ALLEY MIESCH NIE
Alley Miesch Nie is a personal trainer and bodybuilder. She was most active in the sport in the late 1990s to mid-2000s. Although she has not officially retired, she has no plans to return to stage. She competed in national level shows working her way up the ranks. Alley participated in many sports including volleyball, track, and swimming. Besides thoughts sports in junior high she played football. She was the only girl on the football team. Alley is a true lover of sports and fitness. Her involvement in sports began at age ten and continued ever since. Alley’s challenges early in her life are shocking for someone of her background. She revealed that at one time in her adolescence that she suffered from anorexia and bulimia. One would assume that athletes have a great perception of body image, but this psychological disorder can strike anyone. Alley said “being a heavy adolescent 185 lbs and a size 16, my live at a young age became an emotional roller coaster anorexia and bulimia for ten years.” Some are not so lucky to overcome this disorder, but Alley credited getting involved in volleyball helped. Alley was able to overcome her body image issues and become team captain of All conference and a All Tournament player in both high school and college. Her situation turned around, but then an unexpected incident occurred. During her senior year Alley suffered an ACL tear, which was a career ending injury.
Determined to not let an injury stop her, she began training with weights. She loved volleyball too much to let it go. Alley Miesch-Nie is the type of person who never quits no matter what the obstacle. Alley revealed ” I knew the moment I picked up the weights that I loved it.” She explained further ” weight training and bodybuilding, starting with my knee rehabilitation, showed me a new direction with food, self-acceptance and love.”Many women who enter sports go through this transformation. They learn to like their bodies and become more confident people. Alley’s case it meant overcoming a eating disorder that could have been potentially life threatening. She loved seeing the changes and strength she gained in her body. Some bodybuilders who worked out her gym urged her to compete. Alley gave it a try and in her first show won overall. Alley during her career competed as an amateur. She never obtained a pro-card, but she present an impressive physique. Her most muscular pose was something fans remember fondly. Certainly no one had seen such development of the trapezius muscle on a woman like this.
Early in her bodybuilding career she had to take time off. Her husband suffered a spinal injury and she had to take care of him. Alley for two years joined the US Army to support the both of them. Alley was still playing pro-volleyball in 2001. There is truth to the saying “behind every strong man, there’s a strong woman.” Alley fits that description both metaphorically and literally. She was able to balance both family obligations and her sports career. Her husband made a recovery and she returned to stage with a vengeance. Alley came in second place at the NPC Nationals in 2002. Considering having a period time off that was not too bad. She had a formidable opponent on stage which was Colette Nelson. Colette had a more developed upper body and Alley had the better legs. Colette ultimately triumphed, but both presented marvelously aesthetic physiques on stage.
Seeing two greats on stage can create difficulty in judging. Alley’s physical statistics during her career were 155 pounds off season and 141 pounds for contest. Standing at 5’4 ” her weightlifting stats are even more impressive. Her best lifts include 350 lbs squats, 800 lbs leg presses, 225 lbs for bench presses, and 325 lbs for deadlifts. Alley’s educational background includes a masters degree from Western Michigan University in health and physical education. She is also an alumni of Aquinas College. Alley’s profession is being a personal trainer. She works for Renaissance Club Sports, the LFA Academy, and is part of Team SUP Rider with Danai Surf. She is a very busy woman. Although he competitive years were between 1999 to 2006, athletes of the sport do sometimes make comebacks to competition. Unlikely it seems, but it could happen with Alley. More divisions give competitors choices and flexibility. Her competitive years may seem to have been short, but she did leave an impact among fans.
Alley Miesch-Nie was a favorite with photographers. She would regularly appear in Women’s Physique World, Gene X, and USA Muscle Women. Her impressive upper body and symmetrical body made her photos some of the best. Female bodybuilding rarely gets mainstream publicity and is some what marginalized in fitness circles. The image she presented was a great representation to the sport. Alley was able to get mainstream exposure when she appeared in the 2004 Serena Yang documentary Eye of the Beholder. This documentary hosted by the CNN journalist examine various cultural concepts of beauty. Alley appeared in one episode describing how the bodybuilding aesthetic appealed to her.
Along with her other fellow athletes she described her dedicated pursuit for muscular development. Alley explains “that to me muscle is very sexy and curvy. “Women have found out that weight training does transform their bodies into a new paradigm of beauty . It is not entirely accepted, but beauty standards change depending on the time period and culture. Women in bodybuilding still seek to have the hour glass shape. Narrow waists developed lower bodies. The difference is the upper body is developed as much as the lower which exaggerates the two parts of it. Alley described the concept wonderfully to Serena Yang. Usually documentaries are not fair to the female athlete, but this one was more balanced in seeking understanding.
Alley today, still doing what she loves best.
Alley has been on quite the journey through athletics. As a personal trainer she a gain a highly regarded reputation. She has 15 years experience in fitness. According to her her profile of Renaissance Sports Club ” Alley is a Certified Personal Trainer and a Pre/Post Natal Specialist through NASM. She is a former Miss Natural World Bodybuilding Champion, top-level NPC Bodybuilding Champion, and a former MPVA and AVP Pro Beach and collegiate volleyball player.” It reveals her level of experience further saying :”Alley has a diverse fitness background that has enabled her to specialize in overall body sculpting and sport-specific strength training.” Alley will hopefully train a new generation of athletes and get women in particular interested in fitness.
