This week is PEAK WEEK! I’m so excited that it’s finally here! Everyone keeps asking how I’m feeling, and honestly, I feel prepared and ready. And hungry! My coach has done a FANTASTIC job with my conditioning, diet, and stage prep, and I feel 100% ready to smile, sparkle, and strut come Saturday.
Peak week is an interesting process—it’s really a science project. During peak week, a competitor drinks a lot of water (I’m downing 2 gallons a day!) early on in the week, cuts carbs, artificial sweeteners, condiments, and sodium-laden seasonings, and then starts a controlled dehydration process closer to the show. Meals Friday and Saturday will be carefully measured, unseasoned, combinations of proteins carbs and fats. Another great reason to hire a coach: I have a step-by-step, day-by-day plan for Friday and Saturday, as well as a plan for what to do AFTER the show to keep my metabolism and body fat levels in check. Think of your body readjusting to your diet and exercise regime like a scuba diver adjusting to water pressure—this is apparently very much the same thing. You essentially have to reverse diet and reverse train, tapering back in both slowly rather than just eat whatever you want and stop working out cold turkey. From what I have researched and been told, too many new competitors don’t take the reverse dieting and post-show training seriously enough, and it can undo months of hard work in a matter of days.
I have to drink lots of water for most of peak week!
Posing and stage prep are also critical areas that many new competitors don’t pay enough attention to. In the NPC, judges are looking for very specific criteria with body symmetry, conditioning, and overall stage presence, most of which is POSING! I’m so glad that I have spent an hour with my coach and team every Saturday working on my posing! I was also able to get one-on-one help from my coach, a former judge. Yes, it was pricey, but to me worth every penny. Honestly, I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what to expect Saturday for both prejudging and finals, even though I’ve never done this before. If I’m spending so much time training and dieting with the end goal of being a successful competitor, why would I not want to make sure I present myself in the best possible way come show day?
My workouts this week have been shorter and lighter, and I feel so laser focused on the goal, that I’m just powering through them! I’m definitely looking forward to a couple of days off, and getting my strength back to lift heavy again after losing it from being so carb-depleted.
My suit and shoes!!!
I got my hair done last night and I’m getting my nails done tonight. After that’s taken care of, all that will be left is one more posing class, packing, and meal prep for Friday and Saturday (obviously, I’m taking my food – there’s no way I’m going to risk my hard work by trying to find a restaurant that can prep what I need)!
I haven’t quite decided what food I’m looking forward to eating most—honestly, I’m really just looking forward to the whole experience, and celebrating with my friends and loved ones regardless of the outcome! First call outs would be AMAZING at such a big show, but the only real expectations that I have are to have fun, do my best, be proud of doing my best, meet new people and LEARN! I’ve worked so hard these past few months, that I just want to enjoy, have fun, and celebrate! As far as the food goes, I can’t wait to have some alcohol, COFFEE WITH REAL CREAMER, and breakfast with my friends on Sunday! We aren’t yet sure of the schedule of events for Saturday night, but I’m sure great food will be a key part! J I also have Thin Mints and Samoas coming to Houston with me for my post show treats!
I wanted to take a minute to say thank you all so much for all of your support and motivation every step of this journey. It has meant the absolute world to me and I wouldn’t have been able to get here without you! Lipglossandlifting will definitely keep going after the show! I want to use this platform to help motivate and inspire others to live healthier, happier, more fit lives. This has been a wonderful journey and we’re just getting started!
Wish me luck because the next time I post will be from the other side!
So, what’s it like to be married to a figure competitor? That’s a very complicated question that has a lot of answers. Obviously, Mere looks amazing. But, it’s not all hot wife and rainbows in figure competitor husband land.
First, this is a very, very expensive sport. Mere’s suit was $750. Personal training and coaching is over $1,000 so far. Weekly food bills are more than they used to be (admittedly, much of the increase rests on my shoulders – I have to eat a lot). Supplements get expensive fast, especially when two of you are taking them. Then, there is the cost of the show itself and the expenditures related to it – tanning, hotel, hair and makeup, etc. All in, we’ve probably spent $4,000+ on “fitness” and contest related stuff in the last six months. While I’m sure that it’s possible to do it for less (I have the attitude that if you’re going to do something, do it the best way that you can), you will probably have to make sacrifices in order to compete. But, some of the money that we’ve spent of fitness stuff has been offset by money that we aren’t spending on other things.
Our wedding day in 2006.
This brings me to a point that will likely kill many competition dreams and cause strain on relationships if only one person in the family lives the fitness lifestyle. During prep mode, Mere and I can’t really go on dates. Sure, she gets the occasional cheat meal, but we can’t just pop down to our favorite bar on a Tuesday night after an especially bad day at the office and have a beer to let off some steam. Sure, I could go by myself, or with friends, but I love spending time with my wife (even if it’s at the gym or chilling watching Netflix at home), so I don’t. Plus, I see it as part of my job to support her in her competition journey – to me, that means that I don’t drink when she can’t and that we generally have the same diet (obviously, I eat more – and I get some cheat meals (my coach’s orders!). If I didn’t live a fitness oriented lifestyle all of the restrictions on Mere’s diet would be really, really hard for me to deal with.
As far as spending time together is concerned, our options are pretty limited due to workout requirements and meal times. We see each other at the gym almost every day (sometimes she goes earlier than me or later than me because of work schedules), but we don’t always train together. If our routines for the day happen to overlap we’ll certainly workout together, and we’re always available to spot each other, but some days seeing each other at the gym is as quick as a peck on the cheek and waving to each other between sets. Other than gym time, we tend to spend time together watching Netflix and movies or playing board games or video games at home – going out is hard because of the temptations, and because we have to schedule everything based on who needs to eat what when (we both tend to eat six days a week). Plus, during prep mode, she has posing class during the middle of the day on Saturday, so even weekends have to be scheduled.
Jealousy could also be a really big issue if you’re prone to it. Mere looks great, and that draws a lot of attention, especially at the gym when she’s in full beast mode. She always has someone complementing her or trying to flirt with her. It doesn’t really bother me though – we’ve been married for almost nine years now and I think we have one of the most tender, loving, honest relationships any two people could have. However, if you are prone to jealousy, you need to go into this with your eyes wide open – if your husband or wife decides to compete, they will draw attention to themselves and that’s something that you need to be prepared for.
If you’ve made it this far, you probably think that I hate this sport and that I don’t want my wife to compete. But, nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, there are parts of the sport that could put stress on your relationship, if you let them, but I believe the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Valentine’s Day 2014. Mere got a cheat!
Because both of us live a fitness oriented lifestyle, we’ve really bonded over this experience. I know what she means when she complains about having to eat more chicken (seriously, bleh), and she knows the feeling of being exhausted but hitting the gym anyway because it’s back day. We’re both in better shape that we used to be (obviously) and this means that we will live longer, better lives with each other. Because of all of the training, we’ve got more energy when we’re not in the gym. Mealtime is a breeze – there’s no fighting over “what’s for dinner” in our household! Did I mention that Mere is crazy hot?
In all seriousness, if your husband or wife wants to compete, be prepared. You have to be their rock. You have to support them and be there to listen and encourage them when they are dog tired and crying in the gym because they’re on a low carb day four weeks out from their show questioning why the hell they ever got into this sport. And, if you love them, you will – gladly.
I’m writing this just under a week before Mere’s first show and I want to use this last part to give her some words of encouragement:
You are the strongest, most determined person that I’ve ever known. I’ve seen you put your head down and power through workouts long after most people would have quit. I’ve seen you turn away wine and drinks when we’ve been out celebrating friends’ birthdays. Your dedication and commitment are unending. I’m excited. I’m excited to see you walk the stage next Saturday and to watch you stand in the limelight. I’m excited that I got to share your journey with you and to support you. No matter the outcome, I am proud of you. Now, do what you do best – show up on game day, bring your beast face and kill it. Finally, I love you always.
As I type this, I cannot believe that 1 week from tomorrow I will be headed to Houston! Peak Week starts Sunday!!! I have 1 more fasted cardio session this week, one more lifting session, and a date with the Stairmaster and yoga this weekend. The worst part is over. That being said, I thought I’d take tonight’s post to share some of my favorite products, suggestions, and tips that have helped me get through the good and not so good parts of these last 11 weeks.
Everyone’s prep is different, but they usually have a few things in common. Most athletes will eat 5-6 meals a day consisting of lean proteins, fibrous vegetables, healthy fats, and “good” carbs. There are a few different philosophies, but most contest preps strictly prohibit alcohol, cheese/ most dairy outside of Greek yogurt, sugars, wheat based carbs, etc… Essentially anything with flour or sugar, or that is processed is out of the diet and not on plan. Luckily, I knew this before I made the decision to compete, and have always been a healthy eater, maintaining a “clean” diet for the past couple of years. Think of this as the “uber-clean” diet. No alcohol?!? No bread?!?! NO CHEESE OR BAKED GOODS?!?! How does one survive?!? Here’s what got me through it. The best part—you can use these as part of your healthy lifestyle too!
VARIETY IS EVERYTHING- If you are thinking about competing and don’t love vegetables, are a vegetarian, and/or a picky eater, you might really want to reconsider thinking about competing. Prep would be very, very hard f you were picky, considering the limited options you have during prep. In my case, I LOVE vegetables, and have no problems eating meat of all kinds. My nutrition plan was comprised (like most are) of lean proteins—chicken, turkey, white fish. If I had chicken at lunch, I’d have fish or turkey for dinner. Vegetables can be roasted, steamed, eaten raw, or—my favorite—SPIRALIZED with a spiralizer! Every Sunday, when I went grocery shopping, I always made sure to come home with plenty of options to choose from for the week
SPICES AND FLAVOR ARE KEY- I learned very early on that effective use of spices and flavors when I was cooking or meal prepping could completely change the flavor of a particular vegetable or meat. Vinegars (apple cider, balsamic, rice vinegar) are great ways to pack a punch of flavor without adding calories, sodium, or sugar. FlavorGod seasonings, and Mrs. Dash have been regulars in our pantry for a while—we love FlavorGod Everything Spicy!!
Spices! The savior of bland food!
CRYSTAL LIGHT DROPS- Plain Greek yogurt is my favorite snack. You pair it with two quick squeezes of the Tropical Coconut Crystal Light drops and boy howdy is it freaking delicious! No calories, no added sugar. Yes, artificial sweeteners aren’t the healthiest, but this stuff has helped keep my cravings at bay and gives me variety. I also like the Tang and Koolaid Grape and Fruit Punch flavors. Game changer in the yogurt.
Chrystal Light drops and extracts. A girl’s best friend!
EXTRACTS AND FLAVORINGS- You can add extracts and flavorings (almond, vanilla, etc.) to your casein shakes. Seriously, chocolate casein and mint extract = a Thin Mint Shake!!! Freakin’ delicious! Put coconut extract in with chocolate and BOOM, you’ve got a Samoa!
WALDEN FARMS PRODUCTS- I think they have fairies that make this stuff calorie free. The caramel dip, pancake syrup (on protein pancakes and in oatmeal!), and strawberry syrup (in my casein shakes!) have all helped me feel like I was cheating while still staying on plan and keeping my coach happy!
PEANUT BUTTER. Skippy Natural and Peter Pan Natural are the best. Jiff is for the birds. Every person who’s ever prepped would agree that the peanut butter is a definite perk.
PLANNING IS EVERYTHING- Honestly, you have to be really organized to handle this. Your prep life and routine revolves around your workouts and meals. Before you leave the house every day (weekends included!) you have to think about what food to bring with you, pack your gym bag, grab a change of clothes, and figure out how much time you will need to fit in your workouts. That’s a lot to think about! Grocery shopping and meal prep are CRUCIAL. I always have chicken cooked, and sweet potatoes baked and in the fridge. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
EAT EVERY 2.5-3 HOURS! Personally, I tried to space my morning meals 2.5 hours apart, and the next 4 meals 3 hours apart, and my last one (a casein shake) just before bed time. I never woke up in the middle of the night hungry, and really wasn’t ever starving. You just have to stay on top of your meals and EAT when you’re supposed to!
SUGAR FREE GUM- I think I have about 10 packs in my purse right now. #truestory
HOT TEA- Caffeine free Peppermint with Stevia was my go-to when I got hungry in between dinner and my Casein shake.
TEMPERATURE OF MEALS- Food tastes much better served cold or hot. Lukewarm sucks, but I guarantee of the 500+ meals you will eat in a 12 week prep that you will certainly be eating a lot of them on parking lots, and at room temperature. That said, whenever possible, refrigerate and microwave.
A SIX PACK BAG OR COOLER- All the cool kids have Six Pack Bags. I also love my Vera Bradley cooler for when I pack less food. Plus, I look like a badass carrying my Six Pack bag around. “What’s that?” say people. I respond, “My food because I’m a badass. And yes I eat all of it.”
My Six Pack Bag. Never leave home without it!
BUY PROTEIN POWDER THAT TASTES GOOD! My favorites: Cellucor Red Velvet Cake Batter (whey), Dymatize Elite Casein Chocolate Peanut Butter and Cinnamon Bun. Optimum Nutrition Chocolate Toffee Fudge (seriously, the best whey I’ve tried—knowing I get it at the end of a workout has helped me power through!) and Cake Batter are both excellent choices for whey too.
GOOD SUPPLEMENTS COST MONEY- You get what you pay for both in flavor and in quality.
CUTE WORKOUT CLOTHES- Never too much neon here. God bless Lorna Jane, Nike, and Lululemon.
MY COUNTDOWN BOARD- I went all Pinterest and hit up the scrapbooking sections and craft stores to make myself a bulletin board full of motivational quotes and some bling. In the middle, I made a tear of sheet to help me count down the days until the show. I hid little notes on a few pages—things like “keep pushing”, and “work hard”. Every day I get to look at it and get excited all over again. I can reuse it for my next one too!
108 days out, still a long way to go.20 days! Eek, it’s getting close!
Lately everyone’s been asking what I miss the most, and what I can’t wait to eat or drink after the show. Disclaimer: as much as I say I want to eat and drink, I’ve worked my ass off to have this amazing physique, and I DO NOT want to screw it up!! Reverse dieting will be key after the show to keep my metabolism and body weight in check. Another good reason to have a coach to walk you through this. Here’s what I’m looking forward to enjoying!
A cocktail, champagne, and wine.
Dinner with my friends and family after the show!
Mexican food and birthday cake—my 30th is April 1st, 3 days after the show, and we’re doing a big party at my favorite Mexican restaurant and have a chocolate cake ordered from Society Bakery. I can’t freaking wait.
COFFEE CREAMER!!!! The sugar free, fat free CoffeeMate. Any flavor will do. Almond milk just sucks as coffee creamer. It really does.
Breakfast! Seriously, a biscuit, omelette and pancakes. AND BACON. Ohmygod bacon. Sunday after the show, then right back to my egg whites and oats!
A burger…maybe Monday??
Seriously though, I don’t want to go to crazy with post-show indulgences and super caloric and fatty foods. A lot of girls put on pounds QUICKLY after a show because they binge for days and weeks, and I’ve worked too damn hard!!! Moderation will be key.
Let me just start by saying that for me, “this” (meaning clean eating and training) has really become a lifestyle. When I made the decision to compete, going into it I knew that I wanted to do more than one show, and really wanted to put 110% into this. It’s more than just a hobby to me, especially now that I’m seeing the payoffs both physically and mentally. Every day gets me more and more excited to train hard, eat all of my meals, share my knowledge and passion for this with others, and live another day in a healthy, happy body both physically and mentally. Those of you that know me personally know that I don’t half ass anything, and when I put my mind to something, I really go full throttle. If anything, I’ve learned that my over-achiever, type-A, uber competitive personality has served me well! When you compete in this sport, you realize that prep and conditioning your physique to become “show ready” requires tons of time, work, and effort. Plus, you learn the best part about this sport —the longer you do it, the better your physique gets and the better you become as a competitor. Some people do this for only one show though, and that’s okay too!
A “contest prep” is usually about a 12-week strict program with special nutritional and dietary macros guidelines (protein, fats, and carbs, remember?) and workouts designed by a coach (although some people do this alone—more on that later) to get one’s body stage ready. Mine started right after New Year’s, 12 weeks out from my show. At first, my training and nutrition were very similar to my “off season”, cheat meals included, but I knew it wouldn’t always be that way! From the beginning, I was concerned about my legs and lower body not being up to par with my upper body (arms, shoulders, and back) but I knew that if I “followed the plan” as prescribed by my coach, I should be A-OK come March 28th.
My mantra for this entire process, and quite frankly it can be applied to health and fitness in general, has been “One day, one meal, one workout at a time”. It’s so true—I quickly learned that if I just focused on my next meal (every three hours!), or that day’s workout, the less I would be concerned with pre-show jitters, or focused on what I couldn’t eat or the things that I was “missing out on”.. That being said, if you are even CONSIDERING competing, I would encourage you to give it A LOT of thought and research everything before deciding whether or not it is for you. This is not for the faint of heart. Some people do their own prep, and I can’t even IMAGINE, especially as a first-timer, how one would know in the slightest what the hell they were doing! Having a coach to guide you, support you, and mentor you, is CRUCIAL. I’m so thankful for mine—I’ve probably asked a million questions since I started working with him, and he’s answered every single one with patience, encouragement, and knowledge.
I was fortunate too, that I have a whole team of Competitors that train with my coach (a lot of ladies, too!) that I could lean on, cheer for, and bond with. That has been so great! Having Shane here with me though, has been the biggest part. Honestly, I probably couldn’t have done this without him. He has been my rock through this, encouraging me every step of the way, from eating meals with me out of Tupperware in parking lots (I do that a lot!), meal-prepping, high-fiving me in the gym, and taking all of my progress pics, I could not be more blessed to have him by my side. We really are swole mates!
We really are swole mates!
I’ve also been very open with my journey on social media, which for me, has just opened the doors for me to motivate and inspire others, which in turn motivates and inspires me to keep going. Again, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. Yes, the abs and guns are awesome, and yes, I got to have a blast getting all dolled up this weekend for a photo shoot to show off my hot new body, but I’ve also been absolutely busting my ASS in the gym, and have essentially sworn off all restaurants and alcohol for the past three months. Sometimes I forget the busting the ass part! I knew exactly what I was getting into before I signed up for this because I did lots of research before committing, just as you should. Your life becomes a never-ending cycle of Train. Eat. Work. Eat. Train. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. It’s also very expensive and time consuming—also something I knew before I started this journey. I am also extremely fortunate that I don’t have a crazy work schedule or stressful job to deal with, or kids that needed time and attention. I am able to work my 40 hours a week, I have a relatively drama free life, and I can really focus on my diet and training. My efforts have really paid off.
Practice makes perfect.
If you’re the type of person that trains hard and eats six times a day already, then your day to day won’t change much if you decide to compete. What you will learn though, is how much this is a mental and emotional transformation just as much as it is physical. You can have a coach write down to the T what to eat and drink, how much and when, what to train, how to train, and when to train, but the 24 hours a day 7 days a week of this thing is all you. No one’s looking over your shoulder to make sure you really only had 32g of peanut butter, and you must have the self-control necessary to stay on plan, no matter how much Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle are begging you to pay them a visit. You have to take it one day, one meal, one workout at a time. In the beginning, the cravings were much harder to resist than they are now. As much as I’ve talked about what I’m going to eat after the show, I really don’t want to sabotage all of the work that I’ve done and the sacrifices that I’ve already made, so I already know I’ll be right back on plan after a couple of days. When I can drink again, though, I’m pretty sure my tolerance will be zero all over again! Red wine and I are planning an awesome reunion. I do NOT miss the hangovers!
I bet that I don’t eat everything on this for a year or two!
Carb depletion and fasted cardio will make your brain feel very fuzzy and strange. I speak from experience on this one! I’ve been working out twice a day for the last 8 weeks, as most competitors do for most of their prep. I have made lots of sacrifices, don’t see my friends as often as I used to, and have closed down the gym more nights than I can count. I’ve gotten up to get my fasted cardio in (I have NEVER missed a session, including a post-lifting cardio session, even if it meant tabatas in my living room at 11:30pm) regardless of the weather— I have gone to the gym in snow, sleet, pouring rain, ice, and freezing temperatures. A workout was never skipped, a rep never missed. I’ve eaten all of my meals, many of which were cold and boring, and not what I wanted to be eating. I didn’t have a cheat when it wasn’t allowed, and have followed my plan down to the last letter. I’ve worked too damn hard to not crush it this last full week of training, since the week before the show or “Peak Week” as we call it, is essentially just light workouts and a science-project of water and carb loading, and dehydration. As far as the workouts go, only you know when you’ve given it your all. If you want to succeed, you really have to push through that last burning rep and leave the gym feeling like you just kicked your workout’s ass. Every damn day, good or bad. I absolutely love that feeling. There really is nothing else like it.
Working out is more fun when you’re wearing awesome tights!
Honestly though, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m not sharing this with you to brag or to get you to pat me on the back, but instead I am reflecting on what I’ve accomplished these last three months, and hoping that my journey will inspire you. Even on my worst day, which included a melt-down in LA Fitness where I literally cried and F-bombed my way through a workout in a sheer state of exhaustion, and drinking sparkling water at my FAVORITE cocktail bar, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself these last 10 weeks. These last 10 weeks I have perfected my 100 Pandora Stations with the hours I have spent in the gym, and never missed a 1pm Saturday posing class with my coach, and have done more laundry loads full of workout clothes than I care to admit. I have pushed myself, motivated myself, and challenged myself in ways that I never thought possible and that means more to me than a trophy or medal ever will. The discipline and pride that I have built are stronger than any muscle will ever be. I cannot thank you all enough for all of your encouragement and support every step of the way. Every Facebook or Instagram Like, text, hug, Facebook post and message that my friends have given me, have helped carry me through this process. I can’t wait to make y’all proud when I hit the stage at the Phil, and then do it all again for my next show!
When I “went public” in October with my decision to compete and become a figure competitor, you can imagine that I got some mixed feedback. Unless you really know the sport, you have no idea what the NPC is, what “Figure” really means, or what the different categories are for women. Most people, quite frankly, just assume that bodybuilders (especially female ones) must take steroids and that they are all super jacked with mega-muscles. For women, there are 5 categories in the NPC or “National Physique Committee”, and they increase in muscularity beginning with Bikini which has the least muscle, then Figure, Fitness (which has the same judging criteria as Figure, but with a gymnastics routine), Women’s Physique, and finally Women’s Bodybuilding. They all, however, fall into the sport of “competitive bodybuilding”. There are a lot of misconceptions about women who compete, but I definitely got some raised eyebrows from friends and colleagues who thought that I was going to essentially end up looking like, well, a cute hulk. My really good friends and family, however, were very supportive and were thrilled with my decision. I’m so thankful that I’ve had their support and encouragement, and I can’t wait to make them proud when I strut across that stage in just a couple of weeks!
In my last post, I mentioned that after attending that first show, I knew that I wanted to compete, but I also knew the next step would be to find someone who could coach me, teach me, and train me to bring my best possible physique to the stage. I did some research, asked around at that show, and pretty much all roads led to the coach who I ended up working with. He’s extremely knowledgeable in the sport, an award-winning bodybuilder, and has also judged many shows, so he’s a guru. Many of his clients have placed very well at shows, and several have gone on to compete at a national level and won IFBB Pro cards as well. After our first meeting with him, Shane and I knew we had found the right fit for me, and were pumped (haha! Arnold joke there!) to get the process going.
October 2014 – Just Getting Started
Most of you may not know that I am pretty petite. I’m all of 5’4, and weighed about 120 pounds when I started training with my coach in October of 2014. At my highest recorded weight in 2012, I was in the low 140s and about 26% bodyfat. That being said, I was never fat or obese, and I had a good foundation of weight training from the 10 months or so that I had been training on my own before I started working with my coach. I still had a long way to go before I would be ready to get up on that stage. Especially in a figure competition suit—have you SEEN how small they are?!?
November 2014 – Growing the Guns
After I started working with my coach, I spent October, November, and December of 2014 “bulking”, which means that I was eating more calories, carbs, protein and fat than I had before to help my body put on muscle. My coach designed all of my workouts, so I just followed the plan, trained HARD six days a week (5 lifting, 1 free day to do yoga, or whatever) and did moderate cardio. My diet was very structured—I carefully weighed and measured all of my food, and was extremely cognizant to eat my six meals a day. Alcohol became limited, and I was a lot more aware of what I was eating for “cheat” meals. I was doing more than just eating clean; I was eating with the purpose of FUELING my body. If there is one thing I could tell girls who want to lose weight or tone up, it would be that proper nutrition is key to reaching your goals You can’t out train a bad diet, but you also need the RIGHT combination and ENOUGH protein, carbs, and fat to really reap the full benefits of the training you do in the gym. Nutrition is where I had fallen short, and poor nutrition (I wasn’t eating “bad” food, I just wasn’t eating the right combination of macro nutrients to fuel my body) is why I wasn’t seeing the best results that I could have for so many months. I was eating a TON under my “plan”—hooray for bulking and “offseason”! Needless to say, I could tell a huge difference in my progress within a matter of weeks, and others started taking notice too. My clothes were fitting better, and I kept getting stronger and stronger in the gym. I’ll admit, the compliments that I was getting certainly helped motivate me to keep going! I’m so glad that I have progress pictures and workout and food logs to look back to and see the path that helped shape me into where I am today. With my coach’s guidance, I became even more hooked on what we competitors and gymrats call “the lifestyle”!
In November, my coach and I picked a show—the Phil Heath Classic. Phil Heath won Mr. Olympia every year from 2011 – 2014. When my coach first suggested that show, I probably had that deer in the headlights look. I didn’t know a lot about the sport, but I knew that show is HUGE! It’s one of the biggest in the entire NPC. Held in Houston, it’s the first major show of the Season in Texas (which runs March through September or so), and draws a ton of spectators and people in the industry. I had a trip planned for my 30th birthday on April 1st, so we had to be careful to keep that in mind when figuring out a contest prep plan, but ultimately the decision came down to my coach believing that I had the foundation, genetics, and motivation to do well at the Phil Heath Classic. We were set—March, 28th, 2015!
December 2014 – Headed Into Prep
That was just over 5 months ago. I’m about two weeks out from the show, and yes, I have put on quite a bit of muscle, but I’m not green, and I’m not going around smashing things like the Hulk. It would be pretty cool to be She Hulk for Halloween though, so that’s an option.
We left off on the last post about what ultimately led me to compete. To be honest, once I started learning how to build muscle by lifting weights and doing resistance training in the gym, and more importantly once I started seeing the changes in my body, I was hooked! To me, lifting as a woman is empowering. It builds more than just muscles. It brings confidence, and relieves stress. When I’m in the gym, everything else good and bad in my life or day fades away. It’s just me and my tunes, and my rep, and the mind / muscle connection. I discovered quickly what “failing out on a rep” meant and fell in love. The feeling of pushing myself to get through a tough set challenged me like nothing else had before. I could feel myself getting stronger, and since I was recording and logging my workouts (I just used a journal, but Shane has a cool app called Fitocracy), I could see my improvements week by week too.
A lot of people ask me how I started, how I figured out how to work out, how I went from being clueless to being able to confidently walk into a gym (we joined LA Fitness Memorial Day weekend 2014, which was really my FIRST gym membership ever) and know what I was doing. I’m kind of a nerd at heart, and to be honest, I started researching online and just kept Googling, reading, Youtubing, and Pinteresting. There is a TON of great information and numerous articles available to you online. As I mentioned in my last post, Bodybuilding.com is a great place to start. The sources are credible, and there are awesome videos for form, training plans, etc. all right there at the click of a mouse. I credit Jamie Eason’s Live Fit program on the site for really laying my foundation of weight training.
Baby biceps. Before we joined LA Fitness. Spring 2014.
The more I trained (that’s what we gymrats call working out), the more I absolutely grew to crave it. I wanted to know more and learn more about this whole new world. Beginning around January of 2014, and continuing through the spring and summer, I was eating clean 90% of the time and training 5-6 days a week. I dropped my bootcamp membership in May, and dropped 10 pounds in 10 weeks when I began lifting 5 days a week instead of 3. The bootcamp was fantastic, but I built more muscle by lifting heavy and often. I now know that the muscle was burning fat, hence the weight loss. I really wasn’t doing a lot of cardio at that point. As far as nutrition goes, I was eating 6 meals a day, but wasn’t sure that I was getting the right macros, etc. I was aiming for a lot of protein, and clean, “whole” foods, but I also now know I wasn’t really eating the right combination of macros to really build muscle. Don’t worry, I’ll do several posts later on what I eat and what “clean eating” really means.
Now, back to the question of what made me decide to compete… As of late summer of 2014, I had been reading Oxygen and Muscle & Fitness Hers magazines for about a year (I started reading them before I got serious about lifting), and I had seen girls in those magazines that just looked amazing. They had the toned, muscular yet feminine look I was after! I started seeing a trend that most of them were “competitors”, and I began to research things like the NPC (National Physique Committee—the largest and “grand daddy” of all Bodybuilding Federations), Figure, Bikini, Competition Prep, and I got very curious about the process and the whole competition experience. I loved clean eating and working out, and had made it a lifestyle at this point, and competing would be the pinnacle of putting those two pieces together into a pretty extreme form, getting in peak physical condition, while competing against myself and fellow women to ultimately do something few others can say that they have done. I was excited and nervous as hell at the mere THOUGHT of doing this. Me, a BODYBUILDER?!?!? I had only been lifting for six months!
Just after we joined LA Fitness. I still love hanging leg raises for abs! Early Summer 2014.
I did more research, read more articles, talked to an acquaintance of mine (now a good friend, teammate, and mentor, Tonya!) who was also getting ready to compete and decided that I needed to see this in action. Because I would be turning 30 soon, I wanted a goal to work towards, a challenge, something that could push me out of my comfort zone. I loved this lifestyle and wanted to take it to the next level. And to look AMAZING after a 12-week process, well, that would just be the icing on the cake! Shane was totally on board, too. We went to our first Bodybuilding competition in September of 2014, and I knew the second that I walked in and saw the tables of Quest Bars, friendly people with protein shakers in hand, supplement reps, meal preppers, sparkles, tans, and smiles, that I had found a crowd who “got” my obsession with this lifestyle. I was surrounded by girly-girls who loved to lift too. Before I went to the show, I knew that one of two things was going to happen—either I would run towards the hills, or I would think to myself, dammit give me some stripper heels, some more muscle, and put me on that stage! As you all know, I obviously chose to get up on that stage and to rock it!
Hello and welcome to Lipgloss and Lifting! I’m not sure how you found me. Maybe we know each other in real life, maybe you saw me on Instagram, or maybe you just stumbled upon this page by happenstance, but, however you found me, I’d like to start off by saying thank you for stopping by and checking us out! I hope that my words and thoughts as I ramble on this blog will inspire you to live a healthier, happier life. As you may have gathered from my “About ” page, I’m just a girl who absolutely loves her life, a big part of which includes working out and eating healthy. I’m not a trainer (yet) or a nutritionist, but I’m more than happy to share a little about what has worked for me on my journey.
I thought a good place to start in my first post would be to give you all a little history on my journey with fitness and what ultimately led me to decide to compete. I will be the first to tell you that pretty much for the first 26 years of my life (that’s up to about 4 years ago for me) I’m pretty sure that I didn’t have an athletic bone in my body and I absolutely DESPISED working out. I never really played sports growing up (sorry Dad!), hated getting sweaty (now I love it!), and never really felt confident enough to explore working out or being fit. I was chubby around my awkward years when I was about 11-13 or so, but for the most part spent high school, college, and the couple of years post TCU (go Frogs!) as a skinny girl at a healthy weight. After working my first corporate job, however, the pounds started to creep up and I didn’t really like where I was headed. I tried bikram yoga for a little bit, and liked it, but I was still afraid to set foot into a gym because I felt like gyms were intimidating and I didn’t have a clue where to start. I’ve pretty much always been a healthy eater, but somewhere between a stressful job, an active social life, and dealing with the passing of my father in 2011, I had gone from always being around the 120-125 pound range, to 142 in 2012. Something had to change.
Me – Before – February of 2012 When I saw this picture I cried and wondered what the hell happened to me…
So, in April 2012 I joined an all female bootcamp (I got suckered into a Groupon!) and was working out in a parking lot with like-minded women with a yoga mat and 5lb weights at 5am (!!!! Yes, 5am!!!) three mornings a week. I can still remember my first burpee! Soon enough, I started seeing baby muscles pop up and inches disappearing. I started researching clean eating and what a healthy diet consisted of. I grew stronger and more confident in my ability to finish workouts and I actually started to enjoy them! I stuck with my bootcamp for almost two years and learned so much from my trainer. I’m still thankful for all of our laughs and sweaty morning workouts, and I know that they helped pave the road to where I am now.
I changed jobs in 2013, which gave me more time to focus on me. I had come to a point where I LOVED working out, but felt like I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. Fast forward to January 2014—maybe I was being introspective, or maybe it was because it was my last year in my twenties, but I wanted a goal to work towards that would really push me with my fitness journey. I thought about a marathon, but I’m not a distance runner (I get bored) and I really didn’t want to lose any toenails! It was clear. I knew (after reading many an issue of Oxygen and Muscle & Fitness Hers— now my FAVORITE magazines!) that if I really wanted to get the results and the body I wanted, that I needed to start LIFTING heavier weights, which meant conquering my fear of the gym! I also needed to start giving my body the fuel it needed to grow muscles through proper nutrition and diet. I was still doing the bootcamp thing, but was now up to using 15 pound weights for our sessions, and I still felt like I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough or getting enough out of my workouts. I decided on a flight back from DC that I really wanted to make 2014 my year to get in shape and take my love of fitness and clean eating to the next level. My amazing husband (who was also unhappy with how he was looking thanks to a few too many happy hours and weigh (pun intended) too many dinners of pizza, wings, or fajitas) was right there on the bandwagon with me. We decided to research some weight training routines on www.bodybuilding.com (a GREAT place to start by the way!) and started training in our condo building’s gym that week. That was a little over 13 months and twenty pounds ago for me, and over fifty pounds ago for him. It’s hard to believe I’ll be stepping on the stage in just 3 weeks as a figure competitor! More on what happened between that American Airlines flight and the 9 month period to when I started working with my coach In October 2014 on my next post.
Me – After – February of 2015 I have been lifting for about a year now and this picture shows a strong, confident beast! That wears lipgloss when she lifts! 😉
