Jori D – 1st Place, Masters Bikini Division, Stingrey Bodybuilding Competition 2016!
Stingrey Classic on Facebook

I chose to work with Gina for my first NPC Bikini Competition because she is so knowledgeable in the competition and fitness industry. Gina has also competed in the past so she understood what I was going through as a female. Gina was always on point with her workout programs and nutrition programming for me. She was very natural as well which was great for me because I was not looking to take harmful supplements for my competition. Gina worked with me one on one and wrote me workout programs that were easy to understand and very gratifying. Gina not only became my coach but also my friend, she really made me feel comfortable and gave me all the tools to make my first competition stress-free even when I did stress she was compassionate and made me feel good. The day of my competition Gina was there and made me feel like a true athlete. Gina believed in me and that truly gave me the extra push to the finish line! I took first place in my category!!! Thank you so much Gina for being the most amazing person in my life during this special time!!! You are truly talented!
~Jori D

Shannon O – Women’s Masters Figure Short Class, Paradise Cup 2015!
Paradise Cup on Facebook

Kristen P

My Fitness Journey with Gina Ogitani

In 2014, I had gotten to a point in my life where I questioned why was working out worth it anymore. I finished playing collegiate volleyball in 2008 and continued being apart of the sport through coaching for the next few years. When I moved back home from Washington, I got swept up into my career and my fitness was put on the back burner. I thought what was the point in working out anymore if my collegiate career was over.
I was fortunate enough to be hired at the UFC gym part time when I met Gina Ogitani who was a personal trainer at the UFC gym. After talking to Gina for quite some time, I was able to come up with a very simple reason as to why working out was worth it: ME. I decided my life and my health was worth investing in. I made the decision to enter a bodybuilding competition to help spark that motivation in me. Paradise Cup was in November and that was the competition I wanted to enter. I began working with Gina in April 2014. It started off with changing the way I eat. “Clean eating” was by far the hardest thing I had to on my fitness journey. I didn’t see a change right away and this started to discourage me. However, Gina kept reminding to trust the process. Once I finally started sticking to the meal plan she set up for me, I started to see my body change. It wasn’t an overnight process but I stuck to it and saw results soon enough. I took pictures of myself every week so that I could see my changes. One of the harder hurdles at the beginning was weighing myself. I hated the scale because it didn’t show that I was making any process at all. Gina had told me that taking pictures of the scale was for her so that she could track how my eating was going. She said to ignore that number and use more of how I felt and how my body looked rather than what the scale said. My weight started to change but I was gaining muscle. I kept trusting the process and my body started to change. My arms, legs, and stomach area began to tighten. The more I worked out, the more it began to turn into my way of getting out any frustrations that I had. I went to the gym twice a day and spent about 4 hours total daily. It became addicting for me. I was eager to keep seeing my body change and loved the challenge of seeing what my body could become.
Now, as a woman, I would say that I was as graceful as the next woman. However, put me in heels and a bikini and I became a deer caught in the headlights. Gina helped bring out my inner diva and showed me how to walk with like a goddess. She brought out a confidence in me that I never knew existed. Never in my life would I have ever thought that I would be able to walk gracefully (and not fall), smile and flex in order to show my muscles in heel and a be-dazzled bikini. Although I didn’t place in the top 5, I gained something that I could never pay her back for. She helped me find my inner confidence and my inner goddess. She helped shape me into the person that I am today and I am honored not only to call her my coach, but my friend as well.

More Before & After Pics…