Intro

Welcome to my new blog that will take you through my newest adventure and possibly biggest challenge of my life.... several months ago I decided to try my luck at a Figure Competition.  This is a competition that judges women based on their muscle definition and symmetry.  Below is the definition from Wikipedia (so it must be official, right?)

Figure competition is a newer sub-category of Fitness contests; Figure shows exclude the routines round common to Fitness shows. The competitors are judged solely on muscular symmetry and tone; as in Fitness shows, muscle size is downplayed. Figure competitions appeal most to women who want to compete in a body competition, but wish to avoid Fitness shows' additional athletic and creative demands (for the routines round), or bodybuilding's demands for heavy muscle mass.
A typical figure competition includes two rounds, though this varies by organization. In the symmetry round, the competitors appear on stage in high-heeled shoes and a one-piece swimsuit in a side-by-side line that faces the judges. They execute a series of quarter-turns to the right, allowing the judges to view and compare them from all sides for symmetry, presentation, and other aesthetic qualities such as skin tone, hair, make-up, and stylishness of clothing. In the next round (the group comparisons), competitors return in high heels and a two-piece bathing suit, executing a series of quarter-turns. At this stage, they are judged more critically against the others for conditioning, leanness, and how "feminine" and "athletic" (as opposed to brawny) their muscularity is. Included in either of these rounds, or perhaps just the evening show, the competitors come out individually on stage for a model walk where they are judged on presentation, gracefulness, confidence, poise, and professionalism.


So before we jump in to this, I’ll give you a little bit of my fitness level and athletic background.  I played soccer in high school and ran cross country for a few years also, but that was a long time ago....  In college I worked out at the student gym occasionally, maybe once or twice a month.  I definitely wasn’t committed to a serious work out plan or diet... unless that diet was Paradise Martinis on Tuesdays followed by Wendy’s #4 combo meals on Wednesdays.  Also, Chick Fil A lunch on Monday’s was a staple in my life for about 2 years.  After college I began working in Atlanta and found a gym that I loved!  I worked out at least 4 or 5 days a week and I was loving it.  I did a lot of group exercise classes and jogged on the treadmill a little.  Then, I got a puppy.... my gym life was over.  I had to rush home from work every day and work on housebreaking the dog and never really made it back to the gym.... even when the dog moved in with my parents.  I attempted a few new work out programs and tried to get in shape but never got really motivated to achieve anything.  While I was at the beach for Georgia/Florida weekend (Halloween 2009), my friend Emily was talking about a half marathon she wanted to run in April 2010.  (On a side note, as a means of comparison, I'm 5'1 and weighed about 135 at this point)  Emily was 8 ½ months pregnant with her second daughter at this point... I knew if she could deliver a baby then care for a newborn and toddler while still training for a half marathon, then I had no excuse but get my lazy but in gear.  It was time to get off the couch and back in the gym that I had once loved so much.... I started back in the gym about 3-4 days a week.  I got a personal trainer to help keep me on track... he tried hard, but I still swayed quite a bit.  I ran when I wanted to, ate what I wanted to, and complained A LOT.  I just didn’t really want to follow the rules.    So I did my own thing, ran the race in April and was proud of my accomplishment.  But as soon as I crossed the finish line I knew I had to do the next one better.  I was looking for a  challenge now.
Over the next few months I really started working hard in the gym.  I increased my intensity and tried to keep a steady 5 days a week.  I did a lot of spin classes, boot camp type classes, and weight training.  I was loving it!  So in August 2010 I decided to tackle what I knew would be my biggest challenge ever.  I called my trainer and told him I wanted to do a Fitness Competition in the spring of 2011.  I knew the training program would be at least 12 weeks long so I didn’t want to do anything until after Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So I kept working hard and got my body used to a good, steady working regiment again.  And that’s where we are now…. It’s time to get this party started.