Shapely shoulders: define your delts with IFBB fitness pro Angela Monteleone-Semsch's challenging routine

Muscle & Fitness, July, 2006 by Lara McGlashan

WHEN WE ASKED ANGELA MONTELEONE-SEMSCH about her contest prep for the 2006 Fitness International, we expected the rote carb depletion, twice-a-day cardio and hefty tan application response. Instead we got changing the oil, buying an atlas and packing the dog food. "My husband and I drive to every one of my shows," says Angela. "We used to fly, and either I would get sick or it was a miserable experience, with lost luggage and late flights. Plus, once we were flying to Vegas and looked out of the plane and saw the Grand Canyon. We thought, 'We're missing something good!' So we started to drive because it was more relaxing, and as a bonus, we got to see the country."

But the Missouri native admits that traveling is a bit outside her comfort zone. "My husband Roger and I are homebodies. Even when we have free time, we spend it at home." But since pro fitness competitions rarely take place in the Midwest, for now she has to settle for life on the road--albeit with a big posse. "We take our three dogs--the three cats stay home--with us in our Hummer," she says. "Residence Inn takes pets, and having the dogs there keeps me from getting homesick."

Just one problem: Word is getting out about her canine caretaking, and sometimes their hotel room becomes a flophouse for other competitors' pooches. "At one show, we had to babysit Adela Garcia's dog Leela because her hotel wouldn't let her keep it there," says Angela. "Poor Roger spent eight hours a day walking dogs! But he didn't miss my show. In fact, he hasn't missed one of my shows in 10 years."

Good thing, since Roger is Angela's choreographer, dietitian and costume consultant. "No, he doesn't have a dance or theater background," she laughs. "But after a decade of watching me compete, he just knows what looks good."

TOTALLY UNHIP

Most people would consider this an insult, but for Angela, it's a medical diagnosis. "My mother noticed I wasn't developing correctly when I was a toddler, and they discovered I was born without a hip socket," she explains. Her hip dysplasia is a congenital condition in which there is abnormal development of one or both parts of the ball and socket joint of the hip. "Doctors created an artificial hip for me to keep my femur from popping out of the socket all the time," says Angela. After three weeks in traction, she was off and running with her bionic hip.

And apparently, her defect never slowed her down. Angela was a successful member of her high school cheerleading team, as well as a member of the renowned Southwest Missouri State University Sugar Bears. After academia, Angela began teaching aerobics, but found the profession to be a pain--literally. "I was teaching way too many classes, and my hip began to ache all the time," she recalls. "But it was a catch-22 because if I didn't do anything at all and tried to protect it, it hurt as well. It was hard to find a balance."

Her solace came in the form of fitness contests. "The training was a perfect match for me, with some days of cardio, some days of strength training and other days of flexibility work," she notes. Angela had learned to lift in high school, when she took weight training as an elective. "I got good results in that class, and remembered a lot of it when I began lifting again for fitness," she says. Although she couldn't train in gymnastics because of her hip and had to work around her congenital inflexibility in certain directions, Angela entered and won her first fitness competition in 1998, in Arkansas, a show that earned her a spot at the 1999 NPC Nationals. Thoroughly enamored with the sport, Angela hit the stage aiming for her pro card--and scored a dismal 15th place. With a little elbow grease, a lot of chutzpah and a few years of experience under her belt, she finally turned pro at the 2003 NPC Nationals.

Angela now has 10 top-10 pro finishes to her credit, four of those in the top five. When not training for a show, she co-owns and runs a Powerhouse gym in St. Louis with Roger and spends her free time going to the movies and watching TV. "And vacuuming," she adds. "Six animals in the house makes a lot of hair to vacuum!"

BIRTHDATE

Feb. 17, 1972

BIRTHPLACE

Kansas City, Missouri

RESIDENCE

St. Louis

HEIGHT

5'3 3/4"

WEIGHT

135-137 pounds off-season; 130 pounds contest

RECENT PLACINGS

2006: Fitness International, 9th.

2005: Fitness Olympia, 9th; Sacramento Pro, 5th

TO CONTACT

angiesemsch.com

fitnessdivas.com

THE ROUTINE

EXERCISE                SETS  REPS

Handstand Push-Up       3-4   4-11

Seated Overhead         4-6   8-12
 Barbell Press

Dumbbell Lateral Raise  4-6   8-12

Seated Overhead         4-6   8-12
 Dumbbell Press

TRAINING SPLIT

DAY  BODYPARTS TRAINED

 1   Legs

 2   Back, biceps

 3   Chest, triceps

 4   Shoulders

 5   Legs

6-7  Off

Angela trains abs 3-5 days a week when practicing for her fitness
routine.

RELATED ARTICLE: HANDSTAND PUSH-UP

TARGETS: Deltoids (all heads)

START: Place your hands a bit wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor, a foot or two away from a wall (Angela can do it without the wall), and spread out your fingers to help you balance. Kick your feet up into the air and rest your heels against the wall, and tighten your abs and glutes for stability. To steady yourself, focus on a point on the floor between your hands a few inches in front of them.