Bikini Competitor Success Secret #3 - Attitude is Everything

Athletes are champions in the making. 

     

       Competing in a Bikini competition is a common goal that many women set for themselves when they decide that they want to make a big transformation with their bodies.  Competing has its rewards (read about them in an earlier article I wrote HERE) but it is not the best goal for every woman.  Why?

          Committing to not only competing but also to the process of preparing yourself for the stage requires a certain attitude.  This attitude, which I will get into more specifically in a moment, is often the game changer for many, many women.  It separates those who succeed in the long run from those that do not.  There are three distinct attitudes that I have noticed since I started my career in Bikini back in 2010:

          (1) the Wannabes, (2) the Dreamers, and (3) the Champions.


          Most women who decide to compete will only fully commit to a short prep phase (normally no more than 12 weeks), bust their butt in the gym, cut out all sodium, and eat cold tilipia/boiled chicken out of Tupperware to get that stage worthy body.  They want to strut their stuff on stage and accomplish something that only a small percentage of our country's men and women have done. Although their ambition may be strong, their "all or nothing" attitude is ironically extremely weak. They think that their "badass or beast mode" attitude is the key to success.  Are these future champions? No. They are on the path towards destroying their hormone profile, shutting down their thyroid/adrenal glands, and rebounding tons body fat after their competition. Whether or not they win, their career in the sport will be very short lived with the long term sides effect of body image issues and an unhealthy non-functional body.  These people are the Wannabes.

Examples of the Wannabe attitude:

          While I am all about stepping out of your comfort zone, it discourages me to see that the above images are the top hits for "fitspiration."   In my opinion, these images only reinforce the "all or none" extreme attitude that encourage women to believe that if you aren't pulverizing your body, chasing the burn instead of lifting heavy weights, and eating plain, boring meals you aren't doing it right.
       
          Women who take extreme measures to compete and boast about their strict, overly rigid meal plan and the 2+ hours they spend in the gym training send out the wrong message about the sport of Bikini. That is why I call them "wannabes."  This attitude needs to die because it tarnishes our sport with that unhealthy, OCD reputation that no one really wants to associate with.

          On the other end of the spectrum you will find the group of women who would love to compete and make a big transformation but they cannot commit.  The three main reasons why they decide not to compete are either (a) unwilling  to "give up" certain things in their life b) do not have the patience to commit to the process or (c) the wannabes scare the living sh*t out of them as they assume that all competitors have to take extreme measures in order to compete and transform their body.  The women who sit on the side lines are either stuck in their comfort zone, doubtful in their abilities, or are fearful of the unknown.  Regardless, these women are the Dreamers.  Until they wake up and start taking action, they will continue to follow the sport and talk about competing but will always sit back and let their aspirations pass them by.

          The third attitude is the one of the Champion.  A champion has a dream and they take intelligent ACTION to see that they accomplish their dreams. But unlike the Wannabes they are patient and will take as much time as needed to accomplish their goals, usually under the supervision of a mentor or coach who knows what they are doing to aid the process of succeeding.  Any competitor in any sport can tell you that 12 weeks is NOT enough time to prepare for an event unless you are already 90% ready.  The last 12 weeks is just the extra 10% to peak. The event is not the sport. The sport is the the hundreds of hours spent at practice and training. I challenge you to look up any PRO athlete in any sport of interest and I can guarantee you that they struggled and worked hard to get to where they are today.  And it didn't happen overnight. They've lost and they've won but what remains is their constant patience and discipline to keep coming back and improving. That is why the highest level athletes are not always the most naturally gifted in their particular sport. They are the ones who understand hard work and patience will always persevere over natural or genetic talent.

          Are champions extreme?  Some may argue yes, but often these are the people who spend their free time lounging around or partying.  Champions simply choose to spend that time training and excelling at their sport.  Their athleticism has helped define who they are and has built respectable character. The hard work has made them a better person, not the trophies or the egotistical boasts on social media.  Do you see IFBB PRO Erin Stern, UFC Champion George St. Pierre, or Olympic gold medalist, Gabby Douglas  boasting about their "badass" attitude?  No. They have a life and they have real training to do. They are leaders and masters of the art of understanding their own body (and how it responds to stress).They don't have time for that nonsense nor do they need to perpetuate false truths.

          Being a champion boils down to a simple daily commitment to the process of change.  True champions are not made over night. There simply are no exceptions.  If you take on the attitude of a champion you are more likely to avoid the pit falls of health and body issues you'd most likely encounter with the attitude of a wannabe while also enjoying actually achieving your goals and becoming a more confident person, unlike the dreamer.

          I hope by now I've convinced you that the right attitude coupled with the right approach (see Secret #1 and #2) are the most important components to success.  Now, the hard part.  Evaluate your own attitude objectively.  Be honest with yourself.  Ask others you trust what they think.  The beauty of self-evaluation is it can be the strong stimulus you need to get where you want to be in life.

          Here is how you can start practicing the attitude of the Champion, starting today:

1 - Choose role models that are true athletes; stop idolizing women who just look good because you never know the full story behind that body.  (Hint - Ask questions!  Do they look like that for just the day of their shoots?  Are they photo shopped or using special lighting and angles?  Do they have an eating disorder or serious health complications to look like that?  Do they use drugs?)  

2 - Set long term goals, with short term milestones.  Abandon unrealistic, short term goals.  The body can only adapt so fast without burning out or fighting back, so find out where you are (bf% wise) and set a more than reasonable time frame to get where you need to be with some room for error.

3 - Hire a legitimate coach or follow a well designed program that will have you follow the right training scheme for your goals, help remind you to have patience and resist the natural urge for quick results, and make meaningful modifications to your program as needed.

4 - Come up with a training "mantra" that triggers positive reinforcement instead of self-destruction.  My mantra was to get into "Stern mode" which, for me, triggered thoughts of training with purpose instead of running myself into the ground (thanks Erin!)

There is no such thing as perfection, we can only progress.  

XOXO,

 Abby

Read more related articles:

"Bikini Competitor Success Secret #1 - Build a Foundation" 

"Bikini Competitor Success Secret #2 - Be a Minimalist"

"Inspiration"