2 Weeks Out
The 2018 Max Muscle Virginia Classic is 13 days away and I can't wait to be on that stage. I'll be entering as a True Novice - meaning I've never entered an NPC event before. I've never entered any body building competition before, for that matter.
I've been preparing for 100 days so far (for a total prep of 16 weeks) and I know there will be competitors there who have been preparing for the last year or more. There will be women far more cut than I am - girls you KNOW belong on that stage. But, here's the thing I've come to learn - I belong on that stage too. I've put in the time and work. I've tracked macros and done more lifting and cardio than I dreamed possible. Everyone starts somewhere. My starting point was sometime in the Fall of 2017 when I was creating my "30 Before 30 Bucket List" and decided competing was a must. January 5th, 2018 marked the start of my first prep. And April 28th will mark my first time stepping on stage in front of judges and lifelong athletes. My starting point is humble and humbling.
Earlier this week, I met with IFBB Pro Shawn Hektor-Lewis (she's a celebrity to me!). I went to her specifically for posing coaching, but what I got was worth so much more - CONFIDENCE. She created a routine for me and understood that for me, the less the better. It's a routine that I can feel natural and like myself doing. It's simple - I'm not a flashy person, despite the fact that I will be wearing a Swarovski embellished bikini. Oh! Brief side bar about fate - this bikini is being loaned to me by a friend (hey Heather!) and only a few days before I met with Shawn I learned SHAWN MADE IT!
Shawn is such an impressive woman. She's been competing for 10 years, has her own business, and coaches tons of women every week to reach their goals and dreams. At one point, she was showing me photos of herself to show what angles and posing can do, and I said "You look insane." I meant that as the highest compliment. She works HARD for her body and it shows.
I know that I won't place in this competition - I'm not saying that so I won't be disappointed or embarrassed when I don't. I say it because I'm a realist, at least in this situation. I didn't bulk before going into this. Frankly, I'm getting married the weekend after the competition and didn't want to change that much just yet. If I'm honest, I've thought about holding off until another NPC competition this summer so that I could put on more muscle, and frankly because this sport is expensive and I'm in the midst of wedding planning. But after talking with Shawn, she got my mindset right back on track and I'm seeing this through.
I'm going to go on stage, rock my routine, and learn everything I can from this experience. But that's not where this ends. I'm going to compete again. I haven't even touched a stage and I know I will compete again. I'm in love with this sport. It hasn't played mind games with me like I know it can with some. I feel healthy and strong. Right now, I'm looking at doing the Max Muscle again in November. This gives me May (wedding and honeymoon month) to take it easy - without going overboard with food or turning into a sloth. It gives me a couple months to bulk then cut again. I have so much to learn and so much growing to do and I could not be more excited for every bit of it - from every bite of egg whites to every squat. If you've competed before, I'd love any and all of your advice! And if you'd like to compete, I'd love to chat and help you take your first step to getting on stage. If either of these is you, please shoot me an email by clicking here.
-The Girl