Before I moved back to VA I decided to join Team Bombshell. Most of you may remember that I was accepted last fall and had attended a Bombshell Academy Boot camp in Daytona, Fl to start my new journey with the most popular team in the NPC Bikini division. After Boot camp (to read more about my boot camp experience read my blog post here) we settled in Richmond, VA and I got a job as an athletic coach at a local gym. I strictly adhered to the meal plan and workout schedule Bombshell supplied me from November to the beginning of February. The game plan was to compete in Pittsburgh on March 31st and then Nationals shortly after.
Well, obviously that didn't happen. Why?
Back in March I made the decision to leave Team Bombshell and respectfully terminate my training under their guidance. Bombshell taught me a different way of training and eating for a lean, tight body but it was not the right fit for me. I am in a place in my life where I am not after a pro card anymore and their no-nonsense, do-whatever-it-takes approach did not comply with my life or my personality. I had just moved back from across the country, started a new job, had financial stress, and a newly wed. Training over 3 hours a day on top of everything else in my life was physically and emotionally draining. I was depressed all of the time even though my body looked AMAZING! I had gotten down to 128 pounds and around 11% before I decided to stop. That was 9 weeks out from my next show! I didn't see how I could maintain such leanness for nearly 9 weeks?
Bombshell is an elite team but for me, at this point in my life, it's too much. I am not interested in being the BEST by the industries standards or becoming the next Nicole Nagrani. I am only interested in being the BEST ME! I do not have the single tract mindset to do whatever it takes to win. Now I have to consider my significant other, my clients, my family, and myself.
Running on the treadmill at 6am and crying did not seem right for me. I never had experiences like that when I trained (and won) in the past...why now? Even after I left Bombshell I was an emotional train wreck. I was terrified to gain the weight back and to do any other workouts other than theirs.
Please do not mistake me, I still respect and love the sport of Bikini. I still encourage others to compete if they have the desire to experience stepping on stage themselves and strut off all that hard work. And if you are looking for an intense program and you want a pro card then check out Bombshell. Some girls love it and have been very successful from their program. It was just not a program for me.(Just because I say its intense does not mean I think that its a safe or healthy program or that I would recommend it to my friends).
I may compete in the future but unlikely this year with our other plans. I think it is something that I will do again and trust me, I get the itch ALL THE TIME! If I do compete again I am going to go back to my style. I am going to train the way that I know will make me feel great, look great, and help me become a better version of myself. It is a fun sport for me now and that's what I am going to do...have fun! I might do 1 show a season, maybe 5. Either way its all going to be about whether or not I am ENJOYING the sport and the challenge.
Lately I have been tossing around some new goals such a getting stronger. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE lifting heavy and getting stronger. I want to improve my pullup, squat, deadlifts, and Olympic lifting. Bombshell excluded many of these lifts from their program and I can tell my strength has really decreased. I am also going to do a lot more kettlebells and spend more time on my yoga mat. Remember, if you don't feel good while you are doing it or your body is in pain, please listen to it.
There are so many ways to train and still look phenomenal. There is not just one cookie cutter way! So find something that is pain free and that you enjoy then dive in! Now, don't go confusing pain with discomfort. Get ready to step out of your comfort zone because when you do, you'll really see change. Like today, I did barbell clean and jerks today for the first time in what seemed like forever and I am already feeling it!
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If you are feeding negative thoughts to yourself during your workout then make a change. That's what I did and my attitude towards my workouts and myself are much better.
Set a goal, set a timeline, hold yourself accountable, and then set habitual goals to take you to that goal. Prepare your workouts progressively and do not distract yourself with what others are doing or what others look like. Be the best version of yourself!
Once you achieve that goal set another one and then repeat and then repeat again. We are constantly striving for excellence and excellence does not end with a lean, fit body!
Get stronger
Run faster
Jump higher
Climb a big ass mountain
Learn how to dance
Play an instrument
Learn a second language
Do things that enrich your life
Just keeping moving forward and don't stop!
**UPDATE**
I did compete again since this blog post. I competed in Nov. of 2012 at NPC Nationals in Atlanta, GA. I competed against 32 women and placed 16th. I did a short prep (only 9 weeks) because I decided that I wanted to do it and that I didn't want the placing to detour me from the experience. I am so glad that I did it for the experience and to prove to myself that I can once again enjoy the journey. I did do my own training and nutrition throughout my prep and felt amazing! I wish I would have given myself some more time (12-16 weeks is ideal for me) but I do not regret going for it. I have also moved back to the northwest to live in Montana on a guest ranch and work as an activity guide and coordinator. I will not be competing this summer or fall because of that...but I still look forward to the opportunity to step back on stage with a better package once again :)
PS. I have also gotten stronger with my pull-ups, increased my overall strength, modeled, and can now maintain a healthy body composition with a lower body fat%!
XOXO,
Abby
To read more check out:
"The Ups & Downs of Competing"
"3 Weeks Out From Nationals...What Am I Eating?"
"Nationals Experience"
"Team Bombshell Camp Experience"
**UPDATE**
I did compete again since this blog post. I competed in Nov. of 2012 at NPC Nationals in Atlanta, GA. I competed against 32 women and placed 16th. I did a short prep (only 9 weeks) because I decided that I wanted to do it and that I didn't want the placing to detour me from the experience. I am so glad that I did it for the experience and to prove to myself that I can once again enjoy the journey. I did do my own training and nutrition throughout my prep and felt amazing! I wish I would have given myself some more time (12-16 weeks is ideal for me) but I do not regret going for it. I have also moved back to the northwest to live in Montana on a guest ranch and work as an activity guide and coordinator. I will not be competing this summer or fall because of that...but I still look forward to the opportunity to step back on stage with a better package once again :)
Nationals 2012- I am in the center
XOXO,
Abby
To read more check out:
"The Ups & Downs of Competing"
"3 Weeks Out From Nationals...What Am I Eating?"
"Nationals Experience"
"Team Bombshell Camp Experience"
Thank you for sharing your experience Abby - sounds very familiar to someone very close to me (hint, hint) :)
ReplyDeleteI just have ONE question: When are you due! ;)
(There was a lot of subliminal baby-talk in there!
Best!
~ Casey
Hi Casey! Thank you so much for your comment. I always love to hear from others who read my blog. I am not due anytime soon actually. We are going to start trying in January! I am so excited for this next phase in my life! I decided to relax with the competitions for the year so I can focus more on keeping my body and mind healthy fir maternity. Do you have kids?
ReplyDeleteAll the Best!
Abby
I am almost dont with my second month into my bombshell plans, and I must say I love it! For most all the reasons you posted why you didn't actually. I love the intensity and higher standard you are held to in bombshell. But at this point in my life I do want my procard and have no problem with saying no all the time and focusing solely on this, work and school. Competing is an emotional process but I am really glad I switched to bombshell it was the push I need!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment StunningStength. I am glad to hear that the program is working for you and I certainly wish you the very best in your competitions and training! There are certain coaching and training styles fir everyone. I am simply stating that for me it wasn't a good fit. I know from previous preps for competitions that there other methiods and to get similar results. I need to stay healthy mentality in order to stay in the game otherwise I go crazy! Training a little differently from their program is more "sane" for me. It's not necessarily easier or less intense, just different.
ReplyDeleteAbby, good for you for being true to yourself! I totally admire you for posting your true feelings about your experience. It is this type of connection with yourself and open minded attitude that will help you succeed in any adventure you choose...strength, yoga, triathlon, parenthood :-)
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring!! Keep it up, girl :-)
-Gail
Hi Gail! Thank you so much for your kind words. I have come to realize how important it is to be honest with yourself. I am no longer doing things because I feel like I have to or because I don't want to let others down. I do them because of how it makes me feel as a woman. Staying connected with myself is the reality check that I needed. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteFollowing Bombshell's plan actually caused me to develop severe medical issues, and I lost all of the muscle mass I had developed on my own prior to joining the team. I went from 122 lbs and 11% body fat with a lean but muscular look to 118 lbs and anorexic looking. All the cardio "ate" my muscle, and the diet plan wasn't high enough in fat or protein for me to recover properly.
ReplyDeleteI know and respect several girls on the team, and I'm glad it works for them... but I think more women who are considering Bombshell should go into the experience knowing that for every pro card winner they create, there are even more of us who didn't think the Bombshell approach was healthy or safe. We still develop bangin' bodies, we just do it our own way. :)
Hi Anna. I am sorry to hear about your experience and I hope you have regained some of that hard earned muscle back and feeling better. I also experienced an extreme weight loss (leaned down to 11%)with 9 weeks until my show during the spring. I do respect some of their methods but it is not magic. It works for some girls and good for them but like you siad we all have our own ways of training and can still look just as good! This past prep went so much better for me mentally and physically. I am grateful for having the knowledge to prep myself with the help of my hubby who does nutrition. The key is health first. I hate that many women know think that being "lean" also means healthy. It's not like that at all for many women. Are you still going to compete?
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your blog! Have you seen Layne Norton's metabolic damage videos at all? I know you want to be PC and all, but do you truly recommend the tactics of bombshell to other women looking for healthy guidance?? I know recently the team has been under fire for some of their methods as many of their top girls have stepped down from their program. Has any of this changed your opinion of their program or your experience with it?
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading my blog!!! That is a great question. I have always trained myself alongside my husband and doing it the healthy way mentally and physically has always been my priority. Competing is a wonderful goal to set and doing it the right way is life changing and a great way to stay healthy and fit. I would personally not recommend Bombshell. As a nutrition coach and trainer I do not agree with their approach at all. However, like I mentioned in my blog, some girls may really like that method ( I don't think they have their health at heart if they do). I joined Bombshell because I was on the east coast and I wanted "sisterhood" or to be apart of a team of likeminded women. That quickly changed after a couple of months of their program and coaching. Does that answer your question? You may want to also read my latest blog post "How to Avoid the Dark Side of Bikini Competitions". I think you will get more there too.
Deletehttp://www.thebikinicompetitor.com/#
I have heard of Layne Norton but I have honestly not watched any of the videos.
Delete