Monique Cormier, who has overcome obesity and severe depression en route to becoming a world class amateur bodybuilder, joins Dave [ ... ]
Category You Compete In:
NPC Figure Class E
Date of Birth:
April 22, 1984
Hometown:
Born in Lenhartsville PA, currrently reside in Lancaster PA
Career:
I own my own company, Alli-Fitness Systems LLC
Sports Background:
I participated in an array of sports growing up, including softball, horseback riding, field hockey, swimming, and soccer. In high school I was a competitive track and cross country athlete. I ran cross country in college as well.
Why the NPC?:
In my opinion it's the best of the best. The NPC feeds directly into the IFBB and ultimately my goal is to become an IFBB Figure Pro. So for me, the NPC was the way to go.
What do you like best about competing?:
For me, competing has always been about the challenge. I'm one of those individuals who works well within structure. I feel more substantiated as a person, more successful, when I set and achieve tangible goals. I love that competing is a constant, day to day challenge, especially with myself. It's the days that I struggle with the diet, or the days that I struggle through my training that I feel I grow and learn about myself as a person. Competing forces you to dig deep within yourself and find out what you're made of- and for me that's a very validating experience. As a whole, society has become very "comfort" oriented, and competing is anything but. The deprivation of the diet, the struggle to train and do cardio on a limited caloric intake, is so far from the standard of living that's common today. You cannot learn or grow or expand as a person if you always stay where you're comfortable, and the physical and mental challenge of competing forces you outside of that comfort zone. It forces me to better myself, to grow as a person, and ultimately it's taught me about my own mental fortitude and inner strength.
Competition History:
2007 NPC Mountain Valley, Figure C 1st, Overall Figure Winner
2008 IFBB North Americans, Figure E 14th
2009 Arnold Amateur, Figure E 6th
2009 IFBB North Americans Figure E, 6th
2009 Team Universe, Figure E 12th
2010 Arnold Amateur, Figure E 4th
2010 IFBB North Americans, Figure E 2nd
Competitors you look up to:
There are many competitors I admire, for a variety of reasons. I'd say the competitors that come to mind are Ava Cowan for her tenacity, her honesty, and obviously her physique. I think she's an amazing role model for the industry. I also am a fan of Erin Stern simply because I think her physique is the ideal for figure- she is athletic, slender, muscular, and tall! Score one for the tall girls! :)
Next Competition:
2010 NPC Nationals in Atlanta Georgia
Favorite Cheat Food:
I tend to eat clean year round, but when I'm not in preparation for a contest I really enjoy trail mixes, fruit, nonfat Greek yogurt, and sprouted grain veggie pizza. I'm also a huge fan of sushi and sashimi.
Egg whites and oatmeal, raw unsalted almonds, orange roughy, asparagus
I really have learned to enjoy training all aspects of my physique, although I have to say that shoulders are probably my favorite.
Least Favorite:
I honestly don't have one! I love training in general.
Hobbies:
The bulk of my free time outside of my own training is spent running my company and working with my clients,which I love doing. I have clients I work with in person as well as a host of online clients so I spend a lot of time in my office. Outside of that I enjoy walking my dogs, reading, writing, cooking, traveling, and studying! Currently I'm taking courses in holistic nutrition and am contemplating either getting my graduate degree in nutrition or returning to school to become an ND (Naturopathic Doctor). Since I spend so much time being active I really enjoy downtime as well- relaxing on the couch with some Law and Order is one of my favorite ways to wind down the day.
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