Its that time of year again. I have just started training for my 3rd body building competition. I have 21 more weeks of a strict nutrition plan, cardio 6 days a week, and weight training 5 days a week. I feel very focused this time around. I took about 6 months off since my last show, I enjoyed myself, I lifted heavy, and let myself gain mass.
Bodybuilding is a very interesting world. Before I got involved in competing I believed that bodybuilding was unhealthy both physically and mentally. I always thought that every person involved in bodybuilding was starving themselves prior to shows. I thought that the tans were hideous and everyone was on something.
While some of this is true, especially the steroid use and other “supplements,” it wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be. When I started training for my first show I wanted to see if I could actually do it. The working out is easy, but the nutrition is the tough part. Prepping the food, trying to discover dishes that taste good that are within your limitations, and finding things that actually keep well in the fridge. It sounds like a lot, but once you find something that works and doesn’t take long to prep, it becomes much easier.
Contrary to popular belief I was never hungry. When I actually first started I couldn’t finish all the food I needed to eat! I was consuming roughly around 2300 calories, and I was full ALL the time! That was something that I had never expected. I remember eating that way for three weeks and then it came time to check in with my coach again. I really felt that I didn’t make much or any change within that time period. I was so wrong! My bloat was gone, I had lost about 5lbs (some was water weight), and my look was already different. It amazed me what eating well did for my body. Not just externally, but internally as well. At that point I had learned that it isn’t about how much you eat, but more about what you eat.
The weeks passed by, and my body continued to change. Then it came time to get up on stage. I was so nervous! Standing in front of 500+ people in a very small show bikini and trying not to fall in those damn heels. It was surreal, but I did it. I didn’t have the look that some of these women had, and I certainly didn’t expect to win anything, but I knew deep down I had won for myself. I remember sitting in the locker room, waiting to go out on stage for the night show, and a woman came up to me and said “ I just want you to know that I came across you instagram profile and that I really admire all the hard work you did to get to this point.” That comment that this woman made to me mattered more than any score a judge could give me. It wasn’t about her commenting on how I looked, but the fact that another woman recognized and praised another woman on her efforts.
Bodybuilding wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be, and I am glad I decided to start competing. There are still things within this sport that I don’t agree with, but ultimately it has helped me grow as a personal trainer, and it has given me a new-found respect for these athletes.