Our Heart & Soul of Precor series highlights the incredible, inspiring people who work at Precor. These articles focus on employees who embody the Precor creed both inside and outside of the workplace. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the people who make our company so unique!

Meet Danielle Rainwater, who has been working for Precor for 3.5 years as part of our Corporate Marketing Team. Not only does Danielle work a full-time schedule, but she also competes in national-level bodybuilding competitions.

What is your fitness story?

In the past, Danielle had always considered herself a “healthy” and “fit” person by her own definition. She ran track through college, followed a mainly paleo diet, and focused on cardio workouts. But after not getting the results she wanted, she started researching and educating herself on the power of lifting weights. She started to implement what she was learning and saw her body transform before her eyes. She was so pleased with the progress she was seeing that she set a goal for herself and decided to get her Personal Training Certification so she could pass on this knowledge to others who want to better themselves and live happy, healthy lives.

What inspired you to start training and competing?

Danielle has always been a competitive person. She ran track, showed horses, and was involved in theater growing up, and after college she missed performing and the competitive aspect. This was just about the time she started taking fitness more seriously and started seeing competitors across social media and thought, “hey, this might be right up my alley”. For Danielle, finding weights and flexible dieting allowed her to grow her passion for the sport of bodybuilding. It has taught her so much about her body and self as a person. She feels that she has made so many positive changes both mentally and physically. She has never felt so strong, healthy, and most of all, proud of herself!

How do you find balance working at Precor while still making time for your training and meal prep, especially during your competition preps?

Working for a company that supports their employees to live the lives they desire and values work-life balance helps a lot, Danielle says. When she is in prep for her shows, her days typically start at 5 AM to get the first round of cardio done before work. She then will go to work and head back to the gym for her second workout and any cardio she has left (this varies depending on how close to her show she is). Danielle said it’s helpful to have fitness equipment and showers available at work.

The biggest thing for her though is scheduling her time for the week. Knowing what she will be training each day, breaking up cardio through the week, and knowing in advance when she will get it done puts her mind at ease. Setting aside her Sundays for grocery shopping and meal prepping is a staple because diet is probably the most important part of the prep.

How has working at Precor/Amer Sports influenced your journey?

Danielle tells us that everyone at Precor is so supportive! A lot of competitors struggle with having the people they are around understand or support why they are eating out of tupperware containers and weighing everything that goes into their mouth. It is so refreshing to be surrounded by people who share a goal-oriented mindset and really want to learn about what she is doing and why. Plus, co-workers have fun playing the guessing game “What is Danielle cooking today?”

What is your favorite thing about competing?

Danielle says it’s hard to choose one thing. She loves the way it challenges and pushes her past her limits. She says she would do it even if the stage wasn’t at the end. “I do it for myself because I love what it has taught me about myself and what I am capable of.” Danielle also states that this sport has brought some of the most amazing people into her life that share her similar mindset and whom she would not have met without competing.

What is the hardest part about competing?

Danielle is sure that a lot of people are expecting to hear that the diet is the hardest part, but she honestly thinks it is the mental side. Danielle likes to say this sport is 20% physical and 80% mental. Your body is pushed to its ultimate limits and there are times when you downright feel awful and keeping a positive mindset can be hard. In these times you just have to remember your “why” and remind yourself this is temporary. The feeling you have that moment you step on stage and see what all you have accomplished at the end makes it worth it.

Danielle says that you constantly have to remind yourself that you are peaking your body for that ONE show day and that the look you have that day is not maintainable. She also says the few weeks post-show, getting used to seeing the lines disappear and getting your body back to a healthy place is truly the hardest part. But having the support from her family and friends is a huge help because she has people to go to when the times get tough, and they motivate and encourage her to stick to her goals!

How do you stick to your diet?

Tracking her food and planning it out in advance keeps her on track. Danielle also likes to take Sundays as her meal prep day so everything is ready to go for the week. She will plan out what she is going to eat for the week and have it all entered into her tracking app so she just has to look at what her next meal is and there is no reason to go off track.

How do you handle social situations in a world where food and drinks are at the center of it all? How do you stick to your goals but still participate?

Danielle said that she made a promise to herself before she started competing that she wouldn’t let competing get in the way of her relationships with her family and friends. She promised herself that she would still go to events and she would not isolate herself just because she can’t “participate” in the food and drinks. It was her decision to pursue competing and not her family or friends’, and she doesn’t believe it should come between those relationships. She also had to switch her mindset to really focus on the people around and valuing that time because, in reality, events should be about the company and not about the drinks and snacks. She also always make sure to eat or take a meal to have at the event so she is not going into it hungry, and plans a good meal to look forward to when she gets home!

How many competitions have you done?

Danielle has competed in four events so far: two in 2017 and two in 2018. The most recent competition she competed in was NPC USA in Las Vegas in July. This was her first national-level competition. Currently, she is working on improving for her next season which will start after the new year.

Do you have any specific goals (long or short term) with competing?

Danielle’s ultimate goal is to win her IFBB pro card within the next few years.

What achievement are you most proud of so far?

Danielle says her biggest achievement so far is not a specific placing, but just making it to the stage each time and bringing a better package every time. Every time she goes through a prep, she feels that she grows not only in her physique but as a person. “I am proud of the person I have become and competing has played a big role in me becoming the person I am today!”

What is your favorite line of the Precor Creed and why?

I believe the human body is an amazing thing.

“The body truly achieves what the mind believes. Don’t limit yourself in your beliefs, you are so much stronger than you think. Set your mind to something, and believe it and you will achieve it! Your only limitation is yourself.”