Monica Martin: Highly Accomplished Brazilian Bodybuilder Unveils The Secret To Her Chiseled Physique

Monica Martin is a World Famous Pro Bodybuilder from Brazil. She was born in Sao Paulo city. She began bodybuilding as a teenager, and has been training ever since. She was the first female bodybuilder from her country to classify as a professional bodybuilder. She has also been deeply involved in many other sports such as Martial Arts, Cycling, Gymnastics, Ballet among other activities.

She started weight lifting at the young age of 16, and after 6 years of rigorous training, Monica decided to do her first show, and won first place in every competition she participated in, including the Brazilian National Championship, South American Championship, and Ibero-American Championship. After few years of competing throughout Europe and Latin America as an amateur, because of her many victories, Monica became a symbol of this sport in her country and was an active promoter of bodybuilding.

In 1998 she earned her pro card for being number one in her country and continent. Then she came to the United States and began competing in the pro-shows, such as the Arnold Classic, Jan Tana Classic, Extravaganza, Europa and others bodybuilding pro shows.

Monica became very popular in the bodybuilding world because of her exotic looks and aesthetic feminine physique combined with her eccentric routines on stage and a ripped condition all over the year, opened the doors for her to enter the spotlight of the Bodybuilding media, appearing in specialized magazines like Flex, MuscleMag, MDevelopment, Women’s Physique World, Ironman , TV shows in Brazil(SBT,Globo) and US(TLC-Miami Ink) also in specialized websites.

Also Monica is a pro at speaking in four different languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French.

Monica Martin is a Highly Accomplished Brazilian Body Builder and Fitness Model. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: You were born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and lived your early life in the city of Santos and later settled in US. You have been interested in fitness and sports from an early age and took part in Martial Arts, Cycling, Gymnastics and Ballet. You started to lift weights at the age of 16 years. Later you were encouraged & motivated to compete in fitness competitions. You reached the pinnacle of success by winning first place in every competition you entered in, including: Brazilian National Championship, South American Championship and Ibero-American Championship. Tell us about your journey that took you to the world of fitness and as a winner in Professional Bodybuilder competitions?

Ms. Monica Martin: Since a young age muscles had fascinated me. My mother used to teach Art History at the University in Brazil. At home we had a great collection of European art books with vivid pictures of Greek and Roman gods. I used to stare at them for hours when I was a little girl. I was always wondering how it could be possible to achieve a physique like this. To be muscular and strong was something I always wanted, a dream that years later I made reality.

As a kid I was always athletic and slim, with a well proportioned body. I practiced many different kinds of sports and physical activities. I started to lift weights at the age of 16. The owners of the gym introduced me to the fitness magazines. There I could learn about women’s bodybuilding and competitions. I didn’t know such sport like this could exist! I was hooked the moment I saw that.

I started to learn all I could about diet and training but in Brazil in the 90’s it was hard. There was not much information about women’s routines, diets or good supplementation. Supplements were all imported and really expensive.

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I began testing my body and learning from my mistakes. Years were passing by, but I didn’t rush to achieve my goal. In the interim I was watched amateur and pro shows to learn how to pose, and trained hard to make my body symmetrical.

It took me six years of serious training and diet before my first competition. I was ready and confident. I felt like nothing could stop me. I won every single show I entered in my first year as well as the second. Then in 1998 I became the first woman from Brazil to earn an IFBB pro card. My discipline and focus leaded me to achieve my goal of becoming one of the best female bodybuilders of the world.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: What is your motivation to be a multi-faceted personality of a fitness model, professional bodybuilder competitor and IFBB-Pro athlete?

Ms. Monica Martin: I retired from bodybuilding competitions in 2005 but continue fitness modeling. I have been doing this for almost 20 years. One of the sources of motivation comes from the appreciation of my fans. It makes me always strive to get better. Makes me keep raising the bar higher. The other source of motivation comes is my goal for perfection.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Share your exercise routine that you do to maintain such a perfect physique?

Ms. Monica Martin: I go to the gym 6 days a week. Take one day off. I like the basic exercises. I train two groups of muscles a day. I use 3 to 4 different types of exercises for each group of muscles. I perform 4 sets for each exercise with heavy enough weight to be able to execute 15 to 25 reps per set. I train flexibility, core exercises and some yoga.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: What is your diet? Do you take a particular fixed, regulated diet comprising of nutrients and vitamins to keep you in perfect health?

Ms. Monica Martin: I like to eat high protein meals with a small portion of carbohydrates.
For protein sources I use: Steaks, chicken breast, lean ground turkey, lean ground Buffalo, Salmon, and eggs.
For carbohydrate sources I use: Basmati or Jasmine rice, as well as yellow Dutch potatoes.
I like nuts. I don’t eat most beans. However I do like and eat Garbanzo beans.
I eat fruits. I love berries such: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and pineapple.
To complement my diet I use vitamin complex, EPA/DHA essentials, aminos and collagen ( good for skin and hair ) and to protect the immune system I use Black Elderberry.

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Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding professional bodybuilding girls who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to ladder of success in field of professional bodybuilding competitions?

Ms. Monica Martin: “Challenge yourself!”
Challenging yourself daily helps you to succeed in all areas of your life.
Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
Challenging yourself is good training for dealing with life’s unexpected challenges. No matter if its bad or good ones you will be prepared. If you do that and learn from them.
Challenging yourself makes you more creative and to feel alive.
Set the bar higher. Break out of comfort zones. Stay in Focus with your goals. Don’t let people ever to put you down!

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us how you felt before and after wining the 1st place at South American Championship in women bodybuilding?

Ms. Monica Martin: It was a hard competition for me. In my country, the President of the National Federation forced me to participate a second time in all the competitions I had already won the prior year. This was to allow me to compete at the Ibero and South American show in Bolivia. This was wrong, because I already qualified to compete in the South American. I could have rested the whole year and prepared for only this competition. Thus I would arrive in my best condition. Instead I had to compete all the shows I had won already.

It made me really tired with all the traveling and diet. My body was feeling depleted from lack of food and sleep. The hotel the federation hosted the athletes was really awful. It didn’t have any clean water to drink; the food they offered was nasty. It was cooked chicken with skin and feather… I think they tried to sabotage the athletes of other countries… I was so exhausted at the day of the contest in my room, all I wanted at that moment was to leave and go home. I had no more energy to fight.

But all of a sudden I realized that I already went so far, and I was so close to achieving my goal… I stopped focusing on the negative side of the trip and just focused to win. I changed my attitude. I put on nice make up, brushed my hair, put on my suit. I then looked at myself in the mirror. I was looking gorgeous. I then said to myself: I’m ready to step on stage to get my trophy! And I won.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Elaborate about your experience when you won the Brazilian National Championship and became an active promoter of bodybuilding in your country?

Ms. Monica Martin: It was a wonderful experience to win my first National show. The years I lived and competed in Brazil I was a vivid promoter of women’s bodybuilding.
I feel very happy for the time I promoted bodybuilding at the national level in Brazil. But am even happier for opening the doors to all the female bodybuilders from Brazil. It helped introducing them to the international fitness world. Today there are many female fitness athletes competing at pro level.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?

Ms. Monica Martin: I want to thank Womenfitness.net for the opportunity given to me to convey my message. I appreciate the support for us women in our careers and endeavors.
My message for the visitors: Believe in yourself and you will evolve.
To know more about Monica Martin check out : http://www.monicamartin.net/

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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.