Monique Ricardo, formerly Minton, took the fitness modeling world by storm when she starting competing in the NPC. She’s been on the covers of FLEX and Muscle & Fitness HERS and seen inside a number of other fitness magazines. Monique achieved IFBB Pro status in the Figure division but transitioned into the bikini division. Rewind to a year ago, she was preparing for the inaugural Bikini International but had to withdraw. It was mid-way through her prep that Monique found out she was pregnant with her first child. I caught up with Monique as she prepares to take care of some unfinished business. Do you still go by Momo? Sometimes Momo Ricardo then? Yes Sir. How about Momma Momo? Well, I am a momma now! lol So take us back…you were accepted and invited to the 2011 Bikini International but you found out you were pregnant – right? Yes! I was a few weeks into my 2011 Arnold training when I found out I was pregnant! Congratulations! How old is the little guy? Baby Maxwell is now five months. Was there lots of kicking and punching during birth? Yes! He was upside down my whole pregnancy and kicked my ribs the whole time! As a new mom what’s been the biggest challenge? I think the biggest challenge of being a new mom in the beginning is trying to find time to workout or really do anything! A newborn needs a lot of attention! Did you workout during your pregnancy? I did some cardio and rolled in my gi until 6 months, after that I had no stomach muscles to sit up and my hips didn’t move correctly. I lifted weights in the beginning but my doctor told me not to lift so heavy to protect the baby. I couldn’t lift light weight. I guess a mental thing. So I stopped after a few months. How much weight did you gain? I gained 20 pounds of total pregnancy. Five pounds of actually weight, after baby, fluids, etc. What tips would you give moms out there about staying healthy and exercising? Eat healthy!!! It helps so much with total pregnancy and post pregnancy! Being fit and then becoming pregnant makes your birth experience much easier and faster. I was only in labor for 23 minutes! Wow that’s crazy. I’m sure a number of women wish they were in labor that long. LOL. What’s one thing you wished someone would have told you or you knew before giving birth? I got so much advice from many people about giving birth! A lot of women shared negative experiences, which just scared me! I had such a pleasant experience giving birth and was so surprised how easy and enjoyable it was! I wish someone told me to bring more snacks though. HA! hospital food sounds good on paper but doesn’t taste like they describe it! lol Is it harder to get the bikini body back or no problems? I worked super hard after having the baby! I had a Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) tourney 3 months later, so I needed to catch up fast! I was in the gym lifting heavy and on the mat rolling hard! I probably should have slowed it down a bit but sometimes you gotta go big or go home! haha Are you still practicing MMA – what level are you at in your BJJ? Yes! its part of my life! I am now a brown belt under Eddie Ricardo What did you think of Brock getting knocked out? I don’t think he was ready to come back to the fight…the guy guy had 12 inches of intestines taken from his belly and then he goes and fights Overeem who punches him in the stomach! Are you glad he retired? You can’t be the champion forever. Can Overeem beat Junior? No. Junior is more hungry, younger… in my opinion better on the ground, standup and boxing! What about Chael Sonen – what’s your take on him? He is very smart intelligent person who trains and works out really hard, he is talking a lot of crap trying to get a fight with the champion, and that’s the only way with his record that he is going to be able to do it. Some girls would take their clothes off to get attention… Chael Sonnen talks for attention. Will he be able to beat Munos? Munos is a better fighter but Chael is stronger mentally… which can win fights! You trained with the Nogueiras – how hard was it to watch Minotauro get broken by Frank Mir? I realized that night what a warrior he was! He didn’t even make a face or sound. I admire when a man acts like man and not run to his momma and stays home playing video games! Monotauro and Monique Did you see The Warrior that you made an appearance in? Yes! What did you think of it? It was very good! had a great storyline and one of the better MMA movies out there! People may not know but how long were you there filming? Almost 3 months! Are you still with Team MuscleTech? I am Team MuscleTech! Will you be at their booth during the Arnold? I will be at there booth! What’s your favorite product? They have a new fatburner out called Hydroxystim! It’s awesome. I’m using this product for my Arnold training. Any issues with taking any supplements and breast feeding? I didn’t take any supplements while breastfeeding, So it wasn’t an issue for me. Who is a better model you or your sister? Well it depends…I have three sisters and they are always competing to see who is gonna sit at the head of the table. haha Anything else happen while away from the stage? Not that I can think of. I had a lot of time to enjoy my pregnancy, my family and new baby! What made you decide to compete again after having a baby? I have never competed in the Arnold and I have always dreamed of competing there one day! I got the chance and I took it. I love setting goals and competing is fun process, so why not?! I’m also part of Team Bombshell and I appreciate all the help I am getting from them. Good Luck in Columbus! If you want to keep up with what’s happening with Monique, “Like” her facebook page. Check back as Monique updates us here on Hardbody.com with her Arnold prep.

Full name: Monique Ricardo (formerly Minton) Nickname: Momo Date of birth: August 17, 1984 Height: 5’10 Off-season weight: 150 Contest weight: 144 Current residence: Dallas Years training: Three Occupation: IFBB bikini pro, fitness model, NAGA grappling champion Marital status: Married Ethnicity: Polish and Filipina Hobbies: Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay Thai, reading, cooking How did you get into bodybuilding? I used to be a runway model-very skinny with no muscle. Then I saw a figure show for the first time and was amazed by the competitors. I knew right away I wanted to look like them! So I did my research, took time to build some muscle and later decided to compete. Who inspired you when you were starting out? Jenny Lynn was my all-time-favorite figure girl when I started out in figure three years ago. She looked just like the trophy statues they hand out for awards. My husband inspires me now. He is full of words of encouragement and wisdom and keeps me strong mentally. That’s critical in any type of competition. I feel on top of the world and can do anything with his support! Top titles: ’10 IFBB Bikini Olympia, 8th; ’10 IFBB MuscleContest Pro Bikini, 2nd; ’09 NPC USA Championships, bikini, F-class, 1st; ’08 NPC National Championships, figure, F-class, 5th; ’08 NPC USA Championships, figure, F-class, 3rd Favorite bodypart to train: Back Favorite exercise: Wide-grip pullups Favorite form of cardio: Incline elliptical trainer Best bodypart: Back Most challenging-bodypart: I wouldn’t point to any one-bodypart. I’m constantly evolving, and I naturally have a curvy body. I would say it’s a challenge to make up my mind about how I want to push my body-to be harder and muscular or more curvy. Favorite bodypart on a man: Traps Obstacles overcome: I have to time everything just right for my competitions in two sports-bikini and grappling, which is submission fighting. I love to train as much as possible for Brazilian jiu jitsu. Sometimes I may get injured or bruised due to all the hard training I go through. I have to make sure I have enough time to heal because who wants a huge bruise while onstage showing my hard work in the gym? I make sure I have plenty of arnica gel on hand! I also make sure when I’m competing in bikini and my diet is very restricted to be more cautious in training to avoid injury. I do get a little weak on lower carbs, and that type of training burns a lot of calories. Do you have a quote or a philosophy you try to live by? I always loved this quote: “In a world of fakes, dare to be real.” My philosophy of life is to relax and enjoy what you have. Life is so short! How do you stay motivated? Keeping healthy and looking like I’m in shape all year long. Worst pickup line you’ve ever heard: So, do you work out? How would you describe your training style? My training consists of weights and MMA training. I don’t do your basic methods of cardio. I get most of mine from MMA training. In the gym I like to do a lot of light weight with high reps to keep lean and toned. I would say my training style is different from most competitors. Favorite clean meal: Egg whites and Ezekiel bread-or sushi Favorite cheat foods: Peanut butter, cheese, home-made chocolate chip cookies What is your favorite Muscletech Hardcore Pro supplement, and why? I love Nano Vapor! It tastes really good and gives me a lot of energy for my workouts. I get really good pumps and stay focused when I use Nano Vapor.