the book “29 Days,” as a tribute to the time it took her
to cross the border.

Next, Kim talks about her plans to not only become an author but
to open a gym in her city of San Juan Capistrano. She explains
the reasoning and motivation behind wanting to open up her own
facility as well as the some of the challenges she has faced thus
far. Kim shares that she has always wanted to be a business owner
and explains some of the other projects she is working on both in
business and in education, yet how all her goals are
interconnected.

Celeste then asks Kim how bodybuilding has helped her as both a
business owner and a mother. Kim talks about how she admired her
mothers hard work ethic and how that inspired her to be a hard
worker, a good mother but also enjoy the fruits of her labor. Kim
also mentions the point of the greater the risk, the greater the
reward, and how she has taken that approach with her business
ventures.

​After discussing business, Kim shares how she learned English
after arriving in the US not knowing the language at all. Kim
shares her strategy of immersing herself in the language every
way she could and how that helped her learn the basics before
being able to take classes. Celeste also asks how Kim met her now
boyfriend and how he and her son not only support her but keep
her accountable during her competition preps. Lastly, as always,
Kim shares her best advice for first time competitors and for
girls on their road to pro.

Connect with Kim:
https://www.instagram.com/k_roxysermeno/
https://linktr.ee/k_roxysermeno

Connect with Celeste:
https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/


Time Stamps:
[1:45] Kim shares her pre-stage ritual with listeners.

[2:15] Celeste asks Kim to share how she got started in fitness
and when she found competing.

[4:38] Kim shares how she prepped herself for her first two
competitions.

[7:50] Celeste asks Kim if she’s ever experienced nervousness
before hitting the stage as her competitive career continued to
progress.

[9:20] Celeste asks Kim if there’s anything she wishes she had
known prior to competing in her first NPC show.

[12:40] Kim shares her approach she takes with nutrition in her
improvement seasons as opposed to during prep.

[14:00] Celeste asks Kim if she takes an intuitive eating
approach during her off season, given that she doesn’t track her
food or macros.

[17:25] Celeste has Kim share the differences, if any, amongst
the various preps she has done.

[18:50] Kim shares why she loves bodybuilding.

[20:20] Celeste asks Kim about her favorite prep meal.

[22:00] Kim shares her favorite exercises for shoulders,
hamstrings and glutes.

[25:00] Kim discusses her experiences competing in various
national shows and how she addressed the feedback she received
from the judges.

[32:15] Celeste asks Kim to share about her time on vacation
before North Americans and her thoughts about the physique she
felt she would bring to the stage.

[35:30] Celeste asks Kim if she felt she brought a different
physique to each of her national shows.

[37:40] Kim talks about what it was like to compete at the
Olympia amateur.

[40:00] Celeste asks Kim what she would like to accomplish as an
IFBB Pro.

[42:40] Kim shares her path to citizenship and her journey from
El Salvador to California.

[45:00] Celeste asks Kim about the actual citizenship
process.

[49:00] Kim talks about her plans to open up her gym.

[52:00] Celeste asks Kim how bodybuilding has helped her as a
business owner and mother.

[55:40] Celeste asks Kim how she learned English.

[59:15] Kim talks about how she met her boyfriend and how he and
her son keep her accountable during prep. 

[61:25] Kim shares her best advice for first time competitors and
girls on her road to pro