ALR Events - Latest News

The People's Champ

Amy Peters

As I recover from an exhausting weekend at the 2008 Europa, I am still on an emotional roller coaster. Honestly, I am at a loss as to how to deal with all the emotions and feelings I have. As I reflect back on the Europa, I felt compelled to write this due to the overwhelming questions I get from other competitors on how to deal with post-contest depression.

I have to say this was the best package I’ve ever brought to the stage to date. With every show, I step away learning something, knowing what I could have done differently, what I should have done and how to improve. My goal every time I step on stage is to be better then the last time, to improve in some way and yes I hope that my placing reflects that. In this case, it was the complete opposite. I don’t really think I could have done anything different that would have improved or effected my placing. I am really happy I can say that. Those who know me know that I am very hard on myself. I step away from every show feeling like I could have been better. I am very realistic about my physique and know that there’s always room to improve. For the 1st time since I started competing I can honestly say, this was my best. In my mind I was perfect! And my best got me the worst placing ever! What I have learned from this experience is that I have a lot of respect from those around me, something I knew but didn’t realize to this extent, especially from other figure competitors and others in this industry. I have gotten so much positive feedback from everyone regarding my placing and how I looked at the Europa. Most importantly coming from other competitors and figure pro’s who I look up to and admire.

I know that a placing is just a placing. A competitor stands on stage for himself or herself only. The reward is the physique and package you bring to the stage, not the trophy. You truly are competing only against yourself and for yourself. At the end of the day it’s not about how you place but how you presented yourself and the reward of all the hard work it took to get you to the stage. This is the advice I give to others including my own clients and competitors.

Since I started competing, I have been trying to find perfection within myself. I finally realized all the stress I was putting on myself to be perfect, asking myself who am I trying to be perfect for. So, at the beginning of 2008 I started on a new journey of my life focusing on loving myself. I also decided I’d change my approach and my thinking about competing. Instead of stressing about all the little things such as not losing enough fat in one area, having a weak day at the gym, not getting all my cardio in or eating a few extra calories, trying to get closer to perfection, I decided to stay positive. I focused on the areas I made progress in. The parts of my physique I love. I didn’t stress or lose sleep over any of it. I read a lot of self-help books and I am still reading them! I really went into this year with a clear head, feeling good about me, knowing I am a good Pro! For the 1st time in my life, Figure isn’t #1. I have a wonderful fiancé, a job I love with ALR Industries and wonderful friends, fans, clients and family. I am truly blessed! I guess there was a time in my life where Figure was all I had. I needed it and it gave me what I needed but now I don’t need it like I used to. I have so many other important things in my life that bring me joy and fulfill me. Sometimes the reward isn’t the trophy or the placing but the respect and admiration from others as well as the self-confidence you gain from all your hard work.

Figure doesn’t define me. Off the stage or without Figure I am still Amy Peters soon to be Amy Kuclo. I am a nutritionist, a production assistant for ALR Industries, a sponsored athlete and an IFBB Figure Pro. Here is a little piece I wrote a while back I find appropriate for this moment-Enjoy.

POST-CONTEST DEPRESSION

So you’ve spent the last 2-4 months preparing for a contest and in the blink of an eye you are off the stage. Many months of hard training and strict dieting for the 1 day you’ve been planning for and you ask yourself, what now? Regardless of your placing or trophy you should expect to be on an emotional roller coaster. It’s what happens and how you can feel after the show that many people don’t tell you about or don’t want to talk about. Many concerns competitors have post-contest could include: rebounding or weight gain, how to go from a pre-contest diet and training routine to a healthy off-season and how to get back to normal life after the show. Feelings of depression or sadness are common feelings for a competitor post-contest. All the anticipation and preparation for your big day can leave you feeling sad or depressed after the day is over. There are many things you can do to alleviate these feelings. First, know and expect that your body will change. It is impossible to keep your body fat that low or stay in contest shape year round. After months of hard training, dieting and depleting, your body is bound to rebound. The good news is you can minimize weight gain and you can stay lean year round provided that you carefully plan out your off-season, post contest program. It should be planned just as efficiently and detailed as your pre-contest program.

First start with your nutrition. Whether you have carb depleted, sodium depleted or have just been on a reduced calorie diet, you must add food and calories back in slowly to minimize weight gain. Start by adding in healthy foods you have missed over the past several months. Foods such as: whole-wheat bread, peanut butter, low-fat diary products and fruit are all common foods taken out of a pre-contest diet. These are all healthy foods that should be added back into your diet, carefully. Be sure to slowly add in calories, being aware of total calories to insure that you don’t gain weight too quickly. Next, add a cheat meal back into your diet-1 meal per week for the first several weeks, then possibly a 2nd free meal. You will also want to keep your water intake high to help with water rebound due to your pre-contest water depleted state. You can also expect to feel hungrier than normal. Now that you don’t have a contest date constantly keeping your hand out of the cookie jar, you will think you are hungrier. Learn how to distinguish true hunger from other feelings that you might associate with hunger. Be sure to eat foods that are satisfying and promote satiety.

The next thing you need to adjust is your cardiovascular activity. Many competitors do endless hours of cardio to prepare for a competition. You must carefully cut back on your cardio if you expect to keep your weight off. Slowly cut back on the number of minutes such as the duration per session and then cut back on frequency, such as the number of days per week. Remember, if your body was use to an hour of cardio per day, you can’t expect it not to rebound when cutting back on your cardiovascular activity/caloric expenditure. Work your cardio down to a reasonable amount of time that you can consistently and realistically do off-season. After a contest the body is in a great position to gain lean muscle tissue. So use this to your advantage. After being in an over trained state, a caloric deficit, as well as possibly lost lean muscle tissue pre-contest, it will be very easy for you to gain lean muscle tissue. Don’t take a week off from the gym; you will lose a great opportunity for new muscle growth. You may want to do an active rest if you feel too burnt out to go at the same frequency and intensity you were doing before the show. If needed, take the 1st week to do an active rest. Such as 3 full body workouts, or 2 upper body and 2 lower body workouts. Then the following week you can go back to 4 or 5 weight training sessions per week. With a decrease in cardiovascular activity, you’ll want to increase your resistance training to make up for the decrease in caloric expenditure. Now is the time to try new things in the gym. Try new body part combinations, different exercises or variations of old exercises. By changing the volume and or the intensity of your training your body will respond positively to the new changes. This will allow you to gain some much needed or possibly lost lean muscle tissue. This will increase your metabolism allowing you to expend more calories even at rest. Also, exercise produces endorphins, which can help improve your mood and sense of well-being. Exercise might be the last thing you’ll want to do post-contest but it will be the best thing for your mind, body and spirit!

Since the show is over and now that you are not spending hours at the gym, or most of your day planning and preparing for the show you can enjoy some free time. Many competitors might be at a loss as to what to do with all their extra free time. First think of some of the things you might have missed out on pre-contest. Whether it was missing breakfast with your girlfriends, time spent with your significant other or even time alone for yourself. You now have the time to do all the things you haven’t had time for. Pamper yourself; get a massage or a facial. Since all your money has been spent on your contest expenses you now have some extra cash for you. Catch up on that book you’ve wanted to read, since you have been too busy reading only fitness magazines for daily motivation during your hour-long cardio sessions. Maybe you missed watching movies or talk shows since your TV has only been programmed to the Food Network channel. Go to the grocery store to try new foods. For the past few months your cart has been on autopilot buying the same pre-contest foods, so now is your chance to see what is out there. Spend time reading labels so you make good, healthy food choices. Try out new recipes including tasting and trying

recipes you can eat both on or off-season. Go to your local nutrition store and try new protein bars or shakes. Then you will have more foods on your contest menu the next time you diet for a competition.

By doing all these things suggested, you could be in a healthier mindset, you can maintain a healthy off-season weight, be happy with yourself and be in a better position the next time you prepare for a competition. By staying lean year round, you will not just be happier with the way you look and feel but you will be ready for last minute photo shoots or booth appearances. After all, you didn’t spend the last several months preparing for contest day only for the trophy or placing, right? You did it to get in shape and stay that way for more than just one day! Before you know it, it will be that time again to plan and prepare for your next contest. This time you will not only be prepared for the show, but you will be prepared for the days and weeks after the show. Sometimes you may not place where you want or how you expected. Contest placings can vary drastically from one show to another. The most important thing you can do is realize that you are up there for yourself competing against yourself. The only competition you have is you! So stand proud! You accomplished something that many people only dream of. You’ve spent the last few months preparing and working hard not just for the placing or trophy but also for your physique, which is the reward for a job well done.