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DON:
You've been asked to interview for donlemmon.com that
has had over 20 million visitors in the past 3 years.
I want to know what ONE interview you did in the past
that you were most proud of and where the most recent
one was done?
MELISSA: My favorite interview and story was done in
the Jan 97 issue of Muscular Development Magazine,
I was on the cover and also the centerfold and Body
of the Month. It was a great interview with a lot of
wonderful photos done by a great photographer named
Per Bernal. The spread was about 15 pages long and very
complimentary. It brought me a great deal of fan mail,
more than any other interview I have ever done, and
I am very proud of it. Friends who have read it have
said it is just like talking to me. I appreciate having
an interview done that quotes me directly instead of
having things written in the author's own lingo. The
last interview I did was a star profile in last August's
issue of Flex magazine.
DON:
What can you tell me about your body and the shape you
got it in that you think most people do not realize?
MELISSA: I got my body into this shape it has today
by many years of good honest work. But I must admit
that I sometimes do not stick to the most rigorous diet.
I like the occasional sweet here and there!!! A lot
of people are shocked when they see that I do not always
stick to a very clean diet, but I believe moderation
in everything is healthy. I believe it is hard for someone
to be a bodybuilder, it takes every ounce of their being,
if they can't do that, they probably shouldn't really
be doing it. In the long run, I think it will drive
them crazy!!!
DON:
Per the field you are in, tell me the best, and the
worst experience you have ever had so far. Maybe the
experience was actually with another person or happened
to a friend, hypothetically speaking.
MELISSA: I have had many wonderful experiences within
the bodybuilding world, but I would say the worst experience
has been on a couple of contest days in which I was
so dehydrated that my feet were cramping very very badly
and this ruined my posing routine. My nerves can get
the best of me, but having the fear that I am not going
to be able to stand on my own two feet is not too pleasant
either!!!
DON:
Tell me about the different fad diets you have tried.
Why did they fail? What REALLY worked? Who turned you
on to them?
MELISSA: I have never tried fad diets. Being a bodybuilder
means that you must follow a healthy diet that promotes
muscle growth and fat depletion. So in that way, I eat
a diet high in protein, moderate in carbs and good fat.
My metabolism works just fine with this way of eating.
I realize other people may have problems dieting in
this manner, but for me it has worked like a charm.
DON:
Having a goal helps. Not to say you are a steroid user,
but those who take drugs are smart to eat right as much
as possible. One, why waste the drug? Two, because the
drugs tear you apart and you need all the nourishment
you can for rebuilding. What routine exercise was your
favorite routine? Split routines, full body workouts,
what really showed the best results? What was your last
session like?
MELISSA: My most productive routine has been to focus
on one body part a session and to rotate. This is if
I am in a growing cycle, i.e. trying to put on muscle.
Right now I am training to stay in shape, and so do
a different routine. It is very important to have rest
days as well, especially after a day of doing your weakest
body part. I have done this deal when preparing for
a contest, training 2 days on, 1 day off, and again.
For my present routine, I train one day, take a day
off, and so on. For beginners, I suggest doing a full
body workout for sure until they feel ready to go to
a different style.
DON:
What was the last movie you saw, video rented, cd bought,
concert saw, fancy and bad meal ate?
MELISSA: The last movie I went to see was Scary Movie
- I love to laugh. I also love gothic/vampire type movies
so I rented Stigmata the other day as well. I have not
had the chance to go to any concerts lately, although
last year I went to Ozzfest in Apple River which is
close to Minneapolis MN. It was a great outdoor concert
held on some camp grounds - 50 000 people were there,
and the bands were great!! I also went tubing down Apple
River with my friends and had a really wonderful time!
I only wish I had more free time to do things like that!!!
As for meals, I love lobster and crab especially!! Followed
by something chocolatey for dessert!!
DON:
What supplement lines do you use? What one thing about
eating would you never neglect (or more than one)?
MELISSA: I do not use any one particular supplement
line, but I have liked Sportspharma, Twinlab, and recently
my chiropractor turned me on to Uni-Pro. I figure he
has researched supplements so knows what is a good quality
supplement to use. The one thing in my diet I know I
must not neglect is eating a good deal of quality protein
- muscle cannot exist too well without it. Diet is about
75% of the battle really. If you do not eat properly
and train right you will still not get half the benefits
you do by eating properly together. A lot of people
don't realize just how important diet is. It took me
a while before I realized this as well, and once I did
I made incredible gains. Eating every few hours on a
regular schedule is very important to me.
DON:
You would be surprised how little physicians know about
product formulation. I am even more surprised how fast
people back down in arguments with a doctor over it
too. What got you started in weight training? When did
you first pay attention to diet? Many people still think
drugs or exercise is all you need and ignore nutrition.
MELISSA: I got started when I was training to be a pro
tennis player. I ended up developing very easily though,
was a champion bench presser and then decided to take
it further and do bodybuilding. Happily, I was also
very successful at bodybuilding and so have the career
I do today. I am hoping to carry this into professional
wrestling so wish me luck!!
DON:
What is your crowning achievement? That ONE thing. I
know you have accomplished a lot but there had to of
been once that.... Plus: Who cheered you along all the
while?
MELISSA: I would have to say my crowning achievement
was winning my pro debut, the 1996 Jan Tana which a
lot of people thought I was only a pretty face and could
not be a contender in the pro ranks. I also did 2 Ms.
Olympia shows that I am very proud of, but did not have
the type of success I had in my debut. My mother was
always my main source of support, and for that I am
forever grateful.
DON:
What was your first and last job working for someone
else?
MELISSA: My first job was working as a veterinary assistant.
I went to a University and achieved my science degree
in biology and had plans to be either a doctor or a
veterinarian, but I got caught up in the whole bodybuilding
thing, and ended up doing that instead. My last job
was as a shooter girl in a couple of bars back home
in Thunder Bay, Canada. That was a great job - good
money and a lot of fun.
DON:
What do you want to plug and what makes it unique?
MELISSA: I would like to plug my web site, www.melissacoates.net,
and also I will have a new and improved www.melissacoates.com
going up in a month or two. It is unique, obviously,
because it is about ME and from me to the fans. I take
a lot of pains in order to include the fans in my life
and my decisions. Without them, I would not have enjoyed
the success I have had.
DON:
Describe to me your current eating plan and what you
know you should change about it?
MELISSA: My current eating plan is pretty clean at the
moment since I am getting ready for some photo shoots
- so that means a lot of eggs and chicken, moderate
amounts of oatmeal and potatoes, and just a bit of fat.
And lots of water. That is very important to keep the
body cleansed and operating properly.
DON:
What is your favorite 'good for you' meal and favorite
cheat food?
MELISSA: My favorite meal that is good for me would
be barbequed chicken breast or potatoes with fat free
sour cream and onions sprinkled on top. Having done
this so many years, I have learned
how to cut the blandness out of eating healthy. My favorite
cheat meal would be lobster or crab
oozing in garlic butter. Followed of course by something
with a lot of chocolate!!
DON:
Is there anything you think we haven't touched upon
here yet you'd like to?
MELISSA: I would like the fans to know that the magazines
really do listen to what the fans have to say. At the
moment it seems that women's BB is not being represented
so fairly in the magazines in favor of featuring many
so called fitness models who don't even look like they
train. So show your support and write to the magazines
asking for the real athletes to be represented a bit
more regularly. Women's bodybuilding is far more popular
than people think, so stand up and be counted!! A muscular
woman seems to be considered controversial at the moment,
but this controversy would disappear should the fans
write in about it. I am doing what I can to represent
the sport and art form that I love, and would appreciate
support in the future as well.
DON:
What is your educational background? College. Certifications.
Was there any particular research done that was important
in getting you into the field you are today?
MELISSA: I have a bachelor of science degree majoring
in biology. My family is also full of doctors. I suppose
that is where I learned admiration for the human form.
DON:
I am curious what your most frequently asked question
is? I am also curious if you have a favorite little
get away you go to?
MELISSA: My most frequently asked question would have
to be "Can we go out??" But along that is "How much
can you lift?" or something about arm wrestling!! I
like to get away to Vegas with my friends every once
in awhile for a break, but the Bahamas is nice too.
DON:
Your top five favorite web sites are:
MELISSA: I tend to be so busy with my own web site and
answering my email, that I do not often check out other
web sites, so of course mine and yours Don are my favorites!!!
DON:
What makes you cringe? What makes you smile so wide
your jaw aches?
MELISSA: What makes me cringe are negative people who
think women bodybuilders want to be men, and what makes
me really happy almost to the point of tears is seeing
unconditional love like someone doing a good thing because
it is the right thing to do.
DON:
Paint the final picture of your goals in life. Of all
the highs and lows, what is your desired final destination?
What do you want to see or know is left behind?
MELISSA: My future goals are to continue being a true
fitness model, perhaps compete again, get into professional
wrestling and from there try to springboard into TV
or film. I see all this as promoting the muscular woman
as an icon, someone to be admired and respected.
DON:
This was really fun! In closing, what needs changed
in your industry?
MELISSA: What I feel needs to be changed in the industry
is the shallowness of some people not to accept women
who choose to go the path of being muscular. It is often
met with negativity, and it doesn't need to be this
way. A lot of people are unwilling to see past society's
barriers on what is considered masculine and what is
considered feminine. It takes a strong woman to go against
the grain, and all of us deserve credit I believe for
standing on our own two feet and challenging the narrow
minded. A woman can be powerful and still be feminine.
Please, lets open our eyes, our minds and our hearts
to this concept.
Visit www.melissacoates.net
Don Lemmon's Nutritional and Exercise Know How