Last weekend I competed in my second NPC Bikini Competition. I went into it with much more confidence and determination. I turned 35 since my first competition so I was excited to compete in the Master’s division (35 and up). The goal I set for myself was to take first in Masters and top 3 in Open. Well, I concurred that goal! I placed 1st in Master’s and 3rd in Open.
Because I had competed before the fear of being on stage and being judged was completely gone. At my first competition I spend a lot of time looking around and comparing myself to others. I counted how many girls were in my height class and let their appearance bring my confidence down. After the show I looked at the pictures and videos and realized that I had nothing to feel insecure about and that the only person on stage I should have been focused on was myself. This show was completely different. I didn’t even look at the line up or know how many girls I was competing against. When my friends arrived and asked how many girls were in my class I simple said “I don’t know, I didn’t even look. Who cares, I am going to go out there and rock the stage.” I was competing against the girl I was last time around and no one else.
It has been a week since the competition and I kind of feel a little lost without that goal. I didn’t go crazy with food after the competition but I can say that I have overindulged on red wine. Tomorrow I am starting the 22 Minute Hard Corp challenge with my husband and a challenge group I am leading. The program is 8 weeks log, comes with a balanced nutrition plan and 22 minute workouts. This will allow me to focus on my fitness and nutrition again without completely consuming my time and energy. I will be blogging about this challenge so others can see what it is like.
Here are some photos from my competition:
This is the top 4 in Master’s Division
This is the Open line-up. I placed third.
See Mom Lift 
I have been looking into wanting to compete, after attending the Arnold classic this year for the first time and making friends with a few bodybuilders and actually watching this show.. I have noticed how popular and talented you ladies are. I am a college student majoring in exercise science and hoping to be a personal trainer amongst other things. I feel like competing would be a fun, new adventure that could possibly open doors for me and possibly just be an experience of a lifetime.
I am eager to learn more about this and how you went about starting, finding a coach and how it has helped or benefited you:)
-Shay-lon
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Thank you so much for the kind words. Competing really is a lot of fun and I was so proud of myself each competition. If it’s something you want just go for it. Research and find the best trainer around. There are a lot of people out there that say they can train you but you will not be show ready.
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You are welcome! & Very true, I know people who have said they had a good trainer but when it came to competing they did horrible because the trainer/coach didn’t understand how to get them “show” ready.. so make sense. Thank you 🙂
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You look amazing, congratulations! I’m in process of training for my first competition and still have 10 weeks but slowly starting to worry that I won’t be ready in time. I know that I should just trust the process but the nerves.. Damn lol Excited to have found your blog!
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Yes it is very nerve-racking and I was scared I wouldn’t be ready in time both competitions. Just trust the process and stick to your nutrition plan. Don’t cheat, the diet is the most important part. If you don’t stick with the diet and nutrition plan you’re not going to get the results, no matter how long you spend at the gym. Also make sure your trainer has a good track record. They should have trained people that are placed in the top three. There are a lot of trainers out there that don’t really know what they’re doing. When your show is done do not binge eat and fall off the wagon. You will cause metabolic damage and could gain 10 to 20 pounds in only a couple weeks. Good luck and stay strong, I know you’ll do great!
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