Dr. Valerie Ulene currently serves as medical director of Clear Health Advisors, and is a former health columnist at the “Los Angeles Times.” In November, after six months of training, she competed in the open amateur division of the Organization of Competition Bodies in Hollywood.
For years, Valerie’s parents, husband, and three children all practiced weightlifting, but she was put off by it.
“I think the thing I struggled most with was working to failure — lifting until I was literally unable to move the weight,” she told Larchmont Chronicle.
The man who changed her mind was Toby Johnson, owner and operator of Easton Gym. He trained Valerie’s parents for a trek up Kilimanjaro this summer.
“If it hadn’t been for all the work they put in at the gym, they never would have made it to the top,” Ulene remarked.
The results had a profound effect on Valerie. She began lifting under the guidance of Johnson.
Then, Valerie met a woman at a party who had competed in bodybuilding at the age of 50. She raved to Valerie about it as an life-changing experience and insisted Valerie give it a try.
So Johnson increased her training to lifting five days a week at the gym with additional days for cardio.
Johnson also put Ulene in contact with professional female bodybuilder Jodi Miller in Texas. Miller coached Valerie through her presentation through Skype.
“She was a very exacting coach,” said Valerie. Apparently Skype showed great detail to Miller who gave Valerie cues like, “Move your foot five degrees this way” or “Move your shoulder a quarter of an inch.”
The work paid off, as Valerie won the Women’s Physique Open division at the Hollywood competition in December. She said it felt like a great achievement despite having been the only contender in her class.
Valerie turned 53 in December, and although the competition was only supposed to be a an adventure, Valerie said it has profoundly impacted her “It was an amazing, incredible journey in so many different ways.”
She hopes to compete again soon and continue pursuing her fitness journey into late adulthood.
