NPCBikni – Han CamFit

Hello friends! I figure it is finally time to let you know why I started this whole blogging ordeal. Hopefully this gives you some insight about why I’m here and helps you decide to follow along on my journey! I have four major reasons for starting – keep reading to find out more!

Try NEW Things

One of my big goals for 2017 is to branch out and broaden my horizons. I do not want to be the person who goes to the same job, same gym, same hobbies, same everything for fifteen, twenty, thirty years. I want to try new things and continue to build myself. In order to do this, I need to take some risks! Starting a blog is one of them. You make be thinking to yourself: but Hannah… starting a blog is not taking a risk! I say that is bologna. I’m putting myself (and my thoughts) out there for the general public (as well as people I know personally) to read and scrutinize. I remember seeing people on Facebook doing things (like starting blogs, businesses, pages, etc.) and thinking about how they wouldn’t be successful doing that, they look like a dummy – why are they trying? Yes – I will admit. I was a freaking asshole. I would never think that now, and I regret having them in the past because those people were WAY ahead of me! I wish I would have put myself out there sooner and been willing to let other people judge me and simply not let it have an effect. The personal growth I’ve already gained from starting my blog and fitness Instagram have made it totally worth it.

Improve my writing capacity

I graduated in 2014 with my degree in English – specifically English education. My strong suit here lies in performing research about time periods, novels, authors, etc., evaluating this research, applying it to my needs, and then writing about these topics. This is vastly different from writing personally or creatively. It is within those fields that I need improvement, so it is those fields I am trying to cultivate and practice! I have a tougher time being a little more flexible in my writing; I generally prefer to write in a more academic manner. Also, I can always use more exposure to grammar and its application. The English language is weird, ya’ll.

Educate

I spent the first year or two of my fitness journey making the dumbest mistakes. I spent a lot of time working really hard at things that weren’t working for me. I followed ridiculous workout plans I’d found on Pinterest, or I’d eat things that were marketed as “healthy,” but were actually just as macro-friendly as a couple of oreos (damn you food industry). If I can prevent others from making the same silly, unknown mistakes I did, then I’d say I’m making some serious blog gains.

I also have plans of getting a nutrition certification through either AFPA or ISSA. If you have any experience or insight with either of these programs, please comment and let me know! Regardless, I will have a lot more to say about the nutrition side of fitness after this. I know I have a lot of experience and knowledge about fitness nutrition just based on my background, but I am not the kind of person to take advice from someone without credentials to back up their statements, so I don’t expect my readers to do that either. That’s my English degree coming out… USE GOOD SOURCES! 🙂

Motivate and Inspire
When I first started my fitness journey, I looked up to several girls for inspiration. They were so lean, had a six pack, ate rice and chicken… or so I thought. I love the makeover that the fitness industry seems to be going through. Everyone is much more down to earth and real – or at least the people I follow. That transparency and honesty is vital in truly being helpful. I followed a lot of stupid advice and bought a few worthless products because some people I looked up to suggested it. I don’t want to be that. I want to motivate others to become the best version of themselves. I spent too many years trying to mimic other girls and wishing I could have their legs, eyes, hair, butt, what have you. F that. Seriously. Say it with me now… F*** THAT! Be you. You’re already freaking awesome; you just might not realize it yet.

My other goal here is to inspire people to find what makes them excited to be here on earth. Amanda Bucci’s tagline or slogan of sort is “ignite your fire.” I could not possibly agree with that more. Find what you love. Find what motivates you. Find what inspires you. Find what makes you happy and gives your life purpose and then give it everything you’ve got. It is seriously life changing to arrange your day and focus around the things that make YOU (not your friends, boss, or even significant other) happy. I want to show people that.

Well – those are my four reasons. I hope they give you a little more insight to who I am as a person, and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for reading! Always,

Han

As you can probably guess from my last blog title, I recently competed in my first NPC bikini show. Before the show, I scoured the internet and YouTube for articles, blogs, and videos discussing show day and what I could expect. I found some useful resources, but I wish I could have read or watched more. So I decided I’d make my own blog entry about it, and hopefully someone else will find this insightful (and as always, a tad bit amusing). Enjoy!

Morning/Athlete’s Meeting

I woke up bright and early to start getting ready. I didn’t have a difficult time waking; I slept awful from trying to stay on my back and just general nerves and excitement. I sent pictures to my coach and he said I could have a cup of coffee and a couple sips of water (coffee = heaven). I did my own hair and makeup, so I started with makeup first. Let me know if you want any details on show hair/makeup!

Ace and I headed for the venue around 7:45 for the athlete’s meeting at 8:30… which didn’t actually start until 9:00. The competitors spent this time scarfing down rice cakes and various other carbs. The meeting included the basics about the schedule and expectations, but I was thrown for a loop when they told us that bikini and physique were only allowed to hit a front and back pose on stage THE END. They were extremely adamant about it. A lot of people were looking around kind of irritated because they (myself included) had practiced a bit more of an elaborate routine. I made a mental note to modify with some minor changes later. After all this, the meeting concluded and they warned us prejudging started in forty minutes.

Prejudging

Prejudging taught me that there is a lot of “hurry up and wait” in the bodybuilding world. There was a general level of chaos backstage, but people kept making comments about how the show was running smoothly. I suppose the chaos is normal! I did Open Bikini B class, and we went on around 11:30. They called out that we had five minutes before lining up, so I went over to get “glazed,” or have oil applied. I had just walked over when they started yelling for us to line up (five minutes, my ass), so the glaze guy was literally trotting down the hall with me while I made my way to the stage (shout out to that guy). Once I made it to the waiting area before going onstage, I realized I would be standing there for a while… hence the “hurry up and wait.” I didn’t have time to pump up before, so I did about fifty push ups (thanks CrossFit and adrenaline surge) so at least my arms would pop a bit more.

I felt confident and ready! Bring on the stage! As soon as I went up there and hit my front pose, I started shaking/trembling like crazy. What. In. The. I’m not sure what or why it happened, but Ace told me you couldn’t tell – thank goodness!

They lined up 1-7, 8-14, and then lined everyone up to the side. There were fourteen numbers, but only twelve girls (two didn’t show up). I was thrilled when I heard my number for first callouts! I started in the middle, worked my way to the outside, and then they had me shift back in. They say the closer to the middle you are, the higher your placing. I’d say that was pretty accurate based on my experience.

Downtime

Between shows, Ace and I went back to the hotel. Some girls ate burgers and fries between shows, but my coach had me stick to my prepped foods. I passed time by watching TV and attempting to nap (haha – yeah right). I was allowed another cup of coffee (hallelujah) and I touched up hair and makeup before heading back to the venue.

Night Show

Finally! It was time for the night show. I was ready. I knew I’d gotten my jitters out during prejudging, and I was ready to kill it. I ate my rice cakes with plenty of time. I spent a lot of time pumping up, got oiled, and pumped up some more. I was ready when they called for my class.

Overall, I was happy with my posing routine and how the night show went. It took a bit longer for me to get on stage since everyone was getting more stage time. Regardless, I got up there a did a slightly modified version of my routine, which wasn’t even necessary. They were letting people take as long as they wanted in their routine – the complete opposite of what they’d warned us about at the athlete’s meeting. They had all bikini classes go up and complete their routines, and then they called up the top five for awards. I ended up with 4th place, and as I said before, I was absolutely THRILLED with this placing for my first show!

Post-Show

Ace & I after the night show. Can you tell he was afraid of touching my tan? 🙂

You better believe I had myself a big bacon cheeseburger, fries, ketchup, and a glass of wine afterwards! I didn’t finish the cheeseburger or drink hardly any of the wine (Ace had to finish it for me), but I was feeling pretty darn good. We topped off the treat meal with some birthday cake ice cream with a brownie mixed in, of course. Annnnnnd I still didn’t finish that.

What I Learned

This blog is already much longer than I meant, so I’ll keep this part short!

1 – Get prepared soon. Take plenty of time to eat your carbs, pump up, and get ready right before getting on stage. You don’t want to feel rushed! I think that is part of what contributed to my shaking during prejudging.

2 – Take your time in posing! I didn’t rush as bad as I thought I would, but I still could have gone much slower. I worked so hard – enjoy your time up there! I also think my stage shots would have been better.

Alright guys! I hope this was helpful. If you’d like further details on anything, let me know!

Always,

Han C

Tag: NPCBikni

Why I’m Here…

Han

My First NPC Bikini Competition