My streak of #NPCBikini shows is over! Three competitions in 6 weeks!! I did it!!!
I see so many people talk about how happy they are that it's "all over", how draining it was, how moody they were, how starved they were, how ready they were to gorge ... I don't get it?! Not for me!! I never once hated any of the process!! I never once wasn't in the zone, was never hungry or weak and never got moody (I'm sure my husband appreciates this one). As you have seen in my posts, my theory has always been SLOW and STEADY and CONSISTENT! So I guess that is why being in contest prep doesn't really bother me one bit!
I am officially in a semi "off season" for a little while as my next show(s) aren't until November.
What does this mean? Nothing really, haha. I got to go on a week vacation (posted about that here) and have a few more foods that I normally wouldn't eat added to my nutrition plan .. but other than that things are pretty much the same!! Aggressive workouts, cardio once a week and lots of food every 3 hours!!! My coach and I are experimenting a little bit because of the varied feedback I got from judges from show to show. We are doing some things to create a little bit of a "softer" look for my shows in November. I have a little while of trial and error before I have to go into official "prep" (which will be about 4-6 weeks out for me). I hear some of you saying .. what... only a month+ of official contest prep?!?! But again ... I don't really go "off season". I don't "bulk". I don't carb up and down. I stay consistent and make minor changes with workouts and foods each week as needed. But overall my coach keeps things very consistent! Which is why she is THE BEST for ME!!
The only thing I can say I didn't enjoy about this process ... is it is exhausting leading up to show day. The packing, prepping and packing foods if your show is out of town, getting out of town, tanning, going on no sleep the night before, mentally preparing yourself, etc. All of that does suck. The only other thing is that it was .. at times .. very confusing.
I went into my very first show .. The Flex Lewis Classic 2014 .. with high hopes and zero expectations. I was clueless. While I had been coached and told what to expect .. you don't know until you have been on a stage and experienced it for yourself. I knew I was coming in with a strong package and that I had done everything to become the best ME I had ever been in my entire life. But I had been warned that the sport is subjective and you never know what judges are looking for. I was told that on a National level my "look" was pretty spot on .. but for some local shows I may have too much muscle. So again .. I had no clue what to expect. One show they may want more muscle, one they may want more skinny, another they may want a softer look, another they may want to see those abs. So I went into it bringing the look that I was most comfortable with. Not to mention I am naturally very muscular. So I will never be the "skinny" girl on stage. You can read my post about Flex Lewis classic HERE ... but I ended up winning my class and overall. I seriously was in so much shock and THRILLED!!!
I got my feedback from the judges and they simply told me to not change anything and just not get any bigger. So with just a little over a month until show #2 .. that is what I did. Didn't change anything.
I thought I came into the Knox Classic 2014 looking the same if not a tad bit leaner. But I guess the judges at that show wanted a different look. This show was very different from Flex Lewis. It was very organized, my old news station came out and interviewed me, I met some sweet new #FitFam and my family was in the audience - so it was great! My class at FLC was HUGE and the overall majority of all classes had a harder/more muscular physique. But at Knoxville there were only 2 people in my class .. me and one other girl! So the entire "stage process" was just different. It was a good experience to see what it's like not having many people in your class. So I did learn something new! But the judges seemed to be looking for something different at this show. I ended up getting 2nd. Again .. I have no expectations and every single girl on that stage was gorgeous .. but I was a little confused as I was much more conditioned than the girl that beat me. My feedback from the judges was that I was "too hard". I haven't purchased pictures yet and don't have many. But here are a few!
Some of the judges were the same from Flex and said I was too hard "compared to Flex". Considering we all thought I came in the same or leaner ... I wasn't really sure what to do. I had another show .. the Tn State Championships ... in ONE WEEK! How would I go about keeping my look and softening up in such a short amount of time?! Lucky for me I have a great coach. We pretty much kept everything the same and just changed my posing a little bit and kept more water in (I don't water deplete very much at all. Even before Knox I drank One Gallon the night before and plenty the day of). I guess they liked what they saw time because guess what .. I WON! I took home my class and the OVERALL!! I am the current 2014 Tn State Bikini Champion ... Miss Tennessee NPC Bikini I guess is the official title :) :) That was my goal when entering this quest and I did it. I was so thrilled! Especially after the roller coaster of confusion the week before.
I think my lesson learned was it really is about who is standing next to you. The judges thought I looked to "figure" at Knox and I suppose standing next to my competition .. I did. But go back to Flex and the majority of the girls were more muscular. Same went for the State Championships. I was a happy camper either way because it is such a confusing sport sometimes trying to figure out what the judges will want. It's so subjective you really never know from show to show. That is why I personally feel that in this sport you just have to listen to what they have to say, talk it over with your coach (if you have one) and do your best. If you are happy with what you brought to the stage ... then you are a winner ;) And well ... I was very happy with what I brought for all three of my shows. So win or lose or draw .. I was equally as thrilled with myself and my accomplishments!!!
I really can't describe how much passion I have for this sport. With each show my butterflies are being replaced with pure adrenaline and excitement!! I love stepping on that stage and bringing the best me to the table. I've learned that while the ultimate goal is obviously winning (especially if your goals are like mine .. which is a Pro Card baby) .. my look isn't going to satisfy every judge .. and that is okay! I get to be the best me I can be, meet some amazing #FitFam and be part of what I think is the greatest organization in the world .. the #NPC!
Eat Clean. Train Dirty.
Stacy
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