Monique Cormier, who has overcome obesity and severe depression en route to becoming a world class amateur bodybuilder, joins Dave [ ... ]
Spotlight On: MARIA RITA PENTEADO
Category you compete in: Bodybuilding, Middleweight class
Date of birth: 12/13/1983
Hometown: Araraquara, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Career: I started weightlifting when I was 15 because I have always admired people with the body sculpted and into fitness. I was a super skinny little girl. At age of 18 I started college and earned a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education from one of Brazil's top Universities. After I graduated from college, I started working as a personal trainer. My hometown is a slow quiet town a 5 hour drive from Sau Paulo, and I wanted to see the world so I decided to be part of an exchange program named Au Pair (u can travel to another country and live with a host family, babysitting the kids and going to school and the family pays u for school and a little salary to help support you) I did the Au Pair program in 2008 and moved to Plainview, NY. I then started training at Bev's Gym in Syosset and the friends I made there gave me the idea of trying and compete to see how I would do. I never competed in Brazil...was built from all the years of training, but never did preparation for a contest. Everyone was so nice to me there and convinced me to do it.
So I signed up for the Figure division to compete in my first show, the Steve Stone NY Metropolitan, and it was then that Steve Weinberger called me into his office and told me I would place last if I did it. When he saw me get sad he was very sweet and said "awww, Rita that division just isnt for you, that's all. You like weight training right? So go train" and he convinced me to switch my application to the bodybuilding division for that show. Steve and Bev helped teach me how to pose and I ended up winning the overall and that was the first of 9 shows I have done to this date. There is an interesting side story within this in that I had to hide my competing from the family I was working for because they didnt approve. So I dieted, lost over 20 lbs, and secretly pro-tanned myself in the bathtub when they werent home (except for my face and hands so I could cover the tan with clothes). I had my friend fix my color up and tanned my face and hands the morning of my first show. After I won I waited until the family I was working for wasnt home and snuck in and showered as much of my color off as I could and hid my trophies underneath my bed. I did this for 3 shows and had to fit 6 trophies (3 1st place trophies and 3 overall trophies) underneath my bed...looking back it's pretty funny and pretty amazing to me that they didnt know.
Awards:
- NPC 2009 NY Metropolitan Bodybuilding Championship: 1st PLACE Lightweight and OVERALL WINNER. (April, 2009)
- NPC 2009 New Jersey Suburban Bodybuilding Championships: 1st PLACE Lightweight and OVERALL WINNER (April, 2009)
- NPC 2009 Bev Francis Atlantic States Bodybuilding Championships: 1st Place Lightweight and OVERALL WINNER (June, 2009)
- NPC 2009 East Coast Bodybuilding Championships, New Jersey: 1st Place Lightweight and OVERALL WINNER (November, 2009)
- NPC 2009 Easten USA Bodybuilding Championships, NY: 1st PLACE Lightweight divison. (November ,2009)
- NPC 2010 Bev Francis Atalntic States Bodybuilding Championships: 1st Place Middleweight and OVERALL WINNER (June, 2010)
- NPC Europa Battle of Champions Bodybuilding Championships, CT: 1st Place Lightweight and OVERALL WINNER (July. 2010)
- IFBB 2011 Arnold Classic Amateur, Columbus, OH: 9th Place, Heavyweight (March, 2011)
- NPC 2011 Eastern USA, NY: 1st Place Middleweight and OVERALL WINNER. (November 2011)
Next Competition:
"Maybe" the 2012 Arnold Amateur, since it is the only PRO Qualifier for athletes from Brazil here in USA. The truth however is that I don't know and there is a chance that I may never compete again. I said "maybe" about the arnold because at the time of my show I just recently won (the Eastern USA) my boyfriend Justin Miller (who is also my contest prep coach) and I had planned on me getting lean enough to win this show and keep dieting to get super shredded and go for a win at the Arnold since its the only show I've ever not placed first on and because of the pro card eligibility for the overall winner at that show. I have since however decided NOT do the show! The girls have a very hardcore look and I dont know if that is what I want for myself. We were going over the plan on how would need to look to win and when I started to envision myself with ripped glutes and striations everywhere and my face all caved in I started to get uninspired and sad. That's not how I want to look. I respect the work it takes to get there and all the top bodybuilders who get into that extreme level of condition but its not the vision I have for myself. I want to retain my femeninity and am too afraid I would lose it getting into the condition I would need to in order to be able to win that show. I respect the top IFBB female bodybuilders and all the work that goes into it. Even though there are some girls, like my friend Debbie Bramwell, who do a good job of achieving a good balance of muscle and femeninity, I just don't want to compete as a bodybuilder in the IFBB. There are no weight classes and the judging standard is too extreme for me. Its just not the vision I have for myself.
The vision I have is more along the lines of what I believe the new WPD will be in the IFBB. I wish they had a WPD in the Arnold then I would definitely do it! What makes this decision to not compete there as a bodybuilder even stronger is that they have no middleweight class in this show...only lightweight and heavyweight (Under 121 lbs and over 121 lbs). I weighed in at 134 lbs for the Eastern USA this part weekend and to drop to 121 lbs at my height of 5'5" I would be too stringy to win an overall there and I did the heavyweight class there last year and some of those girls are monsterous...huge and ripped! I dont have that look nor do I want that look, so doing this show and getting ripped out of my mind would kind of be like going backwards away from my vision just to try and go forwards, it doesnt really make musch sense. I love competing and I want to do it on a pro stage but what can I do? They dont have WPD at the Arnold, they don't have it in Brazil and I can't do national shows here because of my immigration status. It really sucks and makes me so sad. Maybe there is another solution for me I don't know...I guess I'll have to wait and see if there is a solution for me that doesnt force me make myself to look in a way that I don't want to look.
Worst part of contest prep: Training and doing cardio when I am completely depleted, after days on super low calories...it feels like it takes forever to finish the session.... lol! Well, and the hunger, of course!
Workout schedule:
Saturday: LEGS
Sunday: Shoulders
Monday: abs, calves and cardio
Tuesday: Back and Cardio
Wednesday:Chest, abs, cardio
Thursday: calves, cardio
Friday: Arms, cardio
Training schedule doesn't change much from off season to pre contest...only thing is that I add more cardio when getting ready for a show.
If u had to lose one of the 5 senses wich one would u choose and why:
Oh, thats a hard one....let me see...I think the smell, lol...cant lose the sight, because there are so many beautiful things to see in this world; Cant lose the hearing because I love music; Can't lose the taste because I love to eat (maybe that would help with dieting huh? hmmmm) and definitely can't lose the sense of touch. So I will choose smell I guess.
If I could change anything about the sport, what would it be? For female bodybuilding, I wish it wouldn't have gone this far and the girls had a more appealing look, like the ones from the 80s, 90s, like Cory Everson, Lenda Murray, muscular and pretty...this is my vision for female bodybuilding. This is my vision for myself and the reason I DON'T want to compete as a bodybuilder in the IFBB. This look would inspire more people to do the sport, would bring more opportunities and the girls would stay much healthier...would be better seen and accepted by the society. I respect the extreme looking FBBers, but it's not my vision for myself (and, to me, bodybuilding means "creating YOUR vision of the perfect body"). That is why I really like the idea of WPD and think it is very positive for the future of bodybuilding competitions. I respect Iris Kyle and think she is an absolutely AMAZING looking physical specimen, amazing shape, muscle and muscularity its VERY impressive but for myself I'd MUCH rather look like Cory Everson did when she was Ms Olympia.
Whats your favorite vacation spot? My house in Brazil, it is great when I go there and eat my mom's food and get very embraced by everybody because they dont see me so often, so they make sure I am having the best time.
What advice do you have for women who would like to get involved and compete in the sport of bodybuilding? Carry a positive attitude, be patient and do things slowly...Muscles dont come overnight, so dont get discouraged if the progress is slow. Just keep doing and you will get there. Enjoy the process of feeling stronger and be always conscious that your HEALTH is the most important thing in your life. Don't get seduced by the short/easier ways...they can get you there faster, but the price you pay might not be worth it, so do everything with balance. I was the skinniest girl of my class....if somebody told me when I started training that in 13 years I would look like I do now, I wouldnt believe it, but here I am. :) The secret is believe in yourself and never give up.
Whats a day in the life of Maria Rita Penteado like:
I wake up at 7:20am, get my breakfast ready while taking a look at the Internet, eat, run some errands, do some laundry, go to the supermarket and prepare all my meals for the day, pack them and go to the gym. I do my workout and start working early afternoon til night time, and sometimes, after work I do more cardio, or if not, just go home to relax and go to bed at 11:30pm - midnight....nothing crazy...it is a pretty calm life. I like routine.
Favorite motivational quote: Funny you should ask that because the gym I work in (Power Fitness) has more motivational quotes than any other gym in the world (literally!) There are over 400 quotes on the walls, on the equipment, ceilings and even the carpets...they are everywhere you look and i love it! I read them everyday and post some on facebook on a daily basis. There are many I like but one of my favorites is by Theodore Roosevelt, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
Another one I made myself (and say to my clients all the time): "If it were easy, anyone would do it."
In closing, who would you like to give a shout out to?
First of all, Thanks for this opportunity and interview. I would like to say thanks to everyone that supports me as an athlete and admires my work....you guys keep me motivated and going even on the hardest days.
Thanks to my boyfriend Justin Miller, for all the support and time spent helping me. His help brought me much further than I would be able to go by myself ( and sorry for the days I am in a bad mood...its all part of the process.. lol)
Thanks for my close friends, that always believed in my potential, even when I dont believe in it myself....you girls rock! Keep pushing me, always, please! ;)
Thanks most to my parents in Brazil. I'm blessed to have the best parents...they are of course, my biggest fans, no mather what!
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