May 3, 2016 ~ Leah Kottwitz Fitness

I feel like I should blog before too much time passes from the show. I competed in the Natural Southern States Classics two weekends ago in Liberty, Missouri and it was a really great experience. Being my first out of state show, I met a lot of new girls which was really fun.

This show is a little different in that the bikini show has it's own night (Friday). There were 7 classes & over 90 girls. I was in the Tall class, per usual :)

I competed in both Open & Novice. I got 3rd in Novice Tall and 6th in Open Tall. Every show I have done I have gotten 6th in Open. Hoping next show I will finally break into Top 5 for Open. Anyway, time will tell. I am really happy with my placing because I honestly spent a majority of this prep mentally preparing myself that I would likely not place due to it being such a large and competitive show. The best thing you can do for yourself when competing is to go into the show with zero expectations. I know that might sound kind of depressing, but it's a good way to protect yourself because truly the sport is subjective. All you can do is bring your best & improve each time.

Overall, I am really happy with what I brought, but I am also very realistic & know areas that need to improve. I need to continue to put on more size. Judges said I have nice shape & proportions, just need to keep growing. Main critiques are to continue growing upper body (specifically shoulders & lats) and also lower body (glutes & outer quad). Leaning out is not hard for me, putting on muscle will always be the challenge. Luckily, I like food & weights sooooooo life is good.

Not really 100% sure on next show. It all depends on how much growth happens these upcoming months. Kelly is now doing my nutrition which I am really happy about & she is also changing up my training. Tentatively I am thinking about doing the KC Classic on September 17th in Kansas City, Missouri. This show is different in that both an amateur & pro show occur on the same day. So it would be really cool to maybe get to watch some of the pro bikini girls. If I don't do the KC Classic I will likely take a year off. Maybe do the Natural Southern States Classic next year :)

I am really enjoying getting my strength back & being able to hit it hard in the gym again. Near the end you are literally dragging ass. I have some nutrition & strength goals these next couple of months.

Reverse diet properly- My last preps I was never truly reverse dieted. I went from a deficit immediately into a surplus. This prep Kelly is gradually bringing food back up which is nice. My stage weight was 128 lbs and I am currently 130 lbs. Ideally I would like to keep weight under 136, but I also know that weight is arbitrary. We will see how things go. Basically I just want to be comfortable in my skin. Near the end of my last off season I was very uncomfortable. I had gone from 126 to 145ish, and while it was beneficial in that I did put on muscle, I think it could have been done in a manner that was more controlled.
Increase strength in specific lifts- I have made it a goal to pay attention to how much I am lifting for squat, deadlifts, & bicep curls. I want to see how much I can improve in these specific lifts (weight, form, range of motion, etc.) these next couple of months in addition to my training from Kelly.