Monique Cormier, who has overcome obesity and severe depression en route to becoming a world class amateur bodybuilder, joins Dave [ ... ]
Spotlight On NPC Bikini Competitor: Meggan Rodriguez
Category you compete in: Bikini
Date of birth: March 21, 1985
Hometown: Arvada, Colorado
Career: Health System Governance Coordinator
Competi
tion history: I’m fairly new to the fitness community. I never competed before and the thought never crossed my mind! I got a taste of the NPC when I went and watched the 2012 Warrior Classic. After some convincing I challenged myself to compete in two Colorado NPC Bikini Competitions. The first was The Max-Muscle Mile High Championships I took 1st in the Novice and 2nd in the Open. After a great first show I prepared for one of the biggest shows in Colorado, The Armbrust Pro Gym NPC Warrior Classic taking 1st in my open class and was top five out of over 80 bikini competitors!
Next competition: I can’t wait to compete again!! I will be competing locally in 2014 to get more experience, knowledge and build a reputation. In 2015 I plan to compete nationally. To keep my nationally qualified status I plan to compete in the 2014 Max-Muscle Mile High Cha:)
How has your life changed since you adopted this lifestyle and started competing? My life has been turned upside down in a healthy and positive way! I basically never stepped foot into a gym until April 2012. Once I started seeing the progress I made I was so pleased. When I found out I could display my hard work by competing I said “challenge accepted!!” I thought it would be a one-time thing but now I’m addicted! My training in the gym and eating habits don’t just pertain to living a healthy lifestyle anymore; they now revolve around my future competitions!
What have you found to be the best way to balance family, friends, career, this lifestyle, etc… This was a challenge at first, especially when no one I knew really “understood” what it takes to compete. I think the best way to balance everything is communication and planning. I would communicate to family, friends and co-workers why and who I was doing this for, ME and my personal achievement. I encouraged people to support me in my journey! I would also plan my time wisely to make sure I could fit everything in without losing that balance. I planned accordingly for my time at the gym, food prep, and sleep but tried not to isolate those who are my biggest supporters like family, friends and significant other just because I’m “prepping”! Having them in your life for support is essential!
If you could change places with one competitor for the day who would it be and why? I have always admired IFBB Pro, Amanda Latona. She was my inspiration before my first show. (She was on my Iphone wallpaper throughout my first prep, lol!) I would change places with her so I could experience the pro level bikini stage while delivering a performance with radiance and class! How she represents herself on stage is tasteful and entertaining; you WANT to watch her pose because it’s genuine and her true personality really shines.
Name two of the most inspirational people in your life and tell why they inspire you. Wow this is a tough one. I have many inspirational people in my life but these two are related to the topic at hand. First, is anyone who is willing to put themselves voluntarily through any type of competition prep. This sport takes a strong person who is willing to step out of their shell and try something out of the ordinary and push themselves like they never thought possible. Anyone who can do that and see it through is inspirational to me.
Second, my coach and boyfriend Loren; I believe your coach should be one of the most inspirational people in your life while you take this journey competing. They should be your ultimate support system providing you with honesty, encouragement and trust. I also believe that your significant other should inspire you to be the best version of you in and outside of competing. I lucked out having my coach and significant other as the same person and he inspires me every day to be the best athlete possible!
Tell one recipe or supplement you can’t live without. I can’t live
without oatmeal pancakes! I don’t get to have them very often so when I do I can’t get enough of them! I’ve gotten creative overtime with adding different things like strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and even peanut butter!
Tell about a typical training day for you. What exercises, how many sets/reps…etc… IF I get out of bed I will start the day off with morning cardio on the stair master for 40-60 minutes (when I’m in show prep there is no IF ands or buts about it… but during the off season… lots of IF’s! lol!) Each evening has a dedicated body part. I do a combination of exercises with all sorts of equipment. I usually do about 4-5 workouts and some include a superset. I keep the body guessing by trying new things and changing the workout every week. The exercises range from 3-4 sets and 12-15 reps.
Glute Day (my fav):
Single Leg Press – 4 sets 15 reps
Single Leg Curls – 3 sets 12-15 reps and SS w/ active recovery anterior lunges
Glute Press – 4 sets 15 reps
Barbell Hip Thrusts – 3 sets 15 reps at the end of each set hold for 30 seconds
Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets 15 reps
In closing, who would you like to give a shout out to? I’d have to give a HUGE shout out to my coach, Loren Weber with Mile High Personal Training, LLC! No one can push me to my limits like he can. If it wasn’t for him I would have never made it this far. Without his talent and encouragement I would have never gotten into this great sport and my competition dreams would have not been possible! Thanks Loren I love you! I also want to give a shout out to my Armbrust Pro Gym family… you can’t get a better support system anywhere else! :)
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