From beginner to bikini competitor: Finding your coach (or coaches!)

Training and Nutrition

From my previous work experience at Men's Health and conducting research for my master's professional project (a study of fitness magazines), I've soaked up a lot of health/fitness knowledge over the years, but I wasn't about to try and write my own contest prep. Sure, you could Google “bikini competitor” and find cookie-cutter information about workouts and nutrition, but I wanted a seasoned coach who’s done this for a while, could tailor a plan for my individual goals and would be able to work with me in person. In every area of my life, I’ve always been  “rule follower,” so to speak; I knew if I had a coach giving me directions—a coach I was paying for—I would do exactly what he/she outlined for me, no questions asked. And in return, I wanted someone who would be honest about my progress and help me bring my best package and presentation to the stage. So I did my research, met with a coach and decided to prep for my first show with T.J Clark, a coach at Destination Dallas. The first step was complete!

Next step: Posing
Bikini prep doesn't stop at training and nutrition. Sure, you can look great, but if you don't have stage presence and aren't able to pose in ways that highlight your best features, you might as well throw in the towel. A lot of beginners will refer to YouTube to try and cut costs, but I knew that wasn’t the route I wanted to take.

Finding a posing coach was a no-brainer for me, because there was only one person I wanted to work with: Tawna Eubanks. Tawna is an IFBB Bikini Pro and Better Bodies athlete (among many other titles), and is extremely well-known in this industry. At first, I thought Tawna would just be my coach, but she quickly became a good friend and an amazing resource.

In my competitive dance days, I learned that winning dances weren't always the best technical performances. Sometimes, the top-scoring routines were those that were highly entertaining and kept you mesmerized. Judges were able to overlook a few errors because the dancers looked like they were having a blast onstage, which is contagious to the audience. To me, posing is similar: you can look gorgeous and have a rockin' bod, but if you can’t present yourself well, you won’t stand a chance. Simply put: you have to own it. You have to be comfortable with what you’re doing because if you feel awkward, you’ll look awkward, too. And why work so hard on your physique if you can't pose or perform?

I won't lie: paying for a training or posing coach isn’t exactly cheap, but neither is competing in general. (During the process, I basically had a flashback to my competitive dance days...costumes, rhinestones, entry fees...this is basically my grown-up version of competitive dance.) But my mindset was: If I’m going to invest the money to compete, I’m also going to give it my best shot and invest in the tools and coaches that will help me succeed and feel confident in my presentation. I mean, you wouldn’t compete in the Olympics without proper coaching, would you? Point made.

Most people can't fathom why you’d want to spend money on this type of sport, and I get that. But personally, I don’t understand how someone could spend $1,000 on a Tory Burch handbag or run up a $300 bar tab, because that’s not really my style… but we all have our passions and choose to spend our money on things that are important to us. And this show was definitely important to me.

The majority of people don't (and probably won't ever) understand this sport...or would describe it as "obsessive" or "antisocial." Sure, I can see how it would appear that way to outsiders or those who haven't been directly involved in competing, because it's definitely a "niche" community. But honestly, prep is what you make it, and I was determined to keep doing the things I truly love outside of fitness. Looking back, I can honestly say I did that successfully. During my prep, I was insanely busy and went through a lot...there was a ski trip, birthday parties, a break-up, trips out of town, dinner parties...in addition to fitting in my training, working a full-time job, pursuing new opportunities within my company and house-hunting for a new apartment! But I wanted to make sure I kept my life balanced and could participate in the things I really wanted to do, so I made it work!

In my opinion, it's unfair that competitors are labeled so harshly. Look at it this way: I could gamble away my life savings, become a compulsive shopper, binge drink every weekend, eat a ton of junk food on a regular basis...or shoot, spend all my free time golfing or involved in some other sport, and nobody would bat an eye. But carry around a jug of water, eat healthy food you enjoy (it's probably from a Tupperware, haha) and actually invest time and effort into something you love (not to mention something that involves your health), and everybody looks at you like you're from a different planet. This is something I'll get into on a later post, but I had to throw in my two cents before I get into my weekly recaps! Just know that if you ever get involved with competing, a lot of people will be quick to judge...but my philosophy is that you only live once, so make sure you live the life YOU love!

Stay tuned for next week's post about my first posing lesson!

Stay sweet [sweat] and sassy,

Kat 

From beginner to bikini competitor: Where it all began

When I first began my prep for my first NPC bikini competition  I kept things pretty quiet, mainly because I didn't know if I'd have the guts to pull the trigger and actually step on stage. However, throughout my 12-week prep, I slowly became more comfortable and open with sharing my training updates, to which people always asked "How did you get into that?" or "Why do you want to do this?" After being bombarded with questions about the training, nutrition and entire process that a bikini prep entails, I decided to document my experience in the form of blog posts to compile this mini series, "From  beginner to bikini competitor." I'll be posting weekly (maybe bi-weekly) updates on my journey to the stage, what I learned from this process and quick tips for competition prep, so check back often for updates!

The background story: In early 2014, I began training with my former personal trainer, Scott. He's an amazing trainer; right away, we just sort of "clicked." There are some trainers who are great, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're the right trainer for you. But, regardless of what we were doing, he always found a way to push me to the max. Scott invested his time and interest in me, and he was able to truly challenge my athletic ability.

After a training session one day, Scott mentioned: “You’d do really well at competing.” I remember being confused and thinking “competing…in what?” It sparked my interest, mainly I’m extremely competitive (especially with myself), but I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. Scott casually replied “bodybuilding shows,” to which I shot him a look of horror. “You want ME to get HUGE?” Jokes, my friends…jokes. He laughed it off and went into a little more detail about the different categories for women, but I brushed it off and didn’t think much of it.

Fast forward to November 2014: I’d competed in the Camp Gladiator Games (our team placed 8th out of all the female teams across the U.S), won my age division in the Spartan Race and tackled a few other competitive athletic events. I knew all the outdoor obstacle races would be over until spring/summer when the weather was warmer. So, after doing my research (read: fair share of stalking Instagram accounts), I toyed around with the idea of actually competing in a show. Then, I began training at Destination Dallas, a bodybuilding gym...and after seeing what everything was about, I decided to take the plunge.

I’m the type of person who likes to have a tangible goal in sight. I love fitness and how strong/empowered it makes me feel, and I love competing in different events, so I wanted to set a goal with a time peg to train and work toward. I'd become a little bored in the gym and found myself  just going through the motions instead of training hard and for a purpose.

When I began lifting weights a few years ago, it completely changed my outlook on fitness. The goals I had for myself three years ago certainly aren't the goals I have today. I used to be a cardio bunny, always looking to run the next 5K, 10K or half marathon but, after I fell in love with lifting, I hung up the running shoes and haven't looked back.

If you’d asked me three or four years ago if I’d could ever picture myself wearing a tiny bikini on stage in front of an audience, I’d probably run for the hills or shoot you a dirty look. I’m not shy by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m definitely not someone who really likes attention. However, I did know the fact that I was even interested in stepping on stage in a bikini spoke volumes about my self-confidence and how far I've come in the last few years. In the past, I’ve dealt with my fair share insecurities and imperfections—after all, I’m human AND a female. I don’t know a single girl who looks in the mirror and sees perfection, and body image is definitely a common insecurity among women. Nonetheless, I’ve found a place where I’m comfortable in my skin, embrace the qualities I used to frown at (holla at your girl with quads!) so why not give it a shot? Although I grew up a competitive dancer, I knew this type of competition was unlike anything I’d ever done before. It was going to be a challenge and something new for me to try, so that’s where the story begins…

Stay sweet [sweat] and sassy,

Kat