Bodybuilding: Behind Closed Doors.
Bodybuilding is definitely not a traditional sport, but it is growing in popularity with the trend of individuals challenging themselves to improve their physique!
I started bodybuilding when I was 17, and ended up placing 2nd in both novice categories! I’m the type of person who loves doing things I’m good at, so I became addicted to improving myself within the industry of the sport! At 20 years old, I competed for the 2nd time and earned my PRO status in both the Bikini and Fitness Model categories I competed in!
The journey that took me to the stage wasn’t easy. I expected it to be difficult, don’t get me wrong, but it was much more than that.
The first thing I learned is that diet is 80% and exercise is 20% of the process. There are several different methods of allocating food, but I preferred being assigned meal plans. One massive misconception about bodybuilders is that they starve themselves… In reality, as a 17 year old girl I was eating more than the average adult male. It took me 2 weeks to eat my whole breakfast for the first time on my most recent show prep. That’s how much food there is. It comes down to 6–7 meals a day at 2.5–3 hours apart every day. I consumed the same meal plan for 2 weeks (6–7 similar meals 14 times over), and then would have it switched to something fresh.
120g of lean chicken and 1/2 cup of brown rice. 125g of white fish and 1/2 a sweet potato. 8 egg whites and one tbsp of natural peanutbutter. I went from full freedom, to extremely restrictive eating habits and no cheat meals whatsoever. First of all, do you have any idea how much it costs to eat chicken 4 times a day? I promise, you don’t want to. Second of all, have you ever tasted chicken without salt, oil, butter, or sauce? I also promise, you don’t want to. Finally, you get to a point where you get so used to weighing and limiting your food that it definitely develops some unhealthy habits; Those are hard to break.
For 16 weeks, I eat what I am told. But I also do what I am told, with a new exercise plan being assigned every 4 weeks. With one rest day a week, I fill every other day with targeted exercises in the gym in order to burn calories, gain muscle, and improve my body symmetry. Each workout is followed by the absolute worst part: cardio. The fact that I was free to choose the type of cardio unfortunately didn’t alleviate the fact that I was doing it for 45 freaking minutes. And then, at about 6 weeks from show date, the stakes heighten and coach adds an additional half hour cardio session to complete at another time each day.
It becomes a cycle of aches and pains. Calculating when I’m going to wash my hair, because it definitely won’t be humanly possible after an arm or shoulder day. Deciding which workout I’ll sweat more in so I can figure out how I can manage with one shower a day. Peeling the painful calluses off of the palms of my hands from lifting weights over and over. Running out of podcasts and playlists to listen to through an 1h15 of cardio per day. At a certain point, your body doesn’t have enough energy to get through the day so I resort to naps. I could fall asleep anytime, anywhere, except night time in my bed.
Having your life set out for you actually becomes therapeutic in a messed up sort of way. It takes the decision of what to eat today away, and alleviates questions about when I go to the gym, or what I do there. When this relief arrives, it typically comes with other types of adversity… Particularly, social.
You don’t realize how much of our social interactions have to do with eating and drinking. When’s the last time you saw a movie with a friend without having buttery popcorn? You start to resort to coffee dates, and even workout dates! But friends and family start to lose the incentive and excitement of supporting you when your social interactions start to look different. It typically results in pulling away from the people who are supposed to be your support systems. Your best and only friend becomes “Jim” (some people spell it ‘gym’, though).
Posing is an incredibly important part of stage presence, so you need to spend several hours learning and perfecting your routine. If you’re reading this, I challenge you to stand up right now, put one hand on your hip, and flex every muscle you possibly can. Go ahead, try it out! Think about your shoulders and arms, and also your chest and abs, and also your legs (front and back). It buuurns. Now hold that for about 45 seconds facing each direction. And smile the whole time! It’s next to impossible when you’re starting out, and takes so much practice to learn. Then, it all just comes down to not tripping over your own 5 inch heels on the stage!
Two weeks before show day is when coach cuts calories and carbs. No more gum, protein powder, or gummy vites. You lose physical strength and are always exhausted. I started to have trouble picking my own clothes up off the floor, and walking up the stairs to my bedroom. You start losing control of your own emotions, and crying when something as simple as struggling to make your bed happens. You have to drink distilled water only, and the only thing to look forward to is the potential of having a slice of cheesecake on the night before the competition (carbs to bulk up the muscles).
Each show day I have experienced have been hands-down the best days of my life. It makes everything so worth it. I’ve never felt more like my best self than on stage. Walking out to the beat of the music, and having the cheers of the audience drown out your own thoughts. Having fun with your routine and enjoying this moment you worked so hard for. Eating grapes and chocolate backstage before your time to shine. Every time, it’s the happiest day of my life.
Post-show though, it is extremely common to fall into depression. After having your whole life mapped out for you for 4 months, you’re truly not sure what to do with yourself. With a hyper-awareness of the nutrient count of everything you eat, coupled with the disinterest in ever stepping into a gym or having a sip of protein powder ever again, you start to lose the self that you thought you were growing into throughout prep. Often, I get extremely ill. My body starts to reject foods that it isn’t used to consuming, and I can never seem to keep anything down. I don’t feel up for seeing friends or doing the things I thought I would look most forward to. It’s a cycle of finding yourself in a routine, and then losing it again completely.
Stepping on stage itself is a massive accomplishment, especially because of how difficult it is to get there. I’ve definitely never experienced anything more rewarding than two gold medals and professional status rings on stage in front of my friends and family. That being said, the journey is clearly painful, and its important to decide if that is worth it for you!
