How an arm wrestler became a bikini fitness athlete
In order to be a good coach and trainer, you also need to work on your mind and body yourself. One thing is clear. The longer you have been active in one field, the more difficult it is to find new challenges. Therefore, you have to be constantly open to new challenges, even those that may seem impossible at first.
Fitness has always been a huge part of life.
Founder of Firmafitness, Susie-Ann has been doing sports as long as she can remember. And she has been competing for 10 years. Susie is a professional arm wrestler, and an 8x Estonian champion.
“Arm wrestling is very technical, and preparing for it required a lot of technique training in the gym. Especially for the wrists. We have to work on practicing the technique. We practice different moves on the arm wrestling table with our teammates to learn to conquer the opponent,” describes Susie her arm wrestling trainings.
In search of new challenges
10 years is a long time, and a new challenge was in Susie’s mind. A quite different one from arm wrestling…
She had wanted to do bodybuilding since she was a teenager. The seed of this idea was planted in Susie’s head by a family friend who showed her pictures of competitions. Susie was fascinated by the physical form of the competitors and knowing that there was a real challenge behind it. Both mental and physical. It’s no secret to anyone who knows Susie that a good challenge is the best motivator for her.
Susie had taken steps towards bikini fitness before. Already in 2013 she was ready to start working on the bikini journey, but life had other plans and it was put on hold.
- In 2022 Susie moved back to Estonia, and it was time to start the biggest challenge of her life so far.
It all starts with the coach
The previous sentence was incorrect, because actually everything starts with you and your own desire to commit. However, to become great at something, you need a great coach.
Susie had met her coach already in 2013 and by the time she had decided to start competing in bikini fitness , they had already become friends. Coach Eleri Reinart had become a succesful bikini fitness coach during these 10 years, created Team Reinart and coached many successful bikini fitness athletes.
Susie says about her coach: “Eleri is not just a coach. She is the only person I trust to support me in this process. She is truly the most supportive coach I know. Always there, thinks along and always does more than is expected from her, even helping her athletes with hairstyles, make-up, bikinis and everything else related to bikini fitness.”
The most important change in her lifestyle
Several lifestyle changes had to be introduced, but the most important of them was a changing the mindset.
“I had to start defining myself as a bikini fitness competitor before I was one. It is not possible to commit to exercise and diet when you define yourself as the “old self”. The “old me” didn’t count calories, the “old me” didn’t work out like a bikini competitor. It was difficult to define yourself as someone you are not, but it is necessary in order to become someone you want to be,” Susie sums up the first challenges.
In addition, she had to change her old habits. For example, Susie was already committed to gym training but now she had to fit at least 10 thousand steps into each day.
The hardest part is being feminine
Bikini fitness values femininity, fluidity, grace. Posing plays a very important role.
However, Susie’s previous experience with competitive sports was the complete opposite. Arm wrestling required Susie to have a strong and rigid body, which was difficult to unlearn. But not impossible.
Susie practices posing for 2 hours every day. She records her posing and sends the video to the trainer for feedback. In the evening, posing is reviewed with her teammate and together they find different ways to look even more natural and feminine.
Routine provides clarity
You might think that a strict diet and exercise plan would be a challenge, but Susie finds that it has actually made her life easier.
“I have a routine and I don’t have to think about what to eat or when to eat or which exercises to do in the gym. I have a system, a plan, a routine. Before my energy was spent on thinking about what I want to eat, now my meals are always prepared and I can focus on work. The meals are prepared for 1 week, I eat at a certain time, I exercise according to my workout plan. There is so much clarity. I’ve discovered that the reason people give up on their goals is not lack of motivation, it’s lack of clarity. When it’s clear where-what-when to do, it is much easier to work towards the goal,” Susie summarizes her bikini journey.
Goal helps to maintain discipline
You might think that bikini fitness is physically difficult, and it certainly is, but the most difficult thing is to train your mind to not give up. Because this journey, like any other, has plenty of difficult moments.
The best way to maintain discipline is to have a goal. “I have a clear goal. I chose this journey, I will not quit. I know the exact date when it will be over,” Susie describes the mindset that helps her stay disciplined.
In addition, a support network – friends, coach, fellow competitors – helps to keep her focused.
The first trophies are already on the shelf
The competition season started in autumn, and Susie has already brought home the first trophies. Soon we will write more about her preparation journey and recommendations for getting started with bikini fitness!
If you want to follow Susie’s journey, follow her onInstagram!
