Gerbel Mikk is one of Estonia’s best-known female bodybuilders — the 2007 Estonian bodybuilding champion and the 2009 Estonian powerlifting champion in the up to 75 kg body weight category. In this article we look at who Gerbel is, where they train, what their records are and what keeps bringing them back to the stage.
Gerbel Mikk — background and achievements
Gerbel was born on 4 November 1974 in Pärnu and lives in Tallinn today. Their nickname on the fitness.ee portal is Skaut, and their main workplace is Fitness.ee as well. In private life Gerbel is engaged, and besides the gym their interests include the military and skating.
You can see Gerbel training at three clubs: Sparta and Zelluloos in Tallinn and Kimberi Klubi in Pärnu. Gerbel’s role model in bodybuilding is the Russian Elena Shportun, and the favorite athlete is Monica Brant from the USA. Favorite magazines are Muscle & Fitness and Oxygen — classics for anyone who takes women’s bodybuilding seriously.
Outside of bodybuilding, Gerbel considers the biggest achievement to be the Estonian powerlifting title in 2009 in the -75 kg category. Gerbel is 160 cm tall, with a competition weight of 58 kg and an off-season weight of 68 kg. The measurements speak for themselves: biceps 31 cm, chest 93 cm, waist 73 cm, thigh 52 cm, calf 36 cm.
Gerbel Mikk in training: records and weak points
Personal records in the gym are impressive, especially considering a competition weight of 58 kg:
- Bench press: 85 kg
- Squat: 125 kg
- Deadlift: 140 kg
By Gerbel’s own assessment, the strongest parts of the body are the legs and back — which the records confirm. The weaker side is abdominal definition, that is, bringing out the classic “6-pack”. The reason is an honest one: it demands very clean, disciplined nutrition, and Gerbel admits to liking an occasional indulgence.
According to Gerbel, changing nutrition habits is the one thing without which success in bodybuilding won’t come. Training alone doesn’t cut it — if the kitchen doesn’t play along, the result stalls halfway. This applies to competitors and to ordinary gym-goers with everyday goals alike.
Gerbel Mikk on motivation and disappointments
What makes a woman prepare for months just to stand on stage for a few minutes? Gerbel’s answer is simple: good shape, an athletic look and feeling good. That is the main source of motivation.
The biggest disappointment, Gerbel says, is the flip side of that — months of preparation with nutrition and training, only to step on stage for a few minutes. Finding motivation over a long cycle is hard. Anyone who has prepared for a competition knows the feeling well.
Gerbel wants one change in women’s bodybuilding: for women to remain women on stage. It’s an eternal debate — how much muscle mass and leanness counts as “too much” in the category. Gerbel’s own physique is a good example of balance: strong, yet feminine.
By Gerbel’s own account, bodybuilding has made them a little vainer in private life. The goal for the coming years is to compete at the European and world level as well.
Gerbel Mikk’s favorites and lifestyle
Season — spring. Newspaper — Eesti Ekspress. Car — Peugeot 206, a nice little “women’s car”; for the next one, something like a Jeep is on the wish list. Favorite film is “The Fifth Element”, favorite drink morning coffee (the day doesn’t start without it), favorite time of day lunchtime. Music: Madonna and Il Divo, though other artists get played too, depending on mood.
At the table: meat, cheese, quark — a typical bodybuilder’s choice of protein. Favorite pet is a cat, favorite day Friday, filler word “oke”. Favorite childhood actor Patrick Swayze, today Jason Statham. Favorite TV show: Hommiku TV. Biggest fear — spiders. Biggest virtue — a smile.
Gerbel considers Marek Kalmus a good athlete. Of Ott Kiivikas, Gerbel admires the willpower to stay in so-called competition shape year-round — something Gerbel openly admits not being able to do at the moment.
FAQ: Gerbel Mikk
What are Gerbel Mikk’s biggest achievements?
Estonian champion in bodybuilding in 2007 and Estonian champion in powerlifting in the up to 75 kg category in 2009. Plus a number of smaller titles in both sports.
Where does Gerbel Mikk train?
In Tallinn at the Sparta and Zelluloos clubs, in Pärnu at Kimberi Klubi. For training, Gerbel uses both classic weight training programs and the basic powerlifting lifts — squat, deadlift, bench press.
What is their most important advice for a beginner?
Change your nutrition habits. Training matters, but without clean, consistent nutrition the result stays incomplete. This applies to everyone, not only competing bodybuilders.
A wish to readers: a healthy and active lifestyle is the foundation of feeling good!
Source: Turg.Fitness.ee
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