If you’ve ever been interested in prepping for any type of figure show, this blog will hopefully help you get ready for what is to come. In this series I will be talking about my personal experience with my first NPC Figure prep. I will talk very openly about my struggles, my thoughts, and any other information I feel I need to get out there.
Also, super sorry about the writing. This will serve as a sort of “diary” for me. I might be writing some of it past-tense, and some as current happenings. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. I’m trying my best here!
Why I Chose to Compete
Competition is in my blood. I naturally have a very competitive nature. I competed in sports my entire life into college, and when that opportunity was up I immediately started training for half marathons (gross). It’s been about 4 years since i have competed in anything. The past year I have been bulking and gaining more muscle and strength than I thought possible for myself, but then I realized, whats my end game? Why am I doing all of this hard work? Sure, you can say you want to get fit, but what does the mean and how do you know when you’ve achieved it?
That’s when I started looking into figure competitions. A judged competition that will tell you if you’ve done good enough or if you need to work harder. Something with an end date and a detailed and direct goal. Just what I needed. I researched and followed hundreds of athletes who were prepping for competitions and finally, I decided it was my turn. Although I’m not as famous or maybe as big as those girls on Instagram, I still wanted to have a go at it and see what my body could do.
First Steps Towards Commitment
Before I started prepping, I knew I had to find a coach. Sure, I’m a personal trainer, but there’s a huge difference between training people to lose weight and training people to be in a competition. I will be the first to admit I have NO CLUE what a prep should look like. I knew I needed a professional. I found a coach who lives near by and had trained quite a few girls in my area. I did my research and saw all of the success his clients had had in the past and decided to go for it. “Step 1: Find a Coach” was complete. I’m not going to lie, it was a bit weird sending my pictures to someone I have never met and trusting him with my diet and my success, but if I’m going to make this work I need to buy into the process 100%.
Next, I needed to look into shows. I chose to compete in the NPC because most of my friends have competed in it and I thought it would be the best fit for me. The NPC season ends in late November, so I wanted a date that was close to the end. It’s really important to pick your show based on what is going on in your life. I knew that early October I had a family get-together, a bachelorette party, and a wedding. So, October I would most likely be the most tempted with food and drinks…I think I’ll go for a September date then! I made sure to still give myself enough time for a prep and chose the Ohio State Championships on September 28th.
While looking at my chosen show, I realized there is so much else to do that I had no idea about! I need to book the hotel, be there for check in, get my NPC card, schedule hair and makeup and tanning…etc. That was overwhelming, but we will get to it when the date becomes closer. For now I felt good having a coach, a show, a plan, and 15 weeks to prepare.
Week 1
This week was obviously not too challenging. I was high on adrenaline and excited to be getting started. I ate according to my meal plan 100% and did my workouts. I had my first test of will-power over the weekend. I had planned a trip for my husband and I to a cabin in WV. I had made dinner reservations and planned our days. To my surprise, I had the focus to stick to everything! I ate what I needed to eat. I drank my gallon of water each day. I stayed away from alcohol, and I stayed active with our activities! This week didn’t give me many problems as I know I can stick to a goal for a week…it’s later in the prep I begin to worry about.
Week 2-3
These weeks have been the worst for cravings (so far, I mean jeepers, I’m only 3 weeks in…). It’s mostly been tough because my husband is continuing to eat what he usually does and drink beer upon beer at night. At this point I haven’t had alcohol in 3 weeks. We traveled to Pittsburgh this weekend for some baseball games and I knew that I will constantly be wanting alcohol and all the food. Now that our weekend is over, I am so proud to announce that I stuck to my meal prep 100% and only drank 1 beer. Yes, 1 beer the entire weekend that we were there. For most of you, you might think “well, you still broke your plan. That’s terrible. Alcohol is the worst thing for your body during prep”. For those of you who are thinking that, I challenge you to go read my blogs about me trying to cut alcohol out of my daily routine. At the beginning of the year I was struggling. I would drink 1-2 bottles of wine PER NIGHT. (no shit. per night) Then, I finally got myself together and cut it back to drinking 2-3 nights a week. When I started prep I knew it would be tough, but here we are…3 weeks in and 1 glass of wine and 1 beer consumed. I’m hella proud of that. Weeks 2 and 3 were mostly about me remembering my goals and sticking to the plan even though I’m still 12-13 weeks out. I need to remind myself that it’s important to stick to it. I’ve tried long term goals in the past and I know my cycle. This is my time to break it.
Here’s the mindset I usually fall into when we are going on vacation or anywhere where I want to look “bikini ready”.
4 months out: Dieting and working out like crazy. Sticking to my plan.
2 months out: “eh, I have 2 whole months, I can totally eat this whole pizza and drink that 6 pack. I’ve got time.”
1 week out: “Oh shoot. What have I done. Now i have to starve myself and spend 5 hours in the gym per day to even be close to confident!”
Let me tell you folks, I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN. Not for this. I will stay on track. I will meal prep my little heart out. I will workout, cardio, rest, and kick ass daily.
Week 4
Currently, I’m on my 4th week of prep. I have 11 weeks to go. I did my weigh in and progress pictures on Monday as usual, and was COMPLETELY shocked with my results! Since beginning, I am down 9lbs. My body shape has completely changed. My posing has gotten a heck of a lot better and I am starting to look like a competitor! My nutrition is on 100% with what my coach gave me, and I’m starting to get a little sick of meal prepping. Meal prep is the bane of my existence. It takes up so much time and energy to cook 4 or 5 days of food at a time and weigh everything out just so. Even though I hate it, I do it…I know if I don’t then I will look for other things to eat and mess up all the progress I have made.
If you’re reading this blog, first off thank you. Also, just know that I’ve been trying to write this for the past 4 weeks. Because of my prep my sleep has been terrible. I have had no energy. The thought of opening up my computer and spending 2-3 hours writing about my experiences drains me of whatever energy I have left. I finally decided it was time to write so that each week can be a new blog, instead of 2-3 weeks at a time. So, welcome…this is my 4th week of prep. I’m a bit irritable because of my calorie intake/cardio/workout schedule/sleep, and am trying my best to not take it out on those I love. I’ve also found that whatever energy I have I have to save for my workouts, which leave my days lazy and unproductive. I’m hoping to get my sleep back to normal and be able to feel at least a bit more rested very soon!
Week 4 has come with a lot of progress in my body composition, but it has also come with a lot of fears and insecurities. I find myself constantly looking at figure competitors on Instagram and comparing their physique to mine. Trying to see if I’ll stack up on the stage or if I’ll look like a fool who didn’t quite hit the mark. My biggest fear is that I will not be ready or I’ll not have the right build for the stage. This week I also purchased NPC approved heels for competing and have been teaching myself to walk in them! I truly look like a baby deer, but practice makes perfect, right? I had my first posing session with my coach and couple of his athletes, and I was scared shitless. These women intimidate the heck out of me. They turned out to be the sweetest ladies ever, but let me tell you, my first posing session was ROUGH. Picture this: 2 confident women in gorgeous bikinis, posing like champs and going through their routines without any flaws. Then picture: Me. In spandex and sports bra (was not ready for a suit) wearing heels I couldn’t walk in and having a way different shape than these other girls. I had never posed or seen anyone pose before. I tried my best to mimic the pros as they did their routines, and eventually got through it with a lot of help from my coach and the other ladies.
At that very moment, when I felt like a man compared to the other girls posing, I knew that the bikini division was NOT FOR ME. I tried my best, but if you’ve ever watched an NPC competition, you know that bikini and figure posing are 2 completely different things. Bikini is more glute focused and about personality on the stage. As I watched the other girls, I saw that the posing was a bit more “dance-like” and girly. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not for me) Thankfully, after I had finished practicing and practicing my bikini routine, my coach asked me how I felt. I told him the truth, that this was not for me. (And in all honesty the entire time I kept thinking to myself “I can’t do this. If this is what I have to do on the stage, I think I’m quitting.”) I finally told him I had my heart set on competing in Figure, as I had admired those girls that get up on the stage and have the best physiques I had ever seen! He put me into a couple figure poses and THANK GOD!! He said what I was hoping to hear…I might have a shot at figure. I had a good back and shape for figure. When he said that, I swear I could’ve cried. I was so excited and ready to get after it. Ever since that day I have been practicing my figure posing non-stop and working to build my back and not have him regret his decision. Although I still know there’s a possibility that at the end of my prep my body may be more suited for bikini rather than figure, I still am thrilled that I will have the opportunity to train and prep as a figure competitor.
Coming Soon…
With this week being half over, I start to look at next week. I know I will stick to my diet and workout plan for the rest of the week. I’ve learned that the busier I am, the less time I have to think about food and alcohol, so this weekend will be interesting because it is the first weekend that we have nothing planned.
As for next week, I have a HUGE test of will power coming up. I will be flying home for a week to see my family and hang out. My family is supportive of my goals, so I am hoping for a smooth week! They have already helped with my meal prep and grocery shopping, and I will have access to a gym! Now, to see if I can say no to most of the alcohol and cheat meals I’ll be tempted to eat….STAY TUNED!