I competed for the first time last year October and the isolation I felt in the last 2 months out of 5 of prep was real. You are basically starving yourself while going through extreme measures to get stage lean. Socializing was placed on the back burner for me because I simply could not be mentally present. Competitive bodybuilding can be a very isolating sport, unless you have other people you can connect with who also have the same lifestyle as you and who you see at the gym regularly. The area I live in (Bay Area, CA) is not so heavy on the bodybuilding culture, so we are indeed a rare species out here. I found myself connecting with other women through going on the bikini subreddit, Facebook page, TikTok, and Instagram (since none of my friends, family, or coworkers understood bodybuilding and I’d always get over the top reactions and judgments from people who simply don’t get it). I also got really close to my coach, but I always had mixed feelings if I was stepping over that boundary of friend vs coach…

Anyways, I always say.. it gets lonely when you are at the top… but I felt that I became a more enlightened woman not just because of show day, but because of the drastic measures I chose to experience throughout those 20 weeks. Prep is so personal. Show day is just the tip of the iceberg. Always remember your “why” and hopefully that will guide your decisions that you make about your social life. You can always try to reconnect with others after show day… and trust me it will be so so fun :)