Bikini competition update

ilovegod888

New member
Hey everyone!

About a month ago, I posted progress pics from my bikini competition prep. Here they are again -

At the start of my prep:
Seven weeks out:
And here is a link to my final show day pics:
I competed in the NPC Bikini Novice class only, and I got first place in my height class! Granted, there were only two other girls in the class, so there was less competition, but I am still very proud of my progress and the amount of work I put into this. Here are some post-competition reflections:
  1. THE PREP WAS VERY HARD. So much so that I am not sure whether I want to do this ever again. I think I underestimated how difficult this would be for me. I've been a regular gym goer for over 2 years, but prepping for a show is an entirely different ballgame. I think the physical changes I experienced affected me mentally A LOT. I became extremely moody - one day I felt happy and optimistic, and the next day I felt depressed and depraved of everything good life has to offer. I didn't get my period the last few weeks of prep when I was expecting it. I know this can be a side effect of competition prep, but this worried me, as it signals that something is off hormonally.
  2. My coach prepped me with flexible dieting, which I think had its pluses and minuses. The obvious pluses: I could eat anything I wanted provided I met the macro numbers for that day. I ate clean 80%-90% of the time, and there were about 3-4 days during my whole prep where I went considerably over my overall macros. There were no repetitive meals every single day, and I had that flexibility of choosing my own meals.
HOWEVER, I think that flexibility became a negative thing in & of itself. I actually think I started to get stressed out due to decision fatigue. I became OBSESSED with thinking about what I would eat next. I would constantly check my MyFitnessPal app and try to punch in macros for my next meal, thinking about what I could fit in. I'm starting to think that if I just had a meal plan, I would have been less stressed overall! I swear, food became the thing that occupied my mind most of the time, specifically what I was going to eat in the future.

But I don't want to make this sound like it was a completely horrid experience. It wasn't. Like I said, I am proud of what I accomplished and I'm proud that I saw the whole thing through. I also learned a lot about exercise and nutrition during this whole process. I think I could have came in more "tight" on show day, could have taken cardio a bit more seriously, and I could have looked a bit more confident on stage, but this was surely an experience I won't forget. Being there on show day was exciting, and I enjoyed being a part of the bodybuilding community for the day. Taking home a trophy wasn't bad either :)

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EDIT: Adding my stats, workout split/routine, as well as some info about my nutrition!

Height: 5'6.5

Starting weight: 138 lb

Show day weight: 127 lb

Body fat %: I measured my starting body fat at 20%, but unfortunately, I never got to measure it at the end.

Workout routine: I worked out for 5-6 days a week. I switched up the days depending on what I wanted to do that day/what was convenient:

Day 1: Legs

Day 2: Chest/tris/abs

Day 3: Plyometrics - a lot of whole-body circuits involving body weight exercises & lights weights.

Day 4: Legs again

Day 5: Back/bis

Day 6: Shoulders & abs

Day 7: REST

Here is a sample routine from one of my leg days. I can't post the full routine because my coach wouldn't like it, but I will post just one day:

Conventional Deadlifts

• 4 sets x 6-8 reps -

Weighted Hip-Thrust

• 3 sets x 10 reps

• 1 burnout set x 20 reps

Romanian (Stiff-Leg Deadlifts)

• 4 sets x 10-12 reps -

SUPERSET (SS) #1

• Weighted Walking Lunges SS Jumping Split-Squat Lunges

2 supersets, 20 walking lunges each leg, 20 split-squat lunges each leg

SUPERSET #2

• Quad Extension Machine SS Hamstring Curl Machine

3 supersets, 8-10 reps each

In addition to lifting/plyos, I incorporated HIIT cardio into my regimen. I started out doing 4 days of 15 min HIIT, and by the end of the program, I was doing 5 days of 30 min HIIT (I have to admit, I skipped some of these HIIT workouts or cut them short at the very end, which definitely brought me in less lean than I would have wanted).

Macronutrient info:

Starting macros:

Protein: 120 g

Carbs: 180 g

Fat: 55 g

This comes out to about 1,695 calories per day.

Macros at the end of prep (I did carb cycling, which means I consumed a different number of carbs throughout the week. I am posting my lowest carb day):

Protein: 130 g

Carbs: 100

Fat: 40 g

This comes out to about 1,246 calories per day.
 
@ilovegod888 I notice you're doing a leg day right after plyometrics. Did you find that challenging? Or did your body sort of get used to it after a few times? I want to incorporate more plyo/full body circuits but I've been getting such bad DOMS lately for some reason that I've been struggling to figure out where to fit it all in.
 
@cirix So I actually moved around the plyometrics day during the week depending on how I felt. If my legs were shot, I’d move it to a later day and do something like back or chest instead. Even though I trained hard, I still tried to listen to my body. I knew I’d have a crappy plyos workout if I still felt dead from the previous day’s workout.
 
@ilovegod888 this is so helpful! I'm 8 weeks out from my first show right now and it's nice to hear/see that it IS possible, haha. Sometimes it feels like the ultimate uphill battle. Something that's helped me re: food obsession/decision fatigue is planning out all my meals the night before - that way, it's like I have a daily meal plan, but I still get the benefits of the IIFYM approach. I totally get what you mean, though - the temptation to make tiny adjustments all day and switch things around to fit in random shit is REAL, haha.

Congratulations on a killer show!
 
@authorann Thanks!! Yes, it’s totally possible. Follow your plan, keep your head up, and just keep going!!! I wanted to quit at times, but just know if that once you get to the show, you will feel such a sense of relief and accomplishment that you were able to stick through such a challenging experience. Good luck!!
 
@ilovegod888 Almost looks like your boobs got bigger by competition day...wtg

Edit: also, how did it feel to work out as you decreased you calories? I feel faint at the gym if I decrease my calories even a small amount.
 
@tigerchick224 Usually, Saturday would be my highest carb day. Wednesday was medium, and the rest of the week was low. At the start of my prep, my carbs started out pretty high:

Sat - 190 g
Wed - 180 g
Rest of the week - 170 g

My coach gradually dropped the carbs each week. This is what my carb cycling schedule looked like at the end:

Sat - 150 g
Wed - 145 g
Rest of the week - 130 g

Finally, peak week (the week before the show) looked completely different:
Sat - 150 g
Sun - 110 g
Mon - 120 g
Tue & Wed - 100 g
Thurs - 160 g
Fri - 180 g

The higher carb on Thursday and Friday were meant to fill out my muscles and really make them pop right before the show.

As you can see, most of my days were lower carb days. I tried to pick a rest day on one of those days.
 
@ilovegod888 Great work!! Please post your workout split/routine - I have no desire to compete in the near future, but training for a bikini physique is one of my goals this coming year after I've finished my cut.
 
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