Once in a lifetime, about 10 years ago, I did a thing. As I am almost turning 50, I reflect back to the time I competed in my first (and only) Masters Women’s Figure Competition in Austin, TX.
Those who know me well, know I do not show my middle body at all. I usually wear a one piece bathing suit and cover up on the beach, and have never ever worn a cut off tank to work out in. Not because I am shy about my body, I just never did.
I’ve always been around athletes of all kinds, and saw some of friends take the leap to train and show their commitment to training in a body-building style competition. They made it look easy. So, I thought, crazily, I can do that too!
I can do that too!
But thinking I can do that too!, to actually stepping on stage in a teeny-tiny bikini, wearing 6 inch heels in front of hundreds of people was a whole different concept! Weirdly enough it became top of my bucket list before I turned 40. So, I did it at 39 years old. Honestly, I had zero idea what I was getting in to becoming a newbie a fitness competitor.
Three forms of Women’s Physique
There are three forms of Women’s Physique categories. Bikini, Figure and Body Building. I chose Women’s Figure because I wanted to put on muscle mass and continue to look like a strong and fierce woman, and continue teaching all of my group fitness classes too!
Stuff I didn’t know
The stuff I didn’t know were many and it was a huge learning curve, but I trusted the process and ended up being eff’ing proud of my accomplishment of placing fifth out of 40 at my first Master’s Figure competition at age 39.
It’s good to try new things
It’s really good to try new things! You learn so much about yourself in the process. While I don’t highly recommend you train for a Women’s Physique contest, I do highly recommend continuously learning to boost your brain power and your ability to say YES! to yourself and your needs.
I didn’t know
I didn’t know I would have to awkwardly stand in front of my trainer (who is the kindest person in the world) 3 months before looking like this (pictured) in my regular bikini, while he meticulously scoped out my not-yet-fit-enough body, while we co-created a plan so I could confidently walk across the stage in heels and an itty-bitty bikini. That was hard!
Number one focus
I didn’t know the process would become my number one focus. Everything revolved around my competition. What I ate, drank, how I slept, my grocery shopping, my husband, my workouts, my actual work. Everything I did morphed around my eating and workout schedule.
I attributed that to the fact that I was going to walk on stage in a bikini, so I better be prepared. I did not notice at the time, how consuming it was. I now know that was a big learning for me!
Sometimes you will resort to eating a donut
The process of losing weight can lead to extreme cravings, and sometimes you will eat a donut! At one point, I found myself alone in the break room with a box of donuts about 2 weeks before my competition. I couldn’t resist, and I secretly shoved the whole donut in my mouth and gulped it down. It wasn’t a good feeling, and was a realization of how consuming such a lifestyle really is.
It’s Really hard to walk in 6 inch heels
It’s really hard to walk in 6 inch heels. I mean really hard! Not only walking, but making it look effortles and posing while squeezing every muscle and trying to make it look easy. So hard!
I practiced around my house, clunk, trip, clunk, clunk….trip, clunk. I had a posing coach too, that was hilarious, me trying my best to do what she said while clunking around in those shoes!
Common questions people ask…
How long did it take to look like that?
Everyone is completely different, but it took me 3 months and a couple days to look like that. In these photos, I weighed in at 111 pounds and am 5’3” tall. On a normal day, I weigh 130 pounds, which is my set point. In three months I dropped 19 pounds. This is NOT what I recommend my clients do, unless they have their sights set on doing something like a figure competition!
What workouts did you do?
Almost every day I did fun workouts, and exercise has always been my friend. I woke around 5am to get to the gym to workout before work. Three days a week, part of my plan was to do at least 45 minutes of lower intensity cardio twice a day, the rest of the week, just 45 minutes of low intensity cardio. I lifted weights in two ways. Three days were devoted to ‘tree’ workouts at a high intensity level and 2 days were devoted to training with Mike, my trainer, who had me lifting like a man (not really ha-ha). BAM!
This is me about 5 days before the competition.
Here is an example of a ‘tree workout’. Pick your weight and then start at the top, then add the next exercise and return to the top, do the first, second and third, return to the top and so forth and…do the whole thing as fast as you can. Killer- but fun!
Mountain Climbers 20 IIIIIIIII
Barbell (BB) Clean and Press 8 IIIIIIII
Mountain Climbers 20 IIIIIII
BB Squats 10 IIIIII
BB Suicides 8 IIIII
Mountain Climbers 20 IIII
BB Cleans III
BB High Pulls II
Mountain Climbers 100 I
What did you have to eat to look like that?
Surprisingly, I ate a lot! Mike Hanlon, my incredible Trainer was always saying, “You need to eat more. Did you eat your 6 meals today?” Me: “Yes Mike (stuffing my face)”.
I always ate a lean protein (chicken, fish, venison, buffalo), a big portion of vegetables and a serving of rice or small potatoes. I measured and weighed my food for each meal and prepped it into containers 3 times/week.
You can imagine the discipline of this. 6 meals/day times 7 days = FOURTY-TWO meals/week. Plus snacks, of course.
Our grocery bill was similar to feeding 2 high school boys.
Did you starve yourself?
Hell no. Sometimes I couldn’t eat enough!
Did you have cheat days?
Not really. I don’t think of it like that. I would never cheat on my husband, so why would I cheat on myself? I ate my required meals, and on rare occasions I had a margarita or food that wasn’t on my plan, but pretty much kept with the plan.
Did you get to eat out At a restaurant?
Yes! I did eat out at a restaurant. Mostly, if my husband wanted to eat out, I’d bring my own food in my Tupperware container and ate that. I didn’t care- and the restaurant didn’t either. lol
How does that bikini stay in place?
There is a special kind of sticky roll on lotion you put on your skin and it keeps your bikini right in place.
Just for Fun
This blog was just for fun. To let you see a little bit of a different side of me that has made me who I am today.
And, yes, I do exercise and nutrition programming in my health coaching business. Send me a message.
You are loved,
Nicole xo
PS. I don’t look like this any more!
PPS. No, I won’t do it again…
Nicole A. Vienneau MSN, RN, NC-BC
After two decades as an Intensive Care Nurse caring for the sickest of patients, Nicole left the one-size fits all healthcare industry, and created Blue Monarch Health, where she is; Active Aging Specialist, Health Protection Expert and Head Motivator!
Instead of waiting for you to get sick, she meets you where you live and work, to turn your overwhelm and guilt into courage and victory. She magically does this by hearing your unique needs and then teaches you to be the authority of your health and vitality through actionable wellness plans you can really do in life.
Nicole, takes you by the hand and co-creates a plan with you, so you can really do it in your life. Nicole is an authentic, heart-centered stick of dynamite, that will focus your energies, build up your strengths, and leverage your unique gifts, all while enhancing your health and vitality!
Nicole achieved a Master’s in Nursing Science from the University of Arizona, and a Magnet recognized board certification in Nurse Coaching from the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation. She is Senior Faculty with the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy where she teaches fellow Nurses the skills of health coaching. She is a personal trainer, yoga teacher, nutritionist and group fitness instructor and enjoys healing in nature while hiking the Pacific Northwest trails with her husband or lounging in the sun with her cat babies.