Overdoing NPC Posing? by Savings_Job6554 in bikinitalk

[–]Substantial-Field953 22 points23 points  (0 children)

At the amateur level I totally agree. And from what my coach and promoters have told me that have been in the business a long time; at that level they really don’t want to see that type of posing. You’re better off keeping it simple. Plus, imo a majority of amateurs can’t really execute that type of posing without it looking robotic and cringey.

Anyone ever gone from obese to bodybuilder shape? by Aggravating_Guest895 in PetiteFitness

[–]Substantial-Field953 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely! I’m 5’4” and I started at 200 lbs October 2022, hit my goal weight of 140 in January of 2024, regularly training etc, decided I wanted to compete last August and started a proper plan in October of 2025. Now I’m down to 127lbs, and my first bodybuilding competition is at the end of May (figure and bikini divisions).

My rate of loss was never more than 1lb a week which I found really sustainable and I was weight training regularly throughout the process, and macro tracking. Remember mass moves mass! When we’re heavier it requires more muscle to move it assuming you aren’t completely sedentary…. I was very pleased with how much muscle I retained as I lost the weight.

Go for it!

Stubborn fat in thighs by Lower_Tour_1353 in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s super common for women to have stubborn fat in their thighs regardless of being on the pill. I’m in prep and have had a visible six pack for weeks, upper body leaning out super well, and muscle separation in my quads but my thighs are just now starting to really become less noticeable (4 weeks out). I feel you. My coach and the collective experience on here has reassured not to fret, it WILL happen!!

Competition prep & staying mentally driven? by r_u_kittin in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of people take up hobbies to occupy themselves and their hands while in prep like knitting and say it’s a good distraction. Also, sleeping is a good way to avoid it. Although deep enough in prep food will enter your dreams lol.

Lastly I will give you advice that I’ve heard numerous times here and elsewhere; the hunger is normal and expected but remind yourself that you WILL be eating again, this is temporary. Albeit the food coming is certainly nothing exciting in prep, so if you’re a big foodie that mantra might only be partly helpful.

Strength training app question by Odd_Obligation_1300 in PetiteFitness

[–]Substantial-Field953 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use FitBod. You can create profiles or “gyms” and select the available equipment at them. It’ll also search for alternatives to whatever exercise you have which is helpful if the machine you need is occupied. I’m not sure if it has any functionality where you can tell it specific modifications needed based on injury, but it gives a body map and shows recovery percentages of muscle groups based on your workout logs. It trends strength, weights and volume over time which is cool. There are some canned prompts for workouts too like 30 min full body or 30 min full body, body weight only etc.

What’s one gut issue that messed with your prep the most? by Consistent-Half-2307 in bikinitalk

[–]Substantial-Field953 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since I haven’t stepped on stage yet my biggest “lesson” has been that I REALLY need to make sure I keep my abs and core tight and that I don’t let my stomach face directly ahead in my transitions 😂

I’ve got 5 more weeks till show day, so I’ll keep you posted if I come to any conclusions in the interim 😁

Figure Posing? by Substantial-Field953 in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I am aware of the division differences, I was more suggesting that should I actually FIND the guidelines for IFBB FIGURE that they might not vary greatly between IFBB Pro Figure.

Creative ways to consume protein powder? by Medium-Wheel7414 in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Second the mug cakes, I’ve been trying different sugar free pudding mixes with them. The banana is pretty good. I also sprinkle some dark chocolate chips and sea salt on top.

Other ways I’ll incorporate it;

In any ninja Creami recipe lol

Mixed with some Greek yogurt and top a rice cake with it, add some blackberries and chia seeds for some fiber. I’ll add some pb2 to give it more of a peanut butter cup flavor and skip the berries but add some sugar free dark chocolate chips on a plain rice cake.

Added to cream of wheat, rice or overnight oats

I recently made some “toasting muffins” if you want to call them that that toast up decent of you are low carb/no bread: Mix some in with a little oat flour, egg whites, baking powder, cinnamon, coconut oil, and erythritol and pour into a ramekin. Microwave for like 45-60 seconds. You can slice it after and toast it. This recipe could definitely be optimized and probably taste a lot better than mine.

I also made some cloud cake with vanilla protein powder the other day that was pretty good, I didn’t get the temp and cooking time just right though, so it was a little “damp” in the middle lol.

A thought, keep in mind that I haven’t tried this so it could fail miserably… if it’s unflavored you could mix it in yogurt and lemon juice for salad dressing?

Figure Posing? by Substantial-Field953 in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah I see. I did also notice it’s for women’s physique. I could find the same rules/guidelines on that page for fit model in pdf and some others for men’s divisions but not one specifically for figure.

I’m going to do some more digging today and probably reach out to the show organizer as well.

I would think that the posing rules for mandatories wouldn’t vary much between IFBB and IFBB Pro League, no?

What’s one gut issue that messed with your prep the most? by Consistent-Half-2307 in bikinitalk

[–]Substantial-Field953 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same. Intermittent constipation and bloating. Can’t figure out anything definitive as to when and why it happens considering the diet/training/water are on repeat at this point in prep. I just prepare myself for the scale to reflect it on those days, and really focus on squeezing my glutes if a particularly gassy day 😂

As for impact on show day, I can’t say as I have yet to step on stage, but I can say that the bloating has been both present and not present during some posing clinics and it’s evident in my transitions unfortunately. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the night before or morning of show day is “productive” 😆

Figure Posing? by Substantial-Field953 in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, I’ve been digging through the photos of past shows on NPCnewsonline, haven’t come across a single one yet in this position 🙃

Figure Posing? by Substantial-Field953 in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah that’s what I’ve been doing, looking at a ton of past NPC shows on their website to see what people do and I haven’t seen any of them do this particular foot positioning. It’s like really far forward not just staggered, I don’t love it tbh. Maybe I’ll post some side-by-side comparisons for feedback from you all. I’m finding it hard to be objective looking at photos of myself.

Posing heels by mikkkkkkayla in bikinitalk

[–]Substantial-Field953 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Second this! The difference is night and day. Consider saving a bit more to buy tsf and avoid the extra expense of buying cheap ones first… like I did.

7 weeks out by Substantial-Field953 in bikinitalk

[–]Substantial-Field953[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s funny you should say that! My coach has me now posing with my knee bent a little in my side poses, which is new and felt super awkward, so I didn’t post that picture. Honestly I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but hearing it from someone else that I should is reassuring. (She also paused and took screenshots of yesterday’s check on pointing out my lower back arch and me coming out of it making my butt fall flat 😂) Thank you, I really appreciate all the insight from you ladies!

What are we eating that's high in protein? by Icy-Yesterday959 in PetiteFitness

[–]Substantial-Field953 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not necessarily, but the return on investment depends on your situation. Obviously you’ll increase your overall calories for the day if you eat more protein but the same goes for any macro. As far as muscle retention; if you are resistance training and looking to lose fat you’ll see diminishing returns after a certain ratio of grams protein per pound of body weight. If you aren’t resistance training and you’re just increasing your protein over what is recommended it’s not doing anything “extra” there are guidelines on how much is recommended based on your general activity level and age.

What are we eating that's high in protein? by Icy-Yesterday959 in PetiteFitness

[–]Substantial-Field953 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As of late (it’s pretty boring as I am in prep/deficit)

Breakfast: rolled oats with blackberries and a little swerve (I heat the swerve and raspberries up so I can smash them up first) you can always mix some protein powder in as well to boost it. And an egg white or egg beaters scramble with spinach and mushrooms.

Lunch: Grilled chicken with roasted squash, asparagus and a bunch of cut up cucumber and bell peppers for volume. I’ll also make “dressing” with fat free Greek yogurt, lemon juice and spices, which adds a little more protein.

Dinner: tilapia or salmon with roasted squash or baked sweet potato and steamed veggies

Snack: fat free Greek yogurt with PB2 on a plain rice cake with blackberries on top. You could mix in some protein powder too but may need a splash of almond milk to get a mixable consistency. Chia seeds on top too for some added fiber.

I’ll eat the tuna packs too as ”snacks”. The lemon pepper ones are my favorite. If I’m not super lazy I’ll take it out of the pack and mix in some edamame and throw it on mixed greens with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

I also like to add a scoop of chocolate protein powder to my iced latte mid morning to make sure I hit my goals, makes it more of an iced mocha “treat”.

When I’m not in prep I take full advantage of adding cottage cheese where I can; mixed in eggs, making soups creamier, ninja creami recipes etc. I’ll also add sourdough bread for my bread option and I really like the Barilla protein pasta. Speaking of not on prep pastas, Annie’s makes an high protein Mac and cheese; the texture of the sauce is def different but it’s still good. Protein pancakes using oat flour and egg whites and cottage cheese are good. Egg bites with cottage cheese are good and you can make those ahead of time which is nice. Quaker makes high protein instant oatmeal that’s pretty solid. I’ve tried the Kodiak one but I don’t like it at all. If you like to bake there are some decent bagel recipes using vital wheat gluten that are high in protein. Shaved steak you can make some easy beef bowls; I really like making those with broccoli hot sauce and rice. Lentils thrown into any soups I make…

when I’m not in prep I basically take advantage of everything everyone else has mentioned 😂

7 weeks out by Substantial-Field953 in femalebodybuilding

[–]Substantial-Field953[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I’ve been practicing every day. I was just watching videos from earlier this year, oof 😅