Does your workplace know you compete?

Hello friends,

I am very interested in trying to compete in bikini or figure, but there is only one thing holding me back: my professional career. I work in a bank with older execs who would definitely not understand the whole fitness thing. I have thought about competing under a different name, but I'm still worried my boss will see pics of me posing onstage and garner an opinion of me that damages any reputation or promotions I may have. Tricky slope :/

So I'm curious...how many of you DON'T work in the fitness industry but still compete? Especially women, since older people seem to find it horrifying that we young girls want to go on stage half naked :P
How do you deal???


I don't want my coworkers starting stripper rumors.

[QUOTE=juleschill;1018250803]Hello friends,

I am very interested in trying to compete in bikini or figure, but there is only one thing holding me back: my professional career. I work in a bank with older execs who would definitely not understand the whole fitness thing. I have thought about competing under a different name, but I'm still worried my boss will see pics of me posing onstage and garner an opinion of me that damages any reputation or promotions I may have. Tricky slope :/

So I'm curious...how many of you DON'T work in the fitness industry but still compete? Especially women, since older people seem to find it horrifying that we young girls want to go on stage half naked :P
How do you deal???


I don't want my coworkers starting stripper rumors.[/QUOTE]

I am a engineer and work in a very male-dominate office. I am on a pretty small team with people that I have known for a little over two years. So we are all pretty comfortable with discussing most things that we do in our personal life. I kept my competing goal a secret for almost 6 months before I started to slowly start talking about just fitness related things. I see one co-worker/team member in the gym every morning, so I naturally told him a little more as time went on. I haven't really thought about having pictures online of myself in a bikini on stage. Ill deal with that as it comes up, its not like it is frowned upon as if you name came up on google in an arrest report! haha Lets just say it hasn't stopped me from competing, but I don't openly advertise it to the general public at work. I do care about my reputation and want the guys to respect me....So in my opinion its better left unsaid because I cannot control how they will interpret a "body building bikini show". Just my two cents.

I too am an engineer and my coworkers think its amazing. But working for a large oil company where safety is a HUGE priority, our company promotes health as well as safety, so people always turn to me for advice ;). My department alone is 90+ strong and I haven't come across anyone that wasn't interested in what I do.

I dont know , some of them are friends on ******** and I have some photos so they may. either way dont really care of they know or not

I am a nurse and so far everyone in my workplace has been very supportive of my goals. Of course, the atmosphere of my workplace is quite different than that of a corporate office. I, personally, was more concerned about how my family, friends, and the people at my church might take this hobby of mine. People who don't understand the motivation towards fitness and strength might associate competing with something sordid and sexual... at least that was my concern. Having said that... none of those worries have stopped me from pursuing it! :D I have learned to explain it like this.... I am an artist by nature. I have been involved in writing, sketching/drawing, graphic design, and photography for years. This is no different for me. My body is a canvas and I enjoy the work and sweat that goes into molding and shaping it into what I see as... art!

I work for a large (well, large for my state) research company and I kept it quiet for a long time when I decided to compete. It wasnt until sometime afterwards that word got out via ******** and telling friends and select co-workers about it. Everyone really loved it and have since rallied behind me for future competitions. They even did a story for the company paper and wellness program about it. I work closely with the faculty and top tier management and their response has been 100% positive as well. I was nervous at first but now the added support feels great. Fitness and the fitness lifestyle are becoming more and more popular and I think people nowadays can respect the hard work and dedication it takes to compete and to stand out in the fitness world.

I say if you want to compete, do it. It's a great experience and a great rush. The only people who will think negatively about it are the ones who dont have the balls to do it themselves. Best of luck!

My employer is aware that I compete. All you have to do is Google my name and all sorts of sites and pictures come up. It doesn't get brought up too often, but I know they have seen my pictures and read other blogs/articles etc that I have written. I used to be more concerned with clients finding me online, but from what I hear now some of the sales reps are using my bodybuilding as a sell to clients from a disclipine/dedication standpoint. Nothing negative has come about from people finding out - at least nothing more than a few people poking fun at some bad color experiences.

Not sure if this idea has been passed along yet, but I'm choosing to compete in bikini under a FAKE name (my first ever show is in June...just started training). I got this idea from another forum. I have a very sensitive job, so Google search results of me in a tiny bikini is a no-no. Probably sounds hypocritical since I posted photos on this forum, but it's not showing up in my search results and no one here knows my real name, either. Anyway, there are a few women I work with who know I'm competing (I'm friends with them outside of the office) and they are so excited. They actually plan to watch me compete. However, I'm going to avoid my male boss and older coworkers finding out. Don't want unfair opinions of me. Even though WE know competing in bikini or figure is about the sport, showing your body as art and it's all about fitness/nutrition, there are plenty of people who won't get it and think we're just prancing around stage in next to nothing in stripper heels. One thing that worries me, though, is how I'm going to respond to questions like, "Why are you losing weight? You don't need to lose weight! Are you okay?" At that point, it may be difficult not to be honest when I'm undeniably going to look smaller in clothing. Anyway, the fake name could be an option... at least your search results are clear. The contest organizer just said I would need to sign my real name if I won my division. Good luck!!

some of them are friends on ******** and I have some photos so they may. either way dont really care of they know or not

I’m a Senior IT Analyst for a very large company. Opinions very either way so I try not to talk about it and to stay “unnoticeable” and cover up a lot, it’s hard when I’m bulked up cuz I couldn’t cover up with a bed sheet but easy when I’m cut and ready cuz I’m freezing to death all the time anyway. The different name thing could work and do something different with your hair for the show. I know with the diet thing, our faces change a ton and skin tone wouldn’t match cuz of the spray. You could look completely different. Hope it helps a bit.