Who is Nathalia Melo?
Brazilian-born and -raised Nathalia Melo is a professional bikini competitor, fitness model, and personal trainer. She is referred to as Miss Bikini Olympia 2012
Nathalia Melo was an active and health-conscious child. But she started living a sedentary lifestyle when she immigrated to the US in 2004, which caused her health to decline.
As Nathalia’s weight continued to increase, she started to understand it was time to change. After that, she entered her first bikini contest and hasn’t looked back since.
Nathalia improved her eating habits and lifestyle during her competition preparations, which helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become a successful career in fitness modeling and contests.
Here is her account:
“Training has always given me the opportunity to reaffirm my identity and preferences. My day has structure thanks to it, and I feel accomplished. Years of training have taught me to love the way exercising makes me feel.”
Body Measurements of Nathalia Melo
| Full Name: | Nathalia Melo |
| HEIGHT: | 5’5″ (165cm) |
| WEIGHT: | 125 – 135lbs (56.7 – 61.2kg) |
| NATIONALITY: | Brazilian, American |
| PROFESSION: | Professional Bikini Competitor, Fitness Model, Personal Trainer |
| ERA: | 2010, 2000 |
You should become at ease in your skin and appreciate what you have because you will be in it for a very long time.
Accomplishments
- Winner of the 2012 Bikini Olympia
- Model for International Cover
- Individual Trainer
Contest Record
2011
- Mr. Olympia, IFBB Bikini, 2nd place
2012
- Arnold Classic, IFBB Bikini, 5th place
- Mr. Olympia, IFBB Bikini, 1st place
2013
- Arnold Sports Festival, Bikini, 2nd place
- Australia Pro, IFBB Bikini, 3rd place
- Mr. Olympia, IFBB Bikini, 4th place
2014
- Arnold Sports Festival, Bikini, 4th place
“I am an all-or-nothing kind of person, so during every prep I did, I gave every workout, meal, and cardio session my entire best effort. I never entered the stage with the notion that I could have done more in the run-up.
Biography
A Difficult Start In America
Brazilian-born and -bred Nathalia Melo is of Italian ancestry. She did, however, go permanently to the United States in 2004, and she has remained there ever since.
Although Nathalia has a reputation for leading an active and healthy lifestyle, this wasn’t always the case. She developed bad habits in the first several years she lived in America. including eating too much and staying inactive.
Nathalia’s morale and well-being were profoundly impacted by all of this, and she developed frustration at her predicament.
Adapting In A Positive Way
Nathalia finally decided to take charge of her life in 2009 till that point. She then decided to push herself by entering her first bikini competition.
She hoped that by doing this, she would be compelled to adhere to a strength training and healthy eating plan.
Nathalia’s approach worked; after a month, she stopped eating all the “junk” food she had been consuming and established a productive exercise regimen.
The show day arrived after a few months. Nathalia claims that she was already pleased with herself, especially considering the effort it required to change her way of life. But Nathalia’s situation got even better.
Nathalia won Mr. Olympia, IFBB Bikini competition, taking first place and the overall bikini champion trophy, in her inaugural competition, besting all other female competitors.
Miss Olympia Bikini
Nathalia was ecstatic about winning. But this was just the start of her ascent to the top.
Nathalia started working with prominent fitness brands over a few months, increasing her visibility in the competition and fitness modeling industries.
Nathalia’s professional career peaked in 2012. She won the Ms. Bikini Olympia, the world’s most prestigious female competition, that year. Nathalia’s triumph made her the first Brazilian to ever take first place in this contest.
Nathalia also received additional invitations to compete at the Arnold Sports Festival as a result of her triumph, and she consistently placed in the top 5.
Nathalia is now a licensed personal trainer and an authority on sports nutrition.
Due to her obligations to her family and business, she no longer competes. “I don’t believe it would be fair to my family, especially with two newborns,” Nathalia remarked. I am aware that by doing so, I would be pushing myself beyond my capacity.
She is now able to spend more time helping others and applying her skills and experience in the areas of diet, supplements, and fitness.
“Do you know which workout is the best in the world and will produce the best results? Whichever one you enjoy and stick to! No matter what anyone says.
Likely, you won’t stick around if you don’t like something. Find something you like, and the outcomes will follow! To succeed, you must keep moving.
Training
Two Cardio Workouts Every Day
Nathalia works out with cardio five to six days each week, even in the off-season. Her cardio workouts last anywhere from 45 and 60 minutes each.
Nathalia will, however, take her cardio program to a whole new level when preparing for competition by doing it twice daily, every day, for roughly 60 minutes.
Nathalia works out at the gym for up to two hours each day in addition to all of this.
Nathalia Melo’s Exercise Program
Nathalia might work out from four to seven days a week, depending on the situation. However, her typical exercise schedule is divided into five days and looks as follows:
- Monday – Quads
- Tuesday – Shoulders, Chest, and Triceps
- Wednesday – Hamstrings
- Thursday – Back an Biceps
- Friday – Glutes
- Saturday – Off
- Sunday – Off
Workout For The Glute
Nathalia is renowned for having tight, rounded glutes, which she acquired through constant training and the use of certain unusual workouts.
Nathalia prefers to perform more repetitions when training on this body area. To maximize the amount of muscle breakdown from the workout, she also adds a lot of volumes.
Here is a summary of the workout, followed by a description of each exercise as performed by Nathalia;
- 4 sets of 15 reps of the leg curl butt-blaster
- Deadlift To Bench Squat, 4 sets of 15 reps
- 4 sets of 15 reps of the Bosu Ball Sumo Squat
- Step Up on the Bench, 4 sets of 20 reps
- Pull-Through with dumbbells, 4 sets of 20 repetitions
Butt-Curl Leg-Curl
One of Nathalia’s favorite exercises for the glutes is the leg-curl butt-blaster. Nathalia is careful to maintain a strong core throughout the workout, keeping her back straight as she elevates her leg.
Nathalia positions herself correctly before starting the exercise. She kneels in front of the leg curl machine and faces it from a distance. She next pushes up the pad while keeping her knee slightly bent after placing her heel on it.
After then, Nathalia gently makes her way back to the beginning position without touching the stack. She performs the exercise with one leg, keeping her back straight and her neck in line with her spine, for the appropriate amount of reps.
Deadlift To Bench Squat
With this compound exercise, Nathalia can target the glutes, the back, and the legs. She will either stress her legs or her glutes, depending on how far back she pushes her hips and how much past parallel she goes.
To achieve the ideal form, Nathalia advises performing this movement without any weight. She advises advancing to heavier weights after the form is perfected.
Nathalia initially positions two benches so they are side by side for the workout. She then puts her foot on one of the benches and stands upright on them with her toes pointed outward.
Nathalia lowers into a conventional squat stance while holding one side of a dumbbell in front of her.
She then straightens her legs while pushing through her heels and lowering her torso till it is parallel to the floor while maintaining an arched lower back and tight abs.
She performs the exercise for a total of 15 reps before returning to the beginning position.
Squat With A Bosu Ball
Nathalia claims that using a good technique is essential to getting the most out of this activity. Nathalia keeps one leg on the floor and shifts her weight there to keep her glutes as engaged as possible.
But according to her, this can be difficult for some. She, therefore, suggests bracing the Bosu ball against something to prevent it from sliding around while performing the workout.
With her right foot on the Bosu ball’s center and her left foot flat on the ground, Nathalia starts the exercise while standing erect.
She changes her position so that her feet are pointing outward, her arms are in front of her, and her palms are clasped.
Nathalia then lowers herself into a squat position by bending her knees, pulling her hips back, and keeping her heels firmly planted on the floor and Bosu ball.
She continues to lower herself till her thighs are parallel to the ground while maintaining a flat lower back. She then briefly pauses before rising slowly off the ground at this moment.
After completing the necessary repetitions, she switches to her left leg.
Step-Up Bench
Although this workout is straightforward, it has a significant positive impact on Nathalia’s development of her glutes and legs.
The “secret” is in the way Nathalia squeezes her glutes as tightly as she can at the top while also pushing her heels through the bench.
Nathalia begins the practice, as usual, adjusting her posture first. Her palms are facing down as she stands on one side of the seat with her arms straight out in front of her. She maintains a calm posture with her chest out.
Nathalia will position herself completely and then lift her entire body weight by placing her foot on top of the bench. She holds her other leg slightly in front of her and up in the air while she squeezes her hamstrings and glutes at the top.
After a brief pause, she slowly returns her weight to the ground before beginning the subsequent repetition. After completing each repetition, she will go on to the other leg and continue the process.
Lifting Dumbbells Through
This exercise, according to Nathalia, works her muscles like the deadlift. But she’s found that most individuals worry about lifting too much weight, which is the largest error she’s seen.
In turn, this causes quick, erratic motions that can only result in harm. She suggests aiming for controlled, deliberate motion even if it means giving up some strength.
Nathalia stands with her feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and her toes pointed outward as she gets ready for the workout. She extends her arms in front of her legs while holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Nathalia pushes the weight between her legs while bending her knees just a little and keeping her back straight. She raises the weight back up and then drives through her heels to stand back up, contracting her glutes as she does so.
The movement is then repeated by Nathalia until the required number of reps has been completed.
Nutrition
Before A Competition, A Meal
When getting ready for a competition, Nathalia only eats things she has cooked herself. During this time, she consumes roughly six meals each day.
Her go-to meals for shedding pounds and packing on muscle are chicken, asparagus, and oats.
When preparing for a show, Nathalia’s diet does not allow for cheat meals. She claims that she reserves some until after the show as a reward for her diligence.
Diet before Nathalia Melo’s Contest
Nathalia offers numerous different food plans. One of them is this;
- 1st meal – Egg Whites, Oats, Blueberries, Spinach & Asparagus
- 2nd meal – Orange Roughy, Whole Wheat Penne Noodles & Green Beans
- 3rd meal – Chicken Breast, Sweet Potatoes
- 4th meal – Shrimp, Spinach, Carrots, Pineapple
- 5th meal – Orange Roughy, Sweet Potatoes & Asparagus
- 6th meal – Flank Steak, Green Beans & Whey Protein
yet another variant;
- 1st meal – 5 egg whites, 1 cup of oats, 1,5 cups mixed berries
- 2nd meal – 5 ounces of Salmon, 1 cup of Steamed broccoli, 4 ounces of sweet potatoes, 1 apple
- 3rd meal – 5 ounces chicken breast, 1 cup of steamed vegetables, 1 wholewheat tortilla wrap, 1 banana
- 4th meal – 1 non-fat Greek yogurt, 1.5 ounces of raw almonds (handful)
Influences And Idols
IFBB Pro Christine Wan had an impact on Nathalia’s choice to give up her unhealthy lifestyle and compete in a bikini competition. Nathalia claims that Christine inspired her to think about participating in fitness competitions.
Initially, Nathalia expressed reluctance, saying, “I didn’t believe that was a good idea because in Brazil the only picture we have of competing in bodybuilding.”
She changed her mind, though, after learning about the bikini division, which was just what she was looking for.
Jaime Baird, Missy Coles, Amanda Latona, and Erin Stern are a few athletes whom Nathalia admires.
“I like Amanda Latona,” says Nathalia of Amanda and Erin. She has a personality that is very similar to mine and is cool. She is gregarious and authentic. In addition, Erin Stern is stylish and attractive. (Nathalia Melo)
What Nathalia Melo Can Teach Us?
The narrative of Nathalia, who overcame her bad habits during her early years in America, is a shining example of how fitness may significantly enhance one’s quality of life.
Whether you’re having weight problems or simply want to feel more comfortable in your skin. The best approach is always regular exercise and a nutritious diet.
If you haven’t done so previously, think about adopting a healthy lifestyle. It’s a global movement that is constantly expanding as more and more people understand the value of healthy eating and regular exercise, just like Nathalia Melo.