Backstage Pics from Steve Stone Met

Bro Science-Quote of the Week

While sitting at the lat pull down, this guy is on his phone and loudly exclaims "This gym really needs wifi."

I'm going to assume you weren't looking up how-to videos for your back workout...Do you even lift bro?!

Steve Stone New York Metropolitan Championships (April 12, 2014)

Compete in NYC they said, there will be some competition they said...not the case at all. There were only two female bodybuilders, one lightweight, and myself heavyweight. I was hoping for more contenders because up to this point there had only been one other woman I had competed against this year up in Buffalo. And when standing next to the lightweight, I was two inches taller and outweighed her by forty pounds...so not exactly a good gauge of comparison. But unfortunately women's bodybuilding is dying sport...what does it tell you when they removed it from the line up at The Arnold?

Luckily, pre-judging went pretty quickly and we had time for a nap and got plenty of food in before having to get back to the night show. We found the perfect coffee shop, indulged in some gluten free cookies (don't knock it until you try it, they were delicious), and of course some chicken and jasmine rice.

By the time the evening started, I couldn't wait to get my routine over with and get back to the hotel to shower.  I can only tolerate the smell of Pro Tan and Pam cooking spray for so long. I won my class by default, and the lightweight took the overall.
All in all, it was a good show, but I wouldn't compete in it again. Although going to Doughnut Plant, Little Italy, and spending Sunday in SoHo did make the entire trip worth it (did I mention we went to Dominique Ansel's bakery?)

2014 Mr/Ms. Buffalo Championships (April 5, 2014)

  

I decided to go back to my hometown and compete in the Mr/Ms Buffalo Championships so my family could see me compete. Until this point, my dad was the only one who had been able to go to one of my shows, and since I have nothing but positive support from all of my family, I wanted to be able to get on stage for them. And a 6 hr drive isn't too bad when I know all the food my mom had stockpiled, ready to go as soon as I got off stage!

We showed up at my sisters house Thursday night before the show, with a fresh coat of competition tan on, looking more like we drove up from South Beach rather than Maryland. Friday before weigh ins, went to the gym with my dad and tried to convince him to slather on some pro tan and join the Masters division...I need to work on my persuasion skills!

Saturday was a long day, as the bodybuilders were the last on stage, after the outlandish amount of bikini competitors and other divisions went first.

Bro Science-Quote of the Week

We've all been in the gym and witnessed some incredible (and by incredible I mean ridiculous!) weight training antics...but have you ever taken the time to listen to what some of these "Swole Cats" are really saying?! The logic they use to train should either be applauded (because they haven't killed themselves yet by following their unheard of techniques) or be videoed for a what not to do in the gym segment!

So for this week, we overheard two buddies lifting together, one with stellar logic and the other following along like a lost child hoping for a cookie at the end of their session. I watched the "experienced" lifter demonstrate the proper bench press. As he attempted to lift 225, he explained to the other guy "just push it up and then you let the weight free fall."

 Ummm bro...you're doing it wrong!

"Is that even attractive?"

To the Ann Bennets in the World, I would like to take a chance to thank you. But first, I need to explain why…

My brother-in-law had shared a picture on Facebook of me from my competition on the 22^nd in Towson, MD. He made mention of my hard work and was proud to share it (which I greatly appreciate, btw!). The first person to comment on this picture (it's the side tricep picture posted in my last blog post) was a woman by the name of Ann Bennet. I’ve never met this woman before, and after she reads this blog post (when I send her the link of course) I’m going to assume I probably won’t get the opportunity, but I digress.

Ann made the comment “Is that even attractive?” And very quickly family members, to even include my grandmother stepped up to defend me. Comments about my hard work, dedication to the sport, and being an inspiration for others continued to post. The list is pretty lengthy and a very real reminder of how supported I am in the endeavors I partake in. 

When I was told of the comment made by Ann,  I wasn’t upset, or angry, or wish any negative feelings towards her, or anyone else that might also feel this way for that matter (besides, isn’t that what Karma is for?).  I was not shocked by her ignorance, as she clearly doesn’t understand the devotion I have to the sport of women’s bodybuilding. I could be rude and make some snide comments about her appearance, but that’s juvenile. But I will pose this question to you Ann…Do you think you are attractive? Because when I look in the mirror, I am proud of the body I have, proud of my striated muscles, proud of my dry, vascular skin…and determined to only get better. How do you feel when you look in the mirror? Please consider that when you think you have a right to comment on someone else's picture...

I know there are plenty of people, women specifically, that cringe at the thought of being able to lift as much, if not more weight than the guy next to them at the gym. Hell, some women still  believe the fitness myth that weight training will make them bulky and muscular! No sweetheart, I’d venture to say you would never have the drive, passion, or mental commitment to ever look how I do.  I don’t have the desire to look like a unhealthy model with unrealistic body stats. I don’t see anorexia as a thing of beauty. I don’t have the desire to look like Kate Moss, or walk around with my rib cage poking through my skin. Unfortunately in the society we live in, those are the women's bodies that are envied. 

But my real concern is this. How many people out there, men and women alike, fail to follow a dream, pursue a goal, or attempt something so great, out of fear of what others may think? How many lost opportunities are we missing out on out of fear of being criticized? I'm not only referring to bodybuilding, it's an epidemic that can affect every facet of our lives. How discouraging is that?! 

How sad is our society that because someone is different they must face adverse opinions, rather than words of encouragement to keep that stamina and drive themselves to the next level. Not everyone can be elite. Not everyone can do what I do, and that's what makes this sport, as well as every successful person, a target for those that are happy with the mundane, the status quo, the boring, if you will.

So to Ann, and all the rest of the fools out there, thank you for reminding me why I  endure every night in the gym, why I focus so much on my diet, and spend countless hours perfecting my body.  I don't ask others to understand or even agree with my life choices, but don't sell yourself short. Don't be afraid to try something different and outside of your comfort zone because you fear that others will not approve. Why settle to be average, when you can find greatness? 

2014 Baltimore Gladiator Championships (March 22, 2014)

On March 22, we competed in the NPC Gladiator Championships, held in Towson, MD. I began my prep for this year with a new coach Matt Porter, and a different contest prep diet that's been going on for 24 weeks now (this is not including the 14 weeks of pre-contest dieting Matt had me on). Needless to say, going into this show, not only was I hungry for a win, but I was starving for a burger...and donuts, pop tarts, cookies, pies, cakes, pasta, and every other tasty morsel of food I've been deprived until this point!

When arriving to check-ins Friday afternoon, I was eager to weigh in, excited for the first show I was competing in for this season. Donned with my spray tan and posing suit, I headed straight to the scale. Last year at this same show I weighed in at 139 (I was 136 morning of the 2013 Gladiator), so I was originally hoping to be around that size this year, but expected to be better conditioned. Well, I was a little off that target! I weighed in at 153 (morning of the show I was 147)...I was undoubtedly more conditioned, more vascular, and couldn't have been more proud of how much muscle mass I had put on over a year's span.
(Here's the link for the official pictures posted to the NPC site
http://contests.npcnewsonline.com/contests/2014/npc_baltimore_gladiator_championships/ )

Also, here are some pictures from Pre-Judging.

 

Unfortunately, I was the only female bodybuilder in this show. But when it's all said and done, bodybuilding is a feat against yourself. Pushing your personal limits, breaking past stereotypes, and thriving to bring the best physique possible up on stage. My competition isn't the girl standing next to me, but the girl that looks back at me in the mirror every damn day. Yes, it's a competition against others for who has the best chiseled body, the fullest muscle bellies, perfect symmetry, and striated glutes but it's also about who has their mental game on point to be able to sustain the discipline for such an extended period. Considering how much improvement I've made, I'll take the win with a smile.



2013 Baltimore Gladiator Championships



2014 Baltimore Gladiator Championships

And So it Continues...

As I continue to ready myself for the rest of my 2014 bodybuilding competition season, I've learned it's not just a physical game. It's not about only eating perfectly, and crushing heavy weights. It's more than leaving every ounce of sweat and soul you have on a daily basis, lifting steel and demolishing tendons to the brink of snapping and fighting muscle pain to get just one more rep. It's more than enduring countless steps on the treadmill, step mill, or elliptical. It's more than what most people can fathom...

What is it then, what it is about? It's about keeping the mindset of a warrior, a winner, a beast, or whatever erratic term you want to use to describe your incredible drive and desire to be the best physical specimen you can possibly create. To be the most conditioned shredded fool up on that stage, owning it, demanding to be noticed. And not leaving with anything left in the tank.

For me, it's about dropping every barrier, forging past the negativity of being a female bodybuilder, and perfecting my muscle definition under those bright lights, one quarter turn at a time. I've waged a war against myself, and the social stereotypes that go along with it. And so it continues...