MyBikini and I are Heading to Provincials!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

Hey Everyone!

I am a natural bikini competitor and am heading to Provincials (Ontario) in September! I thought I would share with everyone what my prep is like. I have been blogging about it too...check out my bodyblog for more rants as opposed to prep details which I will be outlining here!

Just a quick post for today, more of an intro of who I am and where I'm going!

SO! I returned to the stage this Spring after a 2.5 year hiatus. I had previously been competing with organizations that in my opinion are focused more on fun rather than being serious. I loved each show I did and certainly had the aforementioned fun but when I decided to take time off it was with the intention of returning and competing at a more serious level. I am a makeup artist and work for a company that provides stage prep services (hair, tan, makeup) so I have the opportunity to attend many shows and found the organization I wanted to compete with through my job!

My initial goal was that I wanted to compete in figure...I spent many years of my life dancing ballet and enjoy more technical, structured things. This is how I view figure so that is what I wanted to do! I thought to myself I could never go on stage with the attitude required for bikini! Well, turns out I was wrong...I was advised at a posing workshop that I was just not ready for figure and should still compete but try bikini. I was SUPER hesitant but practiced my ass off for bikini and went for it!

I placed first in my class at my first show in over two years and was thrilled! I had already planned to compete again 2 weeks later (first show was natural, second was not) so I used the momentum from my win to keep going til the next show. It was a MUCH larger class than the previous one and I was feeling a little intimidated...LOTS of fantastic bodies at this show in ALL of the categories! I ended up placing 2nd at that show which qualified me for the Provincials which were being held two weeks later at the Toronto SuperShow. I decided not to do that show as I was just not feelin' doing another two weeks of dieting so I chose to do the NATURAL provincials instead which are being held in September.

I am SUPER excited to compete at the provincial level. This is something that wasn't an option with those other organizations I competed with previously. Sure, they would hold their own championships but to me, the possibility of working toward being an IFBB pro is just awesome. I know it is rare and difficult but just the POSSIBILITY is what drives me!

I am not only excited to prep for this upcoming show but I am also excited to post my prep details here so stay tuned!

[yoitspmart]

1st good luck in your prep

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

My training for this show is specifically focused on improving some points that have been lacking. In my time off I made huge gains in a few areas that were lacking at THAT point. Now that I am happy with those improvements and I am working at maintaining them and moving my focus to other things.

I have scoliosis and as a result have slightly winged scapula (or should I say DID have!). I also have a fairly broad shoulder base but lacked a nice cap from my deltoids. These two points were a huge focus for me and I have made great improvements! I got to the point where I was convinced that I just didn't have any rhomboids! haha...now I know they are there as those scapula no longer wing out. I have built up quite a bit of musculature between my scapula in general (funny thing about this is that it isn't super important in bikini as when you turn to face the back they just look at glutes/hams but still...it was something important to me to change!) As far as the delts go I just finally told myself to man up and lift heavier weights and they have come along quite nicely.

SO now that that has been accomplished I have moved on to a couple of new areas. I have a pretty substantial gluteus maximus but the "lift" at the top of my butt from gluteus medius just is NOT there. Also, I want to focus on abdominals a bit more. I have noticed that at the regional level the girls are still somewhat soft so I got away with not having "ripped" abs, but when you look at pros they are leaner and tighter so with a Pro card being a goal to hit before I reach the Master's category I am going to try to grow and lean out my abs a bit more.

Currently I lift 4 days per week on an upper/lower body split. As show time approaches (probably 4 weeks out) I will likely switch to a full body workout as I like to hit the muscles more times per week but at a slightly decreased intensity as I am cutting.

Here is what I am doing these days!

Monday - Upper
-high incline dumbell press
-row (cable or dumbell)
-straight arm lat pulldown OR scarecrows (a.k.a., the exercise that fixed my winged scapula!)
-lateral raise
-bicep curl and tricep pushdown (on cables)
-abslank, pallof press

Tuesday - Lower
-Squat
-Lunge
-Glute kickbacks
-Seated abduction (an exercise I used to laugh at but is helping shape up that glute med!)
-Cardio - stepmill

Friday - Upper
-pulldown (hammerstrength or regular lat pulldown)
-Military press
-Face pull
-Reverse fly
-dumbell bicep curl
-french press
-abs: cable crunch, leg lifts

Saturday - Lower
-Sahrmann squats
-Glute bridge (knees stablized with band, toes lifted off floor)
-rack pull
-step ups
-cardio - stepmill

Abs are also done on Thursdays when I go to the gym just for cardio.
Next week cardio will be increased substantially when the diet begins!

Annnd that's all for now!

[extremenergy3]

Subbed. Very interested in how bikini competitor's train and diet compared to the typical bodybuilder on these forums

[Vytis]

Congratulations on your recent success, and good luck with your upcoming prep!

I'm thinking of making the switch to the OPA myself....it will definitely be a big jump for me....

[MoEcho]

In!!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

Congratulations on your recent success, and good luck with your upcoming prep!

I'm thinking of making the switch to the OPA myself....it will definitely be a big jump for me....

You def should!
Who are you competing with /have you competed with in the past?

Thanks for the congrats!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

So, today Coach has laid down the first part of my prep diet. We are doing an elimination diet to start things off...goal is to improve gut health and function so that all other phases to follow run smoothly!

I am still nervous...I have never done anything like this before and I have a feeling this is going to be a tough couple of weeks to get things started but I am happy to be back on a structured diet. I am a creature of habit and when things AREN'T controlled I don't do so well...I eat poor foods but despite that likely not enough calories!

This elimination diet as you may have guessed is a starchy carb eliminiation. So it is high fat and high protein. I have never done a high fat diet before!!

As far as training goes, this is something I will still be handling on my own for the simple fact that I am very knowledgeable on the subject.

Yesterday was Lower body day 2 and things went really well! Could be all the extra food from a wedding the day before! haha

Sahrmann Squats
- man these are SO silly but SO awesome for just absolutely KILLING gluteus medius which, as you may remember is my main focus at the moment. I think when I first started doing the exercise I wasn't necessarily doing it completely right as I was just getting used to the movement but now I am DEF doing it right and feeling it!
Glute bridge/hip thrust...whatever you wanna call it!
- pushed up my weight a little on these so I am now doing 125lbs...the larger plate on the bar is decreasing my range of motion though so I will likely be changing these up. Instead of just lying flat on the ground I will probably now do them with my shoulders on a bench OR my feet up on a step.
Rack Pulls
- finally appreciating these and have increased the weight quite a bit, for the first couple of weeks I was doing them I HATED them and so I wouldn't go higher than 135lbs. This week I increased to 155 and could certainly have done more. I will up the weight and lower the rack as well to force a slightly increased range of motion...gotta build a killer glute/ham tie in!!
Step ups
- meh...not much to say about these! haha

I will see how training goes today on my new diet! And school work too, lol...with the lower carbs. I am thinking the higher fat will compensate though brain function wise...at least I hope so...4 weeks til the end of the semester and I have A LOT to do!!

Thanks for reading everyone, happy lifting!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

Mehhhh....this diet is NO fun!!

I eat lotso protein and fat and some carbs from veggies only.

2 eggs with 1/2 and avocado for bfast
2 eggs with 1oz sunflower seeds for snack
Protein, sunflower seeds, and veggies at lunch and for the rest of the day no more fat source (aside from whats in whatever meat I have).
No egg whites or chicken!! GAH!!! Coach wanted me staying away from things I normally would eat everyday so whole eggs and ground beef and steak it is!

One thing I am happy about as I am not sure how this would go otherwise...I am still allowed my 2 coffees each day!!!!!!! I would certainly NOT get any work done without that!!

Tonight will be a challenge, I work in a restaurant and I work a closing shift every Wednesday. I am SUPPOSED to eat every 2.5-3 hours. Well, it simply is just not possible to eat during my shift (I'm lucky if I have time to go pee!!! did I mention I am also drinking a ton of water??? haha...this could be bad, very bad). Coach did say I can have a whey protein shake "in a pinch" so I think I will eat immediately before leaving for work, bring the shake with me, and have a small snack when I get home before bed!

So ya, to sum it up....this part of my diet so far sucks!!

Training yesterday on the other hand was GREAT! Despite this crazy nutrition plan I am actually feeling pretty strong and morning cardio so far has not been too torturous (have my boyfriend by my side so that makes it SO much more bearable!)

Hope everyone else's training is going well!!

[Vytis]

You def should!
Who are you competing with /have you competed with in the past?

Thanks for the congrats!

I did two shows with the IDFA, in 2009 & 2010.

If you're interested you could take a look at a joint prep log I have with two awesome ladies...

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=146273283

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

Well Everyone...hasn't this been a disappointing journal to follow!!??

I have been MIA for two reasons:
1) The end of my semester at school completely consumed my life and I did not have any time to write (with the exception of writing my papers for school!)
2) I have been hating this prep and felt it was not really something to share!

I have been very disappointed in my diet coach. I was very hesitant to hire someone in the first place as it was difficult for me to hand over control of my diet to someone else when I have always done it on my own. There has been a major lack of communication and it just has not been a beneficial experience for me at all.

With that being said...I continued on with everything that was laid out for me (even the times when it was days late). I had two planned cheat days...my boyfriends bday and a friends wedding, which were both very much appreciated. I kept up with my training the whole time even through the hectic end of the semester and now I am 2 weeks out from my show.

I am not overly impressed with where I am at...I had hoped to be ready early (like, now) so that I could just coast in for the last two weeks. I have essentially 16 days to make as much further progress as I can and so far I have been busting my ass to do so.

I had been hoping to have a coach to help me out for my next show if I qualify for Nationals but this experience has really turned me off of that idea. To pay so much money for an experience not very different to what I would have had on my own is just not worth it to me...a broke ass graduate student! haha

Anyway, I will keep up to date on here through these last two and a half weeks. My diet won't change much til the week before my show because my coach is away on vacay (which I found out the day before he left). Here is what things are looking like right now.

Bfast
- 4oz protein (either eggs or turkey or turkey bacon)
-1/2 avocado OR 1 oz almonds OR 2oz sunflower seeds (dont use these too much anymore as I got so tired of them from the beginning of the diet)
-COFFEEEEE!!!
Snack
-shake with a banana OR Oats with a scoop of protein powder OR chicken with sweet potato
Lunch
-ground beef with sunflower seeds and a salad (just a lil oil and vinegar to dress)
Snack
-diced veggies with chicken
Dinner
-same as snack

Training right now is full body 4x per week and because of the lack of results these past couple of weeks cardio is twice a day everyday.

Thanks for reading...hope you stay tuned...I promise to actually post this time around!!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

Hey all!

12 DAYS TO MY SHOW!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Last week was fairly successful for me...I had decided to get my ass to the gym twice a day for cardio as some parts have been lagging in the tightening up department...my lower abdomen and my glute/ham tie in are still looking not so great BUT this twice a day cardio has made an improvement and I am definitely happy that some progress is still being made in my last couple of weeks before stage time.

I picked up my new suit from the designer yesterday and am thrilled with it! I have certainly had to stuff a couple of pairs of pads into the top though! hahaha

Lifting for the last week until show day is full body with a focus on lower or upper each day but still hitting all groups in the same session. I have also started incorporating some exercises that I am going to be heavily focusing on in my off season. Because of my scoliosis I have some major differences in the size of some of my back muscles from one side of my body to the other. My erector spinae on the left is considerably smaller than the right and will be something I work on heavily once this show is over with. The thing about my progress in bodybuilding over the years is now noticing all of these flaws! When I was skinny fat I didn't ever notice how much my crooked spine has affected so many parts of my body but as my muscles grow it unfortunately becomes increasingly evident.

I am just waiting to hear back from my coach for a final meeting before my show. Since I have been less than impressed with him I will just see what his thoughts are for the final week and then decide if I want to give his advice a try or disregard it. I am getting the impression that he doesn't have much experience with Bikini girls.

Anyway, I will try my best to post some more progress over the next 12 days and will most definitely update on my results. I am getting super excited but ALSO super nervous as this is my first time competing at this level!

Happy Training Everyone!!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

I Had to do it...I just had to.

I got rid of my coach.

We were scheduled to meet on Saturday for a final time before my show (9 days to go!!!!) but I just was NOT feeling it. He is a very experienced and knowledgeable coach, that I will not take away from him BUT our principles just do not match up and I did not see any point in paying for another session when I am more than likely to not follow his advice anyway.

I should have known things would be like this...I questioned some of his methodology from the start and being someone who has a lot of knowledge of physiology and metabolism myself I was very resistant from day one.

I am slightly disappointed as I was hoping for once to have some guidelines for show day but at the same time I have gotten this far without the help so I am sure I can handle it again this time around.

Perhaps if I make it to Nationals I will try once again with someone different.......we shall see about that!!

In other news I am pretty much ready to step on stage right now. I am happy with how I look (especially after my oats each day...prior to them I am a little flat looking), and have definitely made some improvements since May. I am going to keep up with my twice a day cardio for another 3 or 4 days and then will take it easy next week. One full body resistance workout on Wednesday and then I should be set!

Well, I am going to toss on my bikini and try some posing out!

Happy Training everyone!!

[Vytis]

Sorry it came down to that, but probably your best move.

If you happen to toss on that bikini and hit some poses I'm sure no one would mind you throwing up some pics.

All the best with your contest!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

So I decided to try carbing up yesterday. Last show I was told my muscles were a little too deflated.

Had a bit too much though I think....went to do my posing this morning and my abs had almost disappeared!! haha...SO glad I decided to try that out yesterday rather than going the end of the week route for loading!!! Gonna scale things back a bit today and see how I look tomorrow!!

[BkiniBdyBuilder]

This is it!

Tomorrow is show day!!!!

I am currently halfway through applying my tan, went to the athlete's meeting earlier (got lost on the way there...don't trust the new iOs6 mapping system...gave me wrong directions...TWICE!) Finally arrived though and there actually doesnt seem to be a ton of competitors but will have to wait til tomorrow to see!

Although I was a bit of a slacker with my log I am happy at least some peeps found it interesting enough to check in every so often!! I will certainly be posting photos once it is all said and done!!

[Mundungus]

Good luck! Sucks about the coach though. There are tons of good coaches on here with plenty of testimonials from other forum members. Either way, I hope you do well at the show!