10 QUESTIONS WITH… LISA GRASSO!

Today we are truly honored to spend few minutes with the awesome IFBB Pro Physique Lisa Grasso! Read her story, you will fall in love with her sweet personality and her amazing results, surely, she’s a very inspiring lady! thank you so much LISA! you can find more of her on Instagram @lisaagrasso

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1. Hi! Thank you so much for your time and welcome to the flexingladies! What’s your name and what do you do in your life?

Hi. My name is Lisa Grasso. I am Registered Nurse and an Operating Room / Sterile Processing Manager at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
I am a mother of 3 young men and I also have a 3 year old grandson.

2. So, how did you get started lifting weights, and when?

I started lifted weights when I was 30 to tone up areas after having children. I lifted occasionally for several years. I had always been in what I thought was decent shape. After I healed from my hysterectomy in 2005, I decided to get serious and I was on a mission to be in the best shape of my life. I entered and won my first bodybuilding competition in April 2006 in Virginia. I then had a 2 level cervical fusion in November 2009. I fell out of exercising because of pain and I was told not to lift anything over my head and. At that point I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. After two years of feeling sorry for myself and being in pain due to inactivity, I was once again determined not to let anything hold me back. I started lifting again and by March 2013 I got in touch with my friend and Trainers Nick Venazio and Tammy Ossa at Any Time Fitness, Pt. St. Lucie, Florida. I decided to get back on the competing stage in May 2013. I won my class and overall in Women’s Physique. This qualified me for Nationals where I entered to win my Pro Card. In September 2013, I entered the IFBB North Americans and won 1st over 45 and took 2nd
IFBB Pro Card. I went on to enter the Europa in Orlando and placed 7th competed in The Wings of Strength in Tampa and faired somewhere in the middle of 34 incredible women. The only thing holding me back from competing is not for lack of passion, but lack of funding. The travel and hotel is very expensive.

3. Your favorite body part to train, and the one you hate (if you hate one!)

My favorite body part to train is back. I love the pump I get in my back and in my biceps. I feel real strong. I love the look of a well-defined thick back. Legs are the one body part I hate to train. It is actually a love/hate relationship. Due to herniated discs, I have difficulty on some days with squats deadlifts and leg curls. When that is flared up, I have to modify my training to get the most from my workout.

4. Old stereotypes do not like women with too much muscles. In your experience, what are people reactions to your muscles now?

I too get a lot of odd stares at my muscles by both woman and men, but I also get as many, if not more, compliments on how great I look. At times, I am self-conscious about my muscles and feel out of place. I then remind myself, I do this for me and no one else. I love the way I feel and look and I should never give anyone the power to make me feel bad about myself.

5. Any funny stories or circumstances related to your muscularity?

There is an older Asian surgeon at work who is very sweet. Whenever he sees me, he always wants to feel my biceps. He actually wrote me a poem. I wish I could find it but it went something like this “Lisa is a girl with big biceps I like to squeeze, but not in a way that is bad. Lisa has muscles I wish I had.” He always makes me smile whenever I see him.

6. What would your advice be to women who are feeling lazy or who have no support? Share how you keep motivated.

My advice is to go on facebook or instagram or any social media and follow some women who have started out where you are right now. Look at their before pictures and their progress pictures see how they have transformed their bodies to the shapes they wanted. We all have been in their position at one time or another. That is how I got myself motivated. I would read some of the women’s posts and saw how they had transformed and I knew if they could do it, I could do it as well. I never thought I would ever wake up at 4:00 a.m. to work out, but I have been doing just that for 2 years now. On the weekends, I treat myself and sleep in until 6 or 7 a.m. and at the gym by 8. Also, surround yourself with similar goals and people who are positive and support your efforts to better yourself.

6. Do you have any model or someone in particular who inspires you?

There really wasn’t any one in particular who inspired me. I would read Oxygen Magazine and loved the look the fitness/figure competitors. I strived to look like them, but noticed I seemed to put on more muscle, which swayed me in the direction of Physique and was thrilled when they came out with this division.

7. What is the best compliment you have ever received?

I was told that while I am muscular, I am very feminine with a smile that lights up a room

9. Three songs that you can’t live without in your workout playlist?

I actually do not have a playlist, I listen to hard rock while pushing the weights. A lot of Deuce; Buck Cherry; Hollywood Undead; Limp Bizkit; Eminem; Nickelback. While doing cardio, I listen to country pop – Luke Bryan; Jason Aldean; Blake Shelton; Brantley Gilbert; and much more.

10. Our final question and let’s have some fun and smiles with your answer; suppose there is a nice guy who would love to approach you at the gym. What are three things he should never do?

First, he should never touch me or stare at me in the middle of a set; second, please don’t insult me with the pick up line “do you compete?” be genuine, and last, don’t say to me “your form is improper; let me show you how it is done” in addition to him being out of shape.