So I thought I would provide the gory details of competing
in my first bikini competition. I say my first because I really do hope to do
another one although the thought of going through the entire process again
sounds a tad overwhelming right now. I figured now is a good time to talk about
the experience rather than during the actual prep because I anticipated being
in a cranky mood…and I was.
I have been lifting weights consistently since last August
when I came off a summer of training for the Ascent and completing my yoga
certification. Needless to say I was lacking muscle when I started. I hired a
coach initially to help me build muscle and get my diet on track. Shortly after
I got on with her team
(JAKT MUSCLE), I got engaged! Thus my focus shifted from competing to
looking good for my wedding. I got on a lifting program which she switched out
every eight weeks. However, I since I was worried about getting “too big” for
my dress she kept the cardio up for me which probably hindered my progress in gaining
muscle.
After our honeymoon I got back on a strict diet. I had
definitely gained a couple pounds of fat and needed to work hard to lose it. My
body likes to hang out around 122-125 when I lift weights. 120 ish when I run a
lot and destroy all that hard earned definition. I do not lean out or lose
weight easily so I had to do two a day cardio sessions to help me trim down.
Each week she cut my calories and carbs little bit more. Let
me tell you when you are working out very hard and used to a certain amount of
calories it REALLY takes the wind out your sails. I expected to be tired and
grumpy but I failed to anticipate how exhausting it would be. It was exhausting
both mentally and physically. I am usually pretty high energy. I love to work
out, make Rob dinner, clean the house, grocery shop etc. but all I could do was
food prep and workout. My brain was not firing on all cylinders that is for
sure. The last two weeks were the worst. Trying to gut out two hours of cardio
on very few calories started to get to me. I almost cracked several times. Junk
food started to sound amazing as I craved sugar and carbs constantly. The final
week (Peak week) was exhausting but it was also fun to see little changes in
your body everyday. The worst day I had was the day I had to cut the salt. I
put salt on EVERYTHING! Not only did it make my food taste awful but it left me
even more tired than I already was. I granted myself the privilege to lay on
the couch after my cardio and take a nap. It didn’t seem to help much. I woke
up just as grumpy and declared to Rob that I was done with this and just wanted
to get pregnant. He patiently listened to my concerns without trying to talk me
out of anything. He just let me sort out my own feelings, well-played husband,
well-played.
But enough about the bad…let me tell you about the good,
show day!
Yes I was depleted and tired and dehydrated but that didn’t
matter because it was time to show off all my hard work and finally step on
stage.
My jitters were apparent as I hardly slept at all the night
before. When we arrived the next day we stood in line for our final tan touch
up then went to the main area to get our hair and make-up done. I can honestly
say that I have never had so much makeup on my face in my entire life. Well, there
may have been a wannabe gangster faze in junior high when I experimented with
lip-liner and painted on brows but even those times did not trump this
experience.
We waited what seemed like forever, got oiled up, pumped up,
ate some honey then finally it was our turn to line up and take the stage. When
we were moved into the pump up room I notice the tan on my back side had gotten
messed up. I started to panic a little, as little things such as this can be
distracting to judges, and all your hard work can be negated in an instant.
My coach, Evie, came over and threw me at the oil booth and yelled
at one of the tanning artists to fix it. Then she threw me back in the lineup
just as we were about to exit for the stage she pointed at me and said sternly “Don’t
for get to smile, when you smile you are a rock star.” I thought to myself I am
a rock star! I am just going to pretend I am one for these few minutes on
stage. So I smiled and tried to make eye contact with the judges and something
must have shined threw because I managed to get in the first call outs after we
had all gone through our individual posing. To my surprise I placed in all the
categories I entered. The biggest surprise to me was that I placed in the Open
which had the largest group of women and was the most competitive.
I think Rob enjoyed the whole experience as much as I did. I
could see him from the shadows taking pictures and smiling. The other girls on
the team who were sitting in the audience took pictures of Rob taking pictures
of me because they thought he was so adorable. He was super supportive
throughout the entire process. I was definitely grumpy and lacking energy for
at least three weeks. I barely made him dinner or cleaned the house,
practically all my energy went to completing my workouts and getting my food
prep done.
My prep was in line with traditional body building methods
to include, water loading and dehydration there at the end. I ate lots of fish
and spent a lot of time on boring cardio machines, but it worked! My coach
knows her stuff. She knows how to read and plan for certain types of physiques
and she did a great job.
The next day my Mom, Rob and I went to Broadmoor and
splurged on a big brunch. It was a welcomed event after feeling so deprived for
so long. However, I did my research and know that it is very common to gain
back the weight and more if you are not careful so I am working hard to stick
to a reverse diet so that I do not balloon past my pre contest weight.
Rob surprised me with a congratulations present of quest
bars and these yummy B-12 chews that I munch on daily as a little fit treat to
keep me sane. He knows me so well
All in all it was fun. I like challenging myself and working
towards fitness goals. This was always something that I wanted to do since I
was in college but never thought I had the confidence or discipline for. It
turns out when the prospect of getting up on stage in the tiniest bikini you
have ever worn starts to become a reality it helps to keep you focused. Now I am going to work a little more balance
into my life and work towards new future goals…
Happy Training!
