Exploring The Stories Of 3 Lubbock Bodybuilding Competitors

I recently attended my first bodybuilding show and was astounded at how amazing it was from the kindness and support from everyone present to the competitors and their routines. I wanted to see what goes through the mind of those that choose to take to the stage and bare all their hard work for people to judge.

The Discipline

I spoke with three competitors with different levels of experience in the competing to see what goes on before and during the show process. Ciera Starns has been competing off and on since her first show in 2013 and states she does it because she can set a goal and all she has to do is hit it. This also allows her to see where she is at and push herself to move even further forward.

The Spirit

19-year-old Nicholas Olinger competed for the 2nd time at the Hub City Classic and fell in love with bodybuilding after his first show, which was actually done as a bit of a joke.  Olinger states that bodybuilding gave him a reason to go back into the gym and ignited that competitive spirit in him after high school when he stopped being an athlete and lost motivation to workout. Olinger took his second show way more seriously than his first with a 12-week prep and coach Cade Hoehner who was more than motivational during the posing routine.

The Fire

We did have to speak with a novice to competing and found Chloe Houston who has been an athlete her entire life with cheerleading and powerlifting in college, as she also has a degree in Exercise Physiology. Houston decided to give this bodybuilding show a try and states the discipline is worth it when it comes to work outs and tracking your food. While being an athlete Houston did also have a coach, Macy Taber, to help her through her first show. What is it like being out there? Houston says it's perfect for a woman because it shows elegance, beauty, and strength all in one which embraces a lot of what it's like to be a woman.

The Wisdom

It takes a lot of dedication and selfishness in the sense that you have to always put yourself first like eating your chicken and broccoli when everyone else is eating pizza around you. There is also a lot of self discovery like Olinger states competing actually reveals a lot about a person that they themselves didn't know anything about. Olinger did learn to be mentally strong and control himself as he pushed himself to have the drive to keep up with the diet and workouts. So can anyone compete? Well yes. Starns does note that you cannot just slide by when preparing for a show but instead set a plan and nail it no matter your age, along with a reputable trainer.

We will be talking more with coaches in the industry and how to prepare for a show and even working out and how to do that properly. Who in your life needs to be in the next bodybuilding show in Lubbock? Let us know if they have what it takes.