Family Life

Sylvia Barker is a woman who balances her family life and her workout plan on a day-to-day basis. Sylvia met her husband, Craig, when she first started working as a personal trainer. Craig found out that Sylvia had been working a little in bodybuilding and he asked her for her help with the sport. The two worked together to get Craig ready for his first competition and fell in love. In Florida, on July 12, 2000, Sylvia and Craig were married by a lighthouse.

Combining of Families

With each having two kids from a previous marriage, they came together to create a new family of six. Craig’s sons are Jordan, who is twelve and Ty who is eleven, they became stepbrothers to Sylvia’s two children Travis, nineteen, and Kyle, thirteen. None of the children have thought about bodybuilding as a profession, but with Travis now living in Hawaii, he works out regularly to maintain a toned body and to stay healthy.

Dealing With The Elements

In dealing with the transition from a stay at home mom to a bodybuilder, Sylvia says the best skill is to know how to manage your time properly. While first beginning as a bodybuilder Sylvia just made time to work out each day, either for an hour before or after work. She also had great help from her friends, who would baby-sit whenever needed.

"Juggling workout time, parenting, home life, getting organized, planning the meals... the biggest thing is time." - Sylvia Barker

Family Togetherness

As a family, they are involved in Jeep Jamborees. Both her and her husband own Jeeps and keep all the new gadgets in them. They also just recently have become interested in motorbikes. These other hobbies help her stay close to her family and help break up the tedious workout schedule.

Other Info

Sylvia has three brothers and one sister. One of her brothers actually competed in some local bodybuilding competitions but stopped because he was accident-prone.