Monique Cormier, who has overcome obesity and severe depression en route to becoming a world class amateur bodybuilder, joins Dave [ ... ]
Spotlight On: Stephaney Theobald
Category you compete in: Previously figure but starting in 2012 switching to Women's Physique
Date of birth: 8/25/80
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Career: Small Business Owner - Natty Nutrition, LLC
How does your family respond to your competing? Well my husband is nothing but supportive, and in fact he's the one who introduced me to competing. He's a competition prep coach himself so he keeps a watchful eye on me (because I ask him to) - but I try to keep a distinction between "prep coach Scooby" and "Jason my husband"! However my parents and siblings are NOT fans of my competing! None of them have ever been to any of my competitions and I don't think many of them have ever even looked at a picture of me on stage (I know for certain my mother has not. She doesn't want to see me "scantily clad and showing off my body"). They just don't understand the lifestyle and they don't understand the motivations behind why I get on stage. All they know is what they see on TV and unfortunately the media typically hasn't painted bodybuilding in the best of lights. I get the impression that my family looks at competing more like "glorified stripping" than as a way to display the pride I take in pushing myself physically and mentally further than I ever imagined I could. They are SLOWLY coming around to support my overall lifestyle because they see that I've turned health and fitness into a career that helps so many others - my hope is that eventually they will come to understand why I compete.
What kind of goals have you set for yourself, short-term and long-term? Well in terms of competing the only goal I've really set for myself is to place top 5 at a national level show. Obviously I'd love to win or get that coveted pro card - but that is not my ultimate motivation for competing. My main reason for competing is to have a tangible goal that will drive me to keep pushing myself and learning more about what I'm capable of. I also hope to inspire others and help them realize that they can do incredible things if they want it badly enough. But I cannot tell a lie - I REALLY want a national level trophy, lol!
My long term goal is to setup a non-profit to raise money and awareness to help combat childhood obesity and the general ignorance around proper nutrition and exercise that plagues this country. Sorry to get too serious there - but it's a passion of mine!
What's currently on your iPod? In general I prefer to listen to "booty shakin' music" during my workouts - so right now a couple of the regular songs are Ludacris' "My Chick Bad", T-Pain's "Booty Work" and David Guetta's "Sexy B*tch". But then for my LISS cardio I like to use that time for reflection so I listen to more inspirational music like Mandisa's "Stronger", Francesca Battistelli's "This is the Stuff" and Jamie Grace's "Hold Me". Quite the dichotomy, right??!! :-)
What are your hobbies and interests outside of the bodybuilding world? I love playing sports - just finished up the fall sessions of co-ed flag football and outdoor soccer. I generally don't do a lot of that during prep since it's too much energy expenditure on top of my normal workouts. I also love to read and do big-time dorky things like crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. I also love to spend time with my friends and family when I can.
Do you have a favorite exercise? I can't say that I have a favorite exercise, but I do have a favorite body part to train which is legs. I like it for many reasons... because there are so many exercises I can do since it's a large group of muscles, plus I feel like my legs respond pretty well, but mainly because my legs are strong so it's fun to lift more than a lot of the dudes in the gym! Someone introduced me to "Good Mornings" for hammies recently (I can't believe I'd never done them!) so I've been doing them a lot recently.
Competition history: My very first competition was the OH Monster Mash in 2008 where I finished 1 point out of top 5, then I went on to the KY Muscle (which was QUITE out of my league at the time!). I then took my first offseason and came back in Aug. 2009 at the KY State/Central where I placed (this was my TOUGHEST prep because I didn't get my calories up high enough in my first offseason. I got trapped in that binge/diet down cycle that so many girls fall into after shows. So dieting down from a 1400 calorie offseason was ROUGH!) My next offseason was MUCH better and I really grew, then came back in 2010 to place 2nd at the GNC Indiana (only behind the girl who took the overall) and then finished top 10 at my first national level show (Jr. Nationals). I had another great offseason after that and then competed at Jr. USA and Jr. Nationals this year... I didn't crack top 10 at either show and judges told me I was "too lean and muscular" for figure and they suggested I switch to the new WP division.
Next competition: My goal is to do Jr. USA and Jr. Nationals again this year in Women's Physique, though I need to qualify first. So I'll be competing sometime in April or May somewhere locally.
Favorite Fitness Tip: this is nothing new or earth shattering, but the biggest "aha moment" I had was when I actually listened to this advice... "Drop the running and pick up the weights" I'd been a runner for YEARS and could run for days, yet I was totally unhappy with how I looked, even when eating super clean. When a surgery forced me to stop running I turned to weights to "keep from getting fatter". Well not only did I not add fat, but I dropped from a size 6/7 to a size 2 in just a few months! All while getting super strong and confident. So now I tell everyone that if you want to drop FAT and gain confidence you need to stop all the crazy cardio and start strength training.
Who would you like to thank? Well not to be cheesy, but I have to first and foremost thank my husband, Jason Theobald. Without him God knows where I'd be or what I'd look like, lol. He's taught me so much and he's constantly inspiring me to be the best I can be - not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Note that I said "inspiring me" and not "pushing me" - there's a huge difference. And I'm not just talking about the fitness or competing world, but in all aspects of life. Wow - I just realized this is the 2nd time in one day I've sang his praises... hopefully he won't read this or I'll never hear the end of it! Then I'll be forced to do something mean to put him in his place, lol.
I also need to thank Sue Knott for teaching me so much about the world of competing and inspiring me to always bring my best - she's also been a great friend with a great listening ear. And finally Gina and Troy Scott (owners of Body Dynamics in KY) for being wonderful and super supportive friends - true friends are so hard to find! There are a BUNCH of others I'd love to thank but I don't want to single people out as I know I'll forget someone and they'll get offended, yada yada yada. So I'll just stick with the biggies :-)
Thanks to RX Girl for this opportunity to share more about myself! And thanks to anyone reading this!!!
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