Ever wondered – What do IFBB Bikini Competitors eat, or how they get ready for competitions? I chatted to Logan Leigh Rix, who you might have spotted on the cover of this months Fitness Magazine…
What do IFBB Bikini Competitors eat
How did you get into this industry?
I got asked this question the other day and that’s when I realised that there was never a conscious decision, it just sort of happened.
I really enjoyed gyming and living a healthy lifestyle, and because of that I decided to compete.
It is still a shock to me that people have taken an interest in me and I feel extremely lucky and grateful to have had everything happen the way that it has.
What do you have to do mentally and physically to get ready for show days?
To compete you must have courage, be disciplined, and trust in the process.
It’s funny to me how so many people think that it’s just gym that gets us ready for a competition, when in fact it’s more about the diet.
You can be gyming your little heart out, but if your diet doesn’t match, nothing is going to change.
My coach and I usually decide on a specific show that we both think I’ll be ready for and he creates a personalised diet and workout plan.
About 6 weeks out of a competition, I’ll order my show bikini and because our bodies change so quickly, the seamstress needs to have several fittings with me.
Then I get the all-important tan and I’ll usually get my base coat done the two nights before and my main coat the day before my show.
One of the most difficult things about competing is the fact that your body is never always going to look like it does on show day.
This really messes with me as a week after show I’m this puffy bloated thing – I always feel like I’ve lost everything, when in fact my body is just recovering, and my hormones are just balancing out again.
What is Peak Week?
PEAK WEEK oh my goodness!
Honestly, one of the toughest weeks of your life if it’s your first time if its not, it’s still tough but you know it’s going to be worth it, so it’s a little bit easier.
In peak week, my coach manipulates the sodium and water in my body as well as my carb intake.
I go through a couple of days of what we call depletion – where we deplete our body of all the glycogen in our muscles- so no carbs, no sodium, and very difficult workouts.
As for water, we ‘water load’ for about 2 days and then slowly lessen our water intake as the week goes on.
For the last couple of days, I usually carb up with dry chicken and white basmati rice which fills my glycogen cells up and makes my muscles look full.
A Carb up combined with a water drop makes me look dry and full and that’s what my coach and I are ultimately after.
This is just my example of a peak week, because every athlete is different and dependant on what look they’re going after.
What do IFBB Bikini Competitors eat?
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What do IFBB Bikini Competitors eat?
Give us an example of what a meal plan looks like in your average day
Right now, I’m off-season and trying to build muscle while remaining lean., so I eat 5-6 times a day so my body is continuously fueled and my blood sugar is always stable.
- Oats and a scoop of protein powder
- 2- 3 egg omelette with vegetables
- Chicken and vegetable whole-wheat wrap
- Post-workout Whey shake
- Zucchini noodles with mince or chicken
- This is just if I’m feeling exceptionally hungry on that specific day – 2 Rice cakes with peanut butter
December is coming, what’s the best exercise to get abs fast?
There is, unfortunately, no way to get abs fast. Some people don’t even have the genetics to have their abs show!
It comes down to that, the amount of body fat you have and if you’re holding water.
My advice would be to do about 2-3 HIIT sessions a week and train your abs 2-3 times a week. Then obviously you need to be eating clean and drinking loads of water.
How do you put on weight and bulk up effectively?
My advice to anyone trying to gain weight or lose weight is to look at the calories they’re consuming in a day. If you’re trying to gain weight you need to be in a calorie surplus. To work this out, you’d first workout your maintenance calories, then depending on how much and how fast you’re wanting to gain the weight, workout the surplus.
After all the hard work you have put in this year, what’s on your Christmas Wish list?
A holiday! I’ve been so busy this year that I haven’t been able to take one holiday, so I’m so excited to be going away to Cape Town soon.
What’s your best advice for handling criticism? (I am sure you face a lot of it from people who don’t understand the industry)
I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t care what other people think of me and what I love to do. If it’s negative I don’t even give it the time of day.
Best fitness advice you ever received?
The best fitness advice I think I’ve ever received was not to compare myself to others. At my first show,I looked at my competition and was convinced I was going to come last, but I ended up winning my line up and overall too.
It’s important to realize that we are all unique and our bodies all work differently. I’ve started to focus on being the best me I can be, rather than wishing to look like someone else.
Ok a random one – who would you Kiss, Marry, Kill?
I would kiss Zac Efron, marry Liam Hemsworth and kill John Cho.
The biggest fitness lie you want to bust?
Don’t even get me started on fitness lies, there are so many! The one that annoys me the most though is “lifting weights will make you look like a man”.
NOOOOOOO, lifting weights will make you toned, give you abs, make your bum firm, reduce cellulite and build muscle.
It is physically impossible for women to lift weights and then suddenly look like a man.
You’ll have to take some sort of steroid or be training heavyweights for a LONG time before you start looking too bulky.
Keep doing what you’re doing Logan – You are my #fitspiration! Say Hello to Logan on Instagram.
Disclaimer: The article What do IFBB Bikini Competitors eat is an edutainment piece and not health advice. Consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. I am not a doctor, nutritionist or dietitian.
