Bodybuilding Testimonials and Athlete Highlights

 Congratulations to SLA athlete @sandra_smsm who competed earlier this month at the Natural Canada Pro Qualifier.
For those of you who don't know Sandra, let me tell you a little bit about her. Sandra is an insanely hard worker. She actually did her second to last show just 9 months postpartum. If that's not a testament to her hard work idk what is .
When I think of consistency she is someone who immediately comes to mind. No matter what the circumstances are (traveling for work, being a mom, waking up at 4am to workout) Sandra is an athlete who always shows up and checks off the boxes. It doesn't matter how tired she is or what the conditions are, she shows up and gets her work done.
This was Sandra's first show of the 2025 season so we treated it more as a warmup/train through show.
We were able to get really solid feedback and are currently working hard to bring the improvements necessary in conditioning and shape into her next show in October. I'm very excited to see what we can bring to the next show with almost 3 full months to improve in between

Through consistent training and nutrition Shayna was able to drop over 75Ibs while keeping food high, cardio low and also keep the weight off longer.

Melissa just did her first bikini show. She dropped 30Ibs while maintaining strength and muscle mass. She took home first place in all her classes along with a national qualification at her very first show.

For Chantal’s transformation we were almost able to completely double her intake into prep, and added considerable size and muscle density to legs. Stage weight was 10Ibs heavier

Congratulations to Lauren Fergusen who competed in her very first bodybuilding show this past weekend
Lauren did an amazing job with her first prep adhering to the protocol each day to a tee.
She is an incredibly hard worker. We were able to keep calories high and cardio low for the majority of prep never dropping below 1400cal or exceeding 45min of cardio Fa as a result strength numbers were able to stay very high and muscle retention was very solid. Even the last week before the show Lauren was still repping 225lbs on hip thrust, shoulder pressing the 45s and doing Bulgarian split squats with 110lbs C
Lauren worked extremely hard and her hard work paid off taking home 1st place in both true novice and novice, an overall in novice, along with 2nd place in open and a national qualification in her very first show.
Lauren will now be moving into an off season with the goal of putting more size on glutes and shoulders with the goal of competing again in 2027.

Idalia Higuera who competed end of June in her fit model debut
Since fit model is a new division, Idalia was our very first @she_lifts_academy fit model athlete c
The introduction of the fit model division has been really cool to watch because it provides an entry level category with a look that is really feminine and very naturally attainable which leads me into Idalia's transformation and story about her journey to the stage.
When Idalia first came into our program she was 127lbs, hip thrusting 160lbs for her heaviest weight, and it was a struggle for me to get her to eat more than 1200cals (5 I'm sure she will laugh when she reads this story because I am smiling just writing it
After many pep talks we were able to reframe her mindset that smaller isn't always better, being strong is badass and we have to eat to fuel our body from a place of nourishment in order to grow and shape our physique.
If you walked into a gym today and met Idalia you would never know this is where she started out because now she maintains above 2000cals, hip thrusts 425lbs (for reps g3)), and had the confidence
to showcase her hard work on the bodybuilding stage
Walking away with a national qualification her first show was no accident. A lot of work and rebuilding of a very solid foundation went into this. It's been amazing to watch the glow up (inside and outside).

Congratulations to Shayna Grissom for competing in her very first show the Summer Shredding Transformation division.
The transformation division is very unique when it comes to the world of bodybuilding. It's a celebration of weight loss and the journey it took to get there.
Athletes not only have to give a posing routine on stage but they also have to submit a video showcasing their journey and everything they went through to get there.
During Shayna's transformation she went from 230lbs to 155lbs and although the physical changes are quite impressive I would argue the biggest transformation happened on the inside. Shayna learned to train hard and to fuel her body with food.
It was amazing watching her dedication during this time. She dialed in her habits and stuck to the plan.
There were good days and bad days but she executed no matter what she felt like. It was incredible to watch her strength and confidence grow.
Shayna will be doing her first reverse phase into the holidays to give her a mental/physical break from the deficit and we will be back at it in 2025 to prep for her next show
Congratulations on an amazing debut

“I would not be where I am today without Erin! I had wanted to compete in a bikini bodybuilding show since college but I had never met the right coach for me. Before working with Erin I tried working with a few coaches with very unsustainable and non-evidence based approaches. It wasn't until I met Erin and saw what being an elite athlete with balance could look like. Before working with Erin I did not know anything about nutrition. I had never tracked macros or learned how to fuel myself properly. I did not know the difference between what seemed healthy and how I actually needed to eat to reach my goals. Erin walked me through it all. From my first posing lesson ever (eek) to the entire prep and finally stepping on stage. Beyond the physical results we got, she helped me overcome my all-or-nothing mindset around food, and was always there to listen and ask the hard questions that helped me grow as an athlete. Erin cares so dang much and I am so happy with the way she prioritized my health along the entire prep. You could not be in better hands with Erin as your coach."