"Suddenly I thought: I want that too!"
26.4.2017
Translation: machine translated
Roxy works at Galaxus and is a bikini athlete. Originally, she just wanted to eat healthily. Today: How it all began.
It was sometime in spring 2013 and up until then I had the typical life of a "normal person": I was studying textile management, didn't do any sport at all, enjoyed parties with friends and alcohol from time to time, did nice things with my boyfriend and didn't really pay attention to my diet.
I often had a salad and "s Brötli" for lunch, as I still had to study for exams and time was short. I didn't make my own "healthy" muesli but bought it: as long as it was advertised as "healthy" or "fit", it had to be healthy! Maybe you've caught yourself doing the same thing. You are often stressed or simply don't feel like cooking. So you go to the snack bar and get yourself a nice, juicy ham sandwich or a kebab.
My observation: women in particular tend to want to eat healthily. It looks something like this: Ready-made muesli with tonnes of fruit (that's healthy!), fruit for a snack, a salad with a wholemeal roll for lunch and a plate of pasta for dinner. Then another fruit for dessert.
I don't mean any offence, but I see and experience every day that people want to live healthily but forget hugely important aspects of a healthy diet. Very few people realise, for example, that fruit contains a lot of sugar and is no longer healthy in large quantities. Conversely, chips and fast food are unhealthy and fattening! But you don't build up fat cells because of a portion of chips! Here, too, it depends on the quantity.
I was crazy about fashion. I was interested in fashion and trends and wanted to be up-to-date. Like the women's bodies at Victoria's Secret: curvy, tall and known for an apparently flawless body.
I used to think this was beautiful! But at some point there was this change in my head. Suddenly I didn't like the slim to thin Victoria's Secret models at all. I think it was around the time of the 'fitspo' trend: whether it was on Facebook or Instagram, you only saw pictures of Paige Hathaway and other ladies: strong, beautiful, feminine, muscular, sexy. I remember how they captivated me too. These women were curvy - and I mean really curvy! - and had what I didn't have back then: strength.
I wanted that power too! I wanted to be able to carry carrier bags without getting breathless. I wanted to be able to tackle the reins! An athletic body wasn't the main priority. I finally started training. I started with 30 minutes of cardio, which is endurance training to warm up, for example on the treadmill. I quickly realised that I loathed it! Then I used the leg press. I started there with an initial 40 kilograms. Not bad! (At my best I lifted just over a quarter of a tonne. That's why I never judge beginners who start low with the weight and then work their way up correctly and cleanly). I continued with abdominal exercises. Lots of abdominal exercises in different variations.
Do you already recognise this training method? Abs, legs and endurance are notorious training patterns for women. Women avoid full-body exercises because the fear of a bulky, muscular body is huge. In any case, afterwards I was ready and foxy. I went home, sat in front of the TV and ate a mocha yoghurt and two or three rice cakes. That's it! Question for you: do you think this is normal? Is that okay or is something fundamental missing here? Yes exactly, it's missing a proper, decent meal with a healthy portion of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. These are macronutrients, or macros for short.
During my training, I was taking energy from my body but giving nothing back. No regeneration, no optimal recovery. It doesn't work like that, not at all! Neither muscle building nor toning or anything else. I was only weakening myself and making no progress. I kept training and achieved nothing. No nice bum, no shapely legs and no six-pack. I just became weak because I was taking but not giving anything to my body.
Long story short: I wasn't satisfied and wanted a change!
A good coach is everything
At some point, I was fed up! I wasn't getting stronger or noticing any changes in my body. I still felt "skinny fat" and wasn't happy! So I went to get help. My coach at the time is a warm-hearted and very professional man with a lot of expertise in his field. He focusses in particular on women, whether or not they have a future as an athlete. The first conversation convinced me immediately and we started working together in August 2013. First of all, he explained the macros to me: Proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates as well as micronutrients: vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
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I was then given a nutrition and training plan. Initially, it was a specific nutrition plan divided into five to six meals and healthy foods. Over the years, I was able to personalise it based on my knowledge and the macros I set according to my goals, and cook and eat in a varied way. The training plan, like the nutrition plan, focussed on building muscle. In other words, I had to eat and train with heavy weights. Step by step, week by week, more calories, heavier weights. Until I exceeded my maintenance requirements and was able to build muscle. The maintenance requirement describes the amount of energy a person needs to "survive".
For the time being, I am neither a coach nor a nutritionist or anything else. I have had all these experiences with my body, my genes and my starting point. What works for me doesn't necessarily have to work for you. So please don't copy anything, but get professional help if you need it.
Alongside eating according to the plan, I began to train consistently. I built up strength for three months, then went into muscle building (hypertrophy training) and focussed on nutrition. It took some getting used to at first: I had to eat a lot so that I could build up, as my body is an "Öfeli". Then I added three to four training days a week. It was a pretty radical change in lifestyle. Some of my friends and acquaintances thought I was overdoing it. It was unusual. "What, you don't crash every weekend?" (which was never the case, by the way ;) ) or "Do you even eat? " Even though I ate tonnes more than I used to and also more than the critics. Comments such as: "Do you want a chocolate bar? Oh no, you're not allowed to" bothered me, but ultimately didn't influence me.
I really enjoyed this sport and noticed positive changes in my body quite quickly. Which in turn spurred me on. The gym became my "playground"; a change from my everyday working life and a place where I could let off steam. For me, it is still my balance to everyday life today - although I no longer train to such an extreme. I'm a lone fighter in the fitness centre, trying to improve my performance every day and taking on myself. I also like my strength! I think it's great to "let my hair down" in the gym and then go out at the weekend dressed up like a lady. It's precisely these contradictions that fascinate me.
Ladies and gentlemen, that was my first insight into the short story of a competitive bodybuilding athlete. What happens next? I'll be happy to tell you about the class decision, the start of my competition preparation and my stumbling blocks. Get ready for something!
Outfit and always with you
Roxy working out
Header image: Picture from old times: Me, before I started training.
Roxana Fröhlich
Marketplace Specialist
roxana.froehlich@digitecgalaxus.chI like weight training/fitness, have a weakness for pandas and am a serial junkie. At work I am responsible for the watch and jewellery purchase. Glitter, glamour, fashion and trends- my world! If you want to know more about me, check out my Instagram "roxyslifestyle" and my blog site www.roxyslifestyle.com.
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