{"id":8847,"date":"2023-04-19T21:59:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T21:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitnessrxwomen.com\/?p=39750"},"modified":"2023-04-19T21:59:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T21:59:32","slug":"maureen-blanquisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/?p=8847","title":{"rendered":"Maureen Blanquisco"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Interview by Ron Harris<\/p>\n

As the greatest Bikini competitor in the world, I think it\u2019s time people learned more about you. I<\/strong><\/em>
\nknow you were born in the Philippines. Were you athletic as a kid growing up?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I was very athletic. I attended a private elementary school named Dominican College, and I swam
\ncompetitively there. A bit later I got into Brazilian jiu-jitsu and gymnastics when I moved to Norway at age
\n13. My parents never had to force me into doing sports and being active. I was always asking them to do
\nthose things.<\/p>\n

When did you move to the USA?<\/strong><\/em>
\nIt\u2019s been three years now, since the 2019 Olympia.<\/p>\n

Looking at you, I bet you could pass for 19 or 20, but how old are you?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks, I just turned 30 at two weeks out from the Bikini International coming up.<\/p>\n

How did you go from having done those other sports to weight training and then Bikini<\/strong><\/em>
\ncompetition?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI always loved competing and performing. I usually call it \u201cperforming\u201d instead of competing. Swimming
\nwas an individual sport. If I wanted to win, it all depended on me. I never liked depending on a team. If we
\nlost because of them, I would get very frustrated. When I moved to Norway, all my friends went into
\ngymnastics and cheerleading. I thought, I will try this out. Cheerleading was fine until one time we fell
\nduring a stunt, and it wasn\u2019t my fault. I said, I think I work better alone. I started lifting weights at age 18.
\nThat\u2019s around the time you want to look and feel good, putting on makeup. I was doing fitness training
\nanyway, so I started to look for something I could do competitively that fit that. I had always wanted to
\ncompete in beauty pageants, but at 5 feet tall I was too short. Then I saw the Bikini Olympia on YouTube,
\nand the woman who stuck out to me the most was India Paulino. She was my first idol! I thought it looked
\nso cool. The women looked amazing, and this was the closest thing to a beauty pageant I could do. I
\nthought I could just go compete in the Olympia. I had no idea you have to turn pro first, then qualify, the
\nwhole long process. But in my head, I only had one goal, to go to the Olympia.<\/p>\n

Did you start competing locally in Norway?<\/strong><\/em>
\nIt\u2019s very different in Europe. You have to do the regional level first before you can go to the Nationals.
\nThen you can compete outside the country. There were no pro cards in Norway back then. I went to San
\nMarino, Italy to get my pro card in 2015. There were seven height classes. You need to win your class
\nand the Overall to get a pro card, which I did. I still didn\u2019t really know what that meant at the time.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I knew who you were until you did make it to the Olympia for the first time in 2019,<\/strong><\/em>
\nalthough now I do remember you winning the Tampa Pro that summer.<\/strong><\/em>
\nThat was a tough year. Usually, I never do more than three shows in a year because it\u2019s hard to recover.
\nMy body wasn\u2019t responding by the Olympia, my fourth show of that year. I know my limits.<\/p>\n

What made you decide to move to the USA three years ago?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI met my partner, Fran, at the Meet and Greet at the 2019 Olympia Weekend. We got along very well, and
\nsoon he asked me to move in with him in Los Angeles. Three years later, I\u2019m still here!<\/p>\n

And you train at Gold\u2019s Gym Venice. It may not be what it used to be, but to me it\u2019s still The<\/strong><\/em>
\nMecca.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes. People still come there from all over. Even though there aren\u2019t as many pros training there as there
\nused to be, the spirit is still there. They still have all the champion\u2019s pictures up on the wall, and all the
\ngreat equipment. It\u2019s still The Mecca.<\/p>\n

You skipped the Olympia in 2020, the worst year of the pandemic.<\/strong><\/em>
\nYes. I was prepping for two shows leading up to that, and both got canceled when I was just two weeks
\nout from the first. I didn\u2019t want to sabotage my body when there was no way to even know if the shows
\nwould happen. I decided to move into an \u201cimprovement season\u201d and come back stronger for 2021.<\/p>\n

And you were. Jumping ahead to your Olympia win in 2022, in your victory speech you said you<\/strong><\/em>
\nfelt you would win but didn\u2019t think it would be that soon. I wasn\u2019t too surprised, because you had<\/strong><\/em>
\nbeen moving in an upward trajectory. But man, that was a big lineup. Was it 60 women in the 2022<\/strong><\/em>
\nBikini Olympia?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It was 54, which was a record for the Olympia. When I was backstage waiting to be introduced, it felt like
\nit was never-ending, so many women! I just felt everyone had their favorites, and everyone had their
\npredictions, and I was still one of the newer athletes. I have very realistic expectations about myself.
\nWhen I placed fourth in 2021, that was already like winning because I had placed ninth the year before. I
\nwas so happy. My goal for 2022 was third place, the top three. When they called Ashley Kaltwasser in
\nthird and it was just me and Jennifer Dorie, I was like, whoa, maybe I have a chance!<\/p>\n

This is an odd question to ask an athlete rather than a judge, but how do you think you pulled off<\/strong><\/em>
\nthe win? To me, it was so close between you and Jennifer that it could have gone either way.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Honestly, I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t look at the other women up there, and it\u2019s not intentional. I will go look at
\npictures and videos afterward in my hotel room. I do know I came in better than ever, and I think the
\njudges notice improvement. I looked way different from the 2021 Olympia. And I was so chill once I got to
\nthe stage. I was like, I got this.<\/p>\n

What do you attribute the improvements to? Was it a new coach, a new training or nutrition<\/strong><\/em>
\nprogram?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI\u2019ve always looked good, but we never really nailed the peak week and had the fullness I wanted to show
\nuntil this last Olympia. I did start working with a new coach, too, Francisco Espin from Spain. I\u2019m the only
\nBikini competitor he coaches. I look to see which coaches bring their athletes in with really great
\ncondition. Once I saw what he did with my partner, I was very impressed and interested in that approach.
\nWhy not try working with him? I had nothing to lose. I\u2019d been coming in flat every time anyway. It worked
\nout pretty well!<\/p>\n

The Bikini International is just 10 weeks after the Olympia. Did you already know you wanted to do<\/strong><\/em>
\nit before you won the Olympia?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019d always wanted to do the Bikini International along with the Olympia, and I placed second to Lauralie
\nChapados the first time I competed there in 2022. That felt like winning. I already signed the contract to
\ncompete in the 2023 Bikini International before the Olympia. Ten weeks is at once a long time and a short
\ntime between contests. But I was already lean, why not try to get that title too? Then I could have the two
\nbiggest titles in the sport!<\/p>\n

I assume you were already prepping 16 weeks for the Olympia.<\/strong><\/em>
\nI started prepping for the Olympia right after the Boston Pro in March, so that was seven months. It was a
\nvery chill prep because I was eating clean, but I was eating more than ever in a prep. I was still dieting,
\nbut it was more calories, and I did have one cheat meal a week. Now I see this is the best approach for
\nme: a longer prep but with more food.<\/p>\n

How much does your weight vary from off-season to contest day?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI\u2019m around 109-110 pounds onstage, and I don\u2019t get much heavier than 115.<\/p>\n

I assume you have never been much heavier than that?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI did try bulking once. My normal off-season weight is 53kg\/116, and that time I got up to 65kg\/143
\npounds. I was eating six meals a day with meat and rice, 100 grams of fries, just trying to bulk like a
\nbodybuilder and gain some muscle. I couldn\u2019t breathe! I was getting out of breath just going upstairs. It
\nwas way too much weight for my frame.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve never been in this position before as the reigning Olympia champion. Do you feel more<\/strong><\/em>
\npressure than ever to win now?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI\u2019ve been getting this question a lot. I have a different mindset than most. My goal was to win the Olympia.
\nNow that I\u2019ve done that, I still hustle the same, but I can enjoy the process more.<\/p>\n

The big news with you is that you are now a MuscleTech athlete. You\u2019re too young to remember,<\/strong><\/em>
\nbut they used to have literally every top athlete under contract, and now it looks like they are<\/strong><\/em>
\nreturning to their roots. How did you become part of the team?<\/strong><\/em>
\nIt wasn\u2019t planned at all. It was a \u201cBlessing\u201d in disguise. I was training at Gold\u2019s, and I happen to be a good
\nfriend of Blessing Awodibu. We were both working for the same supplement company in Europe in 2015.
\nWe went to Shanghai together for them, Barcelona, all over. Blessing was out representing MuscleTech
\nat the LA Fit Expo. I went to that and met Scott Welch, and we all connected very well. Now I\u2019m a
\nMuscleTech athlete!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m just curious, did you go right back onto your diet after the Olympia, or did you relax for at least<\/em><\/strong>
\na few days?<\/em><\/strong>
\nI did go on vacation to Hawaii with my partner the week after the Olympia. That was on my bucket list. I
\ndid cardio every day, but I took five days off from weights. I had a couple of treats, but nothing crazy.<\/p>\n

Thank you so much for the interview! Belated congratulations on your Olympia win and I wish you<\/strong><\/em>
\nthe very best of luck in Columbus.<\/strong><\/em>
\nThanks so much!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT:<\/strong>
\n\u201cSometimes we win, sometimes we lose. That\u2019s part of the game. All I can do is keep working hard and<\/strong><\/em>
\nshow up with poise and pride.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
\nIn the end, Maureen was narrowly defeated by a margin of just two points to defending Bikini International
\nchampion Lauralie Chapados, exactly the way it had turned out a year before in Columbus. She posted
\nthis the next day:<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, the goal was to win the title, but second place is great too! Our goal was to come in a bit<\/em>
\ntighter than my Olympia shape and we definitely achieved that. I know I did everything I could, and the<\/em>
\nrest is up to the judges. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. That\u2019s part of the game. All I can do is<\/em>
\nkeep working hard and show up with poise and pride. Huge congratulations to all my ladies this<\/em>
\nweekend!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Instagram @maureenblanquisco.pro<\/p>\n

Contest Highlights<\/strong>
\n2016 Olympia Amateur San Marino – Winner – Earned Pro Card<\/strong>
\n2018 Alicante Pro – Winner<\/strong>
\n2018 Dennis James Classic Germany – Winner<\/strong>
\n2019 Miami Muscle Pro – Winner<\/strong>
\n2019 Tampa Pro – Winner<\/strong>
\n2019 Bikini Olympia – Ninth Place<\/strong>
\n2021 Chicago Pro – Second Place<\/strong>
\n2021 Janet Layug\u2019s Battle of the Bodies – Winner<\/strong>
\n2021 Bikini Olympia – Fourth Place<\/strong>
\n2022 Bikini International – Second Place<\/strong>
\n2022 Boston Pro – Winner<\/strong>
\n2022 Bikini Olympia – Winner<\/strong>
\n2023 Bikini International – Second Place<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maureen Blanquisco\u2019s Winning MuscleTech \u00ae Stack<\/h1>\n

2022 Bikini Olympia champion Maureen Blanquisco is the top-ranked Bikini pro in the world, with six pro
\nwins including the Boston Pro in 2022 and the Tampa Pro in 2019. Another career highlight for Maureen
\nwas this year when she joined the team of MuscleTech \u00ae athletes, and Maureen recently shared with MD
\nthe MuscleTech \u00ae products she uses to help maintain her winning form.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CLEAR MUSCLE \u00ae<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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contains a revolutionary compound designed to increase protein synthesis and
\ndecrease muscle breakdown, speeding up recovery time. Includes BetaTOR \u00ae , a cutting-edge metabolite
\nand free-acid derivative of leucine and HMB that amplifies protein synthesis while fighting muscle
\nbreakdown.<\/p>\n

Enhance Strength. Less muscle breakdown means holding on to more of your gains, so you can hit
\nevery training session with max strength.
\nBuild Muscle. Faster recovery means you can get back into the gym faster and work on building up more
\nmuscle.
\nAccelerate Recovery. Build on the recovery benefits of traditional amino acids by increasing protein
\nsynthesis and reducing muscle breakdown.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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AMINO BUILD \u00ae<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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is a scientifically dosed muscle and performance-enhancing formula that supplies your
\nbody with 7 grams of critical BCAAs to boost strength and support recovery.
\n4 Grams of Leucine. Shown in a research study (conducted by a leading international university) to help
\nsubjects increase their 5-rep max strength by 40%.
\n2.5 Grams of Betaine. Helps you build more muscle and increase strength.
\n1 Gram of Taurine. An essential amino acid shown to enhance performance in endurance athletes.
\nNITRO TECH<\/strong> 100% WHEY GOLD<\/strong> contains 24 grams of pure protein for enhanced lean muscle, strength,
\nand recovery. Protein is a macronutrient that is essential to building muscle mass \u2013 and helps you hold on
\nto muscle built in and out of the gym.<\/p>\n

5.4 Grams of BCAAs. The building blocks to support rapid recovery. With BCAAs as your foundation,
\nyou\u2019ll improve recovery time after training.
\n4 Grams of Glutamine and Precursor. Glutamine is the most abundant, conditionally essential amino
\nacid in the body.<\/p>\n

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EuphorIQ TM PRE-WORKOUT<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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the world\u2019s first smart pre-workout fueled by enfinity\u00ae<\/strong> , is Maureen\u2019s choice
\nfor a less-jittery energy boost. The unique blend of ingredients including paraxanthine, taurine and
\nhuperzine-A provides sustained and smooth energy that keeps Maureen focused and alert without the
\ncrashes.
\n300mg enfinity<\/strong> \u00ae (paraxanthine). Paraxanthine is a metabolite of caffeine and brings the benefits of
\ncaffeine, like focus and energy \u2013 just the good stuff.
\n300mg ALPHASIZE \u00ae.<\/strong> A unique source of choline, a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
\n1.6g NOOLVL \u00ae clinically shown to support certain aspects of accuracy and decision making.
\n100mg NEUROFACTOR<\/strong> \u00ae This patented coffee fruit extract is shown to significantly increase levels of akey neuroprotein.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Burn iQ<\/strong> TM<\/h2>\n

is the smartest way to a shredded physique. It\u2019s a new breed of supplement anchored by a
\nrevolutionary energy ingredient, paraxanthine, that delivers clean, smooth energy, cognition, increased
\nfocus \u2013 and advanced weight loss. In addition to 300mg of enfinity \u00ae (paraxanthine), Burn iQ TM contains:
\n30mg AXIVITE<\/strong>\"\u2122\" to feel the heat from phenylcapsaicin, a derivative of capsaicin that is an active
\ncomponent of chili peppers.
\n3g L-CARNITINE L-TARTRATE.<\/strong> Carnitine helps transport fatty acids into the mitochondria where they
\ncan be burned for energy, and studies have indicated it helps with endurance during exercise and
\nrecovery after training.
\n400mg C. CANEPHORA ROBUSTA f<\/strong>or two times the weight loss with a key weight-loss ingredient
\nbacked by two scientific studies.
\nBurn iQ<\/strong> TM \u00a0should be consumed approximately 30 minutes before a workout or 30 minutes before a meal,
\nwhile\u00a0EuphoriQ<\/strong> TM \u00a0is to be taken 30 minutes before a workout.
\nFor more information, visit muscletech.com<\/p>\n

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Facebook @muscletech
\nTwitter @muscletech
\nInstagram @muscletech
\nYouTube @MuscleTech
\nTikTok @muscletech<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The post Maureen Blanquisco<\/a> first appeared on FitnessRX for Women<\/a>. Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interview by Ron Harris As the greatest Bikini competitor in the world, I think it\u2019s time people learned more about you. I know you were born in the Philippines. Were you athletic as a kid growing up? I was very athletic. I attended a private elementary school named Dominican College, and I swam competitively there. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13,1],"tags":[25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8847"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dinkos.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}