The Life of a Female Bodybuilder: What's Up With Me? Did I leave the War Room...What is My Plan?

So for those of you who have followed me from the start, you know that since 2015 I have been working with Bill Tocco of War Room Nutrition. I met Bill through a mutual friend who referred me to him as my previous coach just stopped helping me. Overtime Bills tactics literally transformed my physique. I have known Bill longer than my husband and leaned on him during times when my family and friends were not so supportive of my journey. He made me fall in love with the sport of bodybuilding, the intense training, the meticulous diet and the lifestyle of it all. No one can ever take that from him. He made me who I am today. The physique and body you idol is made from his expertise. He has been one of the most important men in my life for quite sometime, so you can see that the decision to leave Bill was not easy.

2015>2018 Physique Changes from Bill

Before Bill Vs 2 years in with Bill

He is an extremely knowledgeable coach, he pushes you, he sees potential when you don't and he is a great motivator. He is continuously educating himself and ensuring that he is up to date on the new supplements, training methods, etc. However in the sport of bodybuilding each coach adapts their own style and methods, after 5 years of continuously transforming and progressing my body is not responding as best as it used to.

There are many contributing factors to say the least,

- I am now a mom, my hormones, body composition, etc are different.

- I dieted for 9 months ( all during quarantine) which is an extremely long time

- I did not have access to my normal exercise equipment as I normally would

- I was not able to train with Bill weekly as I normally would have

- My shows got pushed back 6x

So as you can see there were many factors leading up to the stage that were against me. For a coach to continually try and keep your body stage ready , unknowing when exactly I was going to step on stage was an accomplishment in itself. Bill did an amazing job.

If you are still reading this and waiting for me to bash Bill or say something negative, just stop reading it wont happen.

I still have a relationship with Bill. He is still one of my very near and dear friends and I still will train with him. He is an amazing person with a panel of knowledge and is still very supportive of me. I still consider myself part of the War Room and it is always apart of me. It has made me who I am today and will continue to as I grow in this bodybuilding journey.

Me, Bill and Tommy Stiles after NPC Central States 2017

So what am I doing now..

Because I dieted down for so long, I now am working on building and putting on the size I lost during this years prep. I hired the help of a Nelson Jones, a coach I have admired and followed for years. He is currently coaching one of my best friends and after discussions with my husband and Nelson. We feel that it is the best fit for me for recovery. My body needs a bit of change and revamp, staying on the same program for so long starts to plateau changes to the body.

My goal for the remainder of the year is to get healthy again and gain some weight and muscle. Continue to monitor my progress and depending on how my body adjusts potentially step on stage late, late next year. However, only time will tell. The best mindset I can have at the moment is to constantly remind myself that the stage will always be there, but I also need to be in the present moment for my family as well.

Stay Healthy xx,

Shannon