steph
New member
There's so many lurkers on this site and not enough posters. Ladies, if you're here, stop being shy... introduce yourselves! 
I'll start...
I've been lifting seriously for almost two and a half years and I'm in love with the weights. Before that, I always loved the "ripped" look but didn't know how to attain it. When I met my boyfriend (who's a competitive bodybuilder), I began learning about proper training techniques, diet, etc. I witnessed him prep for two seasons and fell in love with the look of the female athletes. I kept up my training and when the NPC announced the addition of the bikini division, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at competing. Since I didn't yet have the muscle maturity or mass for figure, bikini seemed like the perfect place to see if the stage is a place I really wanted to be.
I trained and dieted hard for 6 months last year and competed in two local shows. I loved the excitement of competition, the energy backstage, meeting and networking with competitors and spectators and showing off all my hard work. It was even more rewarding when I won the second show in late June, which qualified me for the national-level. I took some time off to enjoy food again and focus on building muscle.
During this time, I hired a trainer to help with my off-season and guide me back into the competition phase once we decided which shows to do in 2010.
I started dieting again 3.5 weeks ago for Junior Nationals, and possibly one or two additional shows in July. After that, who knows... one show at a time! LOL.
While I can be a cranky dieter sometimes, I really do love the structure, discipline and (can't lie!) the physical rewards of living the competition lifestyle. It can be physically draining, time-consuming and mentally challenging but I absolutely love what I'm doing and don't have plans of stopping anytime soon.
So what about you guys? Are you new to fitness and trying to figure out how to get started? Are you a seasoned competitor? Do you just love to lift? Discuss! :flex:
I'll start...
I've been lifting seriously for almost two and a half years and I'm in love with the weights. Before that, I always loved the "ripped" look but didn't know how to attain it. When I met my boyfriend (who's a competitive bodybuilder), I began learning about proper training techniques, diet, etc. I witnessed him prep for two seasons and fell in love with the look of the female athletes. I kept up my training and when the NPC announced the addition of the bikini division, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at competing. Since I didn't yet have the muscle maturity or mass for figure, bikini seemed like the perfect place to see if the stage is a place I really wanted to be.
I trained and dieted hard for 6 months last year and competed in two local shows. I loved the excitement of competition, the energy backstage, meeting and networking with competitors and spectators and showing off all my hard work. It was even more rewarding when I won the second show in late June, which qualified me for the national-level. I took some time off to enjoy food again and focus on building muscle.
During this time, I hired a trainer to help with my off-season and guide me back into the competition phase once we decided which shows to do in 2010.
I started dieting again 3.5 weeks ago for Junior Nationals, and possibly one or two additional shows in July. After that, who knows... one show at a time! LOL.
While I can be a cranky dieter sometimes, I really do love the structure, discipline and (can't lie!) the physical rewards of living the competition lifestyle. It can be physically draining, time-consuming and mentally challenging but I absolutely love what I'm doing and don't have plans of stopping anytime soon.
So what about you guys? Are you new to fitness and trying to figure out how to get started? Are you a seasoned competitor? Do you just love to lift? Discuss! :flex:
