What's it like to prepare for a bodybuilding competition?

I want to begin by clarifying that I am not a professional bodybuilder; this is my perspective, and everyone's experience can vary. The world of bodybuilding is fascinating, and if you're thinking about taking the plunge then this blog is for you.

Let's start from the beginning: when I ultimately decided to pursue bodybuilding, I began my preparation.

During my preparation, it's all about tracking and measuring. Your food, your lifts, your body composition. This was something I had never done before, so I was grateful to have the guidance of a coach during this time.

Throughout my preparation, I was assigned specific amounts of protein, carbs, and fat. Each day, I needed to be within 5-10g of these target amounts. To achieve this, I had to weigh and measure everything.

As my preparation advanced, my macros were reduced except for protein. For instance, at the start of my 22-week prep, my carbohydrate intake was 170g, and by the end, it dropped to as low as 50g on my non-lifting days.

Not only did I weigh every morsel I consumed, but I also had to weigh myself daily. This is where the major mental challenge started. My coach also required me to send weekly check-in photos.

It's incredibly frustrating to restrict yourself so much and not see the scale move. That's when I was truly grateful for these check-in photos and for my coach to talk me off the ledge.

Once a month, I met with my coach to measure my body and body fat. During that time, I learned that the scale is just a small part of the equation, and my progress was never going to be linear.

My weight would increase with each menstrual cycle, which was frustrating, but once my body fat decreased significantly, I lost my period altogether

At my lowest, my body fat dropped to 13%. With both my body fat and fat intake being so low, my hormones became incredibly unbalanced.

Another thing that occurred was my inability to regulate my body temperature, and I was constantly freezing, especially after eating.

As my show approached, my cardio routine was intense; I was doing 40 minutes on the stair stepper four times a week. Let me tell you, that sucks your soul.

The week leading up to the event is referred to as peak week. At first, I thought peak week was a special time when my coach could adjust my water, salt, and carbohydrate intake, and I would miraculously become ripped. I was certainly wrong. During peak week, you can expect to train with lighter weights, do less cardio, and have your macros adjusted to enhance muscle fullness.

On the day of the show, I found myself completely unprepared. Everything that could go wrong did. If you're curious about what happened, please wait until next week. I will continue this story in part 2, show day.