When life gives you lemons, paint that shit gold.
So, you're thinking about doing a body competition? Think your body is up for the challenge? Well if you chat with any woman that has ever undergone the grueling challenge of entering a body competition, she will bluntly tell you that preparing your body is the easy part, the biggest challenge is the mental warfare. The food prep, the calorie counting, macro analysis, the overall feeling of being "hangry" all the time and let's not forget the unforgiving workouts- all these things slowly wear down your spirit.
Today's blog was generously provided by our very own Tiny Snatch- who bluntly and honestly told us about her first body competition which nearly broke her. Her journey is one which speaks volumes to her ability to take a bad situation and turn it into glitter. As we've mentioned in the past, weight training is something that helps train your mind as well as your body. When you possess the grit and drive to take negativity and allow it to fuel you rather than defeat you, that in itself is a victory.
As with all fitness competitions, there are pro's and con's to everything, but one resounding piece of advice that resonates with all women who dare to enter a body competition is the need for a good coach. The type of coach you have can be the difference between a disastrous experience and an enlightening journey. As with all things in life, the need to surround yourself with positive people is of utmost importance. So, what do you do when the journey is filled with obstacles created by negative coaching??
Today's blog was generously provided by our very own Tiny Snatch- who bluntly and honestly told us about her first body competition which nearly broke her. Her journey is one which speaks volumes to her ability to take a bad situation and turn it into glitter. As we've mentioned in the past, weight training is something that helps train your mind as well as your body. When you possess the grit and drive to take negativity and allow it to fuel you rather than defeat you, that in itself is a victory.
As with all fitness competitions, there are pro's and con's to everything, but one resounding piece of advice that resonates with all women who dare to enter a body competition is the need for a good coach. The type of coach you have can be the difference between a disastrous experience and an enlightening journey. As with all things in life, the need to surround yourself with positive people is of utmost importance. So, what do you do when the journey is filled with obstacles created by negative coaching??
Coach this....
I was so excited to enter my first fitness competition, although I had heard about the challenges that I would face- nothing can truly prepare you for what it is like. Between the physical training, the severely restricted diet, and endless hours of practicing your poses, it is an all-consuming experience and not one for the faint of heart. So imagine my horror when I began working with my coach who nearly broke my spirit and who on more than one occasion drove me to tears. There were multiple times I questioned myself- "Why am I even doing this?"
My first piece of advice is- talk to as many people as possible before selecting your coach and go and sit in on one of their coaching sessions. It is of extreme importance that you select someone who will guide, push and coach you through the process with constructive criticism and feedback. The feedback that I would receive would be things like "Fucking stand up straight, you're not a prostitute", if I attempted to smile she would say things like "STOP MAKING THAT FACE, your face is fucking freaking me out". Most of her feedback was mean and bordered on cruel. The thing that still haunts me is that my coach-who shall remain nameless- but for my purposes I will appropriately name "Coach TWAT" came highly recommended my multiple people. In fact, she is well known and regarded in the fitness industry. I often wonder how many other women have been "coached" by her, who ended up much worse for wear after working with her.
As horrible as my experience was with her, there are some key things that I took away from the experience. First and foremost- never allow anyone, regardless of their reputation or status to dampen your spirit or make you question your self-worth. One of the things that I was not aware of before entering the competition were all the "modifications" that you are encouraged to make to your appearance for the competition- this can range anywhere from coloring your hair, changing your hair style, using hair extensions, all the way to the rotisserie spray tan routine that you must undergo before stepping onto the stage. All these modifications are things that your coach is supposed to help and guide you through- so when I brought in my hair extensions for my coach to approve and she berated me in front of a handful of women by yelling for everyone to hear "Bitch what am I supposed to do with a bunch of hair in a bag, go put your hair away!"- I nearly snapped. After weeks of working my ass off in the gym, following her restrictive diet, and being insulted by her on the regular- I had had enough. I walked into the locker room grabbed my bag- I was done. But, as I sat there with tears of anger running down my face, slowly packing up my stuff along with my pride, it hit me. "Screw her" I wasn't going to let her deter me from what I had set out to accomplish. So I decided right then and there that I would take all of her bitchy lame comments allow them to fuel my fire to succeed. I walked back out and finished the coaching session.
The next day and every day after that I went into the gym replaying in my mind all of her comments and I worked harder than ever before. No one was going to break my stride- least of all Coach Twat. So when life gives you lemons, paint that shit gold. Even though I didn't place 1st, I was victorious in a personal journey of knowing that no one will ever beat me down.
My first piece of advice is- talk to as many people as possible before selecting your coach and go and sit in on one of their coaching sessions. It is of extreme importance that you select someone who will guide, push and coach you through the process with constructive criticism and feedback. The feedback that I would receive would be things like "Fucking stand up straight, you're not a prostitute", if I attempted to smile she would say things like "STOP MAKING THAT FACE, your face is fucking freaking me out". Most of her feedback was mean and bordered on cruel. The thing that still haunts me is that my coach-who shall remain nameless- but for my purposes I will appropriately name "Coach TWAT" came highly recommended my multiple people. In fact, she is well known and regarded in the fitness industry. I often wonder how many other women have been "coached" by her, who ended up much worse for wear after working with her.
As horrible as my experience was with her, there are some key things that I took away from the experience. First and foremost- never allow anyone, regardless of their reputation or status to dampen your spirit or make you question your self-worth. One of the things that I was not aware of before entering the competition were all the "modifications" that you are encouraged to make to your appearance for the competition- this can range anywhere from coloring your hair, changing your hair style, using hair extensions, all the way to the rotisserie spray tan routine that you must undergo before stepping onto the stage. All these modifications are things that your coach is supposed to help and guide you through- so when I brought in my hair extensions for my coach to approve and she berated me in front of a handful of women by yelling for everyone to hear "Bitch what am I supposed to do with a bunch of hair in a bag, go put your hair away!"- I nearly snapped. After weeks of working my ass off in the gym, following her restrictive diet, and being insulted by her on the regular- I had had enough. I walked into the locker room grabbed my bag- I was done. But, as I sat there with tears of anger running down my face, slowly packing up my stuff along with my pride, it hit me. "Screw her" I wasn't going to let her deter me from what I had set out to accomplish. So I decided right then and there that I would take all of her bitchy lame comments allow them to fuel my fire to succeed. I walked back out and finished the coaching session.
The next day and every day after that I went into the gym replaying in my mind all of her comments and I worked harder than ever before. No one was going to break my stride- least of all Coach Twat. So when life gives you lemons, paint that shit gold. Even though I didn't place 1st, I was victorious in a personal journey of knowing that no one will ever beat me down.