Lauren Simpson is one of the most well known figures within the fitness industry. After winning multiple WBFF Bikini competitions, starting her own fitness business, clocking over a million Instagram followers, Lauren Simpson brings it all to the table. She also happens to be one of our very own Ryderwear athletes.
This is Lauren’s third collection collaboration with Ryderwear, and it’s set to be her biggest, strongest, and boldest yet. Dropping on June 11, Lauren wants every woman who wears this collection to feel empowered, strong, and beautiful.
We sat down with Lauren to introduce her to those of you that are new to the Ryderwear family, and to also find out more about her collection!
Here’s 18 questions with Lauren Simpson!
How did you start your fitness journey?
LS: “I first started to become more interested in the gym when I was working my 9-5 corporate gym and the girls from work would head to the local Fitness First and do group fitness classes together.
Around this time I also started using Instagram and through this I became aware of bikini competitions! I wanted to be one of those glamorous girls up on stage! I started doing A LOT of my own research into nutrition, training and competitions. To be honest this is where my health and fitness journey took a quick downhill. I became obsessed with body image and being lean. I wasn’t educated enough at that point and felt that in order to get the best results I had to spend hours and hours doing cardio and eating as little as possible. I became very skinny, unhealthy and exhausted.
I knew what I was doing obviously couldn’t be right, so I decided I needed to get a coach and learn how to get results while nourishing the body and working out because I enjoyed it. This was 2015 and also when I started my first competition prep! I learned so much from this experience and I have never looked back since.”
What is your typical training style?
LS: “My training style is a hybrid between POWERLIFTING & BODYBUILDING. My big focus is on having strength goals with compound movements which would look more like a powerlifting style program, however the other half of my training is specific to isolating body parts and mimic closer to a traditional bodybuilding style.”
What is your favourite part about being in the fitness industry
LS: “My favourite part about being in the fitness industry would be that I am now in a position to be able to promote female empowerment and positively impact the lives of SO many all around the world. This is truly a lifestyle for me so everything I do from my nutrition, training, business, all ties into my love for what I do. It’s never a chore.
On a side note, I’ve also made so many lifelong friends from being in the fitness industry. Having people who are like minded and share those common interests and passions has been so important over the years. Surround yourself with those who lift you higher, who want to see you do good and be better.”
You do a lot of online coaching, can you tell us about that?
LS: “I am the owner of Lauren Simpson Fitness, an online training business that helps thousands and thousands of women worldwide reach their health and fitness goals through providing meal plans, training programs, educational resources and mindset coaching.
As a coach, my goal is to make every woman who comes to LSF feel strong, confident, healthy and striving to be the best they can be. The transformations with my girls are more than just physical, they are mental too.”
Recently you had a medical scare, what happened?
LS: “Mid February I was rushed to hospital in excruciating pain which I found out was due to a twisted bowel. I had an emergency surgery to repair my bowel. It was caused by some old scar adhesions in my abdomen which had formed into a band that my bowel became stuck on. It was just a freak accident, nothing I could have done or changed to prevent it!
I had a laparotomy and laparoscopy, so I’m left with a decent size vertical scar down my abdomen and two very small keyhole incisions.”
How are you feeling after surgery?
LS: “Post surgery has been filled with ups and downs. I had to come to terms with a new scar on my body and what was a big set back from some personal & professional goals I had set out for early this year. I am sad for what's happened, but I knew I couldn't change what had happened, so I’ve worked on building a resilient mindset and pushing on despite the curve balls life has thrown my way.”
With all the changes that COVID-19 brought on, how are you staying motivated throughout it all?
LS: “The key to motivation right now is in creating good habits, having routine/structure and also being a little disciplined. We can’t always rely on motivation - it comes and goes. So when I have felt unmotivated these past couple months, I know I can dig a little deeper and rely on the good habits I have formed and routine.”
When did you first start wearing Ryderwear?
LS: “I have always been a big fan of Ryderwear long before I signed on as an athlete. I remember seeing people like Emily Skye modelling for the brand and loved their cute style training tops and booty shorts!”
When did you become a Ryderwear athlete?
LS “I started with Ryderwear in 2018!”
This is now your third collection with us, what inspired this one?
LS: “This collection is all about STRONG X FEMININE. The pieces are functional yet fashionable, I am obsessed with the mesh panelling. The colours red, purple, white and black are all bold and powerful in their own right. The inspiration for this collection was definitely to bring fashion elements to workout sets! Looking like a BEAUTY while training like a BEAST.”
What does Strong x Feminine mean to you?
LS: “Strong X Feminine has always been core to my message on social media and my own personal brand. As a woman you can be strong in so many ways. I am not just talking about physical strength, it's so much more than that. True strength means never giving up when times are tough. Your inner strength gives you energy to face challenges and overcome them. Everyone has strength inside them, you have to choose to be STRONG. You have to choose to believe in yourself. You are capable of so much more than you know.
Strong is often associated with masculinity so I want to show the world that you can be STRONG yet FEMININE too!
You can lift weights and then dress like a total girly girl.
You can train like a beast and look like a beauty.”
What is your favourite piece from the collection?
LS: “I am currently LOVING the oversized trend so I will have to say the oversized jumpers right now are such a vibe!”
What is the feeling you want women to feel when they wear your collection?
LS: “I want every woman who buys a piece from this collection to feel empowered when they wear it. To feel strong, to feel powerful, to feel beautiful, to feel worthy - to simply feel amazing. I wanted there to be something for every woman as part of this collection.”
What does the design process look like for you?
LS: “I am involved from the very beginning with the design. It all starts with ideas, inspo images, sketches, bouncing ideas and working closely with the Ryderwear design team! The fashion designers are absolutely incredible at what they do and bringing my vision for the collection to life! I am involved in all aspects from trying on samples to making changes to them so we get the absolute perfect fit!”
Why did you choose these colours?
LS: “They are powerful, bold, feminine and also trending. The colours are red, purple, black and white - There is a colour that will perfectly match everyone out there!”
What is your favourite detail or feature within the collection?
LS: “Definitely the new mesh panel features of the new leggings, shorts and cropped jumpers. There is also STRONG X FEMININE written as a hidden message on all the pieces. A constant little reminder of your power as a woman!”
How did you feel when you first tried on your new collection?
LS: “Exactly how I envisioned - strong and feminine.”
How does lifting weight empower you?
LS: “Here’s the thing - Strong doesn’t have a size. There isn’t a set weight, body type that defines strong. It looks different on everybody. Strong doesn’t mean big or bulky. Strong is beautiful. I’m not just talking about being physically strong, it’s mental too.
Lifting weights changed my life. It gave me strength, confidence and a sense of purpose in achieving my goals.”
Thank you to Lauren for sitting down with us and chatting about some pretty personal topics, and sharing her exciting new collection!
Make sure to check out the Lauren Simpson x Ryderwear 3.0 collection on June 11th! You can follow Lauren’s journey and keep motivated through her Instagram here.
