My travelling blog has decided to go on a short vacation this summer… Heinrich was away for work for a few weeks, and then I simply got bogged down with other stuff; i.e., cakes, working overtime, a Krav Maga class, AND the biggest distraction of all: my upcoming bikini competition!
In less than seven (7!!!) weeks (47 days to be exact!), I will be competing at the Muscle Beach Fall Classic competition here in Edmonton! It’s something I’ve been thinking of doing for awhile, and when I found out about this competition, I figured I should do it! If not now, when, right? So in a matter of minutes, I registered for the competition (and am also now a member of the Alberta Bodybuilding Association!) and hired my coach!
There was really no question of who to hire to coach me through the 12 weeks that followed. I am a huge fan of his for many reasons:
1. He has a PhD in nutritional science (specializing in muscle protein amino acid metabolism), so he actually really knows his stuff and can back it up with scientific studies.
2. He is well-known for his ability to diet people down without harming their bodies as other coaches generally do. He doesn’t wreck his clients’ bodies with extreme diets or cutting water.
3. His approach to training just jives with mine (read: weights over hours and hours of cardio), and I’ve had great results using his PHAT system of training (can you guess who he is yet?).
4. I love that he exposes all the “guru” or “broscience” out there. There’s so much bad information that exists, it’s great to see someone knock it all down (with scientific evidence!)
5. He’s trained one of my fitness idols (Ava Cowan), himself, and his wife for competitions. (You know he wouldn’t train his wife if he thought it would hurt her in any way!)
6. If I were to train with another coach, I would constantly be reading his articles and comparing them with the other coach’s training/diet. And I needed someone who I could completely trust for 12 weeks!
If you haven’t guessed it by now, I chose Layne Norton to be my coach through my contest prep! And so far, five weeks in, I could not be more pleased with my decision!
(As an aside, if anyone is interested in reading any of Layne’s articles, check out his
website. He’s also an avid Tweeter with the handle
@biolayne. A lot of articles can also be found on
Bodybuilding.com.)
These last few weeks have definitely been quite the learning curve for me. I’ve been learning a lot about my body and about competing in general. Since it’s probably easier to organize in a list, I’ll name a few of these interesting findings in no particular order:
1. It
is possible for me to weigh less than 115 lb (this has been my elusive goal weight for the past DECADE. I didn’t think I could ever get below 120 again!). And it’s easier than I thought! (Not that it’s easy, per se, but I thought it would be impossible!)
2. I was not squatting deep enough or doing my high-intensity intervals nearly as intense as I could have/should have been.
3. I was not eating nearly as clean as I thought I was. My diet is not that much different from my regular diet, but I have cut out treats and really stuck to my portions. How many times did I mindlessly grab a handful of sugar snap peas, carrots, nuts, dried coconut, or air-popped popcorn? As healthy as these foods are, they sure add up after awhile!
4. I was nowhere near as lean as I thought I was. Before I began, I figured I had about 5 lb of fat to lose in order to look stage-ready. Now, 13 lb later, I laugh at that statement, as I STILL don’t feel close to being stage-ready.
5. I will need to practise my posing more than I would have ever thought. Some say it’s more crucial than even how you look. I want to drill my posing and walking into my head so when the competition finally comes, if I’m nervous (which is a give), I won’t even have to think about what I’m doing; it will just come automatically!
6. A lot of my social functions revolve around food (I learned this rather painfully, after sitting through many social gatherings while not eating a thing).
7. My friends are family are more supportive than I gave them credit for before the comp! So far, no negative comments, and everyone seems as excited as I am to see the final package at the competition!
8. Competing is more expensive than I thought. After the registration (up to $400, depending on the show!), the coach, and the suit (ranging anywhere from $80 to THOUSANDS of dollars!), there are all of the other minor, but still pricey expenses: shoes (about $50, plus shipping), jewelry, tanning ($120 at the show), and I’m sure many other things I haven’t even thought of yet!
9. The fitness community is really friendly and helpful. I’ve messaged a few competitors/models, and I’ve received very positive messages back. It seems everyone wants the best for everyone else (even strangers!).
I’m positive there will be many more “fun facts” emerging from this experiment!
I’m also uploading some of my progress pictures so far. I’m excited to add more as my prep continues!
