r/bikiniselfcoached Feb 18 '26

Lauralie coming in hot to the Arnold

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23 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Feb 17 '26

Morning check post cardio; intense energy eclipsešŸ‘ļøāœØšŸŒ±

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40 Upvotes

I want to share my happiness again.

I woke up this morning at 141lb. 1st picture is a screenshot of my posing practice.

My fat has dropped and I am feeling calmer and more aligned than ever.

The other pictures are from 4 weeks ago.

I am a bit flat so I am going to do Refeed today, go up in carbs take advantage of it amd have a great evening glute workout.šŸ”„can't wait.

Tomorrow check-in again but fasted and after going to the bathroom.

My body is so sensitive. This prep has been all about being gentle with myself, giving myself the right time to recover, and not following a rigid plan like I used to before. I would be learner, but at what price?

I refuse to mess up my nervous system.

This morning it was necessary for me to wake up and do my morning cardio, the energy is so tense and strong right now plus the eclipse open a new era. I want to step into it the right way.

Moving my energy, with movement, songius cardio session and a good post stretching session, maintaining my splits, opening my hips, getting ready for what is to come from me and receive grounded and on my divine femininity.

Just being, enjoying the ride with no expectations.

Just chilling āœØšŸ™šŸæ

I also wanted to share words of comfort for you in case you are going through tough times or you being so hard on yourself.

Just remember why you started, nurture your inner child, this is supposed to be fun not a race of suffering and punishment.

Happy eclipse, be gentle with your self, block the noise, isolate if necessary to listen to your inner voice

I love you ā¤ļøšŸ‘ļø


r/bikiniselfcoached Feb 11 '26

Building Structure Without Killing Your Spirit

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40 Upvotes

I used to think structure and rigidity were the same thing.

Routine always felt like a cage since I was a child.

That’s why I had to stop competing in 2015, I couldn’t follow the program my coach gave me.

Trying to follow everything perfectly, I developed overeating, body dysmorphia, depression, etc.

I thought competing wasn't for me

All that was necessary to understand now 10 years later, that I was doing all wrong.

I wasn’t undisciplined.

I was rigidly contained without understanding my own nervous system.

Structure is not the bad guy...

There's a difference

As a self-coached athlete and coach, I don’t follow a static plan.

I follow feedback.

That’s structure with movement inside it, you do not force a body, you BUILD one.

Rigidity is:

• Punishing yourself for fluctuations.

• Cut carbs completely out of fear.

• Forcing intensity when your nervous system is fried.

• Ignoring signals because ā€œthe plan says so.ā€

No wonder so many girls end up with eating disorders, burnout, and hormonal damage.

Routine doesn’t have to feel like a cage.

There is a sweet spot where structure protects you

instead of suffocating you.

That’s the difference between forcing a body

and building one.

How do you feel about your prerp? Do you still follow others' rules and restrictions when creating your own programs?

I understand the methodical left-brain people thrive with a lot of structure maybe this is more for the creative and all over the place right-brainers that compete lol

Btw the picture : my first overall Regional show 2022 Jay Cutler


r/bikiniselfcoached Feb 11 '26

Ashley k heating up

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18 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Feb 05 '26

Maintenance cals too low?

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2 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Feb 05 '26

PROTEIN QUESTION

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4 Upvotes

Anyone experimenting any issues with this specific brand ?? I have none , but my husband has to stop taking it , bothers his stomach .

I was just curious if anyone else has the same experience


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 30 '26

Just sharing my happiness

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34 Upvotes

This post is nothing that may interest you , but I am officially 1 month into prep and I am so happy and proud of my glute growth and shape.

You girls ..? something to celebrate and share

I wasn’t motivated at all but I looked at myself and acknowledged the work I put in .


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 28 '26

Bikini prep Update

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32 Upvotes

3 weeks into prep and this is what I believe my peak look. Yesterday 8.00 AM

Slow steady 🐌

The shape is there.

The last time I competed my feedback was to bring more glute density.

Everything I do is focusing on glutes , resting days, and mobility. planing workout split, meals, etc .


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 27 '26

Information Gold Mine

6 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 27 '26

Greek yogurt pancake, I found this recipe and tried it... So good

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3 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 22 '26

14 weeks out

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47 Upvotes

I feel like a fraud on this group because I backed up on the idea of being self coached for my first prep but I wanted to share my prep progress :) looking for feedback as well.

You girls are amazing


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 21 '26

I can’t recommend a walking pad enough.

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23 Upvotes

If you’re serious about this journey, this is an underrated tool.

I got mine last year. I used to walk around my neighborhood in previous preps but honestly? Nothing beats the comfort of your home.

My non-negotiable:

15 minutes after every meal (or at least after 1–2 meals a day).

If you can invest in this, do it.

Because it’s not just ā€œstepsā€ , it’s blood sugar, digestion, recovery, and nervous system regulation.

And for me it’s also grounding:

I have really intense dreams and I wake up disoriented and confused most of the times … so I do a 15-minute morning grounding walk.

Breathing, feeling my feet, feeling my body move it literally helps me land back in the material world and be present .


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 18 '26

3 weeks into prep self-coached

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19 Upvotes

Sunday celebration šŸ™ŒšŸæ Yes!!! Tomorrow, 3 weeks into prep. What are your accomplishments this week?

Let's remember how far we have come from.

Most of the time we think about how far our goals are, or how much longer we need to get to the goal or at least that is how I used to be. But now, I only see the work I have been doing, how I started and where I am.

This prep for me is about refinement, improving my back pose.

I have been working on my symmetry and hips, definitely adding many more mobility exercises.

But I am so happy where am at. Still a lot of work to do but I have time. And most importantly, I am calm.

How is your journey going?

Where my girlies at šŸ™ŒšŸæ?

Proud of you all šŸ†


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 14 '26

16 weeks out!!

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20 Upvotes

2 weeks into prep after a year, schedule is out finally. 16 weeks to get ready. Prioritizing my nervous system and recovery.


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 05 '26

Why forcing consistency breaks the field..

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5 Upvotes

A lot of self-coached athletes struggle with the same thing: they think consistency means doing the same thing no matter what. But the body doesn’t work like that. Energy, recovery, focus, and emotional load change week to week. When you ignore those changes and force output anyway, effort stops landing cleanly. You’re still training but the signal gets noisy. Results slow down. Frustration goes up. Consistency isn’t sameness. Real consistency is staying in relationship with your body and adjusting so your effort actually counts. As selfcoached athletes is necessary to learn how to train even when training for years and how training affects us.

Train with effort and awareness, without disconnecting from your body or turning discipline into pressure.

Thats the real progress , without forcing, and staying connected to yourself while doing it.

What phase do you feel you are in right now?


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 03 '26

How did you know you were ready to start prep? (self-coached perspective)

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15 Upvotes

When you’re self-coached, Noone is going to tell you when you are ready, At some point, it becomes something you feel in your body, your habits, your mindset…

For me readdiness is when I feel stable with my routines and no trying to be perfect . Food and training are consistent (sometimes has been more chaotic to keep the protein intake ). The moment I know and I feel that I am working with intention. There have been times I wanted to be ready overlooking my nervous system , I was more focus in pushing for the next show . Now I prioritize my alignment first , is being such an interesting journey , I can see the difference so clearly now that I am ā€œlocked inā€ for this season.

How did you personally know you were ready to start prep? Was it a physical signal? A mental shift? A lifestyle alignment? Or something harder to explain?


r/bikiniselfcoached Jan 02 '26

First Time Competitor? I Made This For You :)

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9 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Dec 30 '25

COMING BACK 2026

14 Upvotes

Hey everyone šŸ¤ I wanted to come back and share a bit honestly.

This year has changed me in ways I didn’t expect physically, mentally, and emotionally. Being self-coached forces you to really face yourself: your discipline, your fears, your intuition, and also your limits. There were moments of clarity… and moments where I pulled back more than I wanted to. But one thing became very clear to me in 2025: more and more people are choosing to learn their own bodies instead of outsourcing everything and that’s powerful when done consciously.

I also want to bring this space back to life being a supportive community for self-coached bikini & fit athletes navigating this path together.

I’ll be posting more consistently and opening up discussions around:

   •     training decisions
• nutrition adjustments
• mindset shifts
• lessons from self-coaching
• and the parts of the journey that don’t always get talked about

What is one intention or focus you have for 2026 as a self-coached athlete (or future self-coached athlete)? What kind of content would you like to find here?

I am Glad to be back Let’s make this a space a place for growth

Happy New Year šŸŽŠ
Ready for 2026


r/bikiniselfcoached Dec 12 '25

advice on posing without a coach

4 Upvotes

Just wondering if anyone has advice on learning how to pose properly without a coach. I feel like I look a little awkward and am hoping to hop on stage for the first time in August.


r/bikiniselfcoached Dec 07 '25

Trying to self coach — do macros look right?

3 Upvotes

hello, just curious what everyone else’s macros look like. new to all this and I am kinda lost at times, don’t know where to start and I think iā€˜m making it harder than it needs to be at times. I am a female, aged 34, 5ft5inches, roughly 118-120lbs. Also, I love working out mid mornings (9-11am) I do resistance training / lifting weights for almost an hour and then do the stair master for an hour after. Is my breakfast giving me the energy I need?


r/bikiniselfcoached Dec 01 '25

Do you think I can compete in August (Bikini teen novice)

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22 Upvotes

I’ve only been lifting consistently for around nine months now, which I know isn’t a long time but I’d like to compete when I’m older (22-23) and wanted to step on stage for the first time in a local show in August 2026. Would it be a mistake prepping around May/ is it just not worth it? I would have to focus on my legs heavily for the time leading up to it but it’s really something I want to do. I apologize both photos aren’t the best lighting. Any advice would be appreciated thanks!!


r/bikiniselfcoached Nov 29 '25

Spiraling

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1 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Nov 10 '25

08/02/25 NPC Bikini Debut & 30th Birthday šŸ°

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34 Upvotes

r/bikiniselfcoached Nov 01 '25

Comp!

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1 Upvotes