Sick and Skinny to Master’s Bikini Champion: How I Did It

At a Glance: Stacey Grubbs

Age: 36

Occupation: Photographer

Family: Husband Bill of 8 years, 2 sons, Will 4 years old & Alex 14 months

Residence: Erlanger, KY

Years training: off and on for about 8 years, training to compete, 8 mos.

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 135 (off-season), 140 (contest)

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: Oatmeal with a scoop of vanilla UMP & blueberries, and UMP pudding

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before: The UMP for sure! It took me years of wasting money and being stuck with horrible protein powders before discovering UMP. And I will NEVER go back!

Music: Beastie Boys, 50 cent, old school hip hop!

Most Inspiring Book: The Bible

Hobby or interests outside bodybuilding: I love taking pictures and traveling! The combination of the two is even better!

Words to live by: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”, Philippians 4:13

I was always the tallest girl in my class ever since i started school! and not just the tallest, but also always the thinnest! I hated being both! My mom was called to school on a few occasions and questioned on whether or not I had an eating disorder. Thankfully, i never had an eating disorder, just never could gain weight. as an adult I continued to be too thin. a lot of this stems from having had stomach issues and being diagnosed with IBs in my mid 20’s. due to this, i was very limited as to what i could eat without getting sick. My diet usually consisted of nothing but carbs, pasta, rice and bread. Very rarely would I eat vegetables or any type of protein.

I started to go to the gym to try to put on some muscle, but with not eating right I gained nothing! I was very unhappy with my body and wanted to look healthy! after having
my second child, I remembered the name of a trainer that someone had told me about, Julie Lohre. so I looked her up and exchanged emails with her. shortly after, I joined her Team FitBody. When she saw my photos, she said that if I was really motivated I could be ready to do a show as soon as 8 weeks. I thought, “This woman is crazy!” But, I did what she told me to do in the gym and ate what she told me to eat (my meal plan being based around my dietary restrictions). as the weeks went by I started to gain weight and muscle. When the 8th week came, I was exactly where she said I would be, ready and on stage. I had dropped to 10% body fat, and gained almost 10lbs of muscle. it was truly amazing! I actually loved my body! and the best part, I was healthier than I had ever been!
it is amazing that I went from sick and skinny to healthy and fit! since beginning my training I have eaten clean, by eliminating a lot of processed foods, sugar and 80% of the carbs from my diet. now, the base for all my meals is protein. and another thing that is truly amazing, I have had almost no attacks of IBS!

My Bikini Diet

I am very lucky as far as diet is concerned! My contest diet contains two cheat meals each week up until the last 4 weeks out from a show. I take them out at that point. This is what my typical meal plan is like on a daily basis:

Meal 1
2 eggs/ 5 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal (1/2 scoop UMP Vanilla) with ½ cup of blueberries

Meal 2
2 scoops of UMP chocolate for shake
1 medium banana

Meal 3
5 oz. of chicken, 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread
¼ avocado
1 cup veggies (usually broccoli)

Meal 4
Large salad with 7 oz of chicken, salsa and 2 tbsp of low fat dressing

Meal 5
6 oz. of chicken
1 cup brown rice
1 cup veggies (usually red peppers)

Meal 6
1 scoop of UMP chocolate made into pudding with 1 tsp natural peanut butter

My diet pretty much stays the same whether prepping for a show or not. I eliminate my two cheat meals the final four weeks and replace the eggs and egg whites (due to extra sodium) with fish. I also eliminate any condiments the last two days.

When I first started Julie’s program, I found meal preparation a challenge. I was just trying to make each meal as it was time to eat. I finally smartened up and started setting aside Sundays to prepare all my food and supplements for the week. now, I cook all my food at one time and store it in the fridge. That way it’s ready to eat and I can just grab it when I need it! I also do this for my supplements. I take smaller storage containers and fill each with a day’s worth of supplements. They are small and I can throw them in my cooler or purse when I head out the door.

My Bikini Body Supplement Program

UMP (chocolate & vanilla): I use this for my shakes as a fabulous snack, in my oatmeal to add some flavor and to make pudding!

Density: I take 3 right before I work out, 3 right after my work out and 3 with my lunch for losing fat and increasing muscle mass.

Glutamine Select plus BCAAs I add 2 scoops to my water and sip on it as I work out to aid recovery after a hard workout.

Muscle Synergy: I take 5 of these with my density right before I workout and 5 with my first meal for energy and to help build lean muscle and to help with post workout soreness. I also take it shortly before going on stage to give me a good pump and energy!

Ultra 40: I take 3 of these with 4 of my meals, for preservation of lean muscle mass. Ultra 40 has everything in it, protein, iron, and B 12.

Cardio

I incorporate 2-3 days of 20-minute HIIT cardio each week. Cardio can get boring if you let it. You really have to think of creative ways to switch it up! Like trying a dance class or getting out of the gym and riding a bike doing hill intervals. My favorite cardio equipment is the stair master! I also take a dance class for one of my days. I love dancing and get a great workout in as well.

Bikini Training

I work full time and have two young children, so I have to get up pretty early to get my training in. On a typical day of training I usually arise at 4am, get to the gym by 5am, and workout until 7am. at the end of my training I practice posing for about 15 minutes each day. even though I am definitely not a morning person, I honestly look forward to getting up and going to the gym.

Right now I am doing higher weight, lower reps to gain muscle in my legs. My upper body develops pretty quickly, so my trainer said unless I wanted to transition over to figure I need to stick with lighter weights on my upper body for now.

 

Monday

Legs
Delts
Abs

Tuesday

Chest
Biceps
Abs
Plyometrics
CARDIO

Wednesday

Off

Thursday

Ddelts
Triceps
Hamstrings
Glutes
CARDIO/DANCE CLASS

Friday

Back
Plyometrics
Abs

Saturday

20 minutes of cardio

I will usually add a little ab work after my cardio, since this is an area where I have a hard time gaining muscle.

Presentation for Bikini Competition

I believe that presentation is of prime importance when you are competing! For my first show I had no idea about all that goes into preparing for getting up on stage. I thought I could do my own tan, hair and make-up. Thankfully, I was advised to let someone do all that for me! When you work soo hard and spend soo much time perfecting your body for that day on stage you want everything to be perfect! now, I book my spray tan, as well as hair and make-up appointments, as soon as I register for the show. allowing someone else to do those things takes a lot of worry and stress off your plate at a time when there is al-ready a lot on it. if I order a new suit for the show, I make sure I have it in plenty of time. I start looking for the jewelry I will wear with the suit about a month in advance! I am definitely a planner!

And most important is posing! You have to really dedicate time to practice your posing! as I was preparing for my first show, Julie included times to practice our posing right along with our meal and workout plans. When I first saw this, I thought, “Why would anyone have to practice that much?” now, I know, it is something that if you don’t practice you will never be good at. even the pros incorporate posing into their daily workouts.

My first show was the NPC Kentucky Derby in Louisville. it was a great show for a first timer. as I arrived at the venue I was really nervous and did not know what to expect. Thankfully, a lot of the girls that I trained with were competing as well, so there were some familiar faces. as I sat there and watched all the girls come in I totally started to psyche myself out. You look at all these tan, beautiful, fit girls and think “Oh my gosh! What am I doing?” it is very easy to let yourself be intimidated, but that is when you have to say, “I trained as hard as these girls and I deserve to be here”.

As the time approached Julie was the back stage expediter, ushering the different classes of girls for bikini to get ready to go on. And then it was my turn! I went out there and did what I had practiced over and over again. I loved it! I was immediately hooked! When it was all said and done I ended up taking 1st place in the Masters Bikini! after I came off stage with my award I was greeted by Julie, I don’t know who was more excited, me or her!

I left that competition with many new friends that I still keep in contact with. and more of a feeling that I can accomplish anything if I work hard enough!

My path has not been easy, but it has definitely been most rewarding! I would not be able to do this without my wonderful husband and the support he has given me. My trainer, Julie Lohre, is always looking out for me and my best interests. But there is one person that I could never have done any of this without, and that is God! he provided me with the strength I needed to accomplish what I have. I can do anything as long as I put my faith and trust in him.

 

Posted in 2014 Collection, Fit 45 (Women 45+).