SO You Want To Compete eh?

I've been getting a lot of inquiry's lately about training and competing for bikini and figure competitions so I'd like to take a little time to discuss how to decide if competing is right for you...

1. SHOULD I COMPETE?

First, there a few things you should ask yourself:
1. Do I love working out A LOT?
2. Do I love eating clean?
3. Am I willing to eat clean and follow a strict meal plan with no cheating (food or alcohol) for 10-14 weeks?
4. Am I willing to sacrifice my social life and other aspects of my personal life to devote the needed time to prep & train for competition?
5. Do I have the funds needed for coaching, suit, heels, make-up, tanning, on-site tanning, nails, supplements, hotel, etc.

If you answered "YES!" to those questions, competing may be right for you!
When I started 3 years ago, I did it BECAUSE IT SCARED ME, ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED ME! That's how I knew, I HAD to do it! Also, FITNESS is MY LIFE! I am impressed by competitors who are full time Mothers, Nurses, etc. Although I do find that most of us are in the fitness industry to begin with, lately I am seeing a ton of men and women become personal trainers after they start competing (which I find humorous because making a living in a competitive/over saturated field such as this is 10x HARDER then competing #kiddingnotkidding).  I digress...

2. WHO SHOULD I WORK WITH? 

You do not need to be a fitness professional to compete, and while there is plethora of information available to you online on how to train yourself and compete, I strongly recommend the counsel of someone who has competed & understands both the physical and mental process. PLEASE do not waist your $$$ and time on someone who has never competed or does not work with competitors on a regular basis! When you make your decision of who to be coached by, be honest with yourself! Ask yourself these questions...
The first & most important is: What is your goal? 
Do you just want to get one competition under your belt to see if you like it? Are you doing this to get it off your bucket list or to see if you can follow through with a nutrition/workout plan and achieve a goal? Or are you like me and aim to become an IFBB PRO?
                      What are your expectations? Can you workout on your own or do you need 1-on-1 sessions. Do you need to be able to text a question or call your coach at the press of a button or are you cool with sending an email and awaiting a response? Do you want to be associated with a competitive "team" and be coached by a professional who works with competitors 99% of the time or is this not really necessary for you and your goal and are more comfortable in a smaller competitive setting?
                       What works for you? Do you need loving support or tough love? Do you need to feel like your Coach believes in you and thinks butterflies come out of your butt or are you going to go hard, no matter what, knowing you'll prove it to them no matter what?!

I know for me, I can train like a BEAST on my own but I need ACCOUNTABILITY more then anything else! I need tough love! I want the truth because I want to win. I know a lot of people say they need this but then they turn into a sappy mess week 5! There's nothing wrong with this but take note! Again I say: BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.
I also needed to respect my mentor/coach and believe undoubtedly that my coach could/would look at me objectively and not lie to me to spare my feelings but push me to be my very best. These are all things that work for me but I work with the opposite of this every day! Most people who choose to work with me are people who need to know they have me at the click of a button if need be or train with me instead of on their own because they know working with a personal trainer is the ONLY way to push themselves the way they need to be pushed! I respect this. "KNOw THY SelF!" Whatever (or whoever) it's going to take to get you where you need to be, do it! 

3. WHAT ARE THE 'UPSIDES' & 'DOWNSIDES' OF COMPETING...

On the negative... You will sacrifice a lot! You will go a little crazy! You might be a little hungry?! You will get in fights with your partner, sister, and cat! You will spend a lot of money and not get any of that money back. You will spend a lot of time at the gym, away from people you love and enjoy.

On the positive... you will have the hottest body of your life and you will feel what it is like to follow through and actually accomplish a goal.

On the negative... after you compete you might get a little depressed. For most of us (I'll refer to us as humans) unless you are making a career of this or your natural body type is: "I hate you",  It's practically impossible to maintain what you looked like on stage and even if you could you probably wouldn't want to! It takes a while for your brain and body to readjust to your life and for you to look at yourself and love your body without comparing it to your "stage-self".

On the positive... you are now a part of unique group/percentage of the population who compete in aesthetic competition a.k.a. bodybuilding... one of those most challenging sports in the world. Simply by competing you accomplish what most only dream of! What's more, you gain the belief in yourself that you can do anything!

On the negative... you don't always win. In fact, you might NEVER win. Sometimes you train your ass off and there were five people who were better then you in some aspect, end of story. You get nothing (but the satisfaction of competing and your epic cheat meal after)!

If you decide to compete, your #journeytothestage will be whatever it is you make it, but once you commit, COMMIT!
GO FOR IT. After all, What have you got to loose?

I hope this helped!
I'm aways here, keeping it cray-cray real for you ;-)
All my love, xoxo
T