Bikini Pro at Age 50
No Nonsense Magazine Vol 23, #2
By: Kelley Mello

At a Glance: Kelley Mello
Age: 50
Occupation: Licensed Aesthetician, Licensed Massage Therapist, and business owner for 18 years
Family: Boyfriend - John, stepson - Iric, and my Vizsla - Twix
Current Residence: Dartmouth, MA
Years training (total): 30 years; competing, 7 years
Height: 5'4"
Weight: Off-Season 127, Contest 116
Favorite Meal: Baked salmon, sweet potato, green beans
Favorite Supplements: UMP Chocolate, Lean Out, and Density
What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before? Call Beverly (800-781-3475) and ask their supplement advisors to help you choose the best selections to achieve your goals.
Music: I’m old school. I love the 70’s in general, at the gym Led Zeppelin, 80’s Rock.
Most Inspiring Book: You’ll See it When You Believe It - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Hobby or Interests outside bodybuilding: Spending quality time with my family, I also love to travel, support animal shelters and practice guitar.
Words to live by: “Don’t die with your music still in you” - Dr. Wayne Dyer
For as long as I can remember I have always loved to stay in motion. I was involved in dance and gymnastics during my childhood. In high school I loved performing in show choir, singing in a small group or performing a duet with a classmate.
I joined my first gym at age 20 where I started lifting weights and was doing aerobics 5 days a week. From then on working out has been part of my life. I learned all that I could about exercise and purchased a lot of home workouts on video and cassette. We’re going back to the 80’s now when Bess Motta and Gilad were popular.
In my mid 20’s I came across a poster for a local fitness show. I remember going to the show by myself and loving every part of it - the music, the routines, the fit physiques, it was thrilling. The show was more of a fitness pageant than a bodybuilding event. It was definitely something I wanted to do, but I had no idea how to begin. Life went on and I never found another local event, so a seed was planted, but never pursued.
Now, fast forward 20 years. I came across an article in a fitness magazine by Tosca Reno. She was in her early fifties and getting ready for a bikini fitness competition. I had to know more! I set out to learn all I could about Tosca and about Bikini competition. In my research I found that one of these contests was being held right in my area. Right there and then I entered my first show. I had no idea about diet or posing, but I learned all that I could from the internet and winged the rest. I was still such a novice at age 44. I placed 6th at the OCB Spirit of America. It was a great learning experience. I entered a couple more OCB events and still no top 5 placing - the bottom line was that I just wasn’t getting lean enough.
Competitors are always talking back stage and that’s when I got introduced to the Beverly International product line by a woman whom I was competing with. At the OCB Cape Cod Natural, I had my hopes on at least placing. But to my surprise I ended up taking 1st place in Master Bikini and 5th place in Novice Bikini and received my Pro Card in Bikini Masters to boot. I’ll never forget the ride home that evening, what a great feeling. Since becoming a Pro, I have taken 4th place in the WNBF Monster Mash in 2016 and 2nd place in 2017 OCB Battle of the Gods.
In Closing
You can’t go into a show thinking that if you have the best body you’re going home with the hardware. That’s only half the battle. Proper posing and presentation is crucial. Practice and then practice some more. When practicing at home video yourself as you perform your routine. (I keep an old suit for posing practice.) There are plenty of videos on YouTube to get started with the basics. Take the time to develop your own style, get yourself noticed and grab the judge’s attention.
These past few years have been a dream come true for me. It’s so much work and dedication but when it’s in your blood you don’t mind the sacrifice. One thing I have learned through this journey of competitive fitness is that the judging at the shows can vary from show to show. You can have no placement in one show, then the next week compete again and place top 3. Always contact the judges after a show for feedback. The most important thing is to do everything (diet, workouts, cardio, presentation) to the best of your ability so that when you’re on stage you’ll know you gave it all you got. Make friends, have a good time and support one another.
You’ll find my pre contest diet plan and one of my favorite workout schedules accompanying this article. Give them a try for at least 6 weeks and see if you don’t achieve your best ever bikini physique.

Pre Contest Diet and Supplement Plan
My diet may change a little as the competition nears but this is a typical day of eating during contest prep. I drink 1 gallon of water with lemon daily.
Pre workout: 1 protein waffle with peanut butter
Meal 1: 3 egg whites topped with some hot sauce, a bowl of steel cut oats with cinnamon and blueberries
Meal 2: 1 scoop Ultimate Muscle Protein shake, 1 plain rice cake with avocado
Meal 3: large salad – albacore tuna, 2 hardboiled eggs, 1 cup spinach, bell peppers, cucumber, balsamic vinegar
Meal 4: 4 egg whites and 1 plain rice cake
Meal 5: 3oz chicken seasoned with Mrs. Dash, 1 small sweet potato
Meal 6: 1 scoop Ultimate Muscle Protein shake
Supplements
Lean Out: 2 capsules with meals (1, 3, & 5)
7-Keto MuscLean: 2 capsules with meals (1, 3, & 5)
Quadracarn: 3 tablets before bed
UMP (Chocolate usually): meals (2 & 6)
Workout & Cardio Plan
The first 2 sets for each muscle group are warmups. Super set each pair of exercises listed below. Example: Smith Machine Squats superset with Stiff-Leg DB Deadlift, etc.
Monday: Legs | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Smith Machine Squats | 5 | 10-12 |
Stiff-Leg DB Deadlift | 5 | 10-12 |
Romanian Split Squats | 5 | 10-12 |
Barbell Good Mornings | 5 | 10-12 |
Hip Thrusts Weighted | 5 | 15-20 |
Lying Leg Curl | 5 | 10-12 |
Tuesday: Shoulders & Abs | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
DB Press | 5 | 10-12 |
Trunk Curl and Crunch | 5 | 20 |
Lateral DB Raises | 5 | 12-15 |
Bicycle Crunch | 5 | 20 |
Front DB Raise | 5 | 12-15 |
V Ups | 5 | 20 |
Assisted Pull Ups | 1 | Failure |
Wednesday: Back & Biceps | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Seated Pulley Rows | 5 | 10-15 |
DB Bicep Curls | 5 | 10-12 |
Overhead DB Pullover | 5 | 10-12 |
EZ Bar Wide Grip Curls | 5 | 10-12 |
Close Grip Pull Downs | 5 | 10-15 |
Incline DB Curls | 5 | 8-12 |
Assisted Pull Ups | 1 | Failure |
Thursday: Chest & Triceps | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Flat DB Bench Press | 5 | 10-12 |
Lying EZ bar Extensions | 5 | 10-12 |
Incline DB Press | 5 | 10-12 |
Close Grip DB Press | 5 | 10-12 |
Standing Cable Crossover | 5 | 10-12 |
Rope Extensions | 5 | 10-12 |
Friday: Legs | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Leg Press | 5 | 10-12 |
Leg Curls | 5 | 10-12 |
Seated Leg Extensions | 5 | 10-12 |
DB Stiff Leg Deadlift | 5 | 10-12 |
Seated Abduction | 5 | 10-12 |
Cable Kick Backs | 5 | 10-12 |
Walking DB Lunges | 3 | 20 |
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Active rest day. I choose between Vinyasa Yoga, corrective stretching, or walking.
Cardio Schedule:
Off Season: I typically do HIIT 3x per week for 20 minutes either on the treadmill or stationary bike.
Contest Prep: I do cardio 5-6 times per week. 3 days HIIT for 20 minutes, and 2-3 days steady state 30 minutes. I like to do my cardio after my weight training.