Abigail Nalbandian
15
I started to feel more comfortable in my own skin. Instead of hiding inside of baggy jeans, I would now look to buy little black dresses! This feel is what keeps me motivated. It is no longer a wish, I worked for it and became what I am today! Do I have improvements to make to my physique? Absolutely! And many, but it’s the competition against myself, the challenge to become better that keeps me going and looking to improve a little each day.
The most difficult part I would say it’s the diet. I miss chocolate! It’s my one guilty pleasure. I make it a goal to stick to my meal plan all week, and if I do, I get to reward myself with a piece of chocolate for dessert with my cheat meal.
How do your goals on stage connect with your non-athletic activities? Many people (foreigners to the sport) confuse my dedication with obsession. I believe consistency and perseverance are key to be successful in anything you set your mind to. There is a lot of work and effort that goes into prepping for a show. It’s no different than getting a college degree, or a promotion at your place of work.
How many times a day do you eat and what’s your typical caloric, carb and protein intake per day?
Food intake changes throughout the year depending on how far out I am from a show. During improvement season I eat anywhere from 1,800-2,200 calories (I am 5’ 3”) and I follow the meal plan provided by my coach which consists of 6 meals a day plus a post workout meal (usually a protein shake and carbs/sugar). I am engineer so I keep track of my body fat and lean mass percentages, and I adjust protein intake bi-weekly based on these numbers to ensure I fuel my muscles properly.
During show prep I have never eaten less than 1,500 calories a day, maintaining my protein levels at 1-1.2gP/lb body weight. I follow the meal plan provided by my coach, which often times includes carb cycling with high carbs during my heavy lift days, and low carbs on rest days. -How many times a week do you work out and for how long? Again, this varies depending on how far out I am from a show. During improvement season I usually lift 5 days a week for approximately 1-1.5hrs a day, and do no more than 2 hrs of HIIT cardio a week. This allows my muscles to grow while maintaining my body fat at a reasonable number (goal is approx. 15%).
I take two days completely off to allow the body to rest and build muscle. The last few weeks of contest prep, lifting stays about the same but cardio goes up (my coach determines when and by how much based on my progress pictures)(cont. pg. 33).
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