Right and wrongs of a Bikini Competitor

There seems to be so much talk on how Bikini competitors should train, how much to eat, how much cardio to do and what is right and wrong... usually by male coaches (no offence but seems to be the trend) I thought I should put my two pence in.... 

Firstly, there is no right way and no 'one' way of doing things, otherwise the stage would be a very empty place. There are many different body shapes successfully competing... Some are softer, harder, more muscular, a little more curvy etc that others, it is generally what suits the individual best. 

From my experience Bikini competitors are not big girls or overly muscular, average competition weight for a girl 5 foot 3 to 5 foot 6 ranges between approx 110lbs to 125lbs lean. Bikini competitors train hard with weights at 4-6 days a week and most I know do daily cardio anywhere from 30 mins to 120 mins a day, depending on the individual, again there is no right or wrong, different people need different things. Average calories in a contest diet, in my humble experience ranges from 1300- 2000 cals a day... 

Cheats

During this contest prep I have done away with 'cheats' and replaced with low fat 'carb reloads', I feel way better and have less chocolate / cake cravings. I have an insatiable appetite for sweet things and when dieting I am lower carb than non diet as overall calories are lower, this makes sweet cravings really bad. By cutting out the chocolate / cakes completely I have less cravings. A carb reload ensure muscle glycogen stores are refuelled helping with carbohydrate / sugar cravings and helps me train harder and have more energy. If you are in constant glycogen depletion, it can be very difficult to train effectively.

I find this much more useful than a fat overload on cheat day which general makes you feel like crap... As my cheats are now not to 'keep me sane' or for social reasons as they were before I just have the reload when needed which might not be every week...

'We can treat it like its the end of the world' (2012 Chris Brown)

I realise it's been ten months since my last blog update, so many things have happened and 2012 is drawing to a close so I thought it be a perfect time to evaluate my year and tell you about my experiences.

In 2012 I started competing for the IFBB pro league, I turned 30, I won my first professional show and qualified for Olympia 2013, I ended a long term relationship and I travelling to some new places including United States (New York, St Louis, Florida), Canada (Toronto), Portugal, Germany, Tenerife and Czech Republic. 

In March I competed at St Louis Pro Bikini and placed 4th, I was pleased with my result and very happy to have completed my pro debut, I got some good feedback from the judges and looked forward to my next contest.  On 1st June I competed on my 30th birthday in Toronto and placed 9th. I must admit I was not happy with the result but on reflection I feel grateful to even be on the pro stage when there are so many amateur competitors that do not get that opportunity.  After Toronto, I remember coming off stage and thinking to myself 'I'm never doing that again' but it's all about perspective and discovering what you want.  Did I really want to give up the sport?  I would be lost without it and I hadn't achieved all that i wanted to do so  I decided to work on some weaknesses and not give up on my dreams.  I work with Shannon Dey who told me I needed to gain a bit of weight in order to improve, which basically meant I would not be in a calorie deficit so I could develop muscle.   If I'm honest I do struggle with this mentally and physically  but I did my best and I think I made some improvements.  In October I competed at the very first pro bikini event in the UK, British Grand Prix, and placed first. This will always be a memorable experience for me, to have so much support in my home country was amazing.  I qualified for Olympia 2013 which is a dream come true.  Last year I wrote in my blog that I reached my goal of getting a Pro card and this year I am so happy to write that I reached my goal of qualifying for the Olympia.  The week after the British Grand Prix,  I went to Prague to compete at EVL Pro Bikini, I took part in the show with no expectations as I already had the Olympia invite. I placed 5th in a good line up.  Each time you get on stage, you learn something new. I am grateful for the experience. 

In my personal life, I ended a seven year relationship that did not make me happy, my partner was not really supportive and I allowed things to happen that I should not have. Competing can be pretty isolating if you do not have a decent set of people around you, it's definitely not a team sport and travelling alone is not always fun.  I think this year I have grown as a person and my experiences have made me stronger.  I would like to think I am older and wiser and will not make the same mistakes in life.  

Next year I look forward to completing my competitive dream of being the first UK IFBB Bikini Pro on the Olympia stage. I look forward to being able to continue to train and improve my physique and enjoying what training gives me.  Training is my way of life, maybe one day I will give up competing but I will never give up the gym.  There have been days when the gym has been my only friend.  Days when I felt like not getting out of bed but I go to the gym and I feel good again.  Training is not just about the physical body it's about strengthening the mind. It gives me discipline, it gives me strength and courage, allows me time to think things through, evaluate my life and see clearly. 

So 2012 was about 'Doing the things you are most scared of' and for 2013?

Escutar com o coração, confiar em si mesmo - listen with your heart, trust in yourself

How do you monitor your weight loss progress?

How do you monitor your weight loss progress? Weight on the scales? Looking in the mirror? Dress size? Body fat calliper tests? This is an interesting subject as the traditional weight on the scales method does not always reflect what is happening to your body. When embarking on a fitness regime, many people are frustrated that the scales do not move or do not move in the right direction. Before I started my fitness program in 2009, my weight was similar to what it is now but I was 21% body fat and now depending on where I am in my contest prep can be anywhere from 11-14%, I weigh on the scales pretty much the same. Okay, so what about body fat tests? In my experience, gym machines are not that accurate and unless you are able to go on a flotation tank, the calliper test or the skin fold site test is probably the most reliable. What are the draw backs with the calliper tests? Well, you are reliant on the accuracy of the trainer to take a measurement from EXACTLY the same site each time and how experienced and skilled the individual is at separating the skin from the muscle. I do get my body fat tested but I use the same trainer each time so there is no room for variation, different people can differ up to 10% each time!! Another thing to consider is water, calliper tests do not take into account water retention under the skin particularly on the Suprailiac and abdomen site. As the body fat percentage is calculated as a total percent of your body, how are silicone implants accounted for? A larger set of implants will make the individual appear heavier indicating the individual has more lean mass than they actually do which in turn will give a lower body fat reading. Another important point to note is that the standard Poliquin Bio signature 12 point calliper test total percentage calculation does NOT include the lower body measurements, in my opinion this is a flaw to the system as many women store the most fat in the lower body, glutes and thighs. My advice on the calliper test is that it can be a useful tool in looking at individual sites, for example if you have changed your diet or training you may want to monitor what part of the body is gaining or losing fat, many factors can influence this including stress, diet and hormonal changes…

What else can you do if you cannot rely solely on the scale and the calliper test? In my opinion the best way to measure your progress is to take and compare regular photographs, record your weight as a guide at the same time each day, preferably in the morning and take the circumference measurements of your hips, waist, thighs etc. and if you wish have a calliper test done by a reputable trainer (I personally use Shaun Stafford as he is the most skilled reliable practitioner of the Bio signature modulation in London www.shaunstaffordtraining.com). You can then look at the picture as a whole. What you should be looking for is, of course depending on your goals and preferences, are marked improvements in comparison pictures and a reduction in the circumferences in waist and positive changes in the circumference of hips, thighs etc. You should also become familiar of your best weight according to how you look rather than what you think you should weigh or what you weighed when you were a teenager! The best way to see where you are really at is open your eyes and be honest with yourself. One point to note that sometimes we can actually be too hard on ourselves so it helps to have someone else look at you or try to look at yourself as if you were looking at a friend.

There is no magic. No supplement, no special exercise, no cabbage soup diet to the rescue. If you want to change the shape of your body, it will come with CONSISTENT training and clean diet, working out your daily macronutrient breakdown and knowing how much you should be eating for your height/weight and goals

2011 is coming to an end and I am reflecting on the year and my fitness journey which only began in 2009. After waiting eight weeks for my drug test results (I was randomly selected for doping control in Serbia) and some administration time, my IFBB Pro card finally arrived in the post this morning.

I thought I would feel excited and of course I am excited but with that excitement was a little bit of fear. No turning back now. I have booked my flights, I have the application for my first pro show in my hand. Looking in the mirror, I don't look the best I've ever looked, being just after Christmas. You find yourself asking the question 'Can I really do this?'

I remember being backstage in Athens waiting to perform at a Latin Festival, dancing for a Salsa group called Diablo at the same event as Marc Anthony and thinking  'What am I doing here??'.  The dance group were twice European Team Salsa Champions, all proper dancers. I thought to myself  'I am not a trained dancer, why can't I stay at home and watch TV like everyone else, why do I put myself through this?'  Anyway we did the show, I was scared to death, but we did it. Credit to the great dancers and great choreographer (Laith Sami).  Now when getting on stage for a contest, I look back and I take some of that feeling and think 'Yes you know what? I can do this.'

Fear is the biggest thing that holds us back in life but what is the worst that can happen? There is no reality without perceived reality. By doing one thing you open the door to the next and you can always take something from it. Even if it is to understand what is for you and what is not for you. So many talented people do not realise their potential, I don't know whether it is due to lack of resources or lack of dedication but someone once told me 'you don't have to be the best dancer in the world, success is 10% talent and 90% dedication.' I said I don't want to do this dance (ballroom Latin) if I can't be the best and that is what she said to me. Looking back now I did give up that dance out fear, I started dancing at 18 and I saw these young kids dancing better than me and I was scared I could never be good. One of my biggest regrets in life to date. But on the plus side I found Lambada and I learnt to dance a beautiful dance and met so many people in different countries. All you need is the will and the belief.... but also the flexibility of mind to be able to roll with the waves.

2012 ~ Do the things you are most scared of.

How important is weight training and diet?

I am asked this question a lot so I thought it would be something I should write about…

In the beginning, training for me was primarily a way to keep in shape as a dancer (my main problem was fat around the middle and the dreaded love handles).  I didn't really know how to eat well, I just thought to myself ‘Okay, I'm 25 years old (this was a few years ago) and things aren't as good as they used to be so I better get down the gym, get on the cross trainer and do a few leg machines’ Sound familiar?  I then thought ‘Okay, cut down on the chocolate bars and wine’ and yes I lost a bit of body fat.  I have always been a UK size 8 so I never can proclaim to be slimmer of the year or anything so if I weigh the same, wear the same clothes as before what's the big deal?   Why do I now train 5-6 days a week? I now train mainly for aesthetics as I compete but in the process I am much fitter and healthier too.

The way I see it is, if I'm going to train for weight loss or for fitness, I might as well do exercises that make me look better in the process not just become a slimmer version of myself.  By this I mean, for example, I use cardio equipment that engage the glutes and shape the legs, not just long distance running or the cross trainer for general fat loss.  I weight train to specifically target weak areas and don't do exercises that will give me a shape I am not happy with such as big traps or a thick waist.  Weight training is a great way to lose body fat also.

I did not understand diet before I started studying to be a PT and researching training methods for contest, which was a problem because I just imagined you could eat what you liked providing the calories were worked off.  Someone actually posted something interesting on my wall about diet basically indicating that they also believed a person could eat what they chose to as long as they burn it off i.e. the calories in calories out theory… a bit like the weight watcher points system…   For me this is not right.  Eating a good diet is not just about being slim and getting away with it, it is not about cheating myself so I can eat a ‘Big Mac’ a day and still be within my calories for the day.  Would that make me healthy?  Will I have the energy to train consistently week in week out and not get ill? Will I look very nice? I think you know the answer.

Before training with weights, my only form of exercise was dance (cardio) and I used to eat a diet which was basically a ‘free for all’, I would eat whatever I wanted and never even thought about it.  I would incorporate curries, chocolate, cakes, sweets, fried foods, wine etc and whilst I didn’t really eat a great deal, I did have three meals a day and probably I burnt off pretty much what I was eating through dancing but the point is this, I still had body fat around the middle but was a size eight.

This for me clearly indicates the type of training you do and the macro nutrient breakdown of a diet does matter.  Eating regular small meals made up of the right balance of carbs, protein and fats for your body type and energy output can enable you to have the right amount of energy to workout, be healthy, kick the metabolism into gear and be healthy all at the same time. I am still a size 8 in clothes but my body fat is around 8-10% lower than it was before I started my new way of training and eating and I weigh roughly the same, maybe a few pounds less and I do not have love handles.

I believe that eating a low GI diet is important for managing belly fat.  Carbohydrates with a lower glycocemic index break down at a slower rate during digestion and release glucose at a slower rate into the bloodstream therefore having less impact on insulin levels in the body. Abdominal obesity has been linked to high blood insulin levels.  In short, if someone were eat high GI meals, the pancreas would rapidly release insulin in an attempt to regulate and lower blood sugar levels.  Insulin acts to convert blood sugar to a type of fat called triglycerides, studies have linked triglycerides to increased fat stores around the abdomen.  Also, a  crash in blood sugar levels, which usually happens after the body has released too much insulin after the consumption of a high GI meal, can also cause sugar cravings.  This is why it is import to eat regularly to avoid craving sweet things…   This being said I do enjoy a cheat meal once or twice a week, I believe if you eat well most of the time then the odd cheat will not have an adverse effect on the body, in fact it has been said that the occasional insulin spike can be good for the metabolism.

Training and diet go hand in hand, you cannot really do one without the other, the foods you eat will fuel your workouts and help shape your body.  If you train but do not eat the right foods, your body will not drop body fat, build lean tissue and you may cause injuries through being overweight and placing uneven strain on the body.

A good weight training programme that is designed with short rest intervals and multi joint exercises is far better than cardio alone for fat loss and using a combination of weight training and cardio will help you become stronger, increase stamina and endurance and if you choose the right type of exercises you can actually shape your body in the process.   

So next time you are in the gym consider what is it you are actually doing and whether the exercises are going to help you achieve the look you want and next time you reach for your food, consider what it is you are eating and what you are doing to your body.

Hey,  well its been 6 weeks since my last contest and I am pleased with my competitive achievements this year, my next contest now will be in March 2012 when I am planning to spend some time with Team Bombshell in Daytona Beach and then onto the St Louis Pro show. I am also going to compete in the New York Pro in May and want to spend September in US to do another show and go to the Olympia in Vegas!!  How exciting… It is my dream to compete at the Olympia but its going to be tough to qualify as from 2012 the rules change, only 1st place in a regional pro show gets an invite whereas previously top2 or 3 get through.  I can see why they are doing this as the Olympia should be the best of the best but this just means I will be working harder than ever!!!

So is it off season for me right now?  Not exactly. I am still training 5 days a week and doing my cardio but have increased my calories so I am a few pounds over contest weight through the 'off season' and also to come in a bit fuller next season. I am happy with my body right now, although I would be happier if I can add a little more lean weight.  I have been a bit more relaxed with my cheat meals and trying to remember to enjoy myself. I mentioned before that it is an important goal I set myself to not let contests take any enjoyment out of my life as I was so focussed on competing I kind of forgot about my life…  It is so very easy to be consumed by training and diet that you forget to relax and enjoy the present moment and spend time with people that matter in life therefore I have been trying to spend a bit more time doing the things I like doing, which is eating out and dancing (Lambada of course…).  Anyone who knows me will know I like a glass of wine so I am trying to enjoy these things (in moderation) while I can because when contest season hits, it will be all out for me :)    I am 30 next year (arghhhh) and when I think about how fast time goes it is important for me to live my life to the full.  I have reduced my PT hours and started working for the person I worked for two years ago on a freelance basis basically in a Personal / Business Assistant capacity, I have found this has given me some variety and enabled me to use some skills that haven't needed when Personal Training which is good. For me it’s all about variety.

What else have I been doing?  Last week, I had a great shoot with Simon Howard, he is an amazing photographer and such a nice guy.  I am really pleased with the shots, so pleased I uploaded some of the raw images to my page….  I am sure he will tell me off ;) 

I have booked a one day private make up course I December with Jemma Kidd School of Make up to see if they can teach me a few things about my make up on stage, I can never seem to get it right as I wear quite simple make up in real and find the dark tan doesn’t suit my face very well.  People outside the fitness world never quite understand me when I say ‘I have to wear dark tan’. I think they imagine St Tropez spray tan so this time I will go armed with my Jan Tana!!!

Next month I have a few video shoots so I will keep you posted on those

For now, take care, train hard, stay focussed

Michelle xx