Posing Coach Tamara Jordan & Coach Austin Meason
I woke up at 5:45am to eat my breakfast of 2 oz of chicken and 60g of jasmine rice. I was at hair and makeup by 6:30am. My artist was Elaine Goodlad and she was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed our conversation and in the best way possible, didn’t recognize myself when we finished. Barbie had come to life!
Hair & Makeup by Elaine
I returned to my room for round 2 of the same meal and to rest a bit before returning downstairs to tan again. After freeze drying in the nude, I went back to the room to change into my suit and meet with my coaches. We did a little posing and left at 10am. We headed downstairs to continue practicing near the ballroom. I remember getting nervous when I turned the corner. It was real and it was really happening. I calmed down after a few runs through my routine. By 11am, we were backstage doing our pump up routine and posing.
Posing Coach Tamara Jordan
Backstage was hectic. There were a lot of women and it was very loud. Everyone is moving around and pumping up. All of the mirrors were taken and territories were definitely claimed. In the midst of the chaos, I felt calm. I was lucky that I had Tamara backstage with me to lead the pump and to make sure that I was ready. I felt at ease with her by my side.
I went on stage at 12pm for my first class of Masters +35. Two women went before me and then it was my turn. I did my walk and hit the poses in my routine. I then waited on the side while 3 other competitors came on stage. I did better than I thought during the waiting period but will acknowledge that standing in the T pose for minutes at a time was one of my fears. I practiced this a lot but holding the pose is still painful while vacuuming and smiling.
Tamara greeted me backstage to make some corrections. While I do not have official judges’ feedback, I can tell you what I did wrong from my point of view. My back was not arched enough during my walk and poses. The most critical error was turning too fast during a transition which resulted in some bottom jiggle.
I will admit that my placement on pre-judging shook me a little. I completely understand the why behind the the callouts however it was hard to shake it off in the moment.
Instead of coming back on to do my short routine (pose + sign off - think the “wave or number 1”), allof the competitors that had already been on stage entered directly for comparisons for every class.
Comparisons are challenging because you see the hand gestures and movements of the competitor to your right and left. I knew this would be tricky as majority of practice is done solo. You have to ignore what everyone else does and pretend like you’re a racehorse with blinders on. Again, I know what to improve upon here to be better.
It was a complete blur between each class. It went really fast and I was onstage 4x within an hour. I will also admit that I had no idea how everyone “placed” in pre-judging. I truly was only focused on me.
I did not earn the number 1 box in any class which was disappointing. At the time, I didn’t fully understand but once I started reviewing pictures and video, I got it. I looked and felt great but it is evident that I need to arch more.
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Bikini Class E
I returned to the room for another small meal and then ate a mini bagel out of spite. This was against my coach’s instruction but I was frustrated. I then fell asleep for an hour. I was shocked that I took a nap but the rest was needed.
At 4pm, I went back for another coat of tan because I was too light at pre-judging. I then had makeup touch ups.
I was backstage by 6pm to pump up. I was darker and I had filled out more. My glutes looked better. I hit the stage around 7pm for my full routine. I placed 3rd out of 6 in Masters +35. While it wasn’t the result I had hoped for I was happy.
Backstage
I did my short routine for True Novice and then we went into awards. If I remember correctly, I only had comparisons on Novice however I honestly don’t know. I still have hundreds of photos to review so let the record show that I had one comparison at finals, a full routine and 3 short routines.
Awards:
3rd in Masters +35
3rd in True Novice Class D
4th in Novice Class D
4th in Open Class E
Bikini True Novice Class D
When I was done, my spine hurt from posing and I was exhausted. I was greeted by friends and family. There were about 15 people that came to support me. It was so kind of everyone to be present to cheer me on. Thank you all so much for being so generous with your time and for your encouragement. We took pictures and I went to change my outfit.
My support team and I went out for a causal pizza dinner. Because everyone asks, I will admit that most things don’t taste as good as they used to. I absolutely love pizza but it was just "okay." The only thing that didn’t disappoint me was a sleeve of Oreos. Mmmmmm. They were so good.
Pizza! Pizza!
Overall, the experience was frightening and fun. The goal was to get stage time and the best outcome was that I left knowing what I could do to improve my package. My goal is to look like a completely different competitor in Fresno.
I am so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to continuous improvement. Remember, this sport is all about bettering yourself. Yes, on stage we're being compared to one another however the real competition is all about bringing a better presentation at every show.
Thank you to my coaches. I was successful because of your individual expertise and mentorship. All of you played such a critical role in my transformation. Thank you Austin, Nic and Tamara.
Thank you Muscle Contest for a great first-time experience!
Top 4 in 4 Classes at the Muscle Contest LA Grand Prix
Up next: Peak Week Round 2 and why I decided to compete again 1 week later
Xoxo,
Bicep Blonde
Trainer / Coach: Austin Meason
Nutrition Coach: Nic Durso
Posing Coach: Tamara Jordan
Bikini: Ingrid Romero Bikini
Shoes + Bracelets: The Shoe Fairy