Sue Gafner
Encyclopedia
Sue Gafner is a former professional female bodybuilder
of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Sue Gafner competed as an amateur in the light-weight competitive division for several years in the late 80s until she moved the middle weight class at the national class level of competitive bodybuilding in the early 90s. Gafner earned her pro card in 1990 by winning the middle weight class at the NPC
Nationals. She competed as a professional from 1991 through 1993. She was the first winner of the Jan Tana Classic
in 1991. As of 2008 she resides in the Tampa / St. Petersburg
area of Florida where she lives with her husband while working as an independent management consultant specializing in financial compliance.
, United States
. When she was young her family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico
where she grew up, and eventually moved to Southern California where she settled along with her family in Orange,California. At the age of 23 in January 1987, she was introduced to weight training through the book Hardbodies by Glady Portugues and began to lift at a local gym (Brainum, 166). She took up weight training mainly to lose weight. During this time weight training was becoming a more and more popular with women and soon Sue became very interested in it along with better nutritional practices. Her body responded quickly and before she knew it she got hooked on the bodybuilding life style. During this time she began following a stricter diet and soon began to think about competition. Gafner gathered her training knowledge from a variety of sources, including Hardbodies and received guidance from some of the members at her gym who offered her tips on training and dieting.
She finally decided to compete after three months of training when people at her him began suggesting that she should try competition. Sue decided to do so and on April 1987 she entered her first contest. She won her class at the 1987 Palm Springs Muscle Classic Novice contest, and followed her debut with a victory at the 1987 Tournament of Champions where she won both her class and overall. She continued training, but ran into trouble due to her lack of knowledge about dieting and exercise and often overtrained
(Brainum, 223). This soon changed when Sue joined with a more experienced bodybuilder named Lisa Hitchens. Lisa taught Sue about how to train properly and this was very helpful for Sue and it showed in her competition. Gafner placed 1st in the light weight division at the 1988 USA Championships and 2nd on the 1989 NPC Nationals. She later decided to enter the middle weight class and placed 1st at the NPC Nationals, earning her Pro card in only a three year period. She continued to compete meanwhile she managed her own wall-papering business and worked as a wall-paper hanger.
After becoming a Pro Sue had a brief career in the pro circuit. She arrived at a time where Women's Bodybuilding
was going through a transition where bigger was better. And like many women bodybuilders of the 80s she refused to follow with the trend of gaining large levels of muscle mass in order to compete and be successful in the sport were once small frames were considered better. And while she was very successful at the NPC level where she placed no lower than 2nd, she soon found herself lost at the IFBB were heavier athletes were winning the shows. She placed 10th at her first Ms. Olympia
competition and 12th the second time and after reaching the top-five at her second 1993 Ms. International
, she retired from the sport entirely. This came as a result of her lack of desire to use large amounts of steroids such as growth hormones in order to compete and be successful at a pro level. Today it is believed that like many other professional bodybuilders, Sue has started her own personal training business and is living peacefully in California.
Sue stands out from other female professional bodybuilders for been a great speaker about the bodybuilding lifestyle and for always promoting the benefits of bodybuilding outside of competing. "Bodybuilding has allowed me mold my body into the shape I want, that's why I do it, and will continue to train regardless of whether I compete or not. Bodybuilding makes me feel good about myself, and that's what's important" (Brainum, 226). Gafner's only IFBB Pro, and most notable victory was the IFBB 1991 Jan Tana Classic
.
, shoulders
, back
, and arm
s in order to bring up her upper body to match her strong legs (Brainum, 224). She rarely does Regular Squats
with a free barbells due to a hip problem and focuses more on isolation exercises such as Hack Squats, Leg Presses, and Lunges (Brainum, 224). Sue believes that proper form is very important and often avoids extreme heavy weights. During the off-season she avoided any form of aerobic exercise to preserve her energy levels. When it came to contest season she would do at least one or two cardio sessions for four to five days due to her high metabolism.
Female bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.-Beginnings:...
of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Sue Gafner competed as an amateur in the light-weight competitive division for several years in the late 80s until she moved the middle weight class at the national class level of competitive bodybuilding in the early 90s. Gafner earned her pro card in 1990 by winning the middle weight class at the NPC
National Physique Committee
The National Physique Committee is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in various competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC...
Nationals. She competed as a professional from 1991 through 1993. She was the first winner of the Jan Tana Classic
Jan Tana Classic
The Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
in 1991. As of 2008 she resides in the Tampa / St. Petersburg
Tampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...
area of Florida where she lives with her husband while working as an independent management consultant specializing in financial compliance.
Biography
Sue Gafner was born in 1964 in Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. When she was young her family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
where she grew up, and eventually moved to Southern California where she settled along with her family in Orange,California. At the age of 23 in January 1987, she was introduced to weight training through the book Hardbodies by Glady Portugues and began to lift at a local gym (Brainum, 166). She took up weight training mainly to lose weight. During this time weight training was becoming a more and more popular with women and soon Sue became very interested in it along with better nutritional practices. Her body responded quickly and before she knew it she got hooked on the bodybuilding life style. During this time she began following a stricter diet and soon began to think about competition. Gafner gathered her training knowledge from a variety of sources, including Hardbodies and received guidance from some of the members at her gym who offered her tips on training and dieting.
She finally decided to compete after three months of training when people at her him began suggesting that she should try competition. Sue decided to do so and on April 1987 she entered her first contest. She won her class at the 1987 Palm Springs Muscle Classic Novice contest, and followed her debut with a victory at the 1987 Tournament of Champions where she won both her class and overall. She continued training, but ran into trouble due to her lack of knowledge about dieting and exercise and often overtrained
Overtraining
Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness...
(Brainum, 223). This soon changed when Sue joined with a more experienced bodybuilder named Lisa Hitchens. Lisa taught Sue about how to train properly and this was very helpful for Sue and it showed in her competition. Gafner placed 1st in the light weight division at the 1988 USA Championships and 2nd on the 1989 NPC Nationals. She later decided to enter the middle weight class and placed 1st at the NPC Nationals, earning her Pro card in only a three year period. She continued to compete meanwhile she managed her own wall-papering business and worked as a wall-paper hanger.
After becoming a Pro Sue had a brief career in the pro circuit. She arrived at a time where Women's Bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.-Beginnings:...
was going through a transition where bigger was better. And like many women bodybuilders of the 80s she refused to follow with the trend of gaining large levels of muscle mass in order to compete and be successful in the sport were once small frames were considered better. And while she was very successful at the NPC level where she placed no lower than 2nd, she soon found herself lost at the IFBB were heavier athletes were winning the shows. She placed 10th at her first Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
competition and 12th the second time and after reaching the top-five at her second 1993 Ms. International
Ms. International
Ms. International is a contest of professional female bodybuilding, organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . "The Ms. International" is generally considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders . It was first held in 1986, and has been held...
, she retired from the sport entirely. This came as a result of her lack of desire to use large amounts of steroids such as growth hormones in order to compete and be successful at a pro level. Today it is believed that like many other professional bodybuilders, Sue has started her own personal training business and is living peacefully in California.
Sue stands out from other female professional bodybuilders for been a great speaker about the bodybuilding lifestyle and for always promoting the benefits of bodybuilding outside of competing. "Bodybuilding has allowed me mold my body into the shape I want, that's why I do it, and will continue to train regardless of whether I compete or not. Bodybuilding makes me feel good about myself, and that's what's important" (Brainum, 226). Gafner's only IFBB Pro, and most notable victory was the IFBB 1991 Jan Tana Classic
Jan Tana Classic
The Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
.
Vital stats
- Current residence: Florida
- Occupation: bodybuilding competitor, personal trainer, fitness model, wallpaper hanger.
- Height: 5 ft 2½ in
- Weight (in season): 108–120 lb; (off-season): 115–121 lb
- Eye color: green
- Hair color: red
Bodybuilding philosophy
Gafner's training mainly consisted of a combination compound, and isolation exercises (mostly done with free weights and a small amount of machines and cables). She trained with the traditional push and pull routine (three days on, one day off) and when contest preparations started, she switched to a four days on / one day off routine to focus more on different body parts. Gafner focuses on her chestChest
The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals. It is sometimes referred to as the thorax or the bosom.-Chest anatomy - Humans and other hominids:...
, shoulders
Shoulders
Shoulders is drinking game that involves players competing in a fast paced game attempting to "count" to 21.-Game play:*The game begins with a player slapping his left/right shoulder, this starts the count at 1....
, back
Human back
The human back is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck and the shoulders. It is the surface opposite to the chest, its height being defined by the vertebral column and its breadth being supported by the ribcage and shoulders...
, and arm
Arm
In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
s in order to bring up her upper body to match her strong legs (Brainum, 224). She rarely does Regular Squats
Squat (exercise)
In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...
with a free barbells due to a hip problem and focuses more on isolation exercises such as Hack Squats, Leg Presses, and Lunges (Brainum, 224). Sue believes that proper form is very important and often avoids extreme heavy weights. During the off-season she avoided any form of aerobic exercise to preserve her energy levels. When it came to contest season she would do at least one or two cardio sessions for four to five days due to her high metabolism.
Contest history
- 1987 NPC Palm Springs Muscle Classic Novice - 1st (LW)
- 1987 NPC Tournament of Champions - 1st (LW and Overall)
- 1988 NPC California State Championships - 2nd (LW)
- 1988 NPCNational Physique CommitteeThe National Physique Committee is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in various competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC...
USA Championships - 1st (LW) - 1989 NPC Nationals - 2nd (LW)
- 1990 NPC Nationals - 1st (MW)
- 1990 IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
World Amateur Championships - 2nd (MW) - 1991 IFBB Ms. InternationalMs. InternationalMs. International is a contest of professional female bodybuilding, organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . "The Ms. International" is generally considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders . It was first held in 1986, and has been held...
- 6th - 1991 IFBB Jan Tana ClassicJan Tana ClassicThe Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
- 1st - 1991 IFBB Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 10th - 1992 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 12th
- 1993 IFBB Ms. International - 4th