Celebration!
August 09, 2011 at 9:46 PM
CELEBRATION
The 2011 NPC USA bodybuilding, bikini, figure and physique championships were this past weekend right here in my hometown, Las Vegas, NV. There were just under 700 competitors in this, the biggest national NPC show of the year. The best of the best amateurs in their respective classes train, diet and prep for months upon months just for this show alone.
On July 9 I competed in figure at the 2011 NPC Team Universe in New Jersey. To my disappointment, I had a poor placement (15.) I had spoken to a judge after the show and she advised me to think about competing in women’s physique (WP) due to the nature of the muscularity in my legs and the hardness in my abs and upper body . Figure over the past year has been leaning toward the softer look and when I try to tone down my muscularity I lose the little waist I worked so hard to get, and just look boxy.
This is the first year that women’s physique has been introduced. There are no regional shows for competitors to qualify in, you have to already be nationally qualified through the NPC in order to compete. I knew nothing about women’s physique. How do I pose? What are they looking for? Am I big enough? I struggled with all these questions all the way home from NJ and when I saw my trainer and Coach Denise Dinger once I arrived home in Vegas we researched WP and agreed that figure was no longer an outlet in which I could succeed in and advance to the IFBB. So there we were 3 weeks out from the USA’s, the biggest national show of the year, and I’m just now deciding to cross into a brand new category that I know nothing about. GREAT.
WP is a middle ground between figure and bodybuilding. It has been created to give a platform for women who enjoy weight training, competing and contest preparation. Competitors should display a toned, athletic physique showcasing femininity, muscle tone, beauty/ flow of physique.
Here we go, 3 weeks of SERIOUS diet, making sure that I come in hard and cut, because I softened up for figure only a few weeks prior, I had my work cut out for me. Four fish and asparagus meals a day and 3 protein shakes are basically what I was living on. My 2 hours of cardio everyday was no joke either. My day basically consisted of waking up, getting an hour in on the treadmill, going to work, hitting the weights with my workout partner (my fiancé, Tommy Rojas)then on the stairs for another hour and finally home to hit the sack.
Prejudging started at 9:00AM, while pumping up backstage and touching up my hair and makeup I noticed that many of the girls around me are MUCH bigger. It seemed like everyone competing came down from bodybuilding and not up from figure…what did I get myself into?
It’s too late to worry about it now, it’s show time and I’m feeling good. My muscle bellies were nice and full from carb loading and my blood was really moving from drinking a cup of Ezekiel. WP class C is called to the stage and on we go. Quarter turns and individual poses seem to fly by, now it’s time for call outs. Low and behold my number is called in the first group! I was ecstatic and surprised, grinning ear to ear trying to compose myself I took center stage along with the 4 others and went thru quarter turns yet again. When finals came later that night I took 3rd place in the 2011 USA’s!
This is such a great step forward for me because I now have a venue to compete in and hopefully will have much success at. I’m thinking 3rd place in the largest contest of the year is a good place to start. It was time to celebrate and eat after the show. My trainer (whom took 2nd in lightweight bodybuilding) along with some others from “Dee’s Divas,” friends, family, and fiancé all went for sushi. YES!!! Finally time for something other than fish and asparagus… and we go for sushi J It was delicious, fun, relaxing and I was on cloud 9. I am beyond thrilled with my 3rd place finish at the USA’s and can’t wait for next season where I can hopefully attain my IFBB pro card.
Lindsey Rojas is young and talent fitness model. She has been competing in several fitness competition and has fitness experiences. Experience 2010 competitions: -GNC Muscle Contest 2010 Figure (1st place CLASS F) -NPC Jr. Nationals (16th) -Bodybuilding.com NPC USA Bodybuilding Figure Championships (Top 15) Modeling experience: 2009 Vegas magazine 2010 Shapefit.com 2010 Musculardevelopment.com 2010 Musclecontest.com
