Bikini Pro at Age 50

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: LegsSets Reps
Smith Machine Squats510-12
Stiff-Leg DB Deadlift510-12
Romanian Split Squats510-12
Barbell Good Mornings510-12
Hip Thrusts Weighted515-20
Lying Leg Curl510-12
Tuesday: Shoulders & AbsSets Reps
DB Press510-12
Trunk Curl and Crunch520
Lateral DB Raises512-15
Bicycle Crunch520
Front DB Raise512-15
V Ups520
Assisted Pull Ups1Failure
Wednesday: Back & Biceps Sets Reps
Seated Pulley Rows510-15
DB Bicep Curls510-12
Overhead DB Pullover510-12
EZ Bar Wide Grip Curls510-12
Close Grip Pull Downs510-15
Incline DB Curls58-12
Assisted Pull Ups1Failure
Thursday: Chest & TricepsSets Reps
Flat DB Bench Press510-12
Lying EZ bar Extensions510-12
Incline DB Press510-12
Close Grip DB Press510-12
Standing Cable Crossover510-12
Rope Extensions510-12
Friday: LegsSets Reps
Leg Press510-12
Leg Curls510-12
Seated Leg Extensions510-12
DB Stiff Leg Deadlift510-12
Seated Abduction510-12
Cable Kick Backs510-12
Walking DB Lunges320

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.

Posted in 2019 Collection, Fit 45 (Women 45+).