Competing: Being Built Through Mindset

Brooke Masters: Hey all, welcome, welcome to Master Your Metabolism. And I am here today with not only my lovely husband, Calvin, but Jess Stansel from Stansel Strength Coaching. Thank you, thank you for being here again with us. ⁓ Calvin and Brooke Masters: Thanks for tuning in to Master Your Metabolism. If you found value in today's episode, it would mean the world to us if you'd hit subscribe and share this episode with someone who could use a little guidance in their health journey. Ready to take the next step? Head over to www.mastersfitnesscoaching.com and you can book a free call right from the site. You've counted every calorie, tried every diet, spent hours in the gym, and still something's missing. You want more than just weight loss. You want your energy back. You want your confidence restored. You want a way of living that doesn't feel like punishment. Welcome to Master Your Metabolism, where we cut through the noise, ditch the fads, and give you a real plan to become the healthiest, strongest version of you. Calvin Masters: I've been waiting. Just a man back around to. Jess Stancil: We had a fun one the first time around. It took a little while to coordinate something again, but yeah, I'm happy to be on. And I know we have so much to talk about. So, yeah. I'm here as a nurse, not really anything scripted or planned. So, you know, I think we'll have some good conversations on the topics. Will I go first here? Brooke Masters: Yeah, we did. Yeah. Calvin and Brooke Masters: so we can chat about your goals and how we can help support you. forget to join our Facebook group where we're sharing coaching tips, support, and tricks to help keep you on track and continue making progress. You don't have to do this alone. We're here to walk with you ⁓ step of the way. Until next time, stay consistent, stay kind to yourself, and keep mastering your metabolism. Brooke Masters: We always have great conversations. We always have great conversations. And this one I... Calvin and Brooke Masters: hosted by our team of expert coaches with proven strategies, science-based tips, and real life encouragement, not just to help you lose fat, but actually create that lifestyle that you love. You've tried everything. Now, let's try what actually works. This is your turning point. Let's go. Brooke Masters: If not, we have some bloopers. That's what it makes for. Lots of bloopers. So that's everybody loves. Calvin Masters: Yeah, we have to do a blooper reel for sure. Show is actually setting up for these podcasts. Jess Stancil: Yeah. Brooke Masters: Absolutely. So, you know, I wanted to do this one and this is why I thought it was a good topic for all of us ⁓ on bodybuilding specifically, because I've been hearing a lot from people, you know, especially when I said I'm doing a show and people were like, I could never do that, you know, and they make those comments or people think that bodybuilders do it for, hey, you just want to like jump on stage. And I think they missed the point and a lot of the kind of Calvin and Brooke Masters: Let's do this together. Brooke Masters: things that you don't see behind the scenes and why people do what they do. And there are different reasons that everybody kind of gets into bodybuilding. Everyone has a story of why they're getting to stage. Everybody has their thing, but it's really not just the changes in your physique, but for me, it was really at everything, auditing the way, not just the way I was eating, but who I was hanging out with, how I was training, ⁓ I was sleeping. You really have to look at all things that you're doing. for me, that was something really eye-opening when I saw kind of the difference and what it takes to be able to get to stage. And it's not just about the chicken and broccoli, but I think there's a lot more with training for bodybuilding that everything has to become intentional. And what I love about it is, you know, going into prep, really makes you be consistent. It really makes... you be more disciplined in things that, again, not to a distorted eating disorder type of view, but something that, hey, let me see what I can learn about my body. Let me see what I can do. Let me see what I can accomplish. Let me see the things that I never thought possible that I was able to do. So for me, that was, you when I did my first show, I mean, mainly it was because Calvin should have done it and he wouldn't do it until I did one. ⁓ so that's really how I started. So mine wasn't like the normal reason, but definitely once I started, it was just a different path that I never really realized what it was until I was in it. You know? Calvin Masters: Yeah. And it's, it's, you think about all the things that it is, but a lot of things that come to mind is what it's not, you know, and what it's not is what you hear from people that don't do it. it becomes clear that they have a really big misunderstanding of what it's all about and why we would put ourselves through this, you know, this rigorous routine and then do it all over again and then do it again and love it. Jess Stancil: Yeah, there's a lot of. Calvin Masters: You know, just doesn't make sense to them. So it's got to be something a little bit deeper, right? And not just ⁓ as one person called it. And this one just hurt my soul when they said it, a flex contest. was like, why? ⁓ Jess Stancil: I'm not there people that think that we like do more than flex up there too. Like, do you have to lift something or? It's funny to look at that way. it on the day of the show. it's kind of a flex contest. It's a pageant, right? But we don't like none of us do this because we're like, ⁓ just want to go on stage and flex. I mean, it's everything that leads up to it. Like said, broke that. Brooke Masters: Mm-hmm. Jess Stancil: that makes us actually enjoy that and want to do it. And there's a lot of different parts that have to come together perfectly. That's why consistency so key in so many different areas of it. You can't just have like the workouts down right, the diet down right, learn how to poke. Like you have to put all of it together. And that's what we love about it. And like that's why we want to go on this crazy endeavor to end up just going to the stage because going on the stage just kind of gives us a purpose to doing that stuff and makes it a little more enjoyable, kind of have a deadline on Brooke Masters: Yeah, and you see what you're capable of. The end result is like, look at what I did. I did all of this work and the stage is like, look, I did it. I did all the things and getting to the stage, that's just your reinforcement of like, wow, ⁓ took care of ⁓ single thing. I checked every box and I did it. And that feeling of accomplishment and that confidence in yourself of looking, I just want to get better every time I get on that stage. So. I took a year, over a year off to build. So now this time I'm excited to get on stage because I want to see what I built. You know, and I think it's that part of it also is this sport is definitely about improving yourself and seeing what you're capable of and not just being okay with being status quo is I want to get better every single time. you know, some people are getting into it. Let me just do it so I can get skinny. You know, I hear a lot of these girls, it just wants to get me in shape. Like if you do that, it is going to mess with your mind. If you are striving to just be skinny and striving to do it that way, that's how eating disorders develop, right? But if you're looking at it of, let me see and learn from what I did and how can I make myself better? Because there's always someone better. There's always someone leaner. There's always some like genetic freak that has glutes, like the size of like watermelons that I will never. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: . Brooke Masters: be able to do. So I just need to be okay with what I can do and what I have built and what I have learned, you know? So I think that part of it is definitely something for me that I really enjoy. I really enjoy seeing the things I never thought were possible that I was actually able to do. And then I look at myself and it spills over into everything. It spills over into my job. It spills over in, you know, how I coach people. It spills over into my relationships. It spills over into everything because that confidence you build into yourself. spills over into all aspects. Jess Stancil: I think that's where it gets fun is like that improvement. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: would you agree that like maybe, I mean the first show is a lot of fun too, but you don't know what kind of expectations to have. A lot of times you don't want to go into it with like, I just want to get in shape. So I'm going to get on stage because then you're going to feel worse about yourself because your comparison's on a totally different level. I think that, you know, it really gets fun when you've actually done a show, like that was cool. Or maybe it wasn't cool because I wasn't happy with where I'm at yet, but then like I have something to build on. and I know to expect when I ⁓ on stage and I have feedback and I can keep improving on this. that's it's like, what they call it, it's a game that doesn't end. ⁓ think Hermosi talks this, they're finite and infinite games. ⁓ bodybuilding is something you don't... Brooke Masters: Yes. Calvin Masters: And that's... Jess Stancil: Unless you have a specific goal, like I want to win this one show, I want to win a pro card and then I'm done. You can keep going at it. ⁓ can always try to improve on something and come back a little bit better. Calvin Masters: Yeah, it's and Jess is a well established IBB pro. He's made a name out there. You know, people know who Jess is he's doing the same with coaching, you know. So it is like, mean, you I know ⁓ you to interview the potential clients coming in and ⁓ I know. How do you feel like when you ask, ⁓ say have a female come out and you say, what's your reason for wanting to compete? And you hear her say, well, I just want to look good in a bikini. ⁓ Jess Stancil: Yeah. Start as a lifestyle client. And I love that, you know, take somebody that like is on the fence, like, oh, I want to get in shape and maybe I want to compete one day. I don't know yet. You know, we're not going to jump into a prep. Yeah. We're going to start like, uh, training like a bodybuilder does. think a lot of people can benefit from just training like that anyways. Uh, and then see if one day, know, the stage aspirations. Calvin Masters: How does that hit you? You know. Jess Stancil: There's a lot of progress to be made to get there and and Kind of on the same note with what you were saying not just like physique progress But all of these things that come together to you got to get better at value and that's that's what people don't see from the outside looking in it's like even when we do a lot of a lot of pretty basic things that everybody does we bodybuilders a game of like eating and working out if you really simplify it everybody eats And lot of people work out, you're trying to be, you know, the best at that. And that's where all the details to it, the ⁓ comes in of like being just dialed in to ⁓ all those things. And people that we just, you know, go to the gym a lot and eat, but you can, a lot of people do that. Everybody's gone to a gym and ⁓ seen a of people who eat food and work out. Brooke Masters: Yep. Jess Stancil: pretty often and they don't all look like bodybuilders because they're all these little things that they go into it to add up to something. And then you factor in, know, the posing and lifestyle, things like sleeping enough, ⁓ your blood work right, like the supplements, learning the of a competitor. Calvin Masters: Thank you. Brooke Masters: sleep. Calvin Masters: Yeah, and that's, I mean, you make some really good points with that. And that's the thing it's funny because you'll see people that have been going to the gym for years, right? You see them that the gym and they're in good shape, ⁓ following a diet, you know, following macros, doing their thing, but really no real changes, no real impressive changes, maybe a little less fat here and there, but they're not growing. And so those details, like you mentioned, ⁓ those are what makes the difference between, you know, a bodybuilder, competitive bodybuilder and someone that's bodybuilding just for lifestyle. You know, there's nothing wrong at all for somebody that's bodybuilding for lifestyle. But it's definitely not the same thing because as a bodybuilder, it's not just about getting the right foods in and hitting your macros. It's about crossing, you know, all the T's just covering everything, getting the sleep, making sure the balances are right, paying attention to the biofeedback. You know, the science comes in at that point because what a lot of people, I don't think they really think about it, but bodybuilding is the leanest people in the world. Linear than Olympic athletes. When we step on that stage, we are that 0.0001 % of people that were willing to get to that point. And it is not easy. Jess Stancil: Yeah. Yeah. That's the fun part. Calvin Masters: you know, to do that. But it can be easier than most people deal with sometimes as long as they do the things that need to be done, which is paying attention to those things like sleep and recovery, making sure the timing's right with the food. You know, so many details going in digestion, you know, is there digestion, regular, all the things you have to consider before you go into prep. you know, is you don't want to go into a prep if you're going to the bathroom once every three days. That needs to be fixed. ⁓ hormones, you know, something that lifestyle doesn't think as much about, you know, they just kind of go and get their regular check in with the doctor once a year. As an athlete, we need to know, we need to know exactly where our hormones are before prep and after prep. You know, and we know how to fix it. A good coach like, like Jess, we know how to fix these things and we know the importance of fixing those things. If you want to make any progress in the off season, you know, much less losing the way you need to lose into prep. if those stars aren't in alignment, you still can get in great shape, but are you going to play stop five? You know, and I think that's the goal for most people is to get that top five number, you know, hopefully win, but top five. And that's can be the difference that little percentage of what, what did we not do right? You know, what could we have corrected better? So. Jess Stancil: Yeah. Because everybody that's. doing it competitively, you they they want to win like they're checking all those boxes So I think that's that's a good point is ⁓ can get on stage and like just just do it because you you want to get in shape or I Want to I want to try this thing out. I want to try to adopt this lifestyle I've made a lot of progress. I've lost some weight. I want to Showcase it and be proud of myself And maybe you're not a hundred percent doubt and you can't get on stage and do that, you know, that can be admirable Brooke Masters: Yes. Jess Stancil: too but have to have realistic expectations too and if you want to place well at all and make it worthwhile like you need to be not not just like checking all the boxes but even even mentally like you know kind of prepared to when you have to have to have that mindset of like I'm all about this thing not just an hour in the gym but 24-7 know for for this prep or before the prep ⁓ Brooke Masters: Thanks. Jess Stancil: the time that I've spent like building the muscle, getting my hormones, my sleep, my digestion right. I'm locked in. You know, and if you don't go into a prep with that kind of mindset and those habits down, it's cool. know, do do a show for whatever reasons you want to, but don't expect to place well in a competitive level to when other people are, you know, all checking all those boxes and I've been doing it for a long time. and they probably have good genetics too and all the other things and there can only be one winner. Brooke Masters: Yep, yep. But it's also cool to see somebody that's never done it before. And I tell them, know, train like you are, right? To start those habits. So that way, eventually when it gets to the point, your physique is in a great place. You've been doing all the lifestyle habits, then to make the decision, you know what? I do want to see what I'm capable of. I do want to see what takes me to love. And that usually, those are the ones that have created the habits, done the things so that when... when they do get to stage, then all of a sudden it's like, all right, like you've already done the basics. Like now let's just turn this up and see what you can really do. And you know, for a lot of people it's life-changing because I always tell people, you know, for me, when I was doing it, I was the biggest introvert. Like there, I still can't believe to this day that I even did it. I mean, what I do for Calvin, it's crazy. But it was, it was like I was so scared before jumping on that stage. Like I remember literally shaking backstage and so afraid. But when I did it and made it to the other side, it was like, was a shift. It was something of ⁓ never in a million years thought I could possibly do that. I was so terrified and I did it anyway. That shifted who I was. And then it was just like, when I did it the next time, was like, was still scared, but it was like, wow, like if I did it, what is going to happen now? Like, what am going to look like this time? And it's really cool to be able to be in a place that you constantly want to evolve and that you constantly want to become better. And it's not about comparing, like, of course they're going to compare you to the next person, but I can look at those people and look at myself like, Hey, I'm 52 years old. I'm not gonna be able to compare myself to the 18 year old because she's my same height. Like it is, but you know what? I'm 52 and I'm sitting on stage in a bikini and heels with an 18 year old girl and I'm still holding my own. So it's that aspect of it also that I feel has allowed me to be in a much stronger place mentally because... you can't look at it like comparing to other people. can't ever do that because you don't know their story. You don't know how long they've been doing it. I literally was working out for what? My show was in November. My first show I started working out in my 40s in July, like from 40s. And then I competed in November. So it was like, that's when I started working out. So obviously I wasn't going to do, but I was impressed with myself that I was even able to do it. You know? So I think. Calvin Masters: can see the change, know, after you did the show, can 100 % see the change and what it's evolved into with us, you know? And, you know, for me, of course, I had to compete after that once I saw her do it. That was my motivation. I'm like, I need to, you know, get my stuff together and go do this. And that was a turning point for me. You know, once I got on that stage for the first time, our life changed. You know, it did. The course of our life did. And that's what got us here today. ⁓ You know, but it is a, it's something that it should scare people. ⁓ it doesn't scare them, then they're really not taking it as seriously as they think, as they should, because ⁓ want to have that fear, but that fear is excitement at the same time. But that's when you know you're being challenged and that's the growth is going into it. Facing it, you're facing the dragon and you're going in to slay the dragon, you know? that's brave to go and do that. And this is bringing out something out of somebody that may be like an introvert. You know, maybe there's this person that goes to work every day and just doesn't get a lot of, you kudos for what they do. Maybe not a lot of respect. But this is an opportunity for them to step up and do something for themselves to show that they really are capable of doing all these things. But it brings that challenge, the growth that comes from it, of doing it. It's not about placing. It's about what you achieved and getting on that stage and doing it. What happens after that is that's your journey. You know, if it's about placing, you want to start doing better and be a true competitor, then go for it. But you have to get that first thing, that first step. that's where the growth begins, you know, and it is just a, it's just a great thing. think for a lot of people, it's definitely not for everyone. You know, I think you do have to kind of understand like bodybuilders are infamous for being some of the most unsociable people, know, ⁓ the reasons that we mentioned, because people think for us, it's just about the food that we just have to have the food, right, right. You we build milk prep. but it's all the other things that are in it too, is being home in time, not drinking so you can actually recover well that week. All these things, at the same time, me as a coach, one of the things I encourage with my competitors is not to get over consumed with those things to where all you think about is prep. And I think you Jess would probably agree that this happens to a lot of people. Brooke Masters: sleep. Calvin Masters: because there is a very big mental side to it. You know, that you go in and this is literally all you think about and you become that, but then you forget about the exterior of. So there is, it's important to have a balance, you know, these things. And maybe for the first show, maybe you do kind of need to be all in, but as you progress through it. It's important to go see your friends. It's important to spend time with your family, but it's important to find a way that you can do that to bring your food with you and make that work. And when you can do that, then you have the lifestyle. That's the true lifestyle. A lifestyle isn't just eating the meals and getting the sleep. It's actually having a life while you do this. So, but the, but I think the mental side, like I'm sure you've seen it, Jess, you know how it can affect people when When they get into it and they realize they have that turning point where they realize it's a little bit harder than they thought. you had any experiences like that ⁓ any? Jess Stancil: I think there's levels to it too. know, at some point you do need to kind of be all in enough to know what like to know what that feels like. And that's that's the good and the bad of it, right? Like it is it is fun. It is. I think part of, know, the whole getting on stage process, the fear of doing that and overcoming it is also kind of a culmination of not just the step in on stage part, but everything else that you've done going into it. And when you've been all in and you've challenged yourself in so many new ways already through the whole process, the whole prep, that's what makes it that much more rewarding. you have to kind be all in enough to know what that feels like to really be dedicated enough to this craft. And I think you can ⁓ kind earn that balance. But at same time, there are different phases. ⁓ There's off season and there's prep that can be totally different for people and that there's different levels to this too, where obviously genetics can play a role. ⁓ Some people can get a lot further without taking it as seriously, but ultimately like to reach your potential if you really want to go far in it. just ⁓ of discipline to it. A little background on me, anybody doesn't know, I'm an IFBB pro, I turned pro in 2020, so I've had it for a while. A goal would be like awesome to go to the Olympia one day and I haven't done that yet. If I did ⁓ qualify the Olympia and want to place there, I'd have to take it to a whole nother level. Where, ⁓ right now, business and balancing life and coaching too can that. take a backseat at times, you have to be able to turn it up when you want to progress in the sport too. I think that that's a skill not everybody needs to like take it that seriously and, know, definitely not give up everything else in their life to be just a hundred percent mentally obsessed, locked in with this bodybuilding stuff. you have to have realistic expectations too. you know, I expect if you want to be able to take it really far, there's levels where you're going to have to turn that up more and more and more. Calvin Masters: Yeah, you got it. Brooke Masters: It's like a professional athlete. You think of any professional athlete, right? You're going to have to like, it's different if you just want to go out and play with your friends and play football. You know, it's different if you're going to be in a league and then it's different if you're going to play professionally. Like it goes up in levels, you know, when it is something that has to be balanced. And I love how you said you have to look at your whole aspect of what is going on in your life and understanding, you know, your job is your job. Does it give you the ability to be able to divide your time so you can give more time to this because it will require more time and more attention? So you do have to be able to look at that perspective and know, okay, this is where I am. I can do this much and this much time. So this is the level where I'm going to be. If I really love it and want to do more, I need to prioritize and look at the things going on in my life and being able to shift and make a commitment to this because I need to become this much better, which requires this much more attention. Calvin Masters: I do think that's a learned skill with competition too. Probably the biggest mistake I see with newbies coming in. Jess Stancil: Yeah. Calvin Masters: is they don't think about the timeframe of the show and how their lifestyle has to kind of adjust to the prep. you'll see cruises being booked, you'll see vacations being booked and they're like, ⁓ the kids are off for the summer so we're going to go to Disney and ⁓ ⁓ your show is six weeks later. So yeah, so you think we can make that work, right? ⁓ Not ideal, not ideal, no. Brooke Masters: Mm-hmm. I'll you month. No. Jess Stancil: Mr. Olympia's thought. Calvin Masters: Don't eat the turkey leg. know how much fat is actually in there. Just so you guys know, don't eat the turkey leg. didn't. Go look at the fat content in that. We did. Brooke Masters: certain legs. Didn't we search that up one time of how much that's where sodium was in a turkey leg? Calvin Masters: It's just the amount of ancillium in that thing. It's just Jess Stancil: Wow. And everything matters when you're in a prep. so people do that aspect of it. does have to be a lot deeper than just, we follow some plans and macros and we work out, we do some cardio. You're always doing yeah, I mean, you can't miss. When you're ⁓ in a prep, you're getting close to your show, especially, like... aren't going be any cruises. ⁓ probably not going to pan out well on the stage, at least if you want to enjoy that trip. ⁓ Brooke Masters: Yes. I mean, you pack all your meals for a week. I mean, I don't know how that's going to happen, but. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: Yeah, yeah, that makes it tough. And the work part too, you know, and I think that's why a lot of bodybuilders, whether they're pro or just like serious or they love doing it are like us, where like they want to do something for work that fits bodybuilding. Not everybody, I mean, there's cops, there's firefighters, there's nurses, but like, if you really want to... Calvin Masters: Yeah, okay, but you're good. Jess Stancil: to do bodybuilding like long term and be serious about it. either have to kind play in a lot of your life around it so that it fits because you love to do this or just have to have a lot of discipline and structure to it. And you know, that's what everybody says that you'll gain from a prep is like discipline. ⁓ But think even structure ⁓ is better word for it. yeah. Yeah. ⁓ Brooke Masters: Thanks. Yes. Calvin Masters: And you build that discipline through it. That's one of the benefits of prep is it teaches you that because nothing works better than having a goal, you know, but when your goal is to get on that stage and we're next to nothing and get judged, you you're pretty motivated, you know, to do the things that you got to do to get to that point. I but I will say. Now, I enjoy the idea of coaching pros and all that stuff, but I'll say in my opinion, having a newbie come on with that energy just so much friggin fun to coach. because they will do the things. It takes a little bit of polishing to get them into the groove and stuff, but they're full of piss and vinegar. They're ready to do it. And if you tell them to eat dirt, they're gonna eat dirt. In most cases, not that you'll do that, but that's the mindset. They go and they're all in, they're doing it. I have noticed that sometimes people, as they get into it and done one or two shows and the next season comes, The foot's not in the gas quite as much. Just not quite as much. There's a little bit more slack in the diet, you know, a little bit, and you have to kind of catch them. Have you noticed that? Jess Stancil: I have noticed, for myself at least, in my competition history, I do better after a loss. I mean, if I win something, I'm still going to be motivated, my confidence is going to be high. But the year that I won my Pro Card, the year before that, I was last callouts. at Nationals and I've been last called out many times at Nationals. A lot of people will kind of work their way up in the placings and shows and that kind of fits the idea of like you want to keep progressing, right? But that doesn't always translate to, you know, you got fifth next time you're going to get fourth, next time you're going to third. So I went from, you know, last place almost to winning the national show. And I think a big part of that was just I was mad enough, you know, after I had that loss. That's always been what it is for me is like if I if I get a worse look or worse placing that's when like my foot is gonna be on the gas after that ⁓ How to you know keep that fire after like a win that I don't know but me ⁓ I that Not getting discouraged but but just being just mad enough but like hey I did great but like Calvin Masters: Mm-hmm. ⁓ you Jess Stancil: That wasn't what I wanted. I want a better outcome than that. We need to push a little harder. That's what motivates me. Maybe not every client is like that, but I think you have to kind of see the gap between where you're at and where the other competitors are or where you want to be to be able to push that gas a little bit harder. So I could see where ⁓ somebody has already done it and they feel like they've achieved something. Calvin Masters: you Jess Stancil: Maybe they're in a shape than when they first got into the bodybuilding thing, where they feel like they could slack off a little bit. And you can't really do that. Calvin Masters: Mm. can't let off the gas. ⁓ no. And a good example of that is when you were talking about nationals. So if anybody's never been to a national show and he mentions last call out, which means that's pretty much the bottom five, right out of the group. So the bottom five is insanely sickly, insane physiques in a national show. Brooke Masters: Yep. ⁓ Calvin Masters: You know, so this is the difference here, you know, is it is it's people going to turn pro, you know, it's where you go to do that. And but that's where the science and that's where it matters. The details that a lot of people don't think about, you know, the sleep and those, you know, things and not cheating and making sure you're not an extra teaspoon of this. All those things add up. And that can be the difference of literally I've seen like like Jess is talking about. I've seen people. place horribly in a show and then come back a month later and win a show. You can make those adjustments, but that line is so fine that you learn that when you're in there that how easily just pulling back a little bit can push you back way far back ⁓ a difference of like 3%, 2 % in the physique. And the judges don't have an easy job. They don't have an easy job. And listen, they don't care about your feelings. this is not about feeling. This is a competition and their job ⁓ to pick. Your job is to pick the best physiques up there, the top five. And that includes opposing that includes your stage presence. That includes all these things. And I think a lot of competitors kind of miss that a little bit when they get too focused on one thing, they may have an incredible physique, but you can get up on the stage and your posing looks amateurish. Jess Stancil: ⁓ yeah, I know a lot of judges, so I don't need any favors. Brooke Masters: Mm-hmm. Calvin Masters: You know, and you're not going to get top five in a national show. I don't care how good your physique is. If your posing is up there and it does not look polished, there's no medals going home with you that day. So little things like that, water manipulation, making sure your sodium's on point, all these details. And, you know, for a true competitor, they like that, you know, they like the details because that gives you a chance to get even better by making a small change and doing that. And then having that talk with your coach after, you know, what can we do and improve? And this is, this is a big thing for competitors. And I, and I'd to talk more with you about this, Jess is, Brooke Masters: Mm. Calvin Masters: their mindset post show how they handle that and how that can make or break a person in competition to whether they're going to improve or whether they're going to regress or quit altogether is how they take not winning, you know, because nobody wins all the time. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: And like I said, you can go from one show and do horribly to the next show and win first place. And that could be based on the judging on different judge panel, what they're looking for. So as I my competitors, I'm like, don't base your placing. Don't make that your victory. Make your victory as did you improve from the last show? Did you did you accomplish what the goal was to get to this show? If you did that, it's already a win. We're only going to go up from there. You know, but you can't control who's going to show up that day. You can control how the judges feel. You, they just might not like your hair that day. Who knows? knows what it is, ⁓ it can affect that. But what's very important is how you take it afterwards. Jess Stancil: Got that, please. Calvin Masters: Because there's always something to learn. And another thing I share with my competitors, you're going to learn a lot more from a loss than you're going to learn from a win. Winning is great. We all won it. But where's the lessons? What do you learn? How do you get better from that? And that can be hard to improve if you're winning because that drive starts to fizzle down a little bit. Because it's the mentality of what do I got to do to improve? What could I have done better? So if you had a... Brooke Masters: Yes. Calvin Masters: moments with your competitors where they just did not handle not winning very well. I'm sure you have but I'm put it out there anyway. Jess Stancil: Yeah, that is ⁓ I think that actually a lot of times will feel more more down than my clients do if they don't ⁓ I I want more than and maybe it's because you know for them they they recognize And I'll this too like it had a pretty good year for clients last year So a lot of them placed like pretty well. We had some a lot of seconds ⁓ a lot thirds Brooke Masters: you Calvin Masters: Yeah, absolutely. Jess Stancil: where they were happy with that second or third, they recognized the work they put in. They knew how good the competition was. Sometimes it gets more tiresome ⁓ the coach. You're like, this is my third person that got second. ⁓ they can actually be pretty happy about it. I have had clients for sure that have ⁓ not gotten placing that they really wanted. Maybe it was just a Brooke Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: a higher level show they went to or who showed up that day or I think the worst thing to feel is to say, I wasn't 100 % happy with my look, whatever that be. Maybe you're 90%, maybe it's just, it can be so many factors that people on the outside don't realize or the stress before the show. You couldn't go to the bathroom enough or something happened with your tan. Brooke Masters: area of fame. Jess Stancil: writing didn't suit you, a suit, a posing error, whatever it might be. think people can get upset about that and ⁓ a little more understandable than like coming in absolutely on at your best and then somebody was just better. ⁓ But you do learn a lot from those losses. always do. I think some the losses I had were the best thing that ever happened. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: to me and I have competitors too. I have ⁓ one who's about a week out who I'm really excited to see step on stage at the Arnold Classic Amateur. think that she, I'll give her a shout out, Kathleen has had a disappointing couple of national shows last year, her first time ever doing it. And was definitely enough to say like, let's shut it down and focus on next year. But that really... turned it up on a notch for us where everything's been even more dialed in and you have to get feedback from judges but also the experience of ⁓ wasn't what I wanted. Why did I not place it that well? Did I do anything wrong or do I just need more time to build maybe it's ⁓ another to lose. Maybe it's one more week of dieting. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: different with your posing, your peak, but you learn from losses and I try to learn from wins too. When won my Pro Card or when clients have placed well on shows, I've asked the judges, hey like what do do to get better here? But it really ⁓ when you can a well and I try to do that right away as a coach. Maybe give them a little time if they like need a day, they want to Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: Mm-hmm. Jess Stancil: process it and then we talk about a game plan. Let's talk about how this went. What can we do better with the peak and what's the next step? I'll share one more story here. I think it helps is I've learned a lot from my losses too. And before I got my pro card in 2020, I also did a show a week before, two weeks, I think before that it was the COVID year. Calvin Masters: there. Jess Stancil: So it was kind of crazy year for shows. I to end up actually waiting a while. I was ready in March to get on stage and then it being August when they had a show. But I ⁓ a qualifying show, know, just to, I was really eager to get back out there and hopefully, you know, win a show. did the South Carolina States. It was, they had like a two day show. So it was, Brooke Masters: ⁓ yeah. Calvin Masters: Yeah, it was. Brooke Masters: ⁓ Jess Stancil: basically two shows on a Friday and Saturday back to back. did both. Friday I got second Saturday I got second again. And was like, man, this is like killing my momentum to go into the national It's a whole nother level that I was hoping to go get my pro card. But the feedback that I, I don't think I need to get specific here, but the feedback that I was able to get from the judges at that show on why I got beat. is exactly why I was able to get that much better to end up winning the show that actually mattered the most to me. I actually out on top over the guy who beat me two weeks later ⁓ I won at the Junior USAs and got my card. And I really like credit so much of that to losing ⁓ right that. Some people consider second place a loss. mean, there's a lot of people in a show that can be great, but Brooke Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: for me, the feedback I got for why somebody else beat me was everything I needed to come in or three pounds lighter and my pose a little bit better and make these little tweaks that made all of the difference for me. Brooke Masters: And it's crazy how those little teeny tiny changes and that's the thing that you can't let it mess with your head because if you're getting on that stage and that's another thing is when you're getting on that stage and you know you have done everything, you have crossed every T, every I, like when you jump on that stage, that's what makes you confident going into that stage. That's what can get your mindset in a great place. And also knowing it could be the slightest little thing that they tell you to change and that's all it would have taken. rather than beating yourself up like, why couldn't I have done better? Like, okay, but if I did a quarter turn to the left, like it would have been it. Like that's craziness this sport. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: little things, the game of inches sometimes. sure, sometimes, a lot of times, you know, if we're not, you know, pro caliber or Olympia caliber physiques, judges feedback is going to sound the same a lot of times. ⁓ a little bit leaner, a little bit more size, a little bit more polish. But they give you something really specific, something little, think be happy with that because that meant like you were overall came in pretty good. It's just Calvin Masters: That's true. Brooke Masters: Yeah. There. Yeah. You are so close. Yeah. Jess Stancil: When a judge says like a little more of this ⁓ your pose this way or if you're a female competitor, do your hair or your suit or your makeup different. I would take that as a win for a prep. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Brooke Masters: 100%. 100%. Not when you have to like grow your glutes for a year and a half. That's something different. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: you ⁓ it's broken. Calvin Masters: That's the hard truth sometimes that we just have to swallow that jagged bill. this is gonna take a minute, you know, and I tell you, I'm speaking of the COVID thing too, because that was after I did nationals and my first one was in 2019. Brooke Masters: So you know. Calvin Masters: And then that next year I came back, got fifth in that one. And then the next year is this was just one of those preps that just everything just went too easy. It was was almost that was just melting off. I don't even know 100 percent what I was doing right at this time. coming to the show and I was super confident. And sure enough, five days out from the show, actually, maybe a week out from the show, I got covid. And all of that prep and you know what prep for nationals is no joke. that time, ⁓ though it went well, I had the confidence. I was there, got it. And I'm like, you ⁓ really. I ended up bouncing back and going to compete at the ultimate Grand Prix down here. And I ⁓ won my class for that one. So was happy. But, ⁓ Jess Stancil: Did you hear it? Okay. Calvin Masters: Well, that can get frustrating to go through that whole thing. That's why I don't know how you do this, Jess, but I, when I try to plan for a competitor for a show, I like to, I like to kind of work towards if I have the ability to do it, a cluster of shows because life happens, you know, and it can, you don't know what is going to happen, but it can happen and something can throw that thing on there. can throw. throw it off. It just is what it is, you know, and um, but that's one thing I learned is when my first earlier years as a coach, I wouldn't do that. I had the hard day, you know, I was just, you know, I was like, put your money down for the show. That way you're going to be locked in mentally. Cause that's what I was doing. And I learned, all right, that's not a good idea. Let's just hold off till the end and just make sure, you know, Jess Stancil: Yeah, it's not my favorite. Yeah, that's a good point. That is not my favorite, you know, to plan it. To say a year ahead of time, like, this is the show I'm going to do. Like, maybe we aim for that time frame, but yet to be able to be flexible when things do happen and be able to pivot. if we still do the show and something doesn't go ⁓ way. Whether it's like an internal or external thing have another show lined up I think that's great for competitors to be able to do to to learn from all the experience on stage is like especially if it's your first show like Wait a week two weeks if you're already in shape enough dial it in just a little bit more go up there ⁓ Even if the same people are doing the show Calvin Masters: Yeah. Jess Stancil: And sometimes people don't want to do another show because the same person that beat them is going to be in the other show. But you get better and that's the name of the game. That's so fun about it to me ⁓ and see my competitors do is take that feedback ⁓ and a little bit on it and see what happens the next time when you know what changes to make. You get so much confidence from that. Calvin Masters: Right. Right. And that's it. Yeah. And when they become the competitor. The first show, ⁓ just finding out where you stand. That's kind of setting your present bar at that point. ⁓ happens from there is based on feedback. What do we see? Now you become a competitor. Now when you're training, you're training with intention to get better for specific things, which is very different from lifestyle. And also with the newbies coming in, that's... Brooke Masters: Yes. Calvin Masters: very important to establish with them and have that fallback show. Because I know a lot of times with people that are new coming in, don't necessarily have some new, but not always have a realistic expectation of like the timeline, what actually has to be done. Because you know, they see on social media 30 day challenge, drop 30 pounds in a month. That's not bodybuilding. No, you 30 pounds in a month, that's not good for us. ⁓ ⁓ of the real important things about bodybuilding is not losing that muscle in the prep. Take time you need to take. Do not the muscle because you can get the fat back really quick and you can take the fat off really quick, but that muscle, takes a minute. ⁓ So let's lose that. ⁓ Jess Stancil: long ⁓ yeah. Brooke Masters: minutes. Calvin Masters: You know, and that's something that I find that a lot of competitors come in and they... They look at a show and they want to do that because to them they're like, well, it's soon, it's not that far away. I want to get that done so I can go on with my life. But they're not really understanding that this is not a boot camp. That we're just going to shed that 20, 30 pounds off like no big deal. It still has to be systematic. You have to look and have those drops and make sure your body's not stressed. You have to make sure that they're holding that muscle as they go in because they don't really if you push too hard and you have to shave so much muscle off, they're gonna most likely look really flat the end of that prep and stressed and it's not a ⁓ look. And I don't think it's a look they're going to be happy with. having those shows and explaining it to them in the beginning and saying, look, we're going to shoot for this show. But if that date doesn't happen and I give them a hard date first, I'll say we're going to shoot for the hard date first. If that doesn't happen, we have this show here, this show here. You know, this one might be a two hour drive. So we're going to try to make that one. You know, but we have that established right out of the gate that so they're not feeling defeated because this is a big thing. that I think everybody sees this. Coaches don't openly go on to Instagram or Facebook or TikTok and start talking about their competitors that didn't make the show. We all love to talk about our competitors. You just went out there and crushed it, right? It makes us look great. Love it. Well, the reality is, I don't care who the coach is, we got competitors that don't make it to the show when we have to the date back. You know, but that doesn't make mean that the coach is not a good coach. A lot of times that's responsible call and what's best interest of the client, you know? And so if someone doesn't make a show, you got to understand that we're doing that for your best interest. That doesn't mean you failed. You know, that doesn't mean you failed. It means that we're looking out to give you the best, the best return for what you're putting in. So if you are where we think you should be. Jess Stancil: mean, they were. Calvin Masters: then we're not okay with putting you on that stage like that. And it's not maybe to some coaches, but I think I need to speak for Jess, not for us, it's not an ego thing, it's us protecting you. you know, to make sure that you have the best experience possible in this. So, and they do, they feel defeated, like they didn't make it and they got to push it back. Like they did something wrong. I expect them to do things wrong. It's the first round, you know? And so we go for it. And then as long as they make it on, they make it on. That's what happens, you know? So, so I think. Brooke Masters: Knowing is when they get up on that stage. They know that you said, okay We're gonna do this when you're at your best. So when they do get to that stage, they know okay This means I'm ready because he wouldn't let me do it if I wasn't ready And that's another thing is because you don't want to jump on that stage and then get a shitty Feedback from the judges and say well, I told you if you waited you would have been better, know It's better to say okay. I'm not ready. Let's do this right and do it the right way. So I stay healthy My look is the best that it can be, and then I can be really happy with the process because that's what it's about. Competing should be an amazing process. And again, even though it's hard, even though it's challenging, even though it has all the discipline, the experience overall of knowing what you accomplished and what you have created through your hard work, that's what bodybuilding's about. Whether it's on stage or not, it's just knowing that you did something consistently for a long period of time. to get you to a point that you are proud enough to display that on a stage and get judged. Calvin Masters: But I will say too, just to have some clarity with this, as the competitor progresses and better and becomes more professional, whether they're still MPC or not, ⁓ still professional towards ⁓ becoming of a pro, then we can set hard dates. Absolutely. We still keep in consideration they may get COVID, they may get the flu, something like that. But as far as how the prep's gonna go, the reason why is because Jess Stancil: different games. Calvin Masters: We have data on them. We have a year with them. We have two years with them, maybe three years. We know how their bodies work. We know how it responds. And we can make that hard date with them when they progress and they grow into that, you know, so you can have a pro, but you've been with that pro for, well, hopefully, you know, that you've been with them, but you understand it. So you can make those hard dates because they know what they got to do to get the job done. So now it's, it's, it's very much a team thing, you know, but it, in the beginning, you know, stages of MPC, you have to have a little bit of buffer, you know, to do it. And otherwise you're going to, you're going to burn out. and you're going to have a bad experience and you're not going to have good things to say about or good memories. And why would somebody go through all that to have nothing good to say about it? So, you know. Jess Stancil: That is a good distinction to make, think, the difference between being in your first prep and not having that data and not having everything cemented yet and being able to be really flexible ⁓ with versus like, after you've worked with somebody for long enough, if I've worked with a client already before, we've already done a show, I'm probably not going to push their show back. ⁓ We can be pretty definite ⁓ with what going to end up doing. And it's just a different game at that level. It's a different game like at the pro level if you get the pro level, you know, you're You're only changing show dates because maybe there's more strategy to it where you know, totally different than a amateur competitor if I'm trying to compete as a pro and I want to go to the Olympia I am actually gonna try to figure out like who's doing these shows because they're pros and I I know who they are and I know They're the best they have to go up again and maybe at the national level too, or like a very competitive local show, might who's doing them and have a little bit of strategy behind what show want to target for that reason or ⁓ do we to pivot. But yeah, I that when somebody's earlier on and they haven't been with you long enough or had that data and gotten on stage enough that you do need to have a little flexibility to win that show date as going to be. So I'm curious too, do you guys approach those more beginner clients the same way as me sometimes where ⁓ might say, we're just going to start prepping and aim for this timeline or we're going to pick a show later on or do you find it easier to give a show day so they have something to be motivated about and then ⁓ worst move it if they need to move it. And then two, like Calvin Masters: And I that's the key to that. I'm just gonna put that on. I'm do this next. Jess Stancil: If somebody does have to push back that show, how many times do you think you can push back a show before it's like, let's just take an off season and come back to it. Calvin Masters: Thanks. Yeah, yeah, it's going to happen. You'll see maybe their body wasn't fully recovered. Maybe there's an issue that you can catch. I think ⁓ my it's funny because my approach going into shows is I usually like ⁓ my coach what we'll do when I'm ready. You know, I don't have a show picked out right now, but I have some that I'd like to do. But we're going to go in that direction. You know. But I've done it long enough that I know now that I don't really want to go on stage if I'm not there. I'm not going to marry myself to a show. But if there's one I really want to do, we do it. But we never miss a day. We've never had an issue with that. But it is a, ⁓ the clients, I find that if ⁓ I to give them some shows to shoot for. Brooke Masters: but with your clients. Calvin Masters: You know, so and then and I kind of I kind of presented to him kind of the way that I mentioned is I'll say, OK, this is the one we're shooting for. But if some anything happens, we got the show, you know, and kind of give him a little bit of backup and I'll push those backups maybe six weeks, you know, depending, you know, as far as I can kind of get it where it's kind of still in that time frame. I find that they do ⁓ people kind of need that goal, especially as a competitor. They just work harder when they have a date to work towards, you know, And I find that they don't have that. It's not the same. They're not pushing. It's hard if they don't have a date and they're just kind of going in that. And so ⁓ have said that before and I took it back and stopped doing that. didn't do it again because, know, the thing too. And this kind of circles back around to this with with amateurs. Well, not but beginners, newbies. Brooke Masters: We'll start in the beginning. Jess Stancil: I some therapy. Brooke Masters: the different. Calvin Masters: is they try to ease into a prep, right? And so when you ease into a prep, when it's prep time, that's pre-calculated in our minds. What we want to see month to month. Easing into the prep isn't part of that protocol. When that green light goes and we're in prep, we're on it, you know? We're not just kind of, oh, I'll get pretty close to the macros this week, you know, and just kind of, and you're not seeing any weight drop in the beginning. And I'm like, mm, okay. You know, they're going to... Jess Stancil: Thank Brooke Masters: We just lost, come on. And it's like running a race without a finish line. Like, we're just going to be jogging. Jess Stancil: Then you're have to go right into a hard trap. I easing into a prep is just, you're still following it 100 % but hey the macro drops or the cardio, whatever we're doing is going to change as we go, it's going to increase but we're not following the plan a little bit and then we're gonna, ⁓ the show's getting close, gotta, you know, gotta bring it down. Calvin Masters: Yeah. in. Brooke Masters: Let me go ahead and do six hours of cardio. Calvin Masters: Yeah, yeah, I just, I to any competitors, listen, I can tell you go 100 % out of the gate because the more you can achieve in the first part of prep, the better prep is going to go. Brooke Masters: Here the end will be. Yep. Calvin Masters: 100 % because you do not want to be stressed in that those last four weeks of the show because you didn't do that in the beginning and your coach will have it laid out follow that plan do it right from the beginning and Really try to get the most you can get out of that first when your metabolism is the highest That's money in the bank right there. You can knock some serious pounds off in the beginning, but it starts adapting and things will get harder so it's Jess Stancil: You don't have to overdo it at that point either. That's what coaches are for. Coaches like us, just follow it. We're going to guide you there. It's going to get harder when it needs to get harder. don't not follow things right at the beginning, but don't overdo it either. Just follow the plan, and it's set up this way for a reason. We're going to make the right adjustments when you need to to get you to that end goal. Calvin Masters: Mm-hmm. Brooke Masters: the plan. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Yeah. Brooke Masters: Yeah. All right, guys. Well, thank you so much, Jess. We're gonna have to wrap it up here, but thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part here. And I won't ask you the silly question. Actually, I will ask you a silly question. So I'm gonna go ahead and ask you what is your favorite cartoon that you watched as a child? Jess Stancil: guys. All right. SpongeBob! Brooke Masters: This is a lot easier than the music one, Jess. Calvin Masters: music when I got him on that one last time. Jess Stancil: ⁓ When I was a kid, probably like Spongebob or Jimmy Neutron. ⁓ When I ⁓ a teen at like South Park. Brooke Masters: Strong work. Calvin Masters: Yeah, those are good ones Brooke Masters: Yeah, yeah. All right. That definitely tells your age. All right, cool All right guys, well, thank you everybody for tuning in we would truly appreciate if you enjoyed this episode to leave us a review We will be sharing justice information in the comments and again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you until next time. We'll see you guys later Jess Stancil: Yeah. Calvin Masters: You didn't have to ask me twice. Bye bye.