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Spotlight On: Melissa Di Bernardo
Category you compete in: Currently homeless (but hoping to find my home in Women’s Physique come November)
Date of birth: October 16, 1980
Hometown: Palatine, IL (currently residing in New York)
Career: Probation Officer
If you could change into a superhero for a day who would you be and why? This one actually took a bit of research. If I only have one day to be a superhero, I want it to be good. So after some consideration, I think I’d want to be Shadowcat from X-Men. She has the ability to disappear, move through objects, and walk on air. Being as impatient as I am and always in a rush, having the ability to move through objects and walk on air would seriously cut down on travel time for me. Plus, walking on air or through objects just seems like it would look pretty damn cool. Of course, in the X-Man comics, Shadowcat ultimately marries a man who physically crushes her to death….that would be just my luck.
What made you begin dedicating your lifestyle to this sport? I’ve been an athlete all my life, and my draw to this sport seemed to be a natural progression. I started weight training when I was 16 or 17 years old (after years of gymnastics, soccer, and track). I took to the weights instantly and haven’t ever looked back. I rowed for my college crew team during my four years at Marist College and maintained my regular weight training in addition to my morning rows, which I’m convinced was a major factor in my rowing success. From the time I started with the weights, I was doing a body part split that was similar to how most bodybuilders train (i.e. one or two body parts per workout, training 5-6 days/week). After college, I joined a gym, met some people who were into the local competition scene, and well, the rest is history. I started in figure and did fairly well at the local and regional level, but I never got a second look from the judges at my first national-level show. Plus, the feedback I got on how to improve was too intangible for me to wrap my head around. So I made the switch to bodybuilding, which I found myself enjoying so much more, along with being a bit more successful at the national level. But now I’ve reached a point where I don’t want to get any bigger, and fortunately with the implementation of the WPD, I’ve got my sights set on this division. I think it’s a much better fit for me overall and really wish it had been around three years ago when I was hanging up my figure heels. I’ll admit it’s a little sad to have to strip off some of the muscle and density I’ve built up over the years….but I’m convinced it’s ultimately the right move for me. I can still continue to train like I want to (once I get down to the size I need to be) and not have to worry about the dreaded offseason and “bulking.” Wow, guess I strayed quite a bit from the original question, huh? Oooops!!
What approach do you take to dieting...carb cycle..keto? For the past three years, I followed a keto approach to contest prep. 
This year, after making a coaching change, I used a carb cycling approach, which I think ultimately worked out much better with regard to both my lifestyle (particularly much less cardio) and how my body responded. I believe that just about every approach has its place and can be effective, but it’s about finding what fits your lifestyle AND your body best. I got in shape on keto, and I got in shape on carb cycling…..for me, it became an issue of what fits into my everyday life better.
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about competing? That it takes a lot of dedication. Huh? What? What the average person doesn’t realize (and what the average physique competitor probably chooses to ignore) is that dedication isn’t the only key….it takes a certain level of crazy to do this, too. When people compliment me on how much dedication I have, I thank them and let them know that it’s really only 60% dedication and 40% crazy. In fact, I attribute most of my success in this sport to my insanity ;)
What is your most embarrassing childhood memory? I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and was able to walk to and from school. My high school was along a main road, so I had to walk down that road for quite a bit. On my way home from school one day when I was about 13 or 14 years old, I kept getting honked at and yelled at. About a quarter mile down this busy street, I realized that my skirt was tucked into the bottom part of my backpack and my toosh was COMPLETELY hanging out….good thing I wore full coverage undies back then.. haha. And so glad my friends all let me walk around like that for as long as I did.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned about YOURSELF during your contest prep? I’ve learned quite a bit about myself in the 6 years I’ve been competing, but I would say the biggest lesson I’ve learned is the power of positive thinking. It’s truly amazing. I’m definitely not religious or even all that spiritual. In fact, I’m generally a pretty pessimistic person. But about two years ago during a contest prep, I started focusing on being more positive in general and particularly as it relates to my approach to contest prep (I was also reading The Secret during my cardio that prep haha). I noticed a huge difference not only in how I felt, but also how I looked and progressed physically through prep that year and even how other people responded to ME. While I’m still pretty pessimistic, and always struggling to push out that negative thinking, contest prep has definitely taught me that keeping positive energy around and positive relationships in your life can have a major impact in just about every area of your life.
Who do you look up and admire and why? Well this might sound cheesy, but I would have to say it’s my little brother. He’s three and a half years younger than me, but he’s experienced more in his short time on this earth than I think I’ll ever see in my entire lifetime. He’s a Staff Sergeant for the Army and has served two tours overseas, once in Iraq and once in Afghanistan. He’s a 101st Airborne Ranger (I’m sure I’m getting this all wrong, and he’ll yell at me when he reads this lol), and overall just a very well-decorated soldier. While he’s just as crazy as I am, he’s also what I consider the epitome of strength and determination mixed in with a little heart and soul to soften the blunt edges. He’s also very athletic himself, but he’s an athlete with a purpose….he’s a Team Red White and Blue sponsored athlete and runs various marathons, 50 milers, and (eventually) ultra marathons to raise money for wounded soldiers and to aid in their reintegration to the community when they return from battle. He currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records for running the fasted marathon while wearing a gas mask (3 hours, 49 minutes, and 22 seconds)….no thank you, I’d rather diet for 16 weeks.
Competition history:
Umm, do you have a few hours? Let’s just go with the last three years since I’ve been competing as a bodybuilder…
2009 NPC Eastern USA’s: 2nd place LW
2009 NPC Nationals: 13th place LW
2010 NPC Eastern USA’s: 1st place LW, Overall Women’s BB winner
2010 NPC Nationals: 5th place MW
2011 NPC USA’s: 3rd place MW
Next competition:
2011 NPC Nationals…..but no more bodybuilding….time to try my hand at Women’s Physique.
Favorite Motivational Quote:
I’m not really much of a quote person, as I believe actions to be much more powerful and motivating than words. But one of my favorites is definitely this one:
“Those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things in order to achieve a goal, are the happiest.” ~Brutus Hamilton, Olympic decathlete and track coach
Who would you like to thank? I’d like to thank my coach and very good friend, PJ Braun, for taking me on as a client and helping me every step of the way this year. There are no words to express how great it feels when you know your coach has as much invested in your goals as you do. I’d also like to thank Dave Palumbo, Joel Goldberg, and Species Nutrition for always supporting me in my competitive endeavors and for always giving me honest and constructive feedback. It has been a pleasure to work with you for the past three years (yikes, three years already!!!!)
And a very special thanks to two of my best friends, Jillian Reville and Kat Ramirez. Without these two girls, I’d have jumped off the ledge many, many times already. Friends like them are few and far between.
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