Photography by James Cook

Alicia Miller kicks ass. Literally.

At 5-foot-7 1/2 and 155 pounds in contest shape, with near-perfect proportions and a striking resemblance to the actress Andie MacDowell, Alicia exudes femininity. But before getting into bodybuilding just a few years ago years ago, this 24 year-old Tennessean, who recently placed sixth in the heavyweight class at Junior Nationals, was a ju-jitsu world champion.

For the moment - as a result of the size she’s put on recently to be competitive as a bodybuilder - Alicia has had to put jujitsu on the backburner. “Ju-jitsu requires so much cardiovascular conditioning as well as flexibility,” she says. “As an off-season bodybuilder [she gets up to around 185 pounds in the off-season], I didn't have the flexibility or conditioning I had when I was at a lighter weight. But then when I was lighter my energy levels were lower. I could compete in both, but would probably not be my best at either.”

Switching from martial arts to bodybuilding was also a big change for Alicia mentally. “You go from a sport where you're completely covered up and are judged on your skill, to one where you are in a posing suit and are judged almost solely on your looks,” she says. “In ju-jitsu, when you get on that mat to fight that's just the beginning. You're fighting against an opponent and not yourself. In bodybuilding, when you're onstage that's it. There's nothing more you can do if someone is better than you that day – except work harder next time.”

Alicia was also surprised at how much attention female bodybuilders get.  People involved in women’s bodybuilding often complain about the lack of media coverage of the sport, but coming from ju-jitsu – which doesn’t really have a fan following like women’s bodybuilding does – Alicia felt like a star at Junior Nationals, her first national-level show. “When I walked into weigh-ins and saw all the cameras and photographers I was almost initially overwhelmed, but I loved it at the same time,” she says. “It was exciting!”


Alicia Faith Miller grew up in Rogers, Ark., and was always athletic (she played soccer, volleyball and basketball and also boxed a little), so when she got into ju-jitsu as an 18 year-old she was able to pick it up quickly and soon wanted to do more with it besides just learning self defense. After doing a few local and state shows, she quickly went on to win the -70kg class (the equivalent of light-heavyweight) at Nationals and the North American Championship.

As a 20 year-old, Alicia was the only female on the American team at the JJIF World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, in November 2000 - the first time in 7 years that the United States had participated.  “It was an amazing experience,” she says. “It was an honor just to be there.”

A year later, having moved to Tennessee, Alicia drove over six hours each way to train on the weekends with her instructor and get ready for the open world championships, which was held at the Arnold Classic in 2002.  It paid off – she won her weight class and became a world champion.

But by that point Alicia was already feeling the pull of bodybuilding. She had been lifting weights since 1999, and after going to her first show she decided that she wanted to compete as a bodybuilder. She did the Arkansas Classic in 2000, and a few weeks later placed second in the heavyweights at the Arkansas State. “From then on I was hooked!” she says. She started training heavier and more intensely to put on some size and began learning more about the sport.

In 2002 Alicia won her weight class at three shows in Tennessee and the overall in two of them, including the Tennessee State. But although she had made improvements since she first competed, her body was still a long way from what she wanted. “I realized I just needed to be patient as I was still very young and didn't have the muscle maturity a lot competitors I compared myself to had,” she says.

Alicia’s plan was to put on some size over the winter and compete in 2003. Instead she had a son, Blake, in December 2003 and decided to compete the following summer. “I have always had women tell me I was only in shape because I was young, or because I didn't have any kids,” she says. “I wanted to prove you can get back in shape after a baby.” Seven months later she did exactly that, winning the overall at the Battle of Biloxi.  “I was in even better shape than I had been 2 years before,” she says. This year she did another three shows, including Junior Nationals in Chicago, which she says has motivated her more than ever. “Seeing all the great competitors makes me want to work even harder,” she says.

Alicia currently lives in Jackson, Tenn., with her son and her fiancé, Marc Jackson, who is, as she puts it, “the one who makes it all possible.”  “He's been my trainer since I first started out and knows my body better than anyone,” she says. She works for a mortgage company, and is also still in the process of finishing school at the University of Memphis). She plans to work on improving her arms and back width and do Junior Nationals again next year (“I'll definitely make top five,” she says) and ultimately hopes to compete at the Olympia.

Alicia hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to ju-jitsu at some point in the future, especially if it becomes an Olympic sport. “The art of jujitsu is something that once you know you will never forget,” she says.“Anytime I wanted I could pick it up again.” But in the meantime, she’s loving everything about being a bodybuilder – even the stares she now gets on a daily basis. “I know that a lot of people don't think that female bodybuilding is attractive,” she says. “But whether or not they approve, they still stare and are intrigued by it, and those stares are as much of a compliment as someone who is supportive!”

 

 

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