Since being introduced to NPC, bikini has gotten a mixed reaction from all types of competitors and spectators.
First of all, many figure girls(not all of them) really look down at the bikini division. They think it is the "easy" way to compete and that it isn't a real sport. Alternatively, there are many girls that saw the bikini division open up and just think "oh I want to do that!!" These girls entered without really being into fitness. They had pretty good genetics and wanted to get on stage in a bikini and flaunt their asses around.(Hey, I'm just being honest.) The bikini "look" is a fit, toned body, that isn't as dried out as a figure girl. YES, you should have some muscle and YES you should be lean, but you just don't want to have as much muscle as the figure girls or be quite as lean. I truly think the division should be called fitness model, because bikini gives the impression that I am going to step on stage in a white t-shirt and have a hose spraying me while I pretend I just realized I forgot to rub all my lotion in and, what better time than now?
THESE are the girls that give the sport a bad rap. These are the girls that don't train much, and don't really follow the healthy lifestyle. They walk on stage and stick their boobs and ass out as far as possible, hoping to swoon the judges. No wonder there are so many haters on bikini! What really makes me angry is when these girls actually PLACE. But that topic is for another day....
I'm here to give you an inside view of a REAL bikini girl. The kind of bikini competitor that this division was made for. The girl that works her ASS off and lives the true fitness lifestyle. The girl that gives up drinking and makes sure to get her 8 hours of sleep per night. A girl that says no to happy hour because she has her 4 oz of chicken and broccoli waiting for her. Let me take you through the life of a real bikini competitor. There are MANY of them out there, but it's the one's who play a stripper on stage that ruin the name for everyone.
-The alarm clock goes off at 5:30AM. I don't have to be at work until noon, but it's time to start the day off right. I cook my egg whites and chow down on my oats. After all, I'm starving when I wake up. I throw on my work out clothes, check e-mail and head to the gym. It's time to train!!
-I get to the gym and hop on the treadmill to warm up a little bit. It's back day, so while I'm warming up, I imagine my workout and what exercises I'm going to do. I think about the rep count. Supersets today? Maybe drop sets? What about both? Sounds good to me.
After a 5-10 minute warm up, I glove up and get my head in the zone. I head to the Lat Pulldowns. I do a few warm up sets and then get to work. 10 reps. I can barely get the last two, but I groan and push through them. Drop the weight by a third and do 6-8 more reps. I'm already out of breath. A quick sip of water and I'm ready for cable rows. 4 sets of the super set and I'm ready for the next.
-After I finish, usually about an hour, it's time for cardio. I walk right past the elliptical and onto the stair mill. Set it up at level 9-10 and I'm ready to camp out for about 45 minutes. Ipod is doing it's job, and I'm pushing myself mentally. Mantras and quotes are buzzing through my head and I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat after my workout. More egg whites? Chicken? Lean ground turkey? What veggies do I want? Nuts or avocado?
-The rest of the day I just have to focus on nutrition. The workout is done and now I just have to make sure I eat at the right times and that I'm eating the right foods/amounts. For some, the workout is the hardest part. For others, like myself, the diet is the hardest part. I'm dieting down for a show, so I'm not eating for energy. I'm eating to get leaner. This equates to HUNGER. I do my best to combat the hunger. Extra veggies, lots of water, gum. If that doesn't work, I go through competitor pictures and imagine what I will look like come show time.
Before I know it, I'm leaving work and ready to go home to eat my last meal of the day, do more work and finally get to bed. It's Friday night and my friends are all going out tonight. Sometimes I might say yes, but I have an early workout tomorrow and I need my sleep. I turn them down, drink my protein shake and get ready for bed. It's 9pm, and this day is done. I am one day closer to my goals. "You can do this," I tell myself and slip into dreamland.
If I hear one more person tell me that a bikini girl doesn't work hard, I might just have to challenge them to a push up contest. I'm not someone that likes to argue with people, I'd rather just prove them wrong. I'm here to prove to all of you that think that REAL bikini girls don't work hard, that you are so very wrong. There are hundreds of bikini competitors just like me that work their butts off, and it's time that we are made known. After all, WE are who this division is about.
Let's keep it classy ladies, we've got a division to represent.
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