Any aspiring bodybuilder worth their weight in protein powder will tell you the primary goal on an annual basis is to make steady improvements in their physiques. Even the best of the pros would admit the same. Some competitors take that desire seriously, while others fail to follow any organized plan of attack.
But when it comes to New Jersey's Lisette Acevedo, the desire to improve could hardly be more at the forefront of what she has accomplished since entering her first NPC Nationals in 2008. As it is, Acevedo only began entering bodybuilding contests in 2006, and to date the sum total of her contest exploits includes just four events.
Like a human laser beam she streaked to the National title - a highly unusual accomplishment in the bodybuilding ranks.
Acevedo began her competitive efforts with a lightweight win at the 2006 NPC New Jersey Gold's Classic. A year later she topped the middleweight class at the NPC Xcalibur - also in New Jersey. Her additional two contest entries include a pair of NPC National efforts - both of which came with dramatically different results.
Wide-eyed as a first-timer at the 2008 NPC Nationals, a 128-pound Acevedo jumped into the national level fray as an untested light-heavyweight, and while all eyes were on eventual winner Elena Seiple, Acevedo was unceremoniously buried in 14th place.
"Placing 14th at the 2008 Nationals was definitely a reality check," reflects Acevedo. "I wasn't happy, but then again I wasn't expecting much".
Suffice it to say that for Acevedo, the 14th-place finish put something of a damper on whatever aspirations she had on experiencing a notable level of success in her first entry at the major league level of amateur bodybuilding.
All was not lost at this event, however, as Acevedo managed to claim the highest placing of any competitor from the state of New Jersey - in any women's weight class - that year. And while that factoid may not have accomplished much in soothing the shock of entering a first NPC Nationals, it nevertheless was a tidbit she could tuck away in her gym bag to prove she had made her presence known in some small way.
But things were about to change - and it would take only one calendar year. Lisette Acevedo was about to make a 180-degree turn and it would all be good.
If there was an inner quality that propelled Acevedo towards the 2009 competitive season, it was that she was a quick study. In fact, that may be an understatement of the grandest proportions. So when the decision was made to enter the 2009 NPC Nationals, that 14th-place finish from a year earlier was firmly in her rearview mirror.
The first step was to take off some poundage that would enable her to show the quality muscle she possessed in a decidedly more detailed fashion. As a small light-heavyweight in 2008 when she weighed in at 128 pounds, a paring down to 123 pounds would make her a lean and mean middleweight at the top end of her weight class.
The rest of her prep was merely putting a buff and shine on an already sporty looking chassis. The result was a decisive first-place finish in the middleweight class of 16 contestants, and the judging panel saw it as a unanimous decision. In the blink of an eye, she was the 2009 NPC National middleweight champion, and qualified to apply for IFBB pro status.
Unlike many of her predecessors who toiled many years to reach the top of their respective weight classes at the Nationals, Acevedo made the journey as a comparative lightning bolt. And while every NPC Nationals has the capacity to produce at least one ‘unknown entity' in any given year, Acevedo's upward surge from 14th to the winner's circle in 2009 is a certifiable rarity.
As a notable difference in Acevedo's two National competitions, her strong level of head-to-toe muscular definition - most visibly impressive in her back double biceps poses - made for a road map that included her traps, rhomboids, and all through her erectors right down to the top of her bikini bottoms. That, combined with an acceptable level of glutial detail, and nice quad separation, made for an even and balanced development in all bodyparts. The overall look made her a tough competitor to beat - and only second and third placers Janet Kaufman and Teri Harris mounted serious challenges.
"When I made the first callout in prejudging I was feeling pretty good, but you realize nothing is guaranteed," recalls Acevedo. "As a newbie you always worry about being overlooked. But when they kept me in the center I was definitely excited. My goal was just to make the top ten."
After the announcement came that she had won the middleweight class at the evening show, Acevedo took a few minutes to collect her thoughts. "When you prepare for a contest, you always keep winning in mind. You train to win," says Acevedo. "But this is the Nationals. You never really know what can happen. The class was pretty big. Obviously, I'm thrilled to have won".
A 1997 graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelors degree in Exercise Science, Acevedo now looks to the future and competing in the pro ranks. "I think starting off with the Tampa Pro show would be a good start," says Acevedo. "Then the contest in Hartford, Connecticut, (The Europa Battle of Champions) is just two weeks later. Those two contests should give me good experience where I can learn the differences between the amateur and pro ranks".
Based on her quick study as an amateur, two pro events may be all she needs.
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