Where and when were you born?
I was born in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, on April 14th 1980.

What is your profession?
I currently work as a writer, dietary consultant and (part time) web designer.

Were you involved in sports or fitness prior to bodybuilding and how did you get started with weight training?
I have been active all my life; as a child and teenager I was a dancer. Then I discovered the gym and weights on my way to the aerobic classes, and after that it didn’t take long before I turned into a gym rat. By the age of 14 I already had the desire to compete. Since I was tiny back then I aimed at fitness, even though it was bodybuilding that I had a passion for.

Was it a goal for you to compete in bodybuilding competitions right from the beginning or was it something that grew in your mind as time went on and you saw the progress in your body?
Pretty much, yes. But because I didn’t have the necessary muscle mass, I started out with fitness to get experience.

Can you give me your competition history?
I did three fitness shows in Sweden 1999. However I was too vascular and lean, and therefore didn’t place very good (the judging is Sweden is a bit different than in the USA!).

Please tell me something about your training routine (ie: how many days per week / training split /cardio, etc.)
I train most everyday. I know it’s easy to get over trained by training every day, but thanks to good nutrition and a lot of sleep, I can make progress on this training volume. I’ve cut down on my cardio over the years in order to maximize muscle growth, but I think I’m still doing more cardio (30-45 min after every weight lifting workout) than most other bodybuilders. I like to keep my cardiovascular system in as good condition as my muscles.

What is your favorite exercise in the gym and which one you don’t like so much?
Squats! Then chins, dips, dumbbell shoulder presses and then incline dumbbell chest presses…and then…

There isn’t really any exercise I don’t like. They all hit the muscles from different angels and are necessary to fully develop all muscles.

Which body part is your best in your opinion?
Legs and glutes have always been my trademark!

If you don’t mind would you give me some stats (best lifts and some body measurements)?
I’m 5’4” and my current off-season weight (keeping my abs visible all year round) is 159-160 lb. My best squat is 330 lb and I do incline chest presses with 75 lb dumbbells. My max in chins is 14 reps.

What do you enjoy about training for competition....what do you enjoy about the 'off season'?
I believe the best with getting ready for a show is to see how your body changes; veins popping up here and there on top of the striations. That’s a reward in and of itself!

And off-season, of course being able to eat more, LOL:-)

Please describe a typical day in the life of Monica Mollica.
I’m an early riser; I usually go up around 6am and head directly to the gym. For me, I have the best workouts in the morning. Then I go home to eat and start my working day, which is writing articles about nutrition and exercise (most of which I am publishing in the Swedish bodybuilding magazine BODY (www.body.se) and on my website. I also spend a lot of time updating and maintaining my own website at www.mowifit.com, and help people with dietary consultations.

Please tell me about what you do when you don’t work out (hobbies, what do you do to relax?, etc.)
When I’m not working out I like to read scientific studies related to nutrition and exercise, search for references in scientific databases, watch movies with my loving husband and tan by the pool.

What do you enjoy most about the bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle?
The routine of working out and eating healthy foods. I always look forward to my workouts and the pumps I get in the gym.

Tell me something interesting about yourself, something people may be surprised to hear.
I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of Stockholm, and studied one semester at the PhD program “Exercise, Nutrition and Preventive Health” at Baylor University in Texas. I have also written a book (in Swedish) called “Functional Foods for Health and Energy Balance”. Now I am in the planning stage of my second book which will cover some aspects of nutrition. This time I’ll write it all in English (exactly what it will be about is still a secret!), that’s for sure:-) And I LOVE fast cars!!!

What are your competition goals or personal future goals?
I hope to make my bodybuilding debut with the next one or two years. My personal goal (writing is my other passion apart for working out) is to translate and update all the articles I have written over the years and publish them on my website.