Posted on: Wednesday, June 8, 2011
It never ceases to amaze me that people are so interested to hear how a body builder lives, what they do each and every day. What to me is a ‘normal’ life, every day chores and routine is clearly NOT what is seen as the norm by many people. As I am asked this question many times, I am going to go through a normal day in my life …
My name is Kahla Bullemor and I am a professional female body builder. I wake each day at 4:15am, I shower and have breakfast consisting of egg whites and oats. My pre- workout mix is taken (Reactivate Hardcore, L-Tyrosine, L-Carnitine, Disperse). I grab my during and post training supps, (Elevator, Create, ISO8 Protein), gym bag, the days meals plus a couple Musashi Bulk Bars (just in case I get caught in a meeting), clothes for work and out the door I go on my way to gym.
I arrive at gym at 5:30am, I find that training in the mornings is much better for a variety of reason;
- The gym is not as busy and equipment is readily accessible
- My working day is extremely intense and I actually feel more energy first thing in the morning than after a long days work and
- Finally no matter what happens in the day I know my workout is done and therefore no surprise meetings schedules etc can interrupt my planned time to train.
I leave the gym about 7:30am, shower and change at work to commence at 8:00am. Unfortunately body building is not a sport which those involved take up due to financial benefits as this is one sport that is purely for the love and passion as opposed to financial gains. Therefore holding down a secure job is of utmost importance in order to stay in this sport. Especially being a female pro body builder, as there are currently no shows in Australia to compete in, therefore the expense is heightened with only overseas shows as an option.
I finish work about 4:30pm, most days on the way home a stop off at the grocery store is required, due to the volume of food consumed. Once I arrive home, unpack groceries it’s time for a quick coffee, L-Carnitine, L-Tyrosine, Disperse and commence my cardio which is done on my spin bike.
Once cardio is complete, food cooking and prepping for the next days meals and dinner commences. I tend to cook all my meat in bulk therefore only having to do a meat cook up twice a week and rice usually three times per week, so each evening I am only required to weigh out each meal with pre cooked food refrigerated. People are often quite astounded that every meal I consumed is weighed out, including the off season.
This is one factor that also surprises me that people don’t realise just how important the off season is. I always try to explain to people that the offseason is a time of growth and pre contest is a matter of maintaining the muscle mass you have built in the offseason and removing the excess fat.
My meal make up is very clean and is made up of carbohydrates, proteins, good fats and fibrous carbohydrates (vegetables/salads). The only difference in diet in a pre contest phase is carbohydrates and fats are steadily decreased and as far as training goes, cardio is increased gradually each week leading up to a show.
Once all meals are weighed out and packed into plastic containers, it’s time for shower and dinner. Followed by updating blogs, website and finishing work which I wasn’t able to complete that day. Bed time is anywhere between 10:00pm – 11:00pm and believe me this is the one of the most enjoyable moments of the day, where you are physically and mentally exhausted and your finally able to fall into bed and sleep. Upon retiring I will always take my ZMA and Disperse.
Each Saturday I see my coach – Jon Davie to have my skin folds taken to assess where my lean body mass is at and have my diet manipulated accordingly. Sundays comprise of an early morning cardio session, breakfast and a day of catching up with friends for a coffee or lunch followed by those horrible domestics, which we all wish the domestic fairy would do for us…
As you can see the life of an athlete is quite full on and intense, with very little time outside of training, rest, domestics and general chores related to the sport. Many make the statement ‘I don’t know how you do it’ the simple answer to this is ‘it’s what I love and have always known.’ The rewards are worth all the effort and it’s important to surround yourself with people who understand this lifestyle and aren’t going to feel that they are not important as a result of the minimal time that you can share with them.
I am very fortunate to have Musashi sponsor me since 2006 and provide me with my supplementation assistance and also a loving, understanding family who understands this completely. To the point of when I go home to visit family, my mother asked for a list of groceries which I need to prepare my meals and ascertains the local gym operating hours in order for me to train.
The key to success is consistency, preparation and passion. To be clear in your mind what your goals are, how you are going to achieve them and to make people aware of these things to provide them the chance to understand you and your lifestyle.
It’s also important to maintain a life of balance and the way I do this is through my work and surrounding myself with people who are not involved in the sport and making time to spend with those people and also getting involved with things that interest them.
I'd love to hear from any budding bodybuilders out there about how you balance the training & nutrition requirements with your everyday life
Kahla
Kahla is a professional body builder who trains at a high level and has her own specifically designed supplementation program. Always consult a healthcare professional to assess your individual needs.