The countdown is seriously ON!
If you’re new here, I’m competing in the bikini class of The Natural Viking in Bloomington, MN on 9/30/23. This is the same show I did last year, but different than the first one I did in 2018.
I’ve been toying with the idea lately of adding another show to the mix 2 weeks after The Natural Viking… go from a one hit wonder to a proper competition season (i.e. add another show while stage lean!).
The Clash of the Titans goes down on October 14th in the same general area south of the Twin Cities, which is within an hour of where I live. Different federation, so in addition to the regular tanning, hair/makeup, lie detector, registration and hotel expense, I’d have to purchase another membership to be eligible, which are ~$150/yr.
But it takes a lot of work to get lean and I could use “more time under my feet” when it comes to being on stage and securing that Pro card. Remember the goal Gina…
THE NUMBERS
Since I’ve competed twice before (and did a mostly okay job of tracking important metrics), I have some data to compare my current prep journey to.
For reference, I round up to 5’9. Part of my strength training goals are to maintain my height, ha!
- 2018 – 5 weeks out: 150.8 pounds, 19.4% body fat
- 2022 – 5 weeks out: 150.8 pounds, 20.6% body fat
- 2023 – 5 weeks out: 142.5 pounds, 18.4% body fat
I feel great when comparing this year’s numbers to my previous two shows, and my coach seems pleased as well. #Winning
THE DIET
I was traveling last week and came home more than a half a pound down, yay!
I packed some things (protein powder and homemade ‘breakfast cookies’) and made a pit stop on the way from the airport to the hotel for yogurt, veggies and some pre-sliced fruit. #GameChanger!
We stayed at a 5-star resort and lemme just say I was underwhelmed by the number of healthy options available to me. I made it work though and learned a lot throughout the process (like what to pack more of next time around).
My macros have remained unchanged due to the consistent weight loss:
- 130 Carbs
- 40 Fat
- 135 Protein
I’m not starving, but do feel depleted by day’s end (that could be the increased cardio though). Most of my days are the exact same (sans travel) and look like this:
THE TRAINING
I’m still working with Peter Fitschen, of Bodybuilding: The Complete Contest Preparation Handbook.
My training plan has remained unchanged re: strength sessions per week (5) and the body parts worked/moves scheduled in. At this point, it’s mainly sets/reps that change and not very drastically.
I’m not going to lie, I like a bit more variety, but why change what seems to be working? I’ve upped my cardio and am shooting for as many as 20k steps per day (it’s okay if I don’t hit them, but basically I’m doubling up on cardio).
In an ideal world, I’d come in as close to 135 as possible… 7.5#’s is possible, but not with damn near perfection going forward.
That’s the update for this week – I have every intention of returning for ‘4 weeks out’ – as of today, there are only 31 days left to my next show…
looking for some help?
While I don’t coach other competitors, I am a weight loss coach for hire and my approach is different than any of the fad diets/workout programs you’ll find online. Learn more about my approach, based on life coaching, here.
Also, have you checked out my guide to help you answer the question: Why am I not losing weight? The answer might be different than what you think!