I first started with Enterprise Fitness at the start of October 2017.
I was in a place where I didn’t feel good about myself. I wasn’t what most people would call overweight, but I was definitely quite chubby – I didn’t have the physique that I wanted to make me happy. I was sluggish and in a bit of a ‘rut’ mentally with what to do in order to be where I wanted to be.
I decided to come to Enterprise with the main goal to tick something off my bucket list – to enter a body sculpting competition.
I saw their wall of photos, of all the people who had transformed their bodies and their lives, to eventually step on the stage. I wanted to be one of those people. I want to feel super confident with my physique and I wanted to get on that wall!
To be honest though, I had many doubts. I wasn’t sure if I was really cut out for it. I’m turning 43 this year and many of the people on that wall looked much younger. Had I left this too late? Could I really get my body to look like that? Could I stand up on stage, wearing nothing but a tiny pair of trunks and have my body critiqued by a panel of judges?
I knew that I had to give it a go. This was just the sort of goal I needed, to get me back on track and sticking to a training and nutrition plan.
I soon came to learn that the nutrition side of things is such a HUGE part of the process. I am so pleased that I chose Enterprise to take me on this journey, as they spend quite a lot of time with their clients on nutrition – making changes every week (even daily, closer to the comp), analysing how your body reacts to certain foods and taking measurements weekly.
I’m also very grateful for the fact that my partner joined me on this journey. He wasn’t sure at first if he would enter a competition, but committed to me that he would attend all of the training and eat the same meals with me. I don’t know if I could have done it, if he was at home eating pizza and ice-cream in front of me, while I was eating chicken and veggies. It didn’t take him long to get the itch and decide to compete in the end anyway!
Speaking of food – food became my life for 8 months. Most competitors might starve themselves to get on stage, but I was having 6 meals a day! At first it felt like it was too much food. But within a week or 2 our bodies had adjusted and we needed all 6! Its hard to believe that when we started eating 6 measured meals a day (instead of under-eating with only 3 meals a day that we thought were ‘clean’) we actually started dropping body fat!
The actual training was great. Through this whole process, I learnt so much about the technique of each exercise. I realised how technical you really need to be to get the most out of each exercise and each program.
The trainers at Enterprise are extremely well educated. They watch every movement on every exercise and are constantly correctly you. I probably lifted lighter weights than ever before for quite some time, but was working my muscles so much harder and getting much better results. I also had less injuries then I ever had at the gym in the past. I was always suffering from some sort of back or shoulder problem when at the gym, but since learning better technique, all those niggles went away. I think they even fixed some ongoing problems!
There were so many ups and downs throughout this process, the ups certainly outweigh the downs, but my friends have always said that I’m a very committed person. And I definitely did surprise myself with what I was able to accomplish both mentally and physically throughout this prep.
Leading in to the competition (peak week), our nutrition, supplementation, water and salt intake were assessed and tweaked as necessary. It was all so scientific but amazing to see my body change daily.
Comp day was amazing – a day I will never forget. I was a little nervous but mostly excited and just so keen to finally get to the day we had been working for all this time. So much was going on backstage – getting our tans topped up, exercises to pump up our muscles with our trainer and eating powdered carbs mixed with maple syrup, as well as rice cakes was such a treat!
A huge group of the Enterprise trainers were all back stage with us too, sharing their expertise from previous comps and offering words of encouragement. We always felt supported and looked after, which is so important for a first time competitor. I was on an absolute rush and a mega high with adrenalin. I loved every minute of it. It’s just a shame it’s all over in a couple of hours
Stepping on stage, with heaps of friends and family (and the Enterprise team) in the audience cheering us on was such an awesome experience. It was like all the hard work had paid off, regardless of the results at the end. Having my partner step on stage next to me, in the same category, was really special too. We went through the journey together and made it to the stage together. Something we will remember and talk about forever.
The complimentary Nutella donut when you step on the stage, by the way, was absolute heaven!
I can definitely say I looked and felt better than I ever have, while prepping for the comp. I miss that feeling. Hence why I am now considering doing another comp next year (I never thought I would hear myself say that).
The few weeks immediately after the competition were REALLY difficult. I definitely did over-indluge in foods that I hadn’t had for so long during prep, and as a result, put on a few kilos.
Luckily I had the support and guidance from a couple of the guys from Enterprise. Not only were they able to talk me through how to reverse diet (back on to a more maintainable nutrition plan) but they also helped with how to deal with the emotional side of things – the high being over, how to deal with ‘post comp blues’ (it’s an actual ‘thing’) and they help me set new goals. They really do offer a full circle service, which is hard to find.
This whole experience really did change my life for the better.
What started out as something to tick off my bucket list, turned out to be something that changed the way I think about food and training permanently; I changed my eating habits –I will never eat the way I used to again. I now know what foods make my body change. My weekly fresh meat and veggie shop from the market is now my life. I don’t get much from the supermarket anymore and have little desire to eat packaged foods. I will forever prep my meals on a weekend, as being so prepared means I eat well at work every day and never make bad choices. Training is really enjoyable – I know how to train properly, in a way that won’t harm my body and I feel pumped after every session.
If anyone is thinking of taking on the challenge to enter a physique competition, I would 100% encourage them to just throw themselves in and do it. Not only will you transform your body in a way you never thought possible, but you will also learn life skills for health and nutrition and you’ll feel amazing. Make sure you choose Enterprise – you won’t find a more educated, professional or supportive bunch of trainers!
If you’d like to see my journey from day 1 to stepping on stage and then post comp – follow me on Insta @fit_az_
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