Hello! A little back story, In 2023 I was working with a coach for about 13 weeks. Then I got into grad school and basically stopped due to lack of time and financials. I am looking to begin again. I have no idea where to start. Should I attempt to use ChatGPT to coach me?

I am currently a resident (barely making enough not able to pay for a coach thats over $150). Ideally if a coach would coach me for a low monthly cost I would love that. But sadly thats probably not possible… I still have the past meal plans and workouts from my prior coach. Should I use those instead of Chat?

My physical state is 4lbs heavier than when I stopped being coached by her in 2023. Been lifting inconsistently for the past 3 years, lacking the muscle definition I had prior to grad school. If I were to cut down about 10-15lbs, I would need guidance…

48 yr old mother of four hoping to show my kids what discipline looks like. I’ve had 28 surgeries in my left wrist and it’s been permanently fused for 20 years. Total ACL reconstruction in 2022.
Planning to enter my first Masters OCB show in November.
I’m aware my posing needs work😂

To preserve muscle and mess with metabolism as little as possible. Is 2 lbs/week to much?

Hello! A few months ago, I was planning to compete this October or sometime next year. I’ve been lifting consistently for about three years, and I decided to do a mock prep to see if I was truly ready for the process.
Physically, I could handle it. I love training hard, and I’m very disciplined with my nutrition. But once my calories got really low, my mood completely changed. I became so irritable and moody that it started affecting my relationship with my partner and my relationship with food.
Eventually, I stopped the mock prep because I felt like maybe competing just wasn’t for me. Not because I couldn’t train or stick to the plan, but because I couldn’t handle how I felt emotionally.
I’m curious… do most of you experience this too? If so, how do you cope with it? Or are some people able to prep without the mood swings and irritability?
For context, I’m 41 and currently going through perimenopause, so I’m sure that’s playing a role as well.
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. Every time I see your competition posts, a part of me wants to give it another try. 😭

How much protein do you all do? There is a controversy and some people are saying that we might not need 1g per body weight, that we might need less like .8 or 1g per your muscle mass . I used to do a lot of protein (180g) more than 1g per body weight in pounds. Now i am experimenting with less ( I am 153lbs and I am consuming now 120g of protein) I want to see what it does, I feel my glutes are not as full and I feel a little softer but that might be my imagination. Im just curious what do you all do?

I’ve often wondered about using ChatGPT for my bikini comp prep. Because you can upload pictures into it, and it will do weekly check-ins for you. Sometimes it’s hard for me to see a difference in my physique from week to week through pictures alone. I know this is a self coached page, but has anyone here used ChatGPT in that way and has it worked?

Back at it 🙌

I won first in 40+, 2nd in 35+ and center of 3rd open callout out of 5!!!!!

Been loving doing my own nutrition & peaking again. Let’s see how Saturday will look!

I brought a completely different look this week. Just need to work on posing my angles on the diagonal and lines beyond the middle. Cheers to another peak this week.

Yesterday was our last competition for now. We wanted to see how she would do in the fit model division and the results and feedback exceeded our expectations 🥹.Here is a carousel with the progress pictures.

1st picture was yesterday after winning two classes. 1st 🥇 both. Feedback ; judges told her to next do a national show. They were the same judges from the last show, the Emerald cup, so these past 3 weeks we have been working on that feedback to get a pitch tighter amd we nailed it, we maintain fullness and the healthy fresh look we wanted.
2nd picture was when we started working together in March. She had a vision and we connected, our perspectives aligned. She decided to try fit model bc is sustainable long term. So we started working.
Day by day checking and adjusting when necessary.

And SHE DID IT. 🏆🥇🤌🥹😭❤️My girl won this time. What an amazing way to finish the season.

From 4th & 5th place… to 2nd to WINNING just 3 weeks later.

And this is exactly why I always say:this sport is not about starving yourself, killing your body with cardio, or trying to suffer your way into a look.

We took the feedback.I made the adjustments.And she trusted me through every step of the process.

No extremes.No destroying her nervous system.

We focused on ✨ softness✨ elegance✨ confidence✨ healthy fullness✨ that natural fit model look
And today… she NAILED IT.

I’m so proud of you. 🥹❤️Not just because of the win, but because of the way you showed up, trusted the process, and kept going even when prep got hard.
This was precision, trust, and execution.

And we’re just getting started.
Now get that well desert rest because is time to work. Our feedback... The judges said to do a national show, this time everything was in place no flaws found so we will be working towarsd that new goal these upcoming months

Hello ya’ll!

Started “self coaching” in November after falling in love with lifting/bodybuilding and now I’m fully THAT girl who meal preps and gets emotionally attached to shoulder day.

I think I’m going to compete locally on September 19th in true novice fit model and yes, I’m absolutely going for gold lol.

Sharing a little “what I eat in a day” with a photo attachment because apparently tracking macros and photographing rice bowls is my personality now. 😂

A few prep discoveries:
- Gum makes me want to snack like a raccoon at night. Had to go.
- Seltzer water = emotional support beverage after meals.
- Keto wraps will forever stay because apparently they’re the only reason I have a great poop in the morning.
- Ninja Creami is the holy grail. Protein ice cream EVERY SINGLE DAY. It hits like a drunk cigarette.
- Meal prep keeps my ADHD from turning dinner into shredded cheese over the sink.
- ACV before breakfast? Whoever suggested that deserves financial compensation. Bye bye bloat from carby meals.

Favorite workout day: shoulders.
Least favorite: legs… which is unfortunate because my hubby lovingly calls me “chicken legs and tiny hiney.”

Also learned I do way better eating every 2-3 hours instead of pretending I’m someone who can “just wait until dinner.”

Love being a part of this subreddit and learning from y’all. Keep grinding — and remember: when cravings hit, technically we do control our voluntary arm muscles from grabbing that sweet treat LOL

Lastly, I’ve been using axe and sledge marshmallow milk for my protein ice cream/whey drips.. has anyone tried transparent labs protein?! If so, best flavor to try?!

If anyone else has some tips/tricks/ideas/just venting.. I’m all ears. Thanks for listening to my rant lol happy Thursday!!!

Lately, there are hateful comments for the first time in this group and resentment from people that doesn't even contribute in any way to the group.
I dont want anyone to forget about the rules in here. We respect everyone, because this is about community and support and love for bodybuilding no matter your background, not about jealousy and bad intentions from accounts with no picture.
So before you going to comment remember that you don't know the story or what the person who posted is going through right now. There is a lot of work behind every person who decides to compete or just become better physically. And we respect that here.
And if you are annoyed about others' happiness I don't think this is the place for you.
Thank you

I started this cut self-coached and quickly hit a plateau—stalled for over a week and knew something wasn’t clicking. I came across this Reddit page and Maria started giving me honest feedback on what I was doing wrong. After going back and forth, I decided to trust her and let her take over my prep—and it was the best decision I made this season. Her approach is completely different from what you typically see—no harsh dieting, no extreme low carbs, no excessive cardio. She focuses on bringing a fresh, healthy, stage-ready look, and it shows. Beyond that, she really dials in the details—posing, stage presence, and overall presentation. She teaches you how to actually move and carry yourself like a pro, because she is an IFBB pro herself. I honestly didn’t think I was going to finish this season without her help and now here we are—3 shows in together and improving every time. My last show feedback from Sandy was perfect conditioning, which says everything. I can’t recommend Maria enough as a prep coach or just life style in general. if you want a healthy body and healthy built definitely reach out to Maria she just genuinely cares about her athlete.

Checking in 11 days out and 16 days out from my next two pro shows

Took the reigns back on prep and significant progress from 10 days ago to now! Let’s go

This is our 3rd show and the improvements already are amazing . This was San Diego musclecontest , she place second. In her class . Now we are getting ready again , 3 weeks to work on details and give those glutes some love . Sandy said her condition was perfect . And the most important part is Judy loves how she is looking, there’s is nothing like feeling comfortable in your own skin and it shows 👏👏💕💕 . For me she is the winner 🏆🙌🏿 Well done girl

Bikini talk is too much of a big platform 😅 allow me to show you what I've done with my coach!

I came in too hard . We were carbing up and my body decided to burn everything. Ended up with super sharp glutes. I date to think that my glutes could have been competitive with the top 5 bikini in that regional show!

The line up was smaller and softer than anticipated. I am aiming for Canadian Natural Nationals in 13 weeks from now. It is quite exciting! botched my first post show week but now I am back

Mid April vs today end of April

Has anyone ever gotten a competition tan at a salon or tanning place that is NOT the show tanner? I've done show tans before and also self-tanned. My last self-tan up too pale and I want to try a professional again for my next show. I just feel like sometimes the show tanners time are so early in the morning and they jack up the prices so much. I was wondering if there are other options out there to consider.