Terra Martin AKA “Tmart”
NFF Pro Figure Athlete
Earned Pro status: 2017 NFF Mind.Body.Fuel Championships
Pro Debut: 2017 NFF Super Show
Tell us a little about yourself
I’m from a small town in upstate NY and moved to TX a few years ago for a new job with the military. I have been in the ANG for almost 18 years & have been deployed to Antarctica, Germany, New Zealand and all across the US. Most people don’t know that for a period of time in my mid 20’s I hit a rough patch in my personal life and couldn’t seem to do anything right at work. Due to all the stress and various medications my weight went up to almost 200 lbs (I have the drivers license picture still to prove it). I finally got my life right just before moving here & lost a lot of weight. It was a necessary evil for becoming a Military Training Instructor. My end goal of losing weight was doing a competition, which I placed last in. That day I met Chrissie and Larry of MBF and the rest was history after that. I have my certifications in sports nutrition and personal training through ISSA & recently became a Brand Ambassador for Just Strong Clothing. Just Strong empowers and encourages women to be strong not skinny.
How did you get started with bodybuilding?
I have always played sports and lifted, but about 7 years ago I watched my first Olympia & saw Nicole Wilkins walk across that stage and it was pretty much done for me at that point. I spent all my free time researching, watching videos, lifting, reading magazines.. it became my whole world.
Where does your motivation come from? 
My motivation comes from people who tell me I have motivated them to get back into the gym or I’ve motivated them to try prep for the first time. There is no greater motivation for me because it makes me feel like I have to keep going for them. The best part of all my shows from 2017 is I can say I shared the stage with people I love. That’s an amazing feeling! Three of my friends went to one of my shows then they ended up competing months later. To have people you can train with and vent to any time of the day or night.. to have someone who knows what you’re going through is invaluable. It’s also super motivating when I have female flights at Basic Training. That definitely makes me feel like I need to be the standard for them with PT & nutrition. Our last female flight we had achieved Top Female Physical Training Flt out of all of BMT. That was an amazing feeling
What are some of your greatest achievements?
My greatest achievements without a doubt are earning my pro card and earning my role as a Military Training Instructor. To be able to achieve them at the same time was even more rewarding for me.
What is your current training philosophy?
You need to be able to enjoy your time in the gym! Yes you need to be focused and train hard and have intensity, but at the end of the day if you don’t enjoy what you do you won’t be back. I train because I love it. Competing just goes along with that.
What are 3 tips you would give to someone trying to reach their goal physique?
- Have patience. It can take quite some time to reach your goals and you will definitely get there, but you need to have patience.
- Have a plan in place for the bad days. This sport is very much mental. You will have good days and you will have bad days. Your physique will look amazing one day and the next it could look like you haven’t seen a gym in forever. The down days are frequent & normal! When I have a down day I binge watch DLB videos during cardio & hit the sauna.
- Trust the process and trust your trainer. You will know if you are a good fit together or not. They know what they are doing & trust in what they say.
What is your diet like? And does it differ on-season v. off-season?
My diet stays pretty consistent (and boring) year round. The only difference in off-season is I don’t measure or log my foods and I can enjoy a few more cheats.
When trying to cut down what type of cardio do you do and why?
I was never a fan of HIIT until my ride or die gym partner Brian suggested it when we were both prepping for the Super Show last yr. I was amazed at how quickly the results came from 15 minutes a day. There are definitely days I do steady state, but it’s going to be HIIT closer to the show dates.
What is your next goal?
I don’t know what my next goal is right now. I’m currently getting ready to PCS from TX back to NY, so unfortunately competition will probably have to hit the back burner for awhile until I regain some normalcy. I’m hoping I can walk across the stage at Physique Showdown before leaving TX, but we shall see what happens
What’s your Favorite Quote?
“Some days you need to hate the weights. Other days you need to remind the weights who you are.” -Dana Linn Bailey
Learn more about Terra-
Instagram: @Tmart1023
Facebook: Terra Martin
Website: https://terrnnutrition.com/
Coach/Trainer Shout Out- MBF (Larry & Chrissie Shaw), Melanie Hammer
