It’s a weird feeling being done with a competition. For months, you’ve been preparing for this one shining moment, and whether you did well or poorly, now the moment is gone. For some, the next competition is already on the horizon. For others, there are decisions to be made…
Will you take time off and work on your body for a while before competing again? Will you switch divisions in hopes of performing better under a different set of guidelines? Or maybe you’re finally fed up with competing for good this time. Choices, choices. It’s easy to succumb to the post-competition blues and feel lost!
But my choice is the first item on that list: take time off and work on my body before competing again. While I made first callouts (!!), I eventually landed in 10th place. This means that the judges really like me! But also that having great stage presence isn’t enough to win a competition. I need to put on more muscle.
I’ll admit, I’m beating myself up a little inside. It feels like a huge hurdle to have to build enough muscle to compete with the best of the best. But then I remember that I’ve only been lifting weights since 2013, and that this competition was only my fourth figure competition ever! Some of my fellow competitors have been at this for YEARS.
So it’s back to the grindstone I go, in the gym AND in the kitchen. While my mom drove the first leg of the 8 hour drive back home from Pittsburgh, I logged onto MyFitnessPal and started working on my post-competition diet. I need a caloric surplus and a nice bank of carbs in order to build muscle so I went with around 40% carbs/35% protein/25% fat, using this article from Bodybuilding.com as a guide.
While I did enjoy a few treats and will continue to do so occasionally, I feel my best when I am eating healthy and balanced meals. Check out my post-competition grocery haul!
I also pared down my daily supplements to give my system a break.
As for my gym goals, I need to add size, thickness, and definition to my legs, abs, and back. I’ll be lifting as heavy as I can! On the Monday following the competition, I did a nice heavy leg day, which felt great. Since I’m still recovering from all the time I spent dieting, my strength is a bit down, but I’ll get back up to where I was soon enough.
An upcoming post in this series will be a behind-the-scenes look at the competition weekend! Stay tuned!
Read the rest of the Pro Prep Diaries posts here.
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