Deciding To Compete In My First Figure Competition

Sharing is caring!

I fell in love with lifting weights in 2012 and knew then that I wanted to compete in a bodybuilding competition. One of my friends complimented me on my progress and told me that I was a natural. It’s incredible how one little comment can spark a massive fire in someone’s life.

She said I looked amazing and that I could probably win and I believed her. There were other people in my life echoing similar sentiments. When enough people tell you something good or bad, you start to believe it.

In 2014 I remarried my ex-husband. I tried to continue working out, but it was easy to leave that behind for cooking, cleaning, and blog. I don’t handle change well, and going to a new gym always gives me anxiety. Thankfully I’m getting better at dealing with that. I tried to work out from home, but I couldn’t stay consistent. I tried the YMCA but the gym was too small, and I hate feeling “watched” at the gym (and waiting for equipment).

Finally, at the end of 2017, during my husband’s Bahrain deployment, he pushed me to join Planet Fitness. Of course, I didn’t want to at first (the whole new gym thing), but I did it anyway. I knew I was ready to get consistent again, and the gym seems to be the only place I can make that happen.

I know so many bodybuilders hate PF, but my gym is pretty awesome. The people are super friendly. The lunk alarm has never gone off. Annnnd, most importantly, you do NOT feel judged there. After working out on my own for two months, I decided to join the Ketogains boot camp. At the time, I had been on Keto for three years, so doing a Bootcamp based on my diet made sense.

During my time with Ketogains, I started to read, study for my training Personal Training Certification, and I was obsessed with all things health and fitness. I must have been about three weeks into the six-week boot camp when I decided to start eating carbs again. The workout they gave us was terrific, and I saw results. I knew I couldn’t live the rigid keto lifestyle forever, so I figured out my new macros and kept doing the boot camp workout.
By the end of boot camp, I knew I wanted to compete. I was seeing fantastic progress (which was most likely due to muscle memory) and was training too hard not to compete. Once again, someone in my life asked me about competing. A guy in the gym came up and asked what I was training for, and I said nothing. The more I thought about it I wondered why I would waste 2 hours in the gym each day for no reason. That’s when I finally had a serious talk with my husband about competing, and he agreed that I should after that, God was faithful and provided me with the perfect opportunity to train.

Mike Israetel (co-owner of Renaissance Periodization) announced that he was working with three interns who were each taking on five clients for the affordable price of $150 per month. That was much less than I had paid for the non-personal Bootcamp, so I was stoked.

I started working with my new trainer Julia Kirkpatrick this week, and I am so excited to work on my body. I know this is what I was meant to do (not just compete but help others get healthy and reach their dreams).

I will update this blog often to keep you up to date with not only my progress but posts that I think you will find helpful on your journey to a healthier life!

 

2019 Update:

This post was originally featured on my blog Keto Size Me. So much has changed since this post was initially shared. 

As a Christian, I go back and forth about what I should do when it comes to my bodybuilding dreams. I usually spend my time dreaming about where this passion could take me and worrying about what other Christian women will think about me. 

I’ve come to a point in my life where I am sick of worrying about what others will think of me, especially other Christians. 

At this point, I am still not sure I will ever compete, but I have hired a new personal trainer and will be working with Nicole Wilkins to build muscle for the next twelve weeks. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me. If you want to keep up with everything I do in the fitness world be sure to follow me on Instagram at @shastalynnblog 

If I do decide to compete in the future, you will be the first to know! 

 

 

Sharing is caring!