With her thousand-watt smile, graceful but strong physique and easy confidence, it’s hard to imagine Lori Harder as an overweight and insecure teen. Now 34, the Michigan native was actually in her early 20s before she decided to improve her outlook by bettering her body. Year after year she made slow but significant improvements, until at age 26 she entered her first physique competition. She since made history as the first woman to win Ms. Bikini America, Ms. Bikini Universe and Ms. Figure America in the same year.

Recently, Harder has put her competitive ambitions on hold to build her motivational speaking business and has tailored her training to fit her busier schedule. With fewer and shorter workouts on her docket, she somehow looks better than ever. Her secret? Intensity.

“When I started competing I was doing traditional bodybuilding splits,” she says. “But I started using compound movements and found that I could get away with three days a week if I really kicked butt when I was there. It’s a different look for me — longer and leaner — which works well for my taller frame, and I’ve kept it up.”