Time to Start Competing!

It’s been nearly three months of training/dieting and now I will be jetting off in a couple of days to start competing. I’ve had some extremely busy moments and have been juggling my preparation with planning my wedding in August, renovating my new house-to-be with my fiancé and meetings to open a gym.

There have been some highs and lows of competition prep. One of the highs is my physical achievements. Along with lifting heavier than I ever have in my life (90 kgs squats!), I am leaner and more cut than last year. I’m already in the shape I would like to be in for the summer and for my wedding. I really have achieved my best ever body.

Another high is my incredible support system. My family, friends and fiancé have put up with my restrictive diet and religious gym sessions. My girlfriends and fiancé will be traveling to watch me compete and have my back all the way.

The lows definitely include the diet. Training for a competition can be extremely tough and it requires a lot of mental discipline to follow through to the end. I’ve been feeling the effects of low carb diets these last few days in particular. This just proves that cutting carbs is NOT a lifestyle and you should only ever cut them really low if you are trying to get extremely lean.

One really hard day for me was Easter. Everyone around me was eating chocolate eggs and I was left salivating. My fiancé got my little nephews a giant chocolate Easter bunny (about a meter tall!) which was the icing on top.

Another low is the fight to become lean enough to be stage ready. My upper body is lean and cut but my lower body isn’t on point. Since I am not slim genetically, it requires a lot of carb cycling and low carb days to reach where I am right now.

Regardless of the outcome of competing, I have no doubt that I will have a blast and will learn a lot from the experience. I have already connected with some amazing athletes online and can’t wait to meet them in person. Besides, I’m sure I will be competing again next year!

I have achieved so much these last few months and will be returning from my trip feeling incredibly proud and accomplished.

In case you missed my latest interviews, check out:

Daily Star article:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Lifestyle/2014/Apr-25/254278-sculpting-a-bodybuilding-culture-in-lebanon.ashx#axzz2znU33Hb7
MTV live interview:
http://www.startlivingright.net/baynetna-mtv-program-maya-nassar.html