by Rachel Cosgrove
Somewhere, secluded on a tropical island with three little ones running around, is a lady reliving the memories of her first Figure competition.
This is her journey from mom to Figure competitor. Many of you'll be able to relate to her highs and lows, so settle in for an inspiring read.
Twyla happened to live in the Virgin Islands with no access to a fitness coach, so she was looking for someone who could travel to get her competition ready. She'd heard about me through reading my articles for Figure Athlete, Women's Health, and Muscle and Fitness Hers.
She told me she had a baby six months ago and her muscle tone was soft. She's roughly 5'8", 135 to 140 pounds, and wears a size 6 to 8. Her workouts consisted of 30 to 40 minutes of cardio, four to five days per week. She did lift, but it was generally low weights with high reps.
From her initial pictures, she needed to put on some muscle and lose a little bit of fat — nothing I don't know how to do. And she needed a tan. Did I mention she lives in the Virgin Islands... with no tan!
I used to do online coaching, but I felt the programs I was writing became too generic without meeting the person. So, I currently only work with people who I can at least meet once, so I can evaluate them and connect with them before I start to design their program. In her case, she flew me out to her. No complaints here, since it meant a trip to the Virgin Islands.
It's amazing to travel to places like this as part of my job, but I still take what I do very seriously, if not more so, in a place like this. I didn't want her to think I came for a vacation — I came to get her ready for her first Figure show. But, I have to say the scenery sure made it a nice place to work.
It's a tough job, but someone has to do it!
Upon arriving in St. Thomas, we got right to work. We started with an evaluation from Gray Cook's functional movement screen, which is the same one we use at our gym. I also did her body fat, which was 19.9% at 140 pounds.
Then we discussed her goals, her reasons why, and picked a Figure competition.
You can set a goal of doing a Figure show, but if you don't have a powerful reason why, it'll be hard to get through those days where you just don't want to go on. Her reason was, "This is the time. I have the resources, the time, and no excuse not to, so if I don't do it now, I'll never do it."
I wrote it down because I'd remind her of this when she wanted to give up.
The show she picked out was in Colorado on November 10th, which gave us about 32 weeks to get ready for it. Plenty of time! We'd spend half the time putting on muscle, and then 16 weeks out from the show, slowly start losing fat to show off that muscle.
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She was already in pretty good shape, but needed to put on some muscle, especially on her upper body, before we started losing any fat. So, during this hypertrophy phase, Twyla did an upper and lower body split routine.
Her diet during this time was six meals a day, about 2,500 calories, and one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
It boiled down to sticking to nine nutrition principles:
1. Eat every three hours.
2. Eat at least 20 to 25 grams of protein at each meal (chicken, turkey, steak, cottage cheese, nuts, protein shake, protein bar, etc.).
3. With each meal, eat a fruit, vegetable, or other whole grain carbohydrate, such as brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potato, and whole wheat bread or tortillas, as long as you don't have a sensitivity to wheat. If you're sensitive, stick to potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, oatmeal, etc. You can get wheat-free rice bread, too.
4. Eat healthy fats daily. No more fat-free creamer! Instead, get olive oil, avocados, nuts, fish, olives, or various nut butters.
5. No caloric beverages. Drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water every day.
6. Eat whole foods instead of supplements whenever possible. Save the protein bars for emergencies.
7. Take a multivitamin, fish oil, and branched chain amino acids (BCAA's).
8. Finish every weight training workout with Surge. You can start to drink it during the workout and finish it at the end.
9. Plan to break the rules 10% of the time.
You must be 90% compliant, and yes, missing a meal is just as bad as eating the wrong thing, so you may as well eat something and enjoy it! Eating something will at least get your metabolism up and give your body the fuel it needs to build muscle.
Twyla stuck to that 90%, and after 16 weeks, she gained ten pounds of muscle and was starting to look more like a Figure competitor. But, we still needed that tan!
It was now time to switch gears to come in lean for the show. The nice thing was that as Twyla was gaining muscle, her body fat did come down some, so she was already ahead of the game even though it hadn't been our focus.
On July 23rd, she got her new routine; her first fat loss routine, which was a full-body circuit. The goal was to maintain all of her muscle and get her metabolism cranking to create an "afterburn" effect. The program we used was very similar to those in AfterBurn.
She also did intervals three days a week in addition to the weight training. There wasn't any steady-state cardio at this time.
Her diet shifted to only allow starchy carbs (oatmeal, potatoes, rice, bread) for breakfast and post-workout. She continued using Surge and BCAA's.
Showing off her new muscles!
At the beginning of October, she flew me out again (it's rough, I tell you) to give her the last routine before the show and to teach her how to pose. This was great because teaching her posing through email would've been tough.
While I was there, we practiced posing twice a day along with a workout and cardio every day. She was sticking to her diet and looking great!
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But, her tan still wasn't dark enough. She'd started going to a tanning salon and using a spray tan, but she just hated to get tan. With a client who lives in the Virgin Islands, I never thought tanning would be the hardest part!
Where's your tan?
When you get to the last few weeks of a competition diet, it's very tough physically and psychologically because your body plays tricks on you.
The following is a word for word account of these events. It'll bring back memories for any of you who've competed.
It was time to tighten it up even more, so I gave her new menus. At this point, I replaced chicken and steak with fish and started to cycle the carbs so that she had a very low carb day every five days.
Her overall average calories were lowered to get the last little bit of fat off (about 1,500 to 1,800 a day).
Yahoo! I finally broke 139 pounds. I weighed in at 138.4. Hopefully the scale keeps going down.
Yippee! Stick to those menus and you'll drop. Your next cheat is on your birthday. Otherwise, stick to those menus as close as possible. Take some pictures on Friday for me please.
Yesterday was very hard. I almost felt like I was in a daze by the end of the day. Can I use olive oil instead of flax?
My weight was at 138 pounds (no ounces) this morning. Hopefully I keep decreasing, but I don't think I'll make it to 132 or 133. What do you think? My nanny said I look thinner, and when I'm posing or after a workout, I can see my veins in my stomach which I've never seen before.
Posing is going well. I feel pretty confident. I'll definitely take pictures tomorrow and send them to you.
I'm craving sugar. Not from cakes or cookies, but from fruit or yogurt or potatoes. My birthday is Sunday. What should I eat? Talk to you soon.
Veins are a very good sign. You're definitely getting leaner.
There's also something called "the whoosh effect." Basically, your body holds on, holds on, and then whoosh! You'll have one day when you drop two or three pounds. We'll see where you end up; you're right on track, though.
Stay focused and wait for the whoosh! You can use olive oil.
Hey Rachel, quick I need a substitute for flank steak. I forgot to thaw one out and I'm starving. How about a protein bar?
No protein bar; use chicken, turkey, fish, and some olive oil or other fat.
Hey, can I have a cheat meal this weekend?
Yes! Happy 30th birthday! You get one cheat meal for your birthday and for one last metabolism spike. This will be your last cheat before the show, so enjoy! Again, go ahead and splurge and get quite a few calories in!
Are you taking your cheat meal tonight instead of tomorrow? It doesn't matter which night. Have fun!
I'm so excited. I weighed in at 136.4 this morning. How's that possible? Wow! You nailed the whole "whoosh" theory. Hopefully, I continue to lose. What should I expect the last two weeks? Will I hold, hold, hold again and then at the end of the week "whoosh" lose two more pounds?
That's great you broke down to 136. Fat loss is never linear, so it's hard to predict. You'll see 134 before we start depleting water, and if you weighed yourself on the day of the show, you'd probably be about 130 to 132 once we deplete your water. I'll send you those instructions this week.
Now that you've done a whole cycle of the menus, any questions? How's that tan coming? Hope you're getting dark!
Hey Rachel, is it going to be cold on stage? I keep forgetting how cold it is in Colorado this time of year.
After my "spike" meal on Sunday, my weight went up to 138 and now is slowly coming back down. I really felt like crap after that meal. My heart was racing from the sugar. I feel fine now, but I can't believe how much I notice the affects of food now. Wow!
I'm still waiting for my suits and Pro Tan.
I can't tell you how badly I want fruit and carbs. Today's a high fat day. I really don't like eating four whole eggs in the morning. Can I substitute two of the four eggs with something else for next week?
When I'm starving, is it okay to snack on carrots or tomatoes or some kind of veggie? What about almonds? What about hard-boiled egg whites?
Hey girl, here are answers to all of your questions and concerns...
Usually, on stage it's really warm with all of the lights. Most likely you'll be nice and toasty.
Sounds like you had a great last spike! Super strict from now until the show, and yes, your weight will drop down below where you were pretty fast. Don't worry about it.
The closer you stick to the menus, the better you'll look on stage. Stay focused! You've worked way too hard to give in now and have fruit or carbs.
The high fat day is important to keep your body burning fat. This day will be Friday when you're in Colorado, so start to think about what you'll be able to get there. The closest you can stick to this the better. Will you guys have a kitchen where you're staying?
If you want to, you can eat two eggs for breakfast and then eat two eggs before bed, but I really want you to stick to the menu as close as you can. Do you have your flank steak thawed this time?
If you absolutely need something, have celery or asparagus. Not carrots, they're too high glycemic.
No extras beyond what's on your menu. If you want to use hard-boiled eggs whenever it has eggs (like for those four), you can. But, don't add any extra salt to your foods these days.
I know this is tough, but you'll look amazing for the show! Keep tanning, keep posing; you leave for Colorado a week from Thursday. Did you ever find out if the airline will let you bring food? Will you need to do protein shakes that day? We need to figure out that travel day and practice it this next time around.
Stay focused!
Hey, still waiting to find out about food on the airplane. I'd love if I could just drink protein shakes because that puts water in me and I really like the taste. What about beef jerky? I know it has a lot of salt, but would that work for some protein?
So, I've figured out my body looks best after high fat days. Does that make sense? Even though my body may look good, it really hates me right now. I fell asleep at 8:45 PM and my husband had to shake me at 6:30 this morning to wake up. I really feel like it's shutting down.
My emotions are going crazy, too! I felt like crying yesterday, and I yelled at my daughter during my second 30-minute cardio because I couldn't focus and I was about ready to die! She started crying, and then I felt really bad.
I have a box full of the dried fruit that I love, and twice now I've gone for it. I didn't eat any... thank God... but I've tried to open it twice. Luckily it's taped shut and it's felt like too much effort to go get a scissors and cut it open. I think I'm going crazy.
I was watching Scooby Doo with my daughter the other day, and when Shaggy and Scooby were eating a pile of ice cream, I just about cried. Help! A week from now is starting to seem way too long.
Hang in there, girl. I know this last week is really hard. Remember what your friend told you about the last week? Well, he's right. It's very tough, but you can do it! Stay focused, keep your spirits up, and picture yourself on stage in the best shape of your life. Your daughter will be so amazed at her mom on stage in a bikini looking amazing. What a role model!
Your body doesn't want to drop this last little bit of fat, but you'll push through and look amazing! Yes, it's normal to be grumpy around this time. I've been there. Stay focused!
As far as protein shakes, yes, if we have to, but food would be better. But, we may have to have you on protein shakes that day, and yes, that'd be extra water.
Can't wait to see you on stage! You'll do awesome!
One thing quickly... I was at our only natural food grocery store this morning, and I picked up a pump-spray appetite control called Appetite & Weight Control. I was thinking it might be easier on me if my appetite was suppressed a bit. What do you think?
Uh oh. I knew she was getting desperate when she started to ask me about pump-spray appetite suppressants.
Hey, turns out we're sitting in coach, so I won't have the option of a preplanned meal from the airline. Looks like we'll need to come up with something.
Let me tell you. My stomach is creeping my husband out. You can see some crazy looking veins on my stomach. I have to admit it looks pretty gross, which is good, right?
I need to make sure my bowels are completely empty by show time, because my stomach looks so much better after I have a BM than before. How can I be sure that'll happen? Will the dandelion and vitamin C take care of that?
Keep in mind, this next email is right after her lowest, hardest day...
I'm surviving... barely. My left shoulder muscle has been twitching for two days now. Just walking up a flight of stairs is a lot of work for me. I kind of feel dazed and confused, especially after 8:00 PM. I'm starting to dread my workouts because it's so hard on me.
Yesterday, I bumped my head twice... hard... while we were decorating for the Halloween party, and I just started crying hard. I couldn't stop, and I don't think I was crying because I hit my head. I think most of it was because I'm exhausted.
However, I did get my suits and they're so beautiful they made me cry, too! I can't believe how beautiful they are. I'll need your help tying them because they wrap around my body a certain way, and I purchased fake boobs, but it may look better without them. I'll let you decide.
I did receive my body tanner. I have my dandelion and vitamin C. Everything is set. I'm ready for Colorado. I'll take a picture of myself in my suits.
And then she gets to have a high day.
Hey Rachel, I'm feeling like a million bucks today. Any day I get brown rice or oatmeal, I feel so good. It's 5:36 PM right now, and I feel great.
I don't know if it's the HOT-ROX or not, but I just got done with my 40-minute steady-state cardio, and I feel like I could've gone 60 minutes. If I feel like I can go more, should I or would that work against me?
I'm waiting for Doug to get home to take some great pictures of me in my suits. I love my high fat days and the days I get to eat rice or oatmeal. Also, our full-time nanny started today, so I've felt a major relief in the afternoons with her.
I can't wait for Colorado. I wish I knew my body fat right now. Talk to you soon.
Oh, I also just finished posing and my arms don't burn like they used to. That's a good sign.
Just goes to show when you're having a hard day on your diet, stick it out and stay focused, because you'll turn a corner and feel "like a million bucks!"
Hi Rachel, Halloween party... check. Packed... check. Fitness competition... almost checked! Water intake... no problem.
I found good vitamin C in capsule form, so I don't need you to bring any. We do check in on Friday at 6:00 PM at the host hotel, so I'll definitely meet you there at that time. I feel good and excited about doing this. I can't believe it's almost over. I need your cell number so we don't have any problem connecting.
This is going to be great. I really can't wait for my Saturday night meal! Have a great flight. If I have any questions, I'll call you. I hope and pray nothing goes wrong.
One thing I remember you saying early on in my training is that you won't let me get on stage if you don't think I'm ready. So, you definitely think my body is ready, right? See you soon.
After 32 weeks, Twyla had gained ten pounds of muscle and lost 15 pounds of fat. She was so ready to step on stage for her first time.
And she was tan!
Hey Twyla,
Attached is your water depletion plan for next week. If you can get some dandelion and Vitamin C, both natural diuretics, that would work great for you. Your plane ride will be tough because you'll have to get a lot of water in that day.
Did you find out anything about food on the plane? Can you bring a special diet or will they prepare you one? I know if they prepare it it will definitley have more salt in it so even more important that you get all of the water in.
Hang in there! I'd love to hear an update when you have one.
We have been dodging fires here, i don't know if you have heard about them but the fires over here have been crazy!
Stay focused!
She looked great on stage, came in 4th, and had an amazing time. I was so proud of her!
Twyla set a goal and took action to make it come true. She did what she had to do day after day to accomplish it. There's nothing better than the feeling of setting a goal, working hard to accomplish it, and seeing all of your efforts come to fruition.
Rachel Cosgrove is a fitness professional who specializes in getting women of all ages into the best shape of their lives. She owns and operates Results Fitness with her husband in Santa Clarita, Ca. She has a BS in Exercises Physiology and earned her CSCS from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She has competed in fitness competitions, triathlons and powerlifting. For more information on Rachel visit RachelCosgrove.com.
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