20 Questions with Cover Model Michelle Rubino

Michelle Rubino

1) Please introduce yourself? What makes you special? Who is Michelle Rubino?

My name is Michelle Rubino, I am 21 years old, I am from Long Island New York and I am new to the bodybuilding industry. What makes me special is that I am a very hard working and dedicated person. I really immerse myself in everything I do. With these qualities I feel I can become very successful in this business.

2) Please tell us a bit about your family, friends and surroundings? 

I come from a very close knit family. We are all very close and very supportive of each other. Everyone supports me in everything I do. I also come from a very athletic family. All of my brothers and sisters played sports in college besides my oldest brother. After high school he joined the navy.

3) How did you start competing in bikini? 

I have always had a passion for staying active and in shape. I started really lifting in college and loved it. After graduating college and no longer playing competitive sports, I needed something to fill that gap in my life. And for me, competing in shows fills that gap.

4) What is your personal policy (not what the judges want) about conditioning and muscularity when coming into a show? Soft or hard? 

I feel bikini competitors cannot come in to soft, but they also cannot come in too hard. I personally like the more muscular look.

5)  What is your idea of what judges want in a bikini competitor? Do you think judges are clear enough with competitors about how they want you on stage? It seems in Europe they are very clear unlike in the USA and now in Canada things are confusing.

My idea of what judge’s want is strong, semi muscular legs and glutes. I don’t think judges are very clear in what they want. I have seen girls sweep the floor one show and not do so well in another show.

6) For the next shows what do you think you need to work on physique-wise/conditioning-wise? If anything! 

I think my legs and glutes need to come in more cut and fuller. I also need to grow my quads.

7) What is your typical training routine in the gym (per day, include sets and reps!) How much cardio do you do before a show?

A typical day in the gym consists of a lot of free weight exercises. I love using the free weights. Every exercise I do is usually 4 sets and 12-15 reps. Before a show I do 45 minutes to an hour of fasted cardio and the 45 minutes to an hour after my work out as well.

Michelle Rubino

8) What is your pre-contest diet? (per day, 1 week before the show)

I am lucky enough to not have to pull carbs completely the week before a show. I keep my diet the same up until two days before the show. I stick to mainly fish and have one carb meal 2 days out. The day before a show I have only fish and no carbs. That is the only day with no carbs. The morning of the show I fill up on carbs.

9) How do you go about dropping your water before the day of the show? How much water do you drink the day of the show. Please be specific.

The day before a show I drink a liter to a liter and a half of water. And I cut out water that night around 9p.m. Depending on how later or how early my show is the next day I will either sip as I need or drink 8 o.z of water if the show is late.

10) What motivates you to train/diet and compete? Are there any competitors you looked up to? 

I train and diet hard to watch my body change and push my body to the limit. It is a good test of self control. I also love the competitive aspect of competing. I was not very familiar with the sport when I first started, but now that I have been around it and have become more familiar with the athletes I have grown to love bikini competitor Sarah Leblanc. She has the hard muscular bikini body I love!

11) Please tell us an interesting experience you had at a show recently, be it a fun thing or something rather not so fun?

I have only competed in two sho9ws but one great experience I had was being able to compete in my first show with my boyfriend. We both competed in our first show together at the Brooklyn grand prix where we both became nationally qualified.

12) What is your personal opinion about the figure, fitness, bodybuilding industry we are in? Anything you would like to see changed?  

I feel judges usually pick competitors that they have seen most often or athletes that are familiar to them. I have not been in the industry long, but those who have tell me to compete in as many shows as I can so I become familiar to the judges.

Michelle Rubino

13) What has been your hardest challenge to overcome either in your personal life or competing career?

I have not gone through any personal challenges. But a huge challenge for me during prep is trying to fight off cravings. Especially at night!

14) Did you make any changes to your contest prep for your last show? Water intake, carbing up, etc...

I did make a couple changes from my last prep. I kept my carbs the same up until the last two days before show time. My prep diet was a little stricter than my second prep. And in the gym, I had to lift heavier with my glutes and hamstrings.

15) What do you think of bikini division?

I think the bikini division is VERY competitive. It is filled with hundreds of beautiful women.

16) What are your favorite foods to eat right after you compete on a Saturday night?

My favorite foods to eat after a show is anything sweet. Iced cream, cookies, and chocolate! Which is odd because I have never had a sweet tooth until I started prepping for shows.

17) Please tell us about how you were raised and did you have any interesting experiences while growing up?

 I was raised to never give up and always give it my all. Of course everyone loves to win but I was taught that as long as I give it my all, no matter what the outcome is I should be proud of how hard I tried.

18) Do you have an athletic background? Gymnastics, soccer, volleyball or what? 

Michelle Rubino

I have a very athletic background. I have always played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse throughout school and even outside of school.  After high school I had the option of playing either basketball or lacrosse in college. I had a full scholarship to play both but I choose lacrosse and finished up college in four years.

19) What is a typical day in the life of Michelle Rubino? From waking up to until going to bed? 

A typical day for me is waking up, doing my fasted cardio, coming home and eating breakfast, and going back to the gym to workout. After lifting I am either heading to work or I am able to go home and relax.

20) What is your current occupation? Please tell us more about it, what do you specifically do in your job?

My current occupation is coaching a third grade girls lacrosse team, and I also work at a tanning salon called beach bum tan. When I am coaching I help the girls with their lacrosse IQ and fundamentals. They are very young so I do not try to teach them anything that is too technical. At beach bum I work behind the counter and sell packages, memberships, and products to help them achieve a nice healthy glow all year round. 

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