To compete or not to compete....?

Last week I competed in the IFBB Pro Physique Grand Prix in LA and it was an eye opening experience for me.  When I competed last month, I had a disastrous first show.  I got on stage bloated and looking way too soft.  So with a few tweaks to my diet and cardio plan, I entered the Grand Prix with a competely different look and enthusiasm.  I went into that show hard, tight, and feeling really good.  My color looked great, my suit fit me so much better, and my posing was much more polished.  So, when I got the very last callout I was a bit thrown off.  I placed 8 out of 9 competitors at the Governor's Cup so I was really hoping to move up in the ranks this time.

I ended up placing 9th out of 16 beautiful girls.  All of us were shaped very differently, from smaller figure girls with less muscle to former bodybuilders with more size.  According to a reputable reporter in the industry, I pretty much disappeared on stage among this group of ladies.  At 5ft, 100 lbs, I just looked way too small compared to them.  Then, after speaking to the head judge and getting his feedback, he confirmed that I need to put on some more size- mostly in my legs. 

So here in lies the dilemma- do I continue to compete or take the rest of the season off to make improvements?  I think that every competitor (especially the natural ones) has to make a decision like this at one time or another.  In fact, I know some athletes that take off every other year to put on muscle.  As for me, I haven't taken a break from competing in 5 years because I was riding the waves of winning shows and pro cards.  But not even cracking the top 8 in this last contest when I was truly looking my best, caused me to re-evaluate my season plans.  With that in mind, I decided to play it smart, give my body a break from the dieting, and change up my workouts to focus on my leg development.  I think that giving me the rest of the year to improve will hopefully make for an incredible showing at my first contest next year.

The nature of this sport is making physical gains in the off-seasons to showcase your best physique come contest time.  Making the decision to take a little time off the contest circuit can be tough, but as a competitor you're never really resting...you're always hitting the weights hard and making the most of the time spent in and out of the gym.  As for me, I'm going to actually get to celebrate my 6th anniversary next month! I've been dieting every year for the past 5, so this year I'm going to actually order off of a menu and enjoy every bite!

So, while I may not be blogging about upcoming competitions and shows as much, I will be filling ya'll in on my workouts and progress!   Let's do this!