Stephanie Billings — July 2012

Stephanie Billings knows a thing or two about overcoming obstacles. It’s hard to believe, but at just 22 years old, this buff bombshell from Kentucky had high cholesterol, wore a size 14 and carried 40 extra pounds on her 5'7" frame. Within a year, she not only dropped the weight, but transformed her formerly 180-pound body into a stage-worthy physique. Today, she’s an IFBB Pro, a spokesmodel for BeautyFit and is making her Oxygen debut as a cover girl. And while reaching her destination hasn’t been easy, the journey has made it all worthwhile.

Freshman 40:

Taller and more muscular than most girls her age, she battled with her weight and the pressure to be a certain size. “I was captain of our high school cheerleading team, but there was no way I could cheer in college because of my size. You can imagine what that does to a girl. I stopped paying attention to my health and gained 40 pounds in college without even noticing.”

Lifestyle makeover:

In January 2006, she became determined to get her body back on track. Armed with a new treadmill and the help of a few gym buddies from the exercise science program, Stephanie put up a vision board, started a diet log, and shed those 40 extra pounds in eight months. “I really started educating myself about the quality of food,” she says. “I realized I couldn’t have fat-free Pringles anymore!” Four months later, under the expert eye of her trainer, IFBB Pro Julie Lohre, the once chunky cheerleader stepped on stage for the first time. “My life forever changed. I became a Figure competitor.”

Cover Girl Quick Facts:

Age: 29

Sign: Virgo

Hometown: Born in Louisville, KY, currently resides in Seattle, WA

Height: 5'-7"

On her nightstand: The 5th Agreement by Miguel Ruiz

In her fridge: kale, spinach, okra, Brussels sprouts, salmon, perch, soy milk, grapefruit, berries, pumpkin, plums

Her preworkout snack: Soy protein mixed with cinnamon and vanilla Stevia on rice cakes 

Favorite meal on the go: Edamame

Fitness myth she'd like to set straight: “That you shouldn’t eat at night. It’s not about what time you eat but what you eat. Close to bedtime, it’s okay to have good lean protein and veggies.”

Steph’s Super Delts Workout

One of our cover girl’s favorite physical features (and with good reason!) are her shoulders. Her secret to super sculpted delts? You guessed it: supersets.

On day two of her routine, Stephanie combines shoulder exercises with triceps moves for sexy, toned arms. Try it for yourself! Complete all sets of one superset or move, then rest before moving on to the next.

Superset #1: 4 x 10 Shoulder press 4 x 10 Weighted barbell overhead raise Single: 4 x 10 Rear lateral raise Superset #2: 3 x 8 Arnold press 3 x 8 One-arm lateral raise Superset #3: 3 x 15 Rope pushdown 3 x 10 Dumbbell nose crusher/skull crusher Single: 3 x 15 Dumbbell kickback

What's Cookin'

“During contest prep, this recipe is not in the regimen, however, during the off season, I always make it with my girlfriends after intense boot-camp training! It’s a great way to refuel!”

Greek Yogurt Parfait Ready in 45 minutes to 1 hour • Makes 6 servings

4½ cups Chobani plain 0% Greek yogurt Granola: 6 cups rolled oats ¼ cup chopped almonds 1 full dropper of french vanilla liquid Stevia ¼ cup Truvia ¼ cup honey ½ tsp teaspoon almond extract ¼ cup (no sugar added) pineapple juice ½ teaspoon almond extract Cooking spray Pear Mixture: 3–4 large Bartlett pears ¼ cup agave nectar ¼ cup Brown Sugar Splenda or regular organic brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine all granola ingredients in a bowl. Toss and stir well. Spread mixture evenly onto a pan coated with cooking spray and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in a zip-top plastic bag or airtight container for up to a week. Dice pears into small cubes and spread them out in a large glass dish. Coat with olive oil, agave nectar, vanilla extract and brown sugar. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes until soft. Place ½ cup of the Greek yogurt in 6 individual bowls and cover with granola. Add another ¼ cup Chobani on top, cover with warm pears out of the oven (you can spoon excess juice from pan overtop), then sprinkle more granola on top! Nutrients per serving: Not available.

Playlist

This self-proclaimed music junky gets into the zone with a mix of tracks that span multiple genres, from electropop to indie rock. 

1. As the Rush Comes / Motorcycle Download Download 2. Sail / AWOLNATION Download Download 3. Heartbeats / The Knife Download Download 4. I Can't Stop / Flux Pavillion Download Download 5. Afterglow (feat. Soundmouse) / Phaeleh Download Download 6. Intro / The XX Download Download 7. Little Bit / Lykke Li Download Download 8. Turn Into / Yeah Yeah Yeahs Download Download 3. Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra) / Gotye Download Download 10. Relief / Cold War Kids Download Download