Ashley Cooper

Ashley Cooper

Ashley Cooper won her class in her very first figure competition in November 2007 and went on to win her class again in the well-known Southern States Championships in 2008. In less than one year she quickly climbed the ranks to become an NPC National Level Figure Competitor. In the following interview she shares with you her hard work, joys and struggles as she journeys on the road to earning her IFBB Figure Pro Card. Looking at Ashley's tight, perfectly sculpted competitor's physique, be sure it will happen in the VERY near future!

Author: Jonathan.L - Owner Models Observer
February 2011

1. Who is Ashley? Please tell us about your background and maybe something unique that people don’t know about you.

Ashley Cooper: Who is Ashley? Simply put, I am an intense athlete who is un-yieldingly competitive. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and have lived in Miami, Florida for about ten years. I studied English, Journalism and Sports Management at the University of Miami. Before I discovered the world of figure, I dreamed of becoming a sports caster like Linda Cohen from Sports Center on ESPN. I was pretty close to reaching my goals, then realized it wasn’t for me, and promptly switched gears to fitness. Currently, I am a personal trainer, fitness author, and new mother. I am also working on a really exciting new fitness product that I can’t talk about just yet, but keep up with me on the web to hear more about it soon!!!

2. When did you become interested in weight lifting and figure shows?

Ashley Cooper: I became interested in weight lifting when I was eight years old. I used to watch my mother train at the house with her personal trainer who was a body builder. My mom had such a passion for it! I can remember her getting ready to go to fancy events with my father, and in her cocktail dress and heals she would run down to the weight room in our house and “pump her arms up real quick” Full make-up and everything! During her sessions with her trainer she would let me work-in on some sets and he would show me how to do shoulder presses, bicep curls, things like that. I LOVED it. I was always super competitive, even at eight years old, I would look at the weight my mom was picking up and I would try to do more. My competitive edge kept me very active in just about every single sport you can name throughout my entire life. My main ones were track (I was a sprinter and long jumper) and gymnastics. When I graduated college and I was done with my competitive sports, I wanted something to keep me active and competitive. I learned of first when I picked up an Oxygen magazine, I loved the look of the women. Shortly after that I met IFBB Figure Pro Kristal Richardson at the gym, who guided me on training and dieting for my first few figure shows. I’ve been hooked for about 2-3 years now and plan to keep going.

3. What did you think about your first competition?

Ashley Cooper: My first competition was a shot in the dark. Kristal had advised me to attend at least one show before I competed, so I could get a feel for what I was walking into. I didn’t. Honestly, at that time I did not have the slightest clue how much effort and determination it takes to be successful in the sport. I think I entered it just assuming I’d be good because I was good at sports. I remember being so nervous back stage at my first show, many of the girls knew each other or were making an effort to be social with each other. That is not really my personality. I kept to myself and looked at them as the enemy, to me it was like a sport, and they were the opposing team, why be friends with them? Once I hit the stage my nerves were gone, and I light up. I felt very comfortable up there, even though looking back my posing was HORRENDOUS and I was skinny as a rail. I won my class, and knew immediately that this was something I wanted to take more seriously and continue to pursue.

4. How often do you work out and what is your cardio exercise plan during contest prep?

Ashley Cooper: When I am training for a show, I work out about 6 times a week. I give myself one day to rest and recover. During contest prep, the weight lifting isn’t as heavy so I am able to work out that many days without feeling over trained. I feel like I am prepping for shows or photo-shoots year round, so really there is no “off” season. However, the real game-time mode sets in at about 12 weeks before a competition. When I hit the 12 week mark, I go from eating clean to full on dieting. I will begin to count my carb intake, get rid of any cooking oils I was using before, and say buh-bye to chocolate. My diet always changes, so I cannot say what my one plan during contest prep is. However, my workouts become much longer and consist of lighter weights with higher reps. My weight training is so intense during this time that I typically do not need to do any cardio. The weight lifting acts as that for me. If you have the right trainer/ weight program, it is not always necessary to do a ton of cardio to cut down. (Thankfully!)

5. Shirley Castelnuovo and Sharon R. Guthrie examined women’s willingness and desire to empower themselves not just mentally, but also physically. In your opinion, to what extent is bodybuilding an expression of feminism?

Ashley Cooper: I think bodybuilding, figure and fitness have a different meaning to each woman who is involved. Ask ten different women why they do this and you will get ten different answers. For me, I am not sure how much of an expression of feminism it can be, being on stage in a bikini and clear heals. Additionally, many of the women who compete do very racy magazine spreads and photo-shoots. I have absolutely NO judgment on any of the girls, they all look amazing and everyone is comfortable doing different things. I just wouldn’t say this necessarily is a “step forward” for woman-kind. For me, I feel that the weight training, discipline, and sacrifice are the best expressions of feminism. Not the stage, not the shoots, but the behind the scenes hard-work that it takes to get to that point. Many people who do not compete can never understand the blood, sweat and tears it takes to reach those five minutes on stage. I am a 100% natural athlete. I do not use steroids, so I have to work extra hard to compete against many who do. The physical pain I go through in the gym and from denying myself the foods I love, is what makes me a true feminist. I know there are few men on this planet who can keep up with my work ethic and do what I do on a daily basis, and for the men who can keep up…let them try it right after having a baby. That’s feminism.

6. What does the word "fitness" mean to you?

Ashley Cooper: When I hear the word fitness my ears perk up. I remember working a job that was not fitness oriented at all, and it sucked the life out of me. While at work, anytime I heard the word fitness, I would get so excited! For me, fitness means passion, intensity, and personal truth. I know that sounds super corny, but I honestly feel you can tell so much from a person by the shape they are in and by how many excuses they have for why they are not in shape. I do not feel that everyone needs a six pack and should be doing one hundred pull-ups a day. But I do feel that the most primal, and real test of a person is how they treat their own body. It’s like the saying goes, “how can you expect someone to respect you, if they don’t respect themselves”. If someone doesn’t have enough respect for themselves to take care of the only body they have, then how can you expect them to respect anyone else? Fitness is life to me, and it’s not just about appearance, it’s about health and inner strength.

7. What do you consider your greatest lesson learned?

Ashley Cooper: I have learned so many lessons since graduating from college. Lessons about life, people, friends, you name it. I think my greatest lesson learned is to learn how to listen to your gut. If you can really read what your intuition is telling you, drama will be nearly non-existent from your life. It took me a while to learn this one, but I’ve got it down now! It is so important to stay true to yourself and never think twice about who will be mad at you for making decisions that are best for YOU.

8. Cheat Food?

Ashley Cooper: There is not enough room on this page to go into my cheat meals! I am a sinful glutton when it comes to cheat meals. Really, if you give me an inch I’ll take it a mile. Cookies, brownies, creamy pastas, cheese burgers, French fries, ice cream, doughnuts, candy, nachos, chili-dogs…Everybody needs a splurge, and I am finally learning how to hold back a little better. I used to have quite the history though!

9. What are your hobbies?

Ashley Cooper: Spending time with my 9month old daughter is my number one priority when I am not in the gym. Most of the time she is with me in the gym anyway, but spending quality time with her, teaching her how to talk, walk, clap, and eat “big girl food” is what I love doing. Before I had her, if you asked me about my hobbies, I wouldn’t have much to say besides lifting. But now, my life is totally consumed with my baby girl. She is the most amazing blessing I could ever ask for and she does a great job at keeping me more than busy!

10. What differences exist between Cincinnati and Miami?

Ashley Cooper: Where do I begin! Cincinnati and Miami are night and day. I’ve lived in Miami about ten years now, but I still have a hard time calling it “home”. Miami is a very tough place to find that warm and welcome vibe. The pace here is very fast, and many of the people here are not genuine because they are moving too fast to care. Cars, labels, clubs, yachts, jewelry…that is what is priority to many people in this city. It is really exhausting, and don’t get me started on the traffic! Now, this IS the city I chose to live in so obviously it isn’t all that bad. The weather is absolutely gorgeous 90% out of the year and there is always something to do. For me though, Cincinnati will always be home. It actually has the same amount of people as Miami. When people think of Cincinnati they assume it is small, but it’s really not. It’s just a laid back mid-west city. You have a variety of people there, and when you walk down the street and pass someone you don’t know, they make eye contact and smile. In Miami that just doesn’t happen. Slowly but surely however, Miami is becoming my home now that I have started a family here and have become much more comfortable with the people I have surrounded myself with.

11. Who do you look up to?

Ashley Cooper: In the sport? I admire Monica Brant for her longevity and her positive influence she has had on so many athletes and women alike.

12. What are your long-term goals for the sport?

Ashley Cooper: I have reached many of the goals I had set for myself when I entered figure. My main focus at this point is turning pro, and continuing to build my brand in fitness. Figure is a wonderful stepping stone for making a name for yourself within the fitness community.

13. How do you want to be remembered as an athlete?

Ashley Cooper: So many gorgeous athletes come and go from the sport. I really just hope to be remembered as one of the greats. Above all else as well, I want to be remembered for my work ethic in the gym. I will be putting out many videos of my training, so people can really see what hard work is. I take a lot of pride in pushing myself to the limits and hope to inspire others to reach their own limit as well. So many people are scared to go the distance, and really WORK. I look at so many of these magazines that have fitness models, working out. It frustrates me because I have seen how these women train in person, and it is not at all like what is pictured in those pages. I really want to showcase what a hard-core athlete is.

14. How is your book writing venture about fitness during pregnancy going?

Ashley Cooper: It is coming along very well, thank you. It can be tough at times to keep focused on my writing with a new baby in the house, but I have been pushing myself to get it done. I am very passionate about this project and have received a lot of interest from people about it, so I can’t wait to see it hit shelves.

15. Is there anyone you want to thank?

Ashley Cooper: Yes, my trainer Bjorn Moncur. He has hands down been the main person to fight for me to succeed in this sport and in the world of fitness. On top of that, he is mad scientist at this stuff! I recommend his training to anyone, he is truly amazing. So, I owe a huge thank you to him for his help and relentless devotion to m

Ashley's website