From the city of Maracay, Venezuela across the ocean straight to Miami Beach Florida to meet up with IFBB Pro Bikini competitor Michelle Lewin. The 28-year-old Lewin was born in Venezuela and has been working as a glamour model before she fully switched to the fitness lifestyle.
Michelle moved to the United States one year ago and she is currently preparing for the upcoming season as an IFBB Pro Bikini competitor! Her first competition will be at the 2014 Orlando IFBB Pro Europa Championship.
RX Girl got a chance to ask Lewin some questions about her life and perspectives of the fitness lifestyle.
Q: Michelle, in your opinion, what makes a successful IFBB Pro Bikini competitor?
A: Three things you do need: The symmetry of the body. Muscle, yes, but high factors are a wasp waist and nice, round booty. They are keys to success. A six pack is not priority as many may think. You will also need to know how to pose, walk and move. Think that you will seduce your partner but your best friend is watching, and she cannot find it vulgar. Smooth, sexy, but pretty. Third, you need to look good in general. This is at its very core a kind of beauty contest. You will not score goals, there are a bunch of judges that are watching your body and you’re every single move, looking for wow moments and flaws.
Q: Could you please tell us how you first got into weight training and when did the idea of competing come up?
A: My weight was 95 lbs. when I was 17 and I hated my body. So the gym kind of saved me. As Latina as I am, I was only training legs three days per week, no upper body. It’s just the last 3 years I have started crunching and curling. I came to the U.S. as a glamour model, but I loved the gym and the dieting and the demands came more from the fitness direction. And everybody told me to compete, so I was like, hey, let’s do it!
Q: How was the idea to come to the U.S. born, and when did you decide to move to Miami?
A: I was moving around quite much to try the luck in modeling. I was in Italy, Spain and Sweden, but I was too short. Everybody kept telling me Miami, Miami! So I went here on holiday, and I was like... wooo... this is it!
Q: What interests do you have besides fitness?
A: Everything I do is moving around, so that’s my interest. Walking around, rollerblading and, of course, travelling.
Q: Where in life is Michelle in 10 years?
A: In 10 years I’m still in Miami, have a huge amount of trophies that I need to keep high so my kid’s won’t smash them. Hopefully, I have done a lot of TV by then. That seems like something I could be good at. Not acting… more like hosting.
Q: During your career as a bikini competitor have any athletes been your ideal physiques which you look up to?
A: I have always had Larissa Reis as my goal. But when I started competing, I realized that she’s extremely impressive, but not how I should look like in my category. Now it’s more like: I want abs like that girl, waist like this girl, booty like that girl.
Q: What does a day in Michelle’s life look like – any specific schedule?
A: No, every day is super different. However, it starts with early morning cardio and weightlifting at night. In between, it’s normally photo shoots for different companies.
Q: Are you planning to compete again soon? If so, when and where?
A: I am! This very weekend in Orlando! Are you coming to cheer for me?
A: If I wasn’t stuck in Sweden for the moment – next year!
Q: Final words, is there anyone you would like to give a shout-out to?
A: I must say I’m super happy with the IFBB organization. It’s genuinely fun to compete and it’s fun to meet all the girls. So this is something I will keep on doing, of course. Also a shout out to my sponsor, Betancourt Nutrition, that nagged me already when I came as newbie here, was a nobody, and couldn’t speak English. Now we are not a sponsor/athlete anymore, we are like a family. And THAT is truly awesome.
RX Girl wants to thank you, Michelle, for the interview and we wish you the best of luck in your future fitness and modeling career and especially this upcoming show in Orlando Pro Europa!
Keep on spreading the Venezuelan winds of fitness through our industry – it generates both inspiration and motivation for many athletes and newcomers to the fitness lifestyle.
Photographers:
Inline photography
Joel London Photo
Kenny Roland Photography
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