DR. RUTH MONTES

In this episode, we meet Ruth Montes, life-long athlete and
primary care physician who just won her IFBB Pro card at the 2020
Masters USA Championships, even while working COVID wards and
caring for her ailing mother. Her athletic career began with
gymnastics , running,  and cheerleading but it took a
revenge body mindset to get her into weight training and
competing in the NPC 2.5 years ago


 


She found out that being a doctor was her calling, because she
always had a passion for science. Moreover, due to some
condition, her mom was frequently in the hospital. Ruth grew up
finding faith in her Christianity, and all these elements made
her ask herself what are we doing for others ?. 


 


She started lifting with a revenge mentality, after having
been cheated on. 


Throughout the journey, her mindset evolved from revenge
to doing something for herself


 


The owner of the vitamin store she used to go advised her to go
to Ryan Bentson, who became her coach.  They had a good
connection & his useful detailed feedback and coaching has
made a huge difference in her athletic career.


 


She was competing while she was still a resident in med
school.  That gave her ammunition to keep her going and
strive for more. There are parallels between becoming a doctor
and becoming a pro, in the extremes of the lifestyle. 


She used to do boot camps and marathons before immersing into
bikini competitions. Training became a fuel and a way to take
time for herself. She ran a marathon 1 week prior to Governor’s
cup and learned lessons about that. She was too sore and didn’t
do great. A choice had to be made between running or
bodybuilding. 


 


A few times, Ruth was super close to earning her pro card. She
used her coach's feedback to improve along with the support of a
posing coach.


Her mindset also changed. Now she feels lots of gratitude and
taps into mindfulness in everything she does to make the most of
it. She is a positive person and always takes lessons from her
experiences. 


 


Ruth  insists on the importance of the whole package, which
is also why she changed her suit and hair color. 


 


Ruth explains that it is important to be mindful about nutrition,
especially when you’re always on the go like she is. 


 


Ruth and Celeste discuss how she has been feeling since her pro
card win and she shared how keeping a positive mental attitude
focused on manifesting and never allowing negativity to rob her
of happiness. She shares the importance of having a supportive
community. Her boyfriend, who’s also her coach's brother, is a
piece to her success, thanks to the incredible support he
gives. 


 


Ruth gives her standpoint, as a doctor, regarding health and
bodybuilding. recommending to think ahead, consider the side
effects as well as the importance of fertility to you.


What risks are you willing to take ? Using is not
necessarily inherently bad, but you have to take informed
decisions, with health at the forefront.


 


Ruth’s best advice would be to listen to podcasts! Podcasts give
us a great insight and we can always learn from others. Find
people who you connect with to tune into this lifestyle and of
course, never give up. 


 


Connect with Dr. Ruth
​on IG :https://www.instagram.com/ifbb_pro_drruth/


 


Connect with Celeste: 


https://instagram.com/celestial_fit


www.celestial.fit


 


EPISODE TIME STAMPS


 


2’18 : Ruth shares her pre stage ritual. She uses breathwork
and prays


3’13 : Ruth explains what a « normal » day is for
her, which is very busy.


She starts with fasted cardio, then breakfast, consisting in
spinach egg whites, oats, almonds


Then goes to work. After work she goes to the gym.


Then ends with groceries and diner. 


6’42 : She learned lessons from practicing lots of sports
besides bodybuilding, especially one week prior to
competition. 


Ruth shares how she’s dealt with that and how now she
recovers. 


10'47 : Ruth’s « why » has evolved, from a
« revenge body » mindset, to « I wanna do this for
myself ». 


13’30 : Ruth explains how she started with her coach. 


16’05 : She gives details about how it is to work with her
coach, and how useful his feedback is. 


18’16 : In 2019, Ruth was super close to getting her pro
card.  She gives her insight about that experience. She also
shares the feedback she got. 


23’33 : Ruth explains how her perspective has changed
compared to when she was a gymnast. 


23’53 : Ruth shares the feedback she got from North
Americans and how she improved. 


26’ : Ruth explains how she became more mindful about her
diet, while she’s always on the go.


27’40 : Ruth shares how she was able to turn things in order
to get that win, and the Procard, in 24h. 


With her coach, she used nutrition and posing tweaks. 


31’48 : She explains how posing can be used as a tool to
display a different physique, and the importance of being
relaxed. 


35’37 : Ruth talks about the changes she brought to her hair
and suit. 


38’ : Ruth gives DIY tanning tips. 


40’46 : Ruth explains how bodybuilding can actually add to
your life. 


41’30 : She talks about the feels when she earned her
procard.


44’44 : Ruth shares how she dealt with doubts and post show
blues. 


48’ : Ruth talks about the tunnel vision on stage. 


51’ : She talks about her mindset post pro card.


54’40 : Ruth’s boyfriend is her coache’s brother. 


She develops about that. She also shares about the support she
receives from her boyfriend. 


58’13 : Ruth talks about the parallels between becoming a
doctor and turning pro. 


59’14 : She gives her point of view about
« hiding » or not hiding that she’s a bodybuilder to
patients. 


60’39 : Ruth gives her standpoint, as a doctor, about health
and bodybuilding. 


63’23 : She continues with how she capitalizes on
health. 


67’14 : Ruth explains she wouldn’t change a thing in bikini,
since she loves the division. 


69’04 : Ruth mentioned that she was taking care of her mom.
She develops about that. 


75’50 : Ruth explains how she knew that being a doctor was
her calling. 


75’40 : She shares her best advice for new competitors and
new pros : 


Listen to podcasts ! you can learn from others and become
involved in an inspiring community/ 


78’46 : On your road to pro, Ruth’s advice would be to trust
the timing, each time you get better, enjoy, stay involved and
don’t give up.