Rise or Fall

Have you even wondered what it feels like being on stage at a bikini competition? Ever wondered what the preparation involves? We spoke to the UK’s Pro Champion Abbey Willis to find out...

Abbey Willis is a 23 year old Bikini Pro Champion. She is also a full-time fitness coach helping other females get the body of their dreams.

Abbey’s fitness journey started way back in her early teenage years but hasn’t always involved weight training. “I have been a dancer all my life and when I was in my late teens I really lost my passion for it. I needed something to fill that space and the gym just fell into place!” By using her love for sports she found her new passion for the weight training. “I fell in love with fitness because it really showed me what my body was capable of; through eating to fuel and training for me. My confidence just bloomed. It makes me feel strong.” Like many other young females Abbey found herself feeling empowered and confident through lifting weights and wanted to push herself further in the field. This is when she decided to try something new and enter the world of bikini competitions. “In my last year of uni I went to see a bodybuilding show completely out the blue. I saw the girls on that stage and how confident and strong, yet still feminine they looked and I just knew I needed to give it a shot!” The bikini competition world has never been highly in the spotlight and many think that it is just for muscular men. However, these competitions give women a place to feel confident within themselves too and become proud of the hard work and progress they have made throughout the past few months of prep. “Proud would be the easiest way to describe it. You have worked so hard for that one moment and regardless to the result you know you gave 110% to everything in the lead up.” We all want to feel proud and inspired and being on stage is a great way to achieve this. Achieving big goals is always a great feeling, “my proudest moment would probably be getting my first UK Pro win and be fully-funded to fly to the USA as the only female in 2018 to represent the UK and to then get a TOP 2 placing in the Atlas International.”

You might want to try out bikini competitions yourself but just know it’s not just as easy as showing up and looking amazing on stage. It requires hard work and dedication beforehand to get the right physique for the show as well and mentally preparing yourself for what’s to come. “I

normally prep for around 12 weeks, I’ve done 17 shows now so my body seems to be more used to prepping and mentally you know what to expect more. Daily expenditure (training, neat, etc) goes up and calories go down when they need to. The more successful development season you’ve had means generally the easier the prep; though everyone is different. I’ve had a few where my body hadn’t seemed to respond for the first four weeks but then it all clicked into place. Consistency is the main factor when it comes to any weight loss journey. Mentally that can be the challenge and prep brain is definitely a thing! But having someone or a coach to be accountable too definitely helps keep you level headed!”

As well as competing in the shows Abbey is also inspiring other women to give it a go and smash their own personal fitness goals. “I use Instagram mainly to share my journey, the good, the bad, the ugly. I really do try to appreciate the little things in life and think it’s important for everyone to do just that. Being able to eat nutritious food and train in a gym or at home is a privilege & a lot of people forget that. I also have my wonderful coaching business where I help others reach their goals; whether that’s stepping on stage, building some muscle or just dropping a few pounds. My team make me so proud - I give them the tools they need but they do the work.”

Having the tools and the knowledge to start out on a fitness journey is one thing but actually achieving those goals is another. “Just start. That’s the hardest part. Once you get the ball rolling there maybe hurdles and no journey is 100% smooth but each step, however small, is a step closer to what you want!” Starting is the first step to any goal you want to achieve, you don’t have to be the best or make it perfect first time but its the start of the journey. In the future Abbey wants to continue to inspire others and help them achieve big dreams. “I want to keep helping people prove to themselves they can do it. See my coaching team grow and potentially step on stage again to win the Atlas.”

Bikini competitions wont be for everyone but some may choose it as next step in their fitness journey. If are interested in learning more about it or want support then head over to Abbey’s pages:

Instagram - @abbeeywillis Coaching - www.coachingwithabbey.com