Introducing Nina “Little Beast” Medina

By Staff Report
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Updated: October 24, 2015

By Nina Medina – One of the reasons I started bodybuilding and getting into this lifestyle is because I needed to feel proud of myself. When you can’t control external circumstances, the only thing you have is your body and God.

I’m Mediterranean, originally born in Spain and left my home at 14. I started lifting weights at 16 and was a chubby kid always having problems with food. One of the reasons was parental abuse and that’s why I left home so early to be the owner of my own life. I had to fight bulimia and a binge eating disorder, my confidence was zero and as a kid, I was bigger than normal. Before competing for first time, I tried dieting and working out in thousand different ways but nothing worked for me. Even with that being so, this was the only thing I was passionate about.

Everybody was mocking me because in Europe, the role model is the toothpick look. I struggled all my teenager years with bullying and mental abuse from others. I came to United States eight years ago for a vacation to New Orleans and my luck didn’t get better. After a month, we had a hurricane and had to evacuate the city so I went to Florida and when I came back I have lost everything.

I decided to stay and move forward and I started competing. I ended up meeting my ex-husband then, as he was an NPC heavy weight bodybuilder. I thought he would be great person in my life since he had God in his heart and bodybuilding on his mind. Not true.

I married him after a year we met and one month later he left for the military. In two years of marriage, I had a nightmare with him with both mental and physical abuse.
Not to mention that my first competition in figure I placed first, but entered the show against his will since he never wanted me in this world. Adding to the frustration, he was one of the judges and his vote didn’t count.

Even though I was successful at that first show, everybody told me I was too big for figure and not made for it. But I still tried a couple more local shows and placed third and sixth.

My frustration wasn’t getting any better and between all of the abuse and rejection, my only option was getting divorced. I never asked for anything other than support and love and ended up in a shelter for battered woman, illegal, nothing in my hands and my soul broken. It was in there where I took a deep breath and told myself it was now or never. I started my own paperwork my own research for getting the divorce. I couldn’t afford anything but was granted my divorce and a work permit. It was during that time that I trained as hard as ever and decided for first time to compete in women’s physique.

I entered an NPC non-qualifier but was afraid ☺️. I placed first and third as a novice in WPD.

If it weren’t for this world, I would have lost my mind a long time ago alone here with nothing. Competitions and training is my comfort zone, my little piece of heaven and my fuel to move forward and feel proud of myself when the outer world gets crazy for me.
Now I compete towards earning my pro card and I train others very cheaply because every one deserve a chance to be taught, trusted and pushed toward a dream and a goal. We can’t do it alone.

Nina “Little Beast” Medina is a MuscleSport Magazine team member and here are her social media pages:

INSTAGRAM – @little_beast_nina

FACEBOOK – Nina Nina

Photos courtesy of Nina Medina