Stephanie Willes Walks Into the Pro Ranks: Starting off 2014
Hello 2014!!!
I can’t think of a better way to start off the year than to have contest prep well underway and my motivation revving at full throttle. So let’s take just a moment to catch up since I last posted a blog.
As I ended last year on a really good note, I had decided not to do my last show because I was in need of a break. After winning my Pro card, doing 2 Pro Shows, and dieting for 9 months straight I was ready to just relax a bit and enjoy some food. It was the best decision I could have made because it gave me about 4 months to fill out and enjoy some really heavy weights. I came into the offseason with a new mindset… There is no offseason!! In previous years I have struggled with gaining too much and having to diet for about 20 weeks to shed almost 30 lbs to get on stage again. It is pretty funny how our mind works. I suppose that is why I’m digging into the world of Psychology as my major. I want to figure out the complexities of the human thought process. I was explaining something similar about the thought process to my friend Jacquie the other day over lunch. You know when you’re dieting and you go somewhere and let’s say you see a doughnut. Well of course it looks good and I’d love to eat it but you know what, If I wasn’t dieting right now I still wouldn’t eat it!!! I know what it taste like and I know that it’s super delicious but really for the most part, I won’t eat it (ok maybe once or twice a year, I won’t lie lol ). So I guess in my crazy ranting, I’m trying to say that once I figured out that 99% of the time, rather I’m dieting or not, I just don’t eat that stuff like I did before I was a competitor. Food can’t have this importance, this power over me like in years past. I won’t let it.
So after many a few years of struggling to figure things out, how my body responds etc, I am happy to say I had only put on 15 lbs this time and I can’t believe how much better I look and feel. My husband and I have always worked together to do my prep, so although I don’t know everything there is to know about contest dieting and my body (just yet), I’m learning as I go and I really pride myself on knowing that I have achieved a professional status without the help of an outside source. I think that this is the best I have looked at this point in any contest prep I’ve done. Beating my best is my biggest accomplishment, other than hitting some pretty massive PR’s tossing around some iron. I have been dead lifting (which I had never done before) and I’m up to 245lbs. I like to judge myself based on what I am capable of and not comparing myself to anyone else because, I am my own competition. I know that this can be difficult at times and I admit I’ve gotten wrapped up in it too. As social media can be an amazing asset, it can also dig into your i
nner ego and make you think, “Well, if she can lift that much I can too!” Please don’t fall into this massive storm of mental emotions. I know girls smaller than me that out lift me any day of the week. I have friends that can do cross-fit for hours and hours with the most incredible stamina I have ever seen. I see women get into some yoga poses that makes your head turn sideways and think, “How the heck did she do that?” Now that is awesome and I promise you that I am not that flexible, so I encourage them to keep kicking some serious butt, and more power to them. I love seeing other women pushing themselves, and when I’m in the gym, regardless of the number on that plate, dumbbell, or weight stack, that I am pushing myself harder than I did the day before. I am giving it my all, pushing it to my limits. This is all just another bonus to this great sport and lifestyle. There is no end game. Everyone can continue to get better, improve, and set new goals.
Speaking of goals, I have some very awesome goals right now. So here are some in no particular order. 1) I want to become a sponsored athlete, and was fortunate enough to do just that by becoming part of The Body Fuse Team. They have top of the line supplements that I just started using and I love them. I have been working with Quest Nutrition since July of last year as a demo rep and you can’t go wrong with the most delicious/cleanest bars on the market. I also had the amazing opportunity to meet and work with the Parker Family who invented and own The Versa Gripps Company. I hope to work alongside them more in the future. They are the sweetest most giving people I have come across in a long time. 2) Get this back of mine thicker and wider, leaner in my glutes, and a bigger shoulder cap. This is a work in progress but I’m doing everything I know how to accomplish this. 3) Place in a Pro Show 4) Win a Pro show 5) Qualify for the Olympia. This is a big one and all the others are pretty much related to it. I know I have lots of work to do and I am up for the challenge. Even if it takes longer than I want it to, this is my ultimate dream! These are just my fitness related goals; I won’t bore you with all my many life goals and wanting world peace and so on (in this post anyways).
As I shift my weight on the couch and suddenly notice my bum is numb, I realize I should probably wrap things up here. But before I do I ask you to take a moment and visit my sponsor’s website. I know with supplements there are so many options and you wonder what makes Body Fuse any different from the other companies. Well, while I cannot speak for the other companies, what I can say about Body Fuse is pretty impressive. The products are all made in the USA at an FDA approved and cGMP approved Facility. When we live in a world of not really knowing what we are getting, I think that these regulated facilities give a quality standard that is above the rest. If you have a second, check out the site and if you decide to purchase you can receive 20% off by using my discount code. I will keep posting on here as I gear up for the IFBB Grand Prix in LA on April 12, followed by the Emerald Cup and then the Dallas Europa. This will be a fun fun year with 18 shows to choose from!!
Until next time-
Eat Happy and Lift Heavy
Stephanie Willes (willesifbbpro@gmail.com)
www.
BodyFuseUSA.com 20% off with Coupon Code IFBBStephanie
www.willesifbbpro. My personal website under construction.
www.questproteinbar.com Contact me at my email address if you are local in Vegas and would like Quest Nutrition at one of your events to hand out free samples.
www.versagripps.com Lifting straps to enhance your workout.
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