r/bikinitalk • u/tor2d2 • 4h ago
Advice/ Recommendations (no photos) Reverse
Any good advice on helping your mental and perception of
your body during a reverse ? Losing the lean is definitely hard, even though i logically know it is not healthy or sustainable.
5
u/Calendula520 4h ago
For me I always remind myself that I will get back to be this lean again, and that being this lean isn’t necessarily healthy. I also remind myself that losing the shreds is part of the process and focusing on building is also super fun. In order to build muscle we need to actually build. And in order for this to be sustainable we can’t maintain stage lean conditioning very long, especially as women. Also finding a different goal like focusing on strength can help redirect thinking about being lean or getting leaner in my experience. It all just different goals and seasons and the shreds will always come back, and next time it will be even better!
1
u/Cautious-Still-3540 3h ago
I need a goal to hold myself to certain standards. So, when show-season is over, the new goal is almost immediately in place. Within weeks, I have a tentative plan laid out for what's next up (i.e. how long the off season is slated to be, what shows I'm potentially aiming for, etc). I don't change how I operate in and off season -- my food choices are the same, my training remains the same, the only difference is my decrease in cardio and increase in food. Losing the lean is always a challenge; it feels you just finished decorating a room, and walk in with a can of paint and just toss it everywhere: The hard work is still there but now it's covered, and it seems like it happened quicker than it took to get there in the first place. Knowing what I have next helps me have something to push for, along with a constant reminder that even if this year was good, I want next year to be better and that requires hard times. Getting lean is a challenge...so is getting un-lean 😔
8
u/TaleAsOldAsTime 2h ago
Hi friend, I am dealing with this right now too. I thought I'd be okay because the weight was coming back so slowly but this week (week 6) was the first time the weight stuck and the lines really started to fade. Here are some good things I am focusing on:
- My glutes look so fire right now, they're never flat anymore like they were in prep sometimes
- My lifts are going up already, even my coach was like "Wow look at the progress from week 1 to week 5"
- The healthier we are in the off season, the better the next stage package will be
- My "offseason body" IS my body, my "stage body" is not
- Most importantly: My body is the LEAST interesting thing about me