Etila Santiago is a Brazilian fitness model whose accomplishments extend far beyond the standard Instagram bikini shot. She has been competing since 2016 in the IFBB Pro Circuit and When Etila first started modeling, she thought she was too thin. She weighed only 49kg/108 lb. At 5’8″, when at her height she should have been at least 10 or 15 pounds for optimal weight. She didn’t like it, but she loved being in front of the camera. She didn’t want to give that up. So Etila Santiago decided to get involved in a better fitness lifestyle, and now she’s an international competitor that is known across the globe.
Etila Santiago is not just beautiful, she is inspiring from the inside out. She loves to post thoughts and meditations on her Instagram, in both English and Portuguese.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. A great week for you all.”
Etila Santiago
(Bikini fitness model, IFBB Pro, online posing coach)
| Full Name: Etila Santiago | |||
| Height | Weight | Age | Date of Birth |
| 5’8″ (172.5 cm) | 135-145lbs (61.2kg to 65.8kg) | 28 years | October 30, 1992 |
| Nationality | Era | ||
| Brazilian | 2010 | ||
Early Life
One thing Etila Santiago is not and has never been is shy. She is always encouraging her Instagram fans and supporters to feel more beautiful by being a little less afraid of themselves.
“I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.”
From a very early age, Etila Santiago loved everything about modeling. She was fascinated by modeling shows on television, and by the age of 15, she had stars in her eyes. But she thought she was too skinny. She didn’t know how to put on weight, so she began looking into fitness. Etila joined a gym and began to sculpt her physique.
Fitness became a passion that Etila has turned into a career that she loves. By the age of 15, Etila’s shape began to improve and so did her outlook on life. Etila Santiago was always very ambitious growing up. She didn’t want to just model, she always wanted to compete. Being a true Scorpio, she also always saw the bigger picture in everything that she did, and Etila frequently writes about Destiny on her Instagram page,
“If it’s meant to happen it will. You won’t have to force, convince, or worry over it. Let it flow, let it be, and let it come to you. Trust the timing of everything.”
Competition and Career
Etila’s hobby of fitness and body sculpting soon became an obsession with competition. She didn’t compete for cash like so many other athletes do. But rather, she did it to see if she could win. What she didn’t know was that it would only take one shot on the comp floor to create a star. Etila Santiago fell in love with competing, and took fourth place at the Arnold Classic Brazil in 2016 and first at the Amateur Olympia South America in 2018. With this victory, Etila Santiago won her IFBB Pro Card.
Today, Etila Santiago is still making a mark in the competition world. She is enjoying the lifestyle of being a true IFBB pro competitor. When she’s not doing that, she is posing for her friends and fans on Instagram.
Competitions:
Fitness Model and Brazilian Bikini Champion (Height Class): Personal bests include 4 firsts in four years, and Rio Grande De Norte 3-time champion (2015, 2016, 2017). Have a look.
• 2016: Arnold Classic Brazil — Fourth place
• 2018: Amateur Olympia South America, Bikini Class D — First place
• 2018: Arnold Amateur, Bikini Class G — Third place
• 2018: Muscle Contest National Pro Bikini – Seventh place
• 2019: IFBB Sheru Classic Latin, IFBB Bikini — Third place
• 2019: Governor’s Cup Pro Bikini – Seventh place
• 2019: Muscle Contest National Pro Bikini – Fourth place
• 2019: Toronto Pro Bikini – First place
• 2019: Miami Muscle Beach Pro Bikini – Fourth place
• 2019: Muscle Contest Brasil Pro Bikini – First place
• 2019: Olympia Bikini – Eighth place
• 2019: Iron Games Pro Bikini – First place
• 2020: Bikini International – Fifth place
• 2020: New York Pro Bikini – First place
• 2020: Olympia Bikini – Third place
Etila Santiago Training Program
Etila Santiago doesn’t publish all of her workouts on Instagram, but she does love to inspire her fans. Some of her workouts appear on Instagram, and some appear in magazines such as Muscle and Fitness.
“Some exercises for back workout 🔥.. getting ready for tomorrow’s training!”
She is not shy about letting people know when she is training or what she is working on. One of her favorite parts to workout is her glutes. You can see some of her glutes days on Instagram,
“I workout gluteus twice a week and today was their day.”
It is clear that today, Etila Santiago’s physique is the result of hard work, and a far cry from her too skinny modeling days. She is an expert in fitness, and includes both weightlifting and cardio sessions. She even has her favorite muscles which are shoulders and glutes. Etila Santiago will train each of these groups twice weekly. She doesn’t like to work her quads too much, because she doesn’t want them to get too big.
She also uses accessories like waist trainers, calling her waist trainer her “training partner.”
“My training partner, my waist trainer!! it gives me the support / comfort I need in my exercises so that I can give my maximum and maintain my posture in each movement. 🏋🏻♀
The @slimtum ® PRO is the first waist trainer actually designed as both a waist trainer and a supportive belt for the gym… that’s why the pros wear it.”
Etila Santiago is also a businesswoman and sells a product that she promotes with the hashtag #SweatLikeEtila.
“Are you ready to #SweatLikeEtila? I am introducing you to the new product SHREDABULL SWEAT STIX, the best feeling of leaving the training dripping.”
Related: 2021 Olympia Qualification List and Deadline Dates Announced
Here are some of Etila Santiago’s workouts from Muscle and Fitness Magazine:
Dumbbell reverse lunge (arms, core, legs): 2 sets of 16 reps per leg
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Step back with right leg until knee is one inch from the ground, and front leg is bent at a 90-degree angle
- Keep torso straight and chest up
- Drive through your toes, bring right leg back to start
- Repeat on the other side
Pushups: 2 sets of 20 reps
- Place hands underneath shoulders with back flat and core tight
- Keep elbows tucked in at 45 degrees
- Lower yourself until chest is one inch above floor
- Drive through your palms and push yourself up
Squat jump (core, calves, legs): 2 sets of 25 reps
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart
- Sit and squat until thighs are parallel with floor
- Jump up so feet leave the ground
- Land back in athletic position
Dumbbell bench press and ball lift (chest, core, inner thighs): 3 sets – 20, 16, 12 reps
- Hold dumbbell in each hand with elbows at 90-degree angle
- Use a stability ball between ankles
- Lie on bench
- Press dumbbells upward, extending arms
- Squeeze inner thighs until it reaches dumbbells
- Lower dumbbells and ball back to start
Diet and Nutrition
Size has always mattered to Etila Santiago, and now she is working on using size to her advantage. and it’s working. Diet and nutrition require discipline in her life, and she recognizes the courage it takes to do that.
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
Etila has a strict diet, but she is not afraid to splurge once in a while. She once posed on Instagram saying she was, “pretending to be a Coca-Cola model.”
FEtila also drinks a low-calorie calming cocao every day.
“My daily calming cocoa. It became my favorite because besides it looks like a hot chocolate it also enhances neural function, fortifies the immune system, and reduces stress. My nights with a special taste and without worrying about calories, it has only 21 calories and NO SUGAR.”
- No sugar
- Carb cycling
Etila Santiago also has an active personal life. She makes sure she lives a life of balance, and she is not shy about revealing her personal life as well.
Her mindset is that “life is a journey of surprises.”
“Life is a journey of surprises with its charms and changes. It is so magical that everything happens out of nowhere…in just 8 weeks I can say that my life has completely changed. I love you. My love, happy our first Valentine’s Day together!!”
Etila Santiago is a beast on the competition floor, and in life. The 2020 competition was good to her, where she cleaned up with a couple of firsts places, even in New York City. She’s expected to do well in 2021, and we will keep you posted on what happens next with Etila Santiago.
