User:Atxbootcamp/Stephanie McDonald

Stephanie McDonald (born June 4, 1973) is an IFBB professional figure competitor from the United States. Standing at (5' 7"), she is one of the tallest female competitors as well as one of the few Native American female competitors in the industry. Her highest achievement to date as an IFBB professional figure competitor is having won the inaugural IFBB Palm Beach Pro Figure championships as well as placing second on the 2006 Figure Olympia . Amber currently resides in Orlando,Fl. She is an advocate for abused and neglected children.

Biography
Amber was born in coastal Monterey, California to a half African American, half Native American (Cherokee) father and an Irish mother. She was raised by parents who where very passionate about social justice. So much so that at a young age she witnessed her mother be arrested for protesting against apartheid. Littlejohn grew up in a large family of six children where she was the second youngest and the only female of the group. Because of this she grew up to be a very rough tomboy who was always getting into fights. Growing up in a rural cabin with few amenities led Amber to become a bit nature-phobic for a couple of years, but she also grew up learning to respect nature but preferring to live in the city. While growing up her parents did not allow Amber to watch television until the age nine, so Amber became very interested in literature at a young age, becoming fond of authors such as Toni Morrison, Isabelle Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Ernest Hemingway. This early exposure made Littlejohn very appreciative of literature at a young age and today she still uses reading to escape the rigors of her everyday life.

While not technically a very active child, Littlejohn explored track, martial arts and basketball during her school early school years. At the age of 23 she began to take weight training seriously to deal with a failed relationship. She would often be seen crying while working out which made onlookers in the gym a bit worried, but she continued to train in order to feel better. After training for several more months and taking five months of gymnastics Amber entered her first competition, the NPC San Jose Fitness and Figure Championships in 2001, where she took first place. Afterwards, Littlejohn decided to compete solely in figure competitions to help save her joints from the stress that many fitness athletes suffer..

Amber was a popular figure competitor, she has placed in the top-five in almost every show she has competed since turning pro at the 2003 Figure Nationals. Her highest achievement to date has been placing second at the 2006 Miss Figure Olympia and winning the Palm Beach Pro Figure show. After the Olympia Amber was planning to retire from competing in figure to begin raising a family with her husband, but decided to compete at Figure Olympia in 2007 where she placed in sixth place. Recently, she announced that her husband was diagnosed with cancer and that he is going through chemotherapy while she was getting ready for the Olympia. Amber retired from competing following the 2007 Olympia to focus on family and continue her education. She is an advocate for abused and neglected children for the Seminole County courts. After completing her Pre-Law degree from The University of Central Florida in the spring of 2009, Amber will attend law school in her home state of California.

Vital Stats

 * Full Name: Stephanie McDonald
 * Birthday: June 4
 * Place of Birth: Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
 * Current State of Residence: Austin, Texas
 * Occupation: Figure competitor, personal trainer, and fitness model
 * Marital Status: single
 * Height: 5'7"
 * Weight (In Season): 128-132 lbs. (Off-Season):134-138 lbs.
 * Eye Color: Green
 * Hair Color: Blonde

Bodybuilding philosophy
Littlejohn's training consists of simple compound movements with mostly free weights and a few isolation exercises. she rarely uses cable exercises; she also rarely uses machines. Amber focuses on her glutes, hamstrings, and arms during her training. She typically trains 6 days a week in the off-season and trains abs for five to ten minutes after each training session (usually three body parts per day off-season, and only two body parts per day the on-season; when she is getting ready for a contest).

Contest History

 * 2001 NPC San Jose Fitness and Figure Championships, 1st
 * 2001 NPC San Francisco Fitness and Figure Championships, 1st
 * 2002 NPC Emerald Cup, 1st (Tall)
 * 2002 NPC Ironmaiden, 3rd (Tall)
 * 2003 NPC Nationals, 1st (Tall) and Overall Winner
 * 2004 IFBB California Pro Figure, 3rd
 * 2004 IFBB Ms. International, 10th
 * 2004 IFBB MS. Olympia, 5th
 * 2004 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Figure, 7th
 * 2004 IFBB Show of Strength Pro Championship, 3rd
 * 2005 IFBB California Pro Figure, 2nd
 * 2005 IFBB Charlotte Pro Championships, 2nd
 * 2005 IFBB Ms International, 6th
 * 2005 IFBB Ms. Olympia, 4th
 * 2006 IFBB Ms. Olympia, 2nd
 * 2006 IFBB Palm Beach Pro Figure, 1st
 * 2007 IFBB Ms. Olympia, 6th

Magazine References

 * O'connell, Jeff. Core Curriculum. California: Muscle and Fitness. July 2005 Edition. ISSN 0744-5105. (New York, NY: Weider Publications, LLC., a division of American Media Inc., 2005.). Section: Training and Fitness: pages 226-230, Covers Littlejohn's article.