The glitter, the glamour, the stage. Sounds appealing, yes? Hands down, Anton and I will NEVER slate competing because it really did change both our lives forever. It certainly changed my future, it changed my aspirations, it changed my career. Accomplishing something like this, something that not many people can say they have ever done, makes you invincible and you feel anything is possible, no exaggeration. Yet, this amazing accomplishment does not come without its sacrifices and consequences. This is an interesting read for anyone that wants to know EVERYTHING about competing-of course the glitter, the glamour and the stage, but more importantly, that dark side that not many people talk about. A true eye opener, so read on….
WHY I WANTED TO COMPETE
The fact of the matter is, I NEVER believed I would ever compete. When people observed me training hard in the gym, it was often their common assumption that that’s what I was training for. For a very long time, my immediate response would be to laugh it off and say ‘no, I’m not good enough to compete’. What’s strange is that the more and more people tell you something, you eventually start to believe it. So, when enough people started to mention it, the seed was planted and I knew I wanted to attempt it, otherwise I would never know if I would succeed or fail. It really was for myself, just to prove to myself I COULD. No one else. I’m so glad that when I had that initial conversation with Anton (my brother and coach) he told me everything I needed to know before I committed and everything that would be at stake. So, for anyone thinking about it, or even if you’re just interested in the world of competing in bodybuilding, this really is everything you need to know:
Ø Have you got yourself a good Coach? Trust me, even if you’re an intermediate in the gym and have weight trained for a number of years, this does not mean you know how to diet effectively, how many calories you should be on, when and how to drop calories, when to increase steps, what to do in the week leading up to the show, what kind of training split you need etc. Trust me, I would never have been able to do it without my brother and Coach. The fact of the matter is, I was training a number of years with him before competing. But training for bodybuilding shows, really is another kettle of fish. He is the one who taught me everything I needed to know about techniques, reps, supersets, the lot. ALWAYS have someone holding your hand the whole way, I would not recommend doing it yourself, especially if it’s your first time.
Ø Do you have the right supportive network around you? Trust me, doing something like this can affect your relationship, your friendships, your family. Even when you try your best not to let it, regardless of how well you deal with it, it WILL affect someone and could potentially hurt them beyond repair. It’s worth me noting that your life almost has to be stable and perfect for you to be able to give competing that tunnel vision. It’s worth having that conversation with others closest to you, because it will affect them, and more so they will be the ones on the receiving end of your tantrums and emotional trials.
Ø Have you built enough muscle before you start dieting? Obviously, for every person and body type there is a category. I knew I wanted to do the Fitness category rather than Bikini. Fitness model and Miss Wellness require much more muscle mass. If you don’t have the muscle foundations in place, you will end up just looking skinny on stage. Believe it or not, I spent 2 whole years in a muscle building phase to grow. It is very hard for women to build muscle anyway and even harder when you’re a natural bodybuilder and it took A LOT of time and patience. It was difficult accepting putting on weight in this time, yet I was always reminding myself of why I was making myself feel this uncomfortable.
Ø This brings me on to, have you set aside enough time? Especially if the above is relevant, competing is not a process you want to rush. You can’t speed up the process unless you are someone who takes steroids (which I’m certainly not!) so think ahead. If competing is something you’re serious about, you will be patient to commit to that time, even if it takes over 2 years like it did me. Not to mention, time before you get to competing, time in the week for getting in at least 4 sessions. Does your work enable you to give time and energy into it? Believe it or not, I was still a teacher when I competed and trust me it was HARD. Waking up at 4.30am to get in the majority of steps was mad and especially if I had after school commitments like parents’ evening until 9pm or meetings until 6 or 7pm, planning when I was going to train was certainly a juggling act.
Ø Have you ever dieted or succeeded in a proper mini-cut before? Remember dieting for a show is equivalent to dieting for fat loss but to the biggest extreme. Before I did my muscle building phase I had to trial doing a long -term diet (mine lasted about 12 weeks) and I had to get to my leanest state to see how my physique was looking. By taking updated progress photos at this point, it was my Coach that analysed my physique, which then determined what training split was necessary and what categories I could compete in. Furthermore, by getting to your leanest state, it gave my Coach a rough idea how many pounds more I would have to lose for stage weight.
Ø Do you think you have enough discipline and motivation and are willing to make enough sacrifices to compete? Remember, there is so much more involved than just sticking to the diet. Especially if done the right way, it will be over a longer period of time (mine was 22 weeks). This is vital if you don’t want to be starving and also necessary if you want to hold on to as much muscle mass as possible. If I was dropping more that a pound a week, the likelihood is my calories would be far too low and I would feel more tired and more hungry. It does mean sacrificing dinners out or social situations. Me personally, I still turned up to every social event because I didn’t want competing to completely run my life, but it did mean my Tupperware would come with me everywhere. Once I had to eat my meal in the car park of a restaurant, to merely order a black coffee at a friend’s birthday dinner.
Ø Are you in a financial position to compete? All of the following were vital for me to do the whole process properly. Paying for a Coach, a gym membership, regular Physio sessions, posing lessons. Then, for the show itself you have to pay for the show category entries (I entered x3 different ones), tan for the day, hair and makeup, the bikini alone cost £300 and it was the cheapest, plus photos for the day as well as private photoshoots! I don’t even want to think about how much this all added up to! If I could hazard a guess I would see a few grand!
Ø Are you prepared to disrupt your hormones? Remember, to achieve a lean physique for stage, it doesn’t come without consequences. One of many was suffering with Amenorrhea. I didn’t have a period for 9 months and it took a lot of hard work to get it back! Please read my last blog post on this subject to find out more.
Ø Are you prepared to be starving? Don’t get me wrong, the approach that my Coach used really was the best; no crazy cardio was incorporated, I had carbs with every meal and I still enjoyed my food up until the end. Hands down, it was only ever the last 3-4 weeks which were THE HARDEST EVER. You think about food ALL THE TIME, you’re continuously checking your watch counting down to your next meal and you keep imagining all the yummy foods you will have afterwards.
Ø This leads me on to obsession with food. Because you’re deprived of certain things, it’s all you talk about, it’s all you think about. Even in my spare time when it was at its peak, I was watching videos of food, kept looking at My Fitness Pal and what I was going to eat that day, and I would look through Nigella Lawson’s recipe book imagining all the yummy cakes I would bake and eat afterwards.
Ø Are you prepared for another level of tiredness? The fatigue is so unreal because all your energy is only ever used up for your sessions. I actually recall telling someone not to make me laugh because I was wasting my energy and there was nothing else for me to give. At times, no exaggeration it feels as if you are slowly dying and I would even go as far to say, was worse than the hunger itself.
Ø Your body temperature becomes messed up. Towards the end (the last 3-4 weeks especially) you are freezing. In 15 degree weather I was walking the dog wearing a hat, scarf and gloves. You should have seen the looks I was getting from randomers!
Ø Your personality changes temporarily. Believe it or not, food (or lack of it) determines your mood every second of the day. Things that normally wouldn’t bug you about people, do. Even as aware of it as I was, and yes, I was forever overthinking things I would say and do, I did get a little bit withdrawn from friends and family because I was so focused. You don’t really want to do much else other than eat, train and sleep-even just talking to others is exhausting. My own best friend of over 12 years told me how she would only ever contact me in the mornings when I was most alert!
Ø You become obsessed with your appearance. Checking your 6 pack constantly, checking your physique every time you pass a mirror or reflection is no exaggeration. This is because everything about the stage (rightly or wrongly) is a judgement on your body. Alongside this obsession, even on the day, you think to yourself that you’re not lean enough (which is crazy!)
Ø Are you prepared for the aftermath? I remember being told how this part was harder than the diet and the competition itself. And this couldn’t be more true. My Binge Eating Disorder (B.E.D) was at its peak afterwards. My binging lasted a few months then when the binges were controlled I was still suffering with D.E (Disordered Eating). Because getting down to your leanest state affects your hunger hormones I would eat a 700cal meal and NOT FEEL FULL. Putting on drastic weight afterwards really knocks your confidence. It makes you think there is something wrong with you that you think you may need therapy. You are baffled with how you could be disciplined to step on stage and follow macros to a T, to then feel so out of control and not be able to follow them for one day.
A LAST NOTE
Like I’ve said time and time again, despite all these things, it really was the most amazing experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I placed in 2 categories (5th and 4th) and Anton became World Champion IN 2 SHOWS. I will look back on competing as the biggest turning point in my life. It instilled in me a courage I never thought was possible. It made me realise that anything is possible-it gave me the strength to give up my previous career. Doing something as extreme as competing, places you into a different mindset and confidence. Don’t get me wrong, you may have a lot of arrogant people up their own arses in the fitness industry, but I promise you I’m certainly not one of them. I don’t believe I’m better than anyone else just because I’ve competed. I did it purely for myself and it’s sad that a lot of people do it for the wrong reasons; to gain admiration from others, to win a trophy, to prove something to others. The trophies are just ‘the icing on the cake’ as Anton always used to say. Furthermore, it changes them as people for the worst. For everyone who knows me and is close to me and has known me before my competitions, I like to think that I’ve remained the humble person that I am. Competing is NOT for everyone. So if it is something you are considering, WHY are you doing it? If it’s merely to prove to yourself you can than, go for it. Just be aware, that there is so much baggage that comes with it, only you know how much you’re willing to sacrifice.
DM me to find out more about competing.
@natashakostalas
@antonkostalas
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