Ms. Olympia and Her Road to Retirement with Yaxeni Oriquen

January 25, 2021

After a 30-year bodybuilding career, Yaxeni Oriquen is no stranger to discipline. The Venezuelan former model has earned herself titles as prestigious as Ms. Olympia, and knows how to capture a stage. In today’s episode of Lift U Up: Inspiring Health Stories we learn Yaxeni’s story, from her first moments at a gym to founding her own.

Yaxeni Oriquen was born and raised in Venezuela, where she started her career in modeling. She would describe herself as a typical model: thin and pretty, with the ability to engage an audience. One day, after her first husband casually introduced her to working out at the gym, Yaxeni realized that being “skinny” was not how she felt most confident. She wanted to build muscle. Once she started to see muscle from her workouts, she never looked back.

Once hooked on bodybuilding, Yaxeni took the industry by storm. She started training in 1989, and just 3 short years later she earned her pro card. Since then, Yaxeni competed every year until her (first) retirement in 2017. She stayed motivated, knowing that she could make the improvements to her own body and seeing the results before her eyes. Winning a few titles like 5x Miss International and Miss Olympia, didn’t hurt either. Watch a video of her story here.

This year, Yaxeni came out of her short retirement to compete in Ms. Olympia one last time, in December 2020. When you win once, you’re qualified for life. She described her experience at her last show as exciting, nerve wracking, and a great time no matter how she placed. Today, Yaxeni places her passion into her gym, Rypt Gym, where she is the owner and master trainer. She works with people of all ages and backgrounds and shows them how to invest back into themselves. If she has one piece advice for anyone, it is to start little by little… right now.

What else can you expect in this episode?

How busy people can find motivation to workout and take care of their bodies.
Yaxeni’s tips for changing your diet for the better (and for the long haul).
How anyone can create discipline in their lives.
How opening Rypt Gym was a dream come true, and the types of clients Yaxeni most prefers.
Yaxeni’s tips for staying healthy while dealing with COVID in this new year.