Monique Cormier, who has overcome obesity and severe depression en route to becoming a world class amateur bodybuilder, joins Dave [ ... ]
Spotlight On: Allison L. Frahn
Category you compete in: IFBB Pro Figure
Date of birth: September 27, 1980
Hometown: Mahwah, NJ
Career: Professional Figure competitor, GNC sponsored athlete, Owner of Alli’s Slim Pickins, Weekly Columnist for Muscle&Fitness Hers.com, Sr. Mgr. of Financial Planning for Nine West Group
If you could change into a superhero for a day who would you be and why? Wonder Woman!!! I love her image of strength while still depicting her femininity. (The Lasso of Truth would very be pretty awesome to own as well!)
What made you begin dedicating your lifestyle to this sport? As a kid growing up, I was never happy with my weight; I always wanted to be thinner and more in shape. In all honesty, my eating habits were not stellar and I was not very active. Going into high school, I basically stopped eating so while my weight fluctuated up and down, I was extremely thin for the most part. It wasn’t until college when things all changed. As a freshman, I had to have brain surgery to remove what they determined to be a granuloma that was pressing on the part of my brain that controlled my left leg. This was the scariest time for me and it completely changed my life. It took me a long time to overcome the fear, but I can honestly say at this point in my life that it changed me for the better. I started doing tons of research online regarding nutrition, supplements, and exercise programs to get myself into shape. I would go to GNC every week and actually hide my glutamine and protein supplements in my closet because I didn’t want my roommates to think I was weird for taking these supplements as a female (clearly it was very foreign to me at the time). I would wake up before class every single morning and go to the gym to train. I would read several fitness magazines over and over with such a deep rooted desire to look like one of the women featured. I decided that I would get myself there…one day…the rest is history.
What approach do you take to dieting...carb cycle..keto? I recently joined the amazing Kim Oddo’s team – Oddo’s Angels. Since then, Kim has consistently tweaked my diet as he sees how my body responds. Overall, I don’t do anything drastic as my body likes consistency and balanced macros (so far!).
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about competing? That I starve myself to get lean. I actually eat a lot of food…and yes I do eat carbs too! As a matter of fact, for my last show – I had carbs at almost every single meal!
What is your most embarrassing childhood memory? I would have to say getting off the bus every day holding my book bag in front of my stomach because I thought I was fat (ok that might actually be the saddest! Sigh).
What is the biggest lesson you have learned about YOURSELF during your contest prep? That I really need to force myself to relax and breathe, as I tend to stress myself out with my workload wishing that there were more hours in the day! I think I’m going to try yoga...if I have time…haha.
Who do you look up and admire and why? I admire anyone that works hard to achieve their goals and dreams…and doesn’t give up in the process. I’m going to throw in a quote here: “There are two types of people in this world: those that dream of success and those that wake up and work hard at it.” I can fully appreciate the effort that certain people put into accomplishing what they set their hearts on…these are the people that I choose to surround myself with; I love the energy that this creates.
Competition history: I began competing in 2005 with the INBF and received my pro card that same year with the WNBF. GNC picked me up in 2005 – what a blessing! I absolutely love this team and am so honored and grateful. •I switched to the NPC in November 2009 and earned my pro card this year with the IFBB at Team Universe! •I just placed 5th on Oct 15th at the Houston Pro!!
Next competition: My next show is Border States in San Diego on October 29th!!
Favorite Motivational Quote: "Excellence is never an accident; it is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities"
Who would you like to thank? The list is probably too long, but I’ll mention a few: God, St. Therese, my family who attends almost all of my shows – particularly my Dad who has made several trips to cheer me on, Melissa for being such a great role model in college, Ronnie, Bruce, Rafael, Robert Lagana (dear friend and owner of my gym – Vision Sports Club in Pearl River, NY), Mike Davies, my dear friend and role model Adela Garcia and the amazing OFF Challenge Team, and last but certainly not least Mr. Kim Oddo– my current simply phenomenal coach whom I adore and respect with all of my heart! He is truly talented and has such a passion for his work and all of his “Angels”. Thank you Kimbo!!
I will devote a very special shout out to my twin sister Lauren who has been by my side for every single minute of this journey, from backstage touch ups, to make up, etc, to seeing me off up to minutes before I walk on stage, I don’t know if I could do it without her! I am so proud of her for all of her accomplishments as well, as she had done a great job with her Fitness Modeling and has since been picked up by Labrada. I wish her so much continued success…she deserves it and works so incredibly hard. Please check her out on FB as well and read her blogs. www.facebook.com/Lauren.Frahn
ADDITIONAL INFO:
http://www.facebook.com/allison.frahn
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allis-Slim-Pickins-LLC/60962701961
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Frahn/189233541133
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