Colette Nelson (born April 5, 1974) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional
female bodybuilder
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions. and women's physique competitor.
Early life and education
Colette Nelson was born in 1974 in
Southfield,
Michigan and grew up in
Royal Oak
The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...
. At the age of 12 years, she was diagnosed with
type 1 diabetes. Her doctor told her that he would start her on
insulin
Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...
and she has to exercise to keep her blood pressure under control. She attended
Clarence M. Kimball High School
Clarence M. Kimball High School was a secondary educational facility located in Royal Oak, Michigan, in Metro Detroit, Greater Detroit and had 1,10 students at the time of its consolidation with Dondero High School following the 2005-06 school yea ...
and graduated as part of the class of 1992. In high school, she became obsessed with exercise, teaching up to 20
aerobics classes a week. She attended
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
where she received a
bachelor’s degree in
dietetics and a minor in
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
. After graduating from college, she moved to New York City to attend
New York University. She finished her
master's degree in clinical nutrition and became a registered
dietician
A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ca ...
and a certified
diabetes educator. She also passed a board certified exam to become a sports dietician.
["Colette Nelson – The Official Website"](_blank)
''colettenelson.com''.
Bodybuilding career
Amateur
During her freshman year at Michigan State University, at the age of 19 years, she started to develop an interest in
weight training when she attended the Powerhouse Gym and encountered her first female bodybuilder working at the front desk of the gym. Prior to weight training, she was an
aerobics instructor
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It ...
, who was teaching up to 20 aerobics classes a week, and dancer.
She met a male bodybuilder who began training her and helped with her diet. The male bodybuilder introduced her to a female bodybuilder and suggested they start training five days a week and work one body part a day. She gave up aerobics classes and started serious bodybuilding training. By the time she had completed her
undergraduate degree in nutrition, she had gone from to .
In 1999, after 6 years of consistent training, at the weight of , she began competing and won her first the middleweight class at her first competition. In 2000, she won the heavyweight class and overall at the Northeastern Championships. That same year she also came in first in heavyweight at the USA Championships. In 2001 and 2002, she came in 1st in the heavyweight class at the USA Championships. In 2004, she won the heavyweight class at the Team Universe. That same year, she won her IFBB pro card at the North American Championships and qualified again for an IFBB pro card when she won the overall at the World Amateur Championships.
Professional
In 2005, Colette attended her first professional competition, the New York Pro, which she placed 5th in the heavyweight class. In 2006, after coming in 3rd place the 2006 Europa Super Show, she qualified for her first Ms. Olympia, which she placed 13th.
Retirement
After competing at the 2010 IFBB Phoenix Pro, Colette retired from bodybuilding to compete in women's physique. She competed in 2014 in the Omaha and Toronto Pro and has now officially retired from competition to focus on her medical career.
Contest history
* 1999 Ultimate Bodybuilding Championship – 1st (MW)
* 2000 NPC Team Universe – 4th (HW)
* 2000 NPC Northeastern Championships – 1st (HW and overall)
* 2000 NPC Nationals – 6th (MW)
* 2001 NPC USA Championships – 1st (HW)
* 2001 IFBB North American Championships – 2nd (HW)
* 2001 NPC Nationals – 3rd (HW)
* 2002 NPC USA Championships – 1st (HW)
* 2003 NPC USA Championships – 2nd (HW)
* 2004 NPC Team Universe – 1st (HW)
* 2004 IFBB North American Championships – 1st (LHW and overall)
* 2004 IFBB World Amateur Championships – 1st (HW and overall)
* 2005 IFBB New York Pro – 5th (HW)
* 2006 IFBB Europa Super Show – 3rd
* 2006 IFBB Atlantic City – 8th
* 2006 IFBb Ms. Olympia – 13th
* 2007 IFBB Ms. International – 14th
* 2008 IFBB Ms. International – 13th
* 2008 IFBB New York Pro – 12th
* 2010 IFBB New York Pro – 9th
* 2010 IFBB Phoenix Pro – 6th
["Colette Nelson – The Official Website"](_blank)
''colettenelson.com''.
Physique career
Contest history
* 2014 IFBB Toronto Pro Supershow – 11th
* 2014 IFBB Omaha Pro – 16th
["Colette Nelson"](_blank)
''npcnewsonline.com''.
Personal life
Colette currently lives in NYC. She has been in relationships with CEO and founder of RXMuscle
Dave Palumbo and IFBB Pro and karate master Bryan Paz for three years. She is a diabetes educator. She helps competitors with diet, training and posing. She performs choreography routines, mix music, and web design for the sites of many athletes as well as corporations. She also owns her own spray tanning business and does hair and make-up for many competitive female bodybuilders.
"MySpace.com – colette – 34 – Female – Seaford, New York"
''archive.org''. Archived fro
the original
on 12 October 2008.
Media appearances
Filmography
Television
Commercials
See also
*Female bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.
*List of female professional bodybuilders
This is a list of female professional bodybuilders. All people listed here have an IFBB pro card.
A
* Jennifer Abshire
* Heather Armbrust
* Lisa Aukland
* Rachita Reddy Agumamidi
* Rachana Reddy Agumamidi
B
* Fannie Barrios
* Christ ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Colette
1974 births
Actresses from Michigan
Actresses from New York City
Actresses from Texas
American female bodybuilders
John McCain 2008 presidential campaign
Living people
Michigan State University alumni
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni
People from Greenwich Village
Sportspeople from Royal Oak, Michigan
Sportspeople from Southfield, Michigan
Professional bodybuilders
Sportspeople from Manhattan
Sportspeople from Nassau County, New York
Sportspeople from New York (state)
Sportspeople from Texas