After starting her weekdays with a cup of coffee at 4 a.m., Toomer is quick to get in cardio and strength training at New Ulm Fitness before running home to get her kids up and ready for school. After a shower and getting her kids on the school bus, Toomer starts her work day at New Ulm Medical Center before often getting more work in as a personal trainer.

Toomer also makes time for her kids’ after-school activities, runs a Survival Fitness program for cancer survivors, provides online nutrition assistance for clients and still finds time to spend with her husband and children before heading to bed around 8 p.m. each night.

Recently, Toomer left Naperville, Illinois, with numerous awards at the NPC Phoenix Natural Noble Warrior Bodybuilding Championships on April 18. There, she took first place in the Open Class A Wellness, the Masters 35+ Wellness, Overall Masters Wellness and Overall Open Wellness. She also was awarded Best Female Poser, which she called her greatest achievement as it was won against all female athletes from all divisions at the event, over 70 competitors. This event allowed her a qualifying spot in the Natural Nationals, which takes place Saturday, May 16, at the Pittsburgh Power & Fitness Festival Natural Pro Qualifier.

“I expect a way bigger group of competitors and in hopes of coming home with a big red card that says IFBB PRO,” she said.

Submitted photo Brandy Toomer poses with her family at the NPC Phoenix Natural Noble Warrior Bodybuilding Championships on April 18 in Naperville, Illinois. From left to right is Brandy’s husband, Jeff, Brandy Toomer and children Haylee and LeeRoy Toomer.

As a natural athlete, this competition is a path to get an International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) pro card. Natural competitions are gaining popularity and require drug and polygraph tests for all athletes. While the IFBB does have an anti-doping policy, it generally does not conduct routine drug testing for performance-enhancing drugs, unlike specialized natural divisions.

The National Physique Committee and IFBB made this pathway for natural athletes to gain their IFBB pro card. If Toomer is able to win in Pittsburgh, she will get that coveted card.

Masters competitions Toomer competes in are divided by height and age. She is currently in the Class A, 35-39 year-old age group. Class A allows competitors up to 5-foot-4.

Toomer was born and raised in Wolf Point, Montana, until she was 13 years old, moving and graduating from Redwood Valley High School in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. She met her husband, Jeff, in Mankato and has lived in New Ulm for the past 11 years, with the two co-owning New Ulm Fitness.

Toomer has been bodybuilding for about five years, starting her journey as a competitive CrossFit athlete, which is the style of gym New Ulm Fitness opened as in 2014. After that, Toomer said she tried an “Epic Year,” which is competing in a CrossFit event, powerlifting event, triathlon and bodybuilding show all in the same year.

While she loved that “Epic Year,” Toomer said she fell in love with the bodybuilding side of it the most.

“The bodybuilding [show] was the most crazy to me in the sense of like, I kind of fell in love with the process and the thought of just watching my body morph and the science behind it was just so fascinating to me that I couldn’t really wait to do another one,” she said.

Toomer said her diet changes often based on how her body is responding.

“My body loves carbs so I do more of a carb-cycling program,” she said. “Usually cutting carbs lower Monday through Thursday or Friday and then high carb or refeeds on the weekends.”

The week before a show, or “peak week,” is what is really important for Toomer. She said she water loads about 5 to 6 liters of water at the beginning of the week while cutting hard with calories and carbs to fine-tune the look. She then carb loads while cutting water down to 2 to 4 ounces with each meal on show day to make muscles look full and ensure skin sits thin on top of them to better show off her physique.

During offseason, Toomer doesn’t slow down or stop working. She has a high-protein diet and calorie surplus with heavy lifting to build.

“I try to maintain a 2,700- to 3,000-calorie diet to keep calories high while I cut,” she said. “So cutting calories and losing body fat at about 2,200 to 2,300 calories, until it gets closer to show I drop to 1,200 to 1,500 calories.”

While Toomer makes sure to get her rest, she has to be a bit selfish in order to succeed in competition, which she says is the toughest part of it.

“The biggest challenge in this sport is I have to be selfish at some point to do well,” she said. “That takes away from other aspects in my life that I also want to do such as friend or family late-night outings or events. Prioritizing sleep and recovery is super important.”

Wednesdays and the weekend are used as rest days for Toomer, but she has lately been putting it towards manual labor for the gym expansion at New Ulm Fitness.

For as busy as she is, Toomer’s ability to keep going is to simply keep going.

“Distraction is the best thing that you can [have],” Toomer said. “Me staying busy, I don’t really think about anything else.”