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A lost newbie


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I'm trying to research how to get started on a path to being a bikini competitor but I'm a little overwhelmed and I'm not sure what guidance I should really be following. I thought I posted earlier but it isn't popping up so I'm trying again.

 

Right now I'm 26, 5'3, 127 lbs, probably around 30% body fat. So far, I've lost about 5 lbs in the past 6 weeks. My goal is to lower my body fat to about 20% and then reevaluate. I tend to build muscle/shape in my glutes easier than others, which is why I chose a goal of bikini. As an initial big goal, I want to get into off season shape, then reevaluate if I want to actually compete. I've never gotten my body to that point before, so I don't know what my limits are.

 

I've been vegetarian for a couple years and I've slowly transitioned to being vegan over the past few months. I haven't been 100% strict (I let up for special occasions), but I've found I don't really enjoy those foods anymore, so I'm no longer going to even do that. We cook from scratch at our house and eat out rarely. I know I need to up my protein a little bit, but I make sure to have some in each meal and snack I have.

 

I'm following New Rules Supercharged at the moment, and I completed New Rules for Women before this. A few years ago I tried Starting Strength and Strong Curves, but I seem to like the structure of NR better.

 

At this point, it seems that I should just lean out using normal methods? I don't want to waste my time and I like the idea of slimming down as if I were going to compete in a few months, but health is the most important thing for me. So this is where I'm a bit lost. Do I continue a slow cut because I am too far off from where I want to be? In that case, what is the cutoff and when should you start to consider a more rigorous attitude?

 

Finally, just because I'm looking, anyone on the Mississippi Gulf Coast have an interest for a workout partner?

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I planning to compete in men's physique (kind of men's version of bikini category...lol) this spring so I'm in the process and I'll pass it along what I'm doing. Having said that, I'm not a show expert...

 

Since you don't have a show date, you don't really want to start "contest prep" just yet, since the primary objective would be to lose fat...and you're likely to lose some muscle in the process. Since you mentioned that you're a newbie, you'll want to focus on building muscle and gradually losing fat in the meantime...this is TOTALLY possible with the right diet and training. I think once you're in the mid to lower 20s on your BF percentage would probably be the right time to pick a show.

 

Once you've identified a show date, then you need to evaluate how much fat you need to lose and the rate you can afford to lose it. 8-20 weeks is typical. I'm guessing you'll probably want to compete at 10-12% BF and 110-115 lbs for your height. As I mentioned earlier, you'll probably need to add some muscle mass to hit those numbers...or you'll probably end up either soft and/or scrawny. Both are bad.

 

So, I'm doing the same thing right now for a possible (early) show in mid Feb. I'm at 6% BF right now, so I would only need 6-8 weeks to drop down to 4% BF. In the meantime, I'm eating at a slight surplus, working on my weak areas and hoping to be another 5-8 lbs heavier (at similar BF) by mid Dec. If I can hit accomplish that, THEN I will start contest prep for the mid Feb show. If I can't...no big deal, I'll push back to a later show and continue to focus on gains in my weak areas.

 

Good luck!

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