I recently competed in my very first NPC National competition on Nov 9th in Atlanta, GA. What an experience! I had no idea what to expect at a national caliber show other than the fact that its going to be a very competitive show. I originally decided to do the show based off of the location and time frame. I did not want to do a 12 week prep so when I saw the show listed on the NPC calendar and that I had about 8 1/2 weeks to prep for it I thought, "That's perfect!" Little did I know that I had just committed to competing in the biggest and most competitive NPC National show of the year.
Not only was it the biggest compeititon but they were awarding the top 2 winners of each class a Pro Card. That is a lot of Pro Cards and that means a lot of competitors! I just decided to still go for it and just say, "What the hell, go big or go home!" So I continued to train for Nationals and told myself that just stepping foot on that stage would be a victory in of its self. My goal was not to win the competition but to simply do my personal best.
We left on a Wed and check-ins were Thursday followed by pre-judging on Friday. It was held in the host hotel (Hyatt) and I have to admit the convenience of the show being held in our hotel was awesome. I was able to sleep in longer than any other shows I had competed in and I could walk to get my air brush tan.
Speaking of air brush tan, I went with Pro Tan. This was the second time I hired a professional tanning company for my stage tan. The last time I used a professional tanning company was my first show and they used a bad batch making it appear blotchy and sandy. This time it just looked brown and not glossy at all. Other competitors used Jantana (this is what I normally use when Danny and I do it ourselves) and their tan looked amazing on stage!
Lesson # 1- in the future I will stick with doing my own tan. If you learn how to do it yourself you will save tons of money and reduce your stress level.
One thing I will NOT do next time is curl my hair. I really wanted that wavy look and was so determined to do it. I began my stage prep around 10am. The Bikini division was scheduled to go on stage around 3pm. It came out great but as the day dragged on it became a pain in the ass. We did not start until nearly 8pm. So, with that delay my hair continued to lose the curls and the more I tried to fix it the more it frizzed and looked like well, crap. So when I went on stage my hair looked dry and frizzy.
Lesson #2: Embrace my long, straight hair and do not attempt curling my hair myself at another show. Hiring a hair stylist may help REDUCE STRESS!
Outside of the disappointment of my tan and my own failure of curling my hair I loved my suit! The purple was a great choice and it fit very well.
There were about 30 girls in my class and I did not place in the top 5. The girls all looked incredible and it was an honor standing up there with the best girls in the sport. I did notice that I was not as lean as most girls especially the ones that did place. They were very tight and you could even see veins in their mid section. The judges seemed to award the tight and hard look over shape.
I am proud of what I brought to the stage given an 8 week prep for a BIG show. However if I had given myself a few more weeks I think I could have come in a little bit leaner. Would I have placed any higher? Maybe, maybe not. I was very proud of my stage presentation; I was poised, confident, and had fun on stage. I nailed each pose and have no regrets. I am so glad I practiced posing every day. It paid off for sure.
Lesson #3- Allocate enough prep time for a show to increase the chances of being more competitive in your class and to have no regrets that you may feel from a rushed and possibly extreme prep.
After competing in multiple shows at a regional level and a very competitive national level show I can say with confidence that I have accomplished my goals I had set out for myself. I also realized that after competing in Atlanta that I really do not have any desire to chase after my Pro Card at this time. I noticed how lean the girls had to be to place high in a national show and I just don't think I want that. I want to have a baby soon and being a bikini pro is just not the "lifestyle" I want. Its a very demanding sport and I do not want to mislead any of you that its easy to do. You have to set aside many other things in your life to focus solely on your training and diet to be successful at that level. Its fun to do 1 or 2 times per year but year round?!?!?!...I don't know how they do it!
I have now been focusing on strength training and yoga. I still enjoy my fasted cardio in the morning but have decreased the intensity and time. I put my energy into my lifts and am currently working on increasing my deadlift and to do a free handstand. I am also working on my pull-ups. I train 4 days a week and do cardio about 3-5. I have increased my food intake with reverse dieting since the show with more healthy food. My goal is to maintain only about a 7-10 pound weight increase since my competition but I do not want to focus on "cutting" or "losing" anymore. Now I am focusing on gaining strong, lean muscle and improving the way my body moves with feminine curves. ;-)
Check out some of my competition photo's below.
This was taken in the hotel room after doing my hair for the first time. It did not last long and it ended up looking like a rats nest on stage!
Class E 5'6 1/2 up to and including 5'7
I was proud of my back pose and my booty!
XOXO,
Abby
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