Our trainers: How was your overall experience? Part 2
How did you find the process of competing?
I really loved competing. I loved the process and the routine because as a person that’s just what I like. I don’t mind eating the same meals over and over if I enjoy them, even if that might sound boring to some people.
I’m very results-driven so the journey was exciting to me, seeing my body change day in and day out getting closer to the competition. Although I must admit the last few weeks were very hard, mentally and physically. I was drained and didn’t have energy for much being that low in body fat and in turn my body started to slow down too to try and preserve some energy.
How did you find balancing prep and being a personal trainer?
This was difficult when you having an active job, but I just had to keep pushing through because I knew this was coming and I decided to take part in the competition, it wasn’t forced on me. The training was intense…by the end, I was doing 6 weight training sessions and 6 x 60 minutes of cardio a week. When your calories start dropping is a mental battle.
Are you going to compete again? And would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I would compete again as I loved the process and I love a challenge but also the routine. It’s great to have a goal to work towards especially when it pays off in the end!
Would I recommend it to anyone? I don’t know, you’d have to really want to do it to be able to do it. It’s not for the faint-hearted or someone who wants to do it just to get lean. It’s an unsustainable level of body fat, you have no energy and you basically lose all hope of social life.
So if that sounds like something someone can do and they are passionate about the sport then yes I would recommend it. The show day was great, I met a lot of like-minded people who were all so supportive and helpful. I also achieved something I didn’t think was possible having a condition like mine but also having scoliosis (curvature of the spine) I thought I would be too unbalanced to win in the eyes of the judges, but it was great.
Keep up to date with Jess by following her @coachedbyjessie or by emailing her at jess@retrofitlondon.com