Yes, I Am A Bodybuilder

I will be the first to admit I had prejudices about the Bikini catagory when it first arrived on the scene. In fact, someone could even call me a hypocrite now because it's the catagory I am currently striving to compete in.  The fact is the Bikini catagory in bodybuilding shows is still not taken seriously as an actual catagory that deserves included.  It wasn't until I competed last year in Figure that I truly understood the purpose of the Bikini catagory and why I belonged there. 

Having been training since November for my new catagory I can now actually give a first hand account of what it's like to train as a Bikini competitor compared to a Figure competitor.  So, what is the difference?

NOTHING.

So many times I have read people complaining that Bikini was an "easy out" for a competitor and that the catagory had no place a "real" bodybuilding shows.  I never went as far as to say it never had a place but I admit, I did have a preconceived notion that it was easier.   Well it MUST be right?  We have less muscle than Figure, we're softer than Figure, this means there must be less work!  That statement is so far from the truth!!!

I workout 6 days a week using REAL weight until my body parts BURN just like a bodybuilder.  I eat 6 clean meals a day just like a bodybuilder, all packed up in my 6 Pack bag just like a bodybuilder.  I'm going to deplete my water, carb load my body, and paint myself the color of copper, just.like.a.bodybuilder.  So when I tell someone that I bodybuild, or that I am a bodybuilder I say it with conviction because by definition this is what I am! This is what I do! I choose to have it define me, just like a bodybuilder.

This is dedicated not only to my fellow Bikini competitors near and far, but to those who have the same preconceived thoughts as I once did.  This sport should bring us together not pull us apart.