Progress Pics from Cancelled Fitness Competition

Each competition I take weekly front and back progress pictures and post them the day of the show.  Usually I start my pictures 12 weeks prior to the event date, but honestly everything was unusual about this show prep.

For one thing, at the start of the countdown I was busy preparing for a different competition – I was in the Capital of Texas Aerial Championships in two divisions (novice and masters 40+).  The good news was that I have a 2nd place medal for the novice division.  Yay!  The bad news is that I didn’t start my fitness competition show prep until 8 weeks out.

Secondly, I was in a new division – fitness.  My prior competitions were for bikini or figure divisions.  Fitness divisions requires a 2 minute dance routine with strength and flexibility moves.  I started flexibility progress pictures about 6 weeks before the show and found it to be very difficult.  In short, I ain’t  Gumby.  But I did come pretty close to a front split.

Third, this was a new federation for me.  My past shows were with NPC.  This show was part of Fitness Universe/Muscle Mania.  They had a completely different set of rules, bikini requirements and poses to learn.

While I dropped out because my mom went into the hospital and I’m here in New Jersey to care for her, I’m actually a little relieved to be sitting this one out.  This division was always a stretch for me – I have no background in gymnastics or dance beyond Miss JoAnn’s dance class I took between the ages of 7-11, (approximately 30 years ago.)  So while I could do a cartwheel and follow the steps of the girls in the front line, combining the two skills (and doing it solo) at the tender age of 40 was, well, an optimistic endeavor.

The experience was still rewarding and I’m glad I pursued it for the better part of the year.  Everything is up in the air with my mother and her medical issues, so I don’t know that I will be able to compete before my next birthday.  But when I am ready, I have a better understanding of what it takes to compete in this division and my already intense respect for fitness competitors has multiplied by a billion just trying to train in their dance shoes for a few months.

Here are my progress pictures:

Good luck to everyone who IS competing today, especially Lori and Savannah from my home team, Mel’s Machines.  I also want to thank the people who helped me prepare for this competition, including my trainer Melissa Coker, gymnastics coach Terek Brown, and choreographer Brenna Wilder.   A very big special thanks to Ashley Guiles who was creating You Tube instructional videos for strength moves for me, as well as giving me performance tips.  And as always, there is no way on earth I could train so hard without the help of my husband, Henri, and kids, Rylee and Henry, supporting my crazy fitness goals.  It didn’t happen this time around, but I’ll be back!

Lisa 

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