Denise Milani is considered one of the most popular pin up models in the world. She’s appeared in magazines and on websites like FHM, Maxim and Esquire. While Denise is a hit with men and searched by millions each month, she’s embarking on another path. She’s decided to take her passion for health and fitness to a new level and recently competed in the NPC Bikini division. We caught up with Denise shortly after stepping on stage at Jon Lindsay’s NPC Exalibur, held in Culver City, CA.
Denise was born and raised in the Czech Republic but currently calls California home. Check out what Ms. Milani had to say about her first competition, future plans and more.
How long have you lived in the United States? 14Â years
What brought to LA? The Sunshine and opportunity.
You’re the oldest child in your family, what’s the best part of being the oldest? I can be an example and hopefully give good advice/ 🙂
What’s the worst? Nothing is bad about being the oldest. I love it.
How did you get started in modeling? By accident. I got discovered by sportsbybrooks.com and did some modelling for fun. The rest is history.
Has modeling become full-time job? It’s not a job if it’s what you enjoy! It’s fun, so I do it a lot.
Most annoying question? “Are you Denise Milani?” 🙂
Do you feel it’s important for women to have a web site? It’s only important if that is what you enjoy.
Strangest request from a fan? I’m sure there are some strange requests, but I haven’t heard them.
Guessing the beauty of having a manger. LOL.
When did you switch from myspace (which had a huge following) to Facebook (which has over 119,000 followers)? When myspace wasn’t cool anymore! 🙂
What advice do you have for women thinking of having their own website? Make sure you surround yourself with people you can trust. Don’t do anything just for the money, make sure it is what will make you happy.
How long have you been into fitness? I have been into fitness since I was about 15. I remember telling my mom when she went grocery shopping not to forget to get me the Muscle & Fitness Magazine (which was the only fitness magazine in Czech at the time). I always admired fitness models and the industry, but didn’t truly love it until I started to understand the science behind it after completing my national certification for personal training.
Who is inspiration? I really admire everyone in the industry, both competitors and trainers, but a person I would really like to meet is Tony Horton. I love the way he connects with people and leads as an example.
Those of you who don’t know, Tony Horton is the creator of P90x.
Why did you decide to compete? I believe to take my fitness knowledge to the next level, there is no better way than to compete. I want to experience being at my peak potential and learn everything I can along the way so I can help others do the same.
Anything you were nervous about in regards to competing? There were a lot of things! Mostly I was hoping everything would come together at the right time and I could be at my best the day of the competition. I really enjoyed the whole journey. The bad and the good.
What was the best part? Meeting all the people in the industry was the best part. The other girls were awesome, and everyone was so friendly. It made me feel at home. I also like knowing that there is always room to improve.
Wierdest part… Let’s guess the tanning? Of course it was. It was an insane experience! The retouching in the cold was the hardest part!
Did you tan before? No, just the day of.
Was it difficult to find a bikini and who made it? Yes, there was a lot of effort put into making the right bikini. The nice girls at Fresh Peaches in Rancho Cucamonga made it.
Did you work with a trainer? The training I did on my own, but I had help with the posing and refining my pre-contest diet.
How much cardio did you do? I did less during the contest prep, but more regularly.
What type of workouts did you follow? I did weightlifting but not too much cardio. Once a week I did plyometrics. Towards the end I did full body workouts.
What did your diet consist of?
PROTEIN:
• Chicken
• Egg whites
• TalapiaCARBS:
• Cream of rice
• Yams
• Lots of vegetablesFATS:
• Avocados
• Nuts
• Olive oil
• Flaxseed oil
The diet was pretty crazy, but I found a lot of good alternatives to things I usually eat. Some of these I will continue to eat instead.
Denise Rock'n The Hardbody!
What’s next? More competitions!
Best place to find out more from you? DeniseLifestyle.com
All the best in your future competitions and we look forward to your new competition journey.
Denise won in unanimous fashion, collecting all first place votes, in her first NPC Bikini show. While she didn’t win the overall title she proved that she is one to watch in the NPC Bikini division. Follow Denise on Twitter @Deniselifestyle and @DMilaniOfficial. Stay tuned for more with Denise in 2012.
