Typical Competitor

I was talking with someone about women who compete- specifically the "type" of woman who does this. I am sure everyone has their own idea of the typical Figure Competitor and I am sure most of those ideas are

Dead

Wrong

So, what do you think? I can guess (from talking with many people), that there are a few stereotypes.

1) The self centered bimbo

2) The bored housewife

3) The uneducated gym rat

There are certainly some of those, but I assure you, they are not the norm. The women I know who train seriously and those I have met at competitions are very intelligent women who know exactly where they are going and what they want.

Most competitors I have met hold full time jobs, and usually very demanding positions. Many of them have children and many are married. 

This leads us to the ever present question "I don't know how you can do it all!", this is the question we hear most I think. We do what every other woman does and we make the time to devote to our diet and training, and compete, with each competition taking on a  small "life" of it's own.

We do it because we are all driven - driven to succeed, driven to excel, driven to improve, driven to learn.

Once you get to know several women who compete, you will start to learn that there is a "fire", a "spark" that we all have, something that many other people lack. That fire is what drives us to do what we do, every single day.

Typically a successful athlete or competitor is an "A" type personality, and often we are very regimented in our lives. Routine is our friend! I can tell you that routine and structure are vital, and without it, we would not be where we are now.

I am a very structured person. I have all of my Thanksgiving Day menus on my computer, with excel spreadsheets of my grocery shopping, complete with day of purchase, store and person responsible. This makes the big day much easier to manage. 

I have all of my workouts on spreadsheets too.

My gym clothes are in a large covered basket in the bathroom  in "packets" (shorts, bra top, peds) all ready  to "grab and go"..I get up at 4 am so I cannot very well disrupt the rest of the family that early, nor do I want to figure out what to wear!

Pre and post training drinks and supplements are mixed and portioned into trays every weekend, and  stored in baskets ready to grab what I need the evening before, placed on the counter and ready when I need them. 

Cooking is scheduled and done while other events take place, then food is weighed and frozen, to be consumed the following week.

It all takes time, lots and lots of time.

You will find that most competitors will have similar stories, a desire to accomplish the impossible, the thrill when a difficult task is mastered. 


They are a special breed- few and far between.