ALYSIA CRONISE – IFBB PRO FIGURE- WARRIOR’S CORNER

I first became interested in competing because people at my old gym would approach me and ask if I was a bodybuilder and if I competed.  I decided that, since I couldn’t compete in track anymore (due to chronic injuries), maybe bodybuilding would be something at which I could excel.  I knew I was strong, and just wanted some guidance on what to expect.

I decided to go online and research bodybuilding and the different classes available.  David Johnston’s website came up, and I realized that I recognized him as the man I used to watch train other people at my old gym.  After about two years, I stopped seeing him, but then realized he had moved on to Colosseum Gym.  I filled out the online form, and that was that—I learned all about TEAM Warrior Within!

Working with David was tough.  Our personalities did not mesh at all!!!  He was hardcore with a “shut up and train” attitude.  I was more of a coddling-type chick.  I needed my hand held.  I saw that having my hand held was not going to happen and that doing so in the past had held me back from achieving a higher level of fitness.  I was used to running the show and quitting when I was tired and not in the mood.  David pushed me beyond my limits and forced me to break out of my comfort zone.

I am no longer the scared little girl in the weight room curling 10lbs dumbbells.  I now have the confidence to reach for the 50s for my warm-up, and have the confidence to lift to failure knowing that failure is not the end but just the beginning of muscle growth and performance gains.  David and I get along great now, and I’m so blessed to have found him.

Every show I have done has been different, in terms of prep.  The hardest part of my first show as the diet, because I wasn’t fully aware of how much I was going to have to give up and how my body was going to react.  At times I felt like I was dying because I was so weak and hungry.  Other times I wasn’t hungry at all and felt like I could go into the gym and set records on all of my lifts.

My motivation for my first show was knowing that I was going to be in a bikini on stage in front of thousands of people, and I was scared to death that they would all gawk and laugh.  That definitely helps to motivate you through the difficult times!

For anybody interested in competing, I would advise them to do all of their research first.  Know how much you are going to need financially.  Know how your diet is going to change from beginning to end.  Know that there will be mood changes and that you will need to prepare your loved ones.  Know that you will need to spend a lot of time training and practicing.  Know that you will need to set aside some personal time for meditation, massages, spa treatments, skin treatments, teeth whitening, and all of that.  You are not just taking care of your body on the inside, but you must take good care of your body on the outside too.

During my prep, I learned that I was not as healthy as I had thought I was; that I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was; that there was so much more to being fit and healthy than just being a fit girl with a nice shape who worked out every day.  I had no plan, no regimented diet, no idea what I was putting into my body and how it affected me.  I felt like crap but couldn’t pinpoint why.  I blamed the world and everyone in it.  I had no idea that it was coming from within.

I would like to thank David and Nikki Johnston for starting me on this journey, never giving up on me, helping me when I wanted to give up, being there for me when I took a break by letting me come back to the team, and walking me through every step, checking in on me at least twice per week every week, being available for me 24/7, coming to my shows, rooting me on from 3,000 miles away, and continuing to treat me like family.

Moving forward, I am planning on making my pro debut at the 2016 IFBB Los Angeles Pro Figure show by maintaining a healthy offseason weight and working on putting on some more muscle mass.

~Alysia Cronise