Meet The Team: Justine Albert

Meet The Team: Justine Albert

Justine Albert is an IFBB Pro Women’s Physique competitor, gym-owner, ballet dancer, dance instructor, and a well-respected coach in the health & fitness industry. She’s local to the Pittsburgh area and has been supporting Axe & Sledge and All American Roughneck long before becoming a sponsored athlete.

We’re excited to have her a part of the Axe & Sledge team and cannot wait to see how she does competing in the NPC/IFBB. If you are in the Pittsburgh area, check out her gym called Club NBT, and if you’re looking for some dance lessons, head over to Just Dance by Justine!

Justine’s Stats

  • Age: 33
  • Height: 5’7”
  • In-season Weight: 154lbs
  • Off-season Weight: 165-170lbs
  • Division: Women’s Physique

Question & Answer

Where are you from?

  • I was born and raised in Apollo, PA.

What got you interested in bodybuilding?

  • At an early age, I really admired my Dad’s athleticism. Although he didn’t compete in bodybuilding, he was naturally athletic and that’s something I wanted to strive for. I didn’t play very many sports growing up, but I started dancing at the age of 3 and lifting weights at the age of 12.
  • Fast forward to college, my friend took me to a bodybuilding show and that’s when I realized that I wanted to compete.

When did you start training for bodybuilding and when was your first competition?

  • I started seriously training for bodybuilding when I was 22 years old, which was around 2010.
  • Between 2012 and 2013, I did my first competition.

What’s the most difficult part of preparing for a bodybuilding competition?

  • Most people probably think that the diet or training is the most difficult part of preparing for a physique competition. But for me, it’s more along the lines of people not understanding the sport, being judgemental, and not being open-minded.
  • The longer I diet, the more irritated I get with negative comments, criticism, and lack of respect for the sport. Especially with social media, people love to express their opinions.

What does your diet consist of? (in-season vs off-season)

  • Since I have a pretty slow metabolism, I have to drop my calories quite low during prep. There are several weeks where I only eat protein and veggies and that’s it. Basically, no carbs and very low fat. Also, I have virtually no cheat meals during prep, but I will have some more flexibility in the off-season.
  • During the off-season, I tend to eat the same foods as I do on prep, however I will add in some carbs primarily around training and healthy fats. However, my fats always stay fairly low regardless if I am prepping or not.

What’s your current training split?

  • Monday: Hamstrings & Glutes
  • Tuesday: Chest & Arms
  • Wednesday: Yoga
  • Thursday: Quads & Calves
  • Friday: Back & Arms
  • Saturday: Shoulders & Arms
  • Sunday: Active rest day
  • I also do cardio everyday. As of right now, it’s usually 30 minutes first thing in the morning and I prefer to run outside.

What’s your favorite body part to train?

  • My favorite body part to train is chest.

What's your favorite exercise for each body part? 

  • Chest: Incline Dumbbell Press
  • Back: Close-Grip Pulldowns
  • Quads: Quad Extensions
  • Hamstrings: Stiff Legged Deadlifts
  • Calves: Seated Calf Raises
  • Biceps: Machine Preacher Curls
  • Triceps: Rope Extensions
  • Abs: Hanging Leg Raises

What are your top three Axe & Sledge supplements?

What's your top two goals at the moment (fitness & business)?

  • Business: I would love to hit 800 members my March.
  • Fitness: I plan to compete in 2022 and want to earn top three in a Pro show.

What's your go-to cheat meal?

  • I really love sandwiches, so I would have to say a turkey hoagie or something along those lines. 

Do you have any hobbies outside of bodybuilding?

  • Outside of lifting & dancing, I really enjoy shopping, hunting, going out to bars to see live bands, and hanging out with my husband & dogs.

If you could make any flavor of the Home Made Bar what would it be?

  • Birthday cake

Why did you choose Axe & Sledge supplements?

  • To be honest with you, I am not a big supplement person in general and I am very picky about what supplements I use. Since I am a competitor and striving to be the best I can be, I only want to use supplements that are of the utmost quality.

  • Although I've been approached over the years by several companies, I didn't find any that I could stand behind and wanted to actually use or recommend. I never wanted to promote a brand that I didn't use, like so many other people in this industry do to just make some money.

  • Once Axe & Sledge came along, my husband and I started using the products because we found them to be actually effective. Also, we are huge supporters of local business and the axe & sledge hq is right down the road from us. Above all, Axe & sSedge made us feel welcomed and valued. everything that axe & sledge stands for fits my personality and allows me to truly be authentic.

Where can people find you?