Same Show/Different Trainer: 9 1/2 Weeks

Ever wonder what it’s like to enter a bodybuilding competition?  Well now you can experience it from the comfort of your own iPad/smart phone by reading the next installment of:  Same Show/Different Trainer.

Last year I was training for the same competition (Adela Garcia Classic) but with a different trainer and different goals.  Last year was my first show I entered on a whim as a way to force myself to lose weight.  My trainer, Daniel Rufini, helped me lose 50 pounds and in honor of that his picture is on the cover of my blog next to my family.

This year it’s my third show and my goal is to grow lean muscle.  My trainer, Melissa Merritt Coker, has helped me stack on mass and in honor of that I almost ruined her wedding.  (Read here:  Flashmob Fiasco.)

Below is my attempt at explaining what happens during show prep.  If you would like to read about Weeks 12 – 10, click here:  Same Show/Different Trainer, Weeks 12-10.  ***Please note, these progress pictures are from my first and second shows when I was training with Daniel.  Mel has a rule that we can’t post progress pics until after the competition, so you’ll see those pics in June.***

9 1/2 Weeks

• You get your new diet.  Shiny new diet!  Shiny new diet!  Shiny new- hey wait a minute.  This diet looks almost exactly the same as the 12 week diet.  The only changes are that now I’m eating 4 oz. of chicken instead of 3 oz. and 1/2 cup brown rice instead of 3/4 cup.  Ok trainer person, Ima follow this meal plan because I “trust you” but I seriously think you’re just getting lazy on me and didn’t feel like making me a real diet.  How is this even remotely going to do anything?
  

3 days later and 4 pounds later…

• I’ll take some bitch with those egg whites.  Who knew that a little more protein and a little fewer carbs could have such a profound effect on your psyche?  Suddenly Little Miss Goody Two Shoes here is picking fights with people at the squat rack.

“Daniel, this guy was hogging the smith machine and he didn’t even know what he was doing!  His form was all wrong and I had places to be and I’m all like, ‘Back off weekend warrior, I got squats to do!'”  to which Daniel replied, “Ease up on the 2Pac, killer.”

• Your sex drive goes through the roof.  During weeks 12, 11, and 10 you notice some profound physical changes within yourself.  Week 9 is significant because suddenly other people begin to notice you.  Men people.  The conversations in the sauna get more interesting, let’s put it that way.  If you have been hiding behind a comfortable suit of excess weight armor for the better part of a decade, this can be jarring.

Even if you are starting from a healthy weight there is something about that 9th week.   I personally know of three bodybuilder women who had to go shopping for pregnancy tests during this week.  I have a few theories about why this is the case.  My scientific insight is that the extra cardio you’re doing sends additional oxygen to all parts of your body, including your private parts, making everything work better.  My less scientific theory is that men like it when women are just a little bit b****y to them.  Call it the “Taming of the Shrew” syndrome.

• You feel stronger and more confident than you ever have in your life.  You can’t wait to tell your trainer that you did an unassisted chin up for the first time ever.  You’re doing rear delt flyes with 10 lbs. (instead of 5 lbs.) and you see a vein pop out as you lift and you start jumping up and down like a little girl and ask your teammates, “Do I look vascular to you?”  And they all say ‘yes’ partly because it’s true and partly because they know it’s week 9 and you’ve been listening to 2Pac again.

Lisa 

If you are new to bodybuilding, stay tuned for the next installment of Same Show/Different Trainer:  Week 8…If you have trained for a bodybuilding show, did you have similar experiences?

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