I have written several blogs talking about my diet, and soon I hope to write one where I show my exercise routine and what I have learned about exercise over the years. But this post is about how I managed to come in first place in a bench press competition.

Every year at my school, a competition is held for both women and men to showcase their physical abilities, weightlifting, squats, etc. I knew about this competition, but I initially wasn't very interested in participating. I didn't see much benefit in competing at first, but during a training session, Coach Mario approached me one day and asked if I had signed up for the competition.

"Are you going to join the competition?" he asked. I told him no, that I didn't see much benefit, but he ended up convincing me, and I ended up signing up for the 100kg Bench Press competition. In the competition, you have to perform as many repetitions as you can. By this time, I was already lifting 100kg for all my sets in my chest routine, so it wasn't much of a problem. The challenge now was to push myself to failure to get more repetitions.

During these weeks, I practiced and trained with the intention of pushing myself physically in every way. I wanted to be as prepared as possible for the competition. My friend Santi helped me by spotting me and giving me advice on how to correct my technique. He always said, "Your bench press technique is strange, but I'll try to do it too, hahaha."

He always reminded me of the importance of breathing because every time I did a set, I would take a quick breath and do all the repetitions without controlling my breathing. So he told me, "Try to control your breathing. This is also about conditioning. Try to breathe, do 2 repetitions, then breathe again. It will be difficult at first, but when you do it unconsciously, you will see the results."

Throughout the preparation weeks, I consistently did 15-16 consecutive repetitions. My goal was to increase them as much as possible. I remember that the weekend before the competition, I was in the last class of the day. After the class, I would go back to my parents' house to enjoy the long weekend because there were no classes on Monday. I remember my friend Hugo told me, "On the day of the competition, have carbohydrates in the morning so that you have a lot of energy."

Many friends also told me, "Don't do ANY exercise this weekend. Let your body rest. If you let it rest this weekend, you will be fully recovered and ready to win the competition." The weekend passed, and I returned to Guadalajara on Monday, one day before the competition. During this time, I had some internal battles because, in essence, I had never liked competing for trophies or awards. I always thought that competing would bring me more problems than benefits.

I realized that this mentality only ended up benefiting others while I missed out on winning anything or showing what I am capable of. That's why I decided to change my mindset and say, "I'm going to win tomorrow, no matter who participates or how much they lift. I have worked hard for this, and I'm going to achieve it."

The day arrived. In the morning, I went to classes and returned to my dormitory on campus. The competition was at a different time than I usually go, so I had more time before it started. I took advantage of that time and finished some pending tasks from the week. Two hours before the competition, I decided to take a break, so I lay down and stared at the ceiling of my room during that time. Many thoughts came to my mind - memories, victories, failures, fears, joys, everything.

But my mindset remained the same - I am going to win above all. I put on my gym clothes, my headphones, and walked to the gym, listening to music at full volume. I felt a very strange sensation - it was just me and no one else. I felt like something was pushing me forward, and my mind was solely focused on one thing: BEING THE WINNER.

I arrived at the gym and greeted my friends who were already there. As soon as I entered the gym, I met one of the coaches who had supported me the most during my preparation. He asked me, "How many repetitions are you going to do?" I said 20, and he replied, "Alright, let's take a picture afterwards. I want a picture with the champion." Those words moved me a lot. I realized the number of people who had more faith in me, so I said to myself, this is not a coincidence. Not everyone is told this.

The competition began, and as it progressed, the weight increased until it reached 100kg. As the weight increased, fewer people participated in those categories. I remember when it was my turn in the competition. I quickly put on the song that I knew would give me enough motivation to achieve it. I read the phrase "Have faith" that I wrote on my hand before going to the gym. And as I always say to my friends, I sat on the bench, and from that moment on, I heard NOTHING.

It was like being in another place mentally while being physically present. I lifted the bar, and when I felt that it didn't weigh as much as before, I said "NOW OR NEVER". I started doing repetitions as quickly as I could. I know my history of not being good at counting during bench press. My friend Javier has proven that to me several times, haha. So I decided to rely more on what the coach and my friends were saying. In the end, it turned out to be 20 repetitions - the number I promised the coach.

The other competitors continued, but none of them surpassed 20 repetitions. From here, I express my utmost respect to those who participated. It's not easy to lift 100kg, so they should also be very proud of themselves. The competition ended, and I knew I had won, but I didn't feel anything. It wasn't until they announced my name on the gym's loudspeakers that I realized what I had accomplished.

There, I confirmed what is often said - the journey is much better than the destination. I enjoyed the journey, the daily battles, and the process more than having the trophy. The trophy was a reward for my effort, but I was already proud of what I had achieved and the changes I had made. So that day, after the competition, I had one of the most mentally peaceful workouts I have ever had.

To you, who is reading this blog, thank you for taking the time to read this story. I would like to give you this advice: "Your journey is different from others. Some days you will lose, and other days you will win. But what matters is that you never give up and that you surround yourself with people who remind you of your worth and who you are."

Thank you very much to all who helped me in this process - my friend Santi for coaching me, the gym Coaches for their help, my friend Armando for being one of the people I have learned the most from in the gym and for advising me, my friend Hugo for the motivation and advice, my friend Javier for helping me count better between sets and motivating me to do more repetitions, the other competitors for inspiring me to bring out the best in me, and my gym friends for trusting me all this time. This trophy is also yours <3

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thank you very much for reading :)