Seasons of Change

Many bodybuilding and fitness competitors have 2 different yet unique times of year: 1) competition season and 2) the off season. During the competition season, we are under way with our training in the gym - we are in a regular routine and sticking to our workouts and you can most certainly count on our cardio kicking up a notch. On top of the training, our diets are also in full force. We are eating many small "clean" meals throughout the day in order to lose any unwanted body fat, which will showcase our physiques and get us "stage ready". In the competition season, our daily lives become routine and it can seem like 1 day blends right into the next. You can expect us to go out less frequently and spend more of our energy at the gym or at home sleeping haha.

Now the off season is another story! Most people like to think that when we are not competing, our diets no longer exist and we are free to do whatever we want whenever we want. Boy is that far from the truth! The off season is a very important time of year. This is where we are allowed to take the time to make those significant changes to our physiques - we can eat more and therefore workout harder and more efficiently. We can also switch up our workouts to have more fun, maybe try something new. The last thing that we want to do is to gain all the weight back that we just tried losing for our last show - that doesn't make for an enjoyable experience the next time we have to diet down!

I am currently in my off season - my next show being in April 2010. Although I've just started my off season, I feel that so far it's been my most productive yet. I am having fun with my training, switching it up and already seeing and feeling changes. I know what lies in store for me next year and I know I need to work harder and stay focused in order to get there. I am enjoying new foods, new workouts and a new outlook on my future goals. I am determined and feel a fire inside of me like none other before. I am loving this off season and doing everything I can to be productive for the stage next year! I'm enjoying it now because before I know it...it's that time of year again - competition season!!!!