The Drop Set – Episode 82: FROM THE ROAD! Travel/prep Update, Intensity Scaling

-Approximately an 8-10 minute read.

This post is part of the Ultimate Bikini Prep Bible – click here to view the entire thing (very long!)

Comparison isn’t new to bodybuilding. I mean, ultimately that’s the point.  When you’re on stage.

What’s new is how constant and how close it is.  Bodybuilding pre-social media was an entirely different beast.

We’re always our own worst critics under the best of circumstances.  But when calories are low and fatigue is high, your brain starts scanning for threats. Other competitors’ bodies, timelines, and progress suddenly feel relevant in a way they normally wouldn’t. You’re not just noticing them – you’re subconsciously measuring yourself against them.

That’s when prep quietly shifts from strategic to reactive if you’re not careful.  Or said differently – from “planned” to “panic”.

Typically, prep narrows your world. Food options shrink. Schedules tighten. Margin for error disappears. That same narrowing happens mentally.

When you’re well-fed and rested, your brain can better contextualize information. You can see another competitor and think, interesting, then move on. During prep, that filter weakens. Visual input sticks longer. Emotional reactions are sharper.   

Every word people say means more.  “Oh, you’re 6 weeks out?” suddenly feels like an attack.  “Shit.  Do I not look it?”

Instead of “interesting,” your brain jumps straight to “relevant.”

Is she leaner than me? Am I late? Did I mess this up?

As show day approaches, urgency amplifies everything. There’s less time to correct mistakes, so your brain treats every perceived difference as a potential problem that needs solving now.

Social media pours gasoline on that fire. You’re not seeing reality — you’re seeing curated bodies, perfect lighting, selective angles, photos taken on someone else’s timeline, and from someone who may have YEARS of experience beyond yours.  You don’t know their story.

Consuming that content late in prep isn’t neutral. It adds mental load whether you notice it or not.

Comparison isn’t automatically bad. It can be useful when it stays technical.

Looking at posing quality, presentation, or division standards can inform preparation. That kind of comparison stays observational. It doesn’t demand changes — it just provides context.

If you’re preparing for your first show and you watch the Olympia, you’re less likely to think you suck as a bodybuilder because you don’t look like them.  Of course you don’t.  They’re the best, and you’re just starting.

The line gets crossed when comparison starts influencing decisions.

The moment someone else’s leanness, fullness, or confidence makes you question your plan, comparison has stopped being informational and started being directive. And at that point, it’s almost always working with incomplete data.

You don’t know their starting point. You don’t know their timeline. You don’t know what tradeoffs they’re making — or what they’ll look like in two weeks.

Reacting to outcomes without context is how solid preps drift late.  Mentally it wears on you, but that mental wear also spikes cortisol which will have a direct physical impact on your prep also.

The Reactive Prep Trap

Comparison-driven changes rarely happen all at once. They stack.

A little extra cardio here. Slightly tighter food rules there. Cutting back on recovery because “everyone else looks ahead.” Each change feels reasonable on its own.

Together, they increase fatigue and reduce clarity – exactly when clarity matters most.

This is where urgency lies to you. Doing something feels productive. Patience feels passive, like you’re just resigned to your sucktitude. In reality, late in prep, patience is often the most aggressive strategy available.

Reactive changes often bring short-term emotional relief. You feel like you took control. The cost usually shows up later — flatter look, worse recovery, or mental burnout that makes execution sloppy when precision matters most.

You’re going to have slow weeks in prep.  That’s ok.  Look at the bigger picture and see if you’re still “on track”, and is there a reasonable explanation as to why it was a slow week?

When Pulling Back Is the Smart Move

There are phases of prep where constant exposure does more harm than good. That isn’t avoidance — it’s focus.

If scrolling consistently leaves you anxious, rushed, or second-guessing the plan, that’s useful information. A temporary pullback can lower mental noise fast, without changing anything physically.

Staying on social media doesn’t require full engagement. Muting, unfollowing, or limiting exposure is often enough to stabilize mindset.

Also, honest evaluation time:  we’re all busy in prep.  Would your prep and life (in general) benefit in other ways from spending less time doom scrolling?

I had a client recently who was going into a minor social media meltdown about 6 weeks out from Nationals, playing the comparison game.  We pulled her off social media, and to her credit she did it.  Six weeks later she won her pro card.  Sometimes you just need to get out of your own damn way.

Sometimes the fix isn’t more discipline. It’s less interference.

 Most external pressure doesn’t come from other competitors. It comes from people who don’t understand contest prep at all.

Friends, family, and gym acquaintances usually (usually!) aren’t trying to undermine you. They’re reacting from concern, curiosity, or discomfort. That doesn’t make their comments harmless — but it does make them easier to contextualize.

“You look too lean.” 
“Are you sure this is healthy?”  
“You don’t need to go that far.” 

Late in prep, when mental bandwidth is already low, those comments land heavier than they should. The goal isn’t to argue or defend yourself endlessly. Often a simple explanation of why this matters to you is enough.

I’ve told people before in response to comments like that the truth – “this is hard, and I need to spend less time second-guessing myself.  Remind me to talk about this after the show.”

And if you want to shut someone up, just mention that prep is less ‘unhealthy’ than regular alcohol consumption which most people do.  That tends to shut people up if you just want to end the conversation.  Ha!

And if someone can’t respect that? Distance is allowed. Protecting your prep is part of the job.

Why the Plan Exists in the First Place

Your plan exists to remove emotion from decision-making. It’s a neutral reference point when comparison and pressure get loud.

Not someone else’s body.
Not someone else’s timeline.
Not someone else’s highlight reel.

Great preps aren’t dramatic. They’re boring, consistent, and quietly confident. Emotion doesn’t win shows. Execution does.

Your job isn’t to look around.
It’s to follow through.

Bikini Blueprint was built to keep prep strategic, even when comparison and external pressure are loud.