Kalispell mom, trainer sets her sights on bodybuilding championship

“You know what they call a Montanan with two jobs? Lazy,” Kjersti Day says smiling. It’s Monday afternoon at Fuel Fitness in Kalispell and the mother of four is making the most of her 90-minute workout session. She has calories to torch, cardio to do and weights to lift — and only so many hours in the day to do it all.

Day, by her own definition, is certainly no slouch.

In addition to raising her children, she teaches classes at Fuel, trains clients, teaches ballroom dance, bartends at Scotty’s Bar and picks up the odd service gig, all while chasing her dream of becoming a professional bodybuilder.

It’s not an easy road, by any means, but Day has never been one to take the path most traveled.

The 38-year-old Kalispell resident grew up in the Seattle area and spent most of her youth living with her grandparents who were a competitive pair in their own right. Grandma was a pro golfer and her grandfather ran marathons, so it wasn’t exactly a shock that Day found her own way into the sphere of competitive athletics.

In college, while she pursued a degree in communications, the gym became her safe haven.

“If I didn’t have that, there was no way I would make it through the day,” she said of her early morning workouts.

The fitness bug bit her early on, but it wasn’t until last year that Day took her passion to the stage.

In the fall of 2017, an ex-boyfriend suggested the avid gym-goer enter a bikini physique competition just four-and-a-half weeks from contest day. Of the four primary classes in bodybuilding bikini is the most feminine, while figure, physique and bodybuilding focus more and more on building muscle.

While Day enjoyed the experience, there wasn’t quite enough muscle building for her taste, so she set her sights on the next division up — figure. Figure contestants strive for a defined look with a moderate amount of muscle and a V taper — wide shoulders and a lean waist.

For her first foray in the figure division, Day had more time to prepare and dove headfirst into her training. She put 12 pounds of muscle on her 5-foot-8-inch frame and took first at the NPC Big Sky Championships in Missoula and third at Emerald Cup in Bellevue, Washington a week later.

“Every show that I’ve done, and I’ve only done three, I’ve watched my body completely transform,” she said.

A fourth transformation is currently in the works as she prepares for a national competition — Jon Lindsay’s Muscle Contest held July 27-28 in Las Vegas. To earn her pro card, she’ll have to beat out, not just every competitor in her height bracket, but every contestant in the figure class.

It’s stiff competition, but Day is hungry for a win.

“I don’t think about it,” she said of juggling parenthood with a career and her training. “I run on caffeine in the morning and the support from the people around me and my pre-workout in the afternoon.”

Muscle-building was the first phase in her preparation for nationals, which equated to Day eating “a ton” and working out as much as she could. But the end of July nears she’ll focus on cutting by upping her cardio and scaling back on food. Day walks around at about 160 pounds, but will whittle her figure down to a lean 145 come show day.

To burn fat while maintaining her muscle mass, Day eats 250-calorie meals six to seven times a day. Her goal is to burn 3,000 calories a day — 1,000 in cardio alone — with the remainder coming from weight-lifting sessions and normal daily activities.

An average meal might include a hemp protein shake with mixed berries, spinach and cucumber with some dry Ezekeial toast or 1/3 cup of plain oatmeal. She limits herself to 40 grams of fat per day and 200 grams of carbs and tries to keep her intake as natural as possible.

If her cravings are particularly bad, a “splurge” by Day’s definition might be a single square of dark chocolate or a half-a-tablespoon of peanut butter. On nights when she’s bartending into the wee hours, she might even allow herself a few french fries here and there.

“You find yourself getting short and spacey,” she said. “Trying to find words is really hard.”

The support from her co-workers and family helps her stay on track.

“I have four boys and they’re so stoked,” Day said. “They love talking to their friends about their strong mom and it just makes me feel … it’s that little bit of fire underneath.”

The work doesn’t end when she arrives backstage. There’s hair and makeup, some fairly intense tanning and pre-stage pumping — lifting weights or using bands to increase blood flow and therefore, size of her muscles. She said some contestants will even eat candy or shoot Tequila for that quick blast of sugar right before going on — s far cry from what one might imagine occurs backstage.

Once on stage, Day and her competitors will post for about 20 minutes as judges inspect their physiques and move them about the stage.

Preparing for a national-level bodybuilding competition isn’t just about working out and eating right — there’s a financial component, too.

“My suit was almost $300 — and that’s cheap,” she said.

Competition suits are tailored to their wearer’s precise measurements and prices can vary based on the grade of fabric and the level of jewel bedazzlement.

“It’s easily close to three grand a show,” Day said.

But when that hard work pays off in the form of a trophy, and this time, hopefully a pro card, all that discipline and effort is worthwhile.

“I’ve never felt better about myself. That’s what I love about figure, is that it’s still absolutely feminine and beautiful — you’re just strong,” she said. “I want my pro card, for sure. I want to compete on the pro circuit. I don’t ever go into anything with lower expectations than taking first.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.