Competing & teaching ... How does it balance?

I'm going to touch on the subject of working & competing, or, more specifically, Bodybuilding & teaching group exercise. 

Something that you never really see touched on in the myriad subjects that float across the cyber multiverse but that I know affects many of us

You see the craziness of group ex as a career is a subject all of its own. The learning of choreo, attending workshops, prepping classes, up skilling & then sometimes the sheer number of classes needed to be taught to earn a living & pay for the aforementioned training (plus music, insurance & poi licence) 

Then you have to deal with exhaustion, frustration, sometimes sickness & injury,  covering classes at the last minute then having ppl moan it's not "their" normal instructor. That's just a few of the tribulations 

Then you have the extremes of bodybuilding. The balance of training hard but not overtraining. Having enough rest to allow the muscles to grow but not so much you don't grow. No or little cardio off season & LISS cardio during prep. Diet off season, diet on season, the constant struggle of eating enough & being constantly hungry.

OH THE CONTRADICTION!

Then you have the complete nut jobs that do both

Yep... Group ex body builders. Talk about make a tough job tougher 

I know, I've done it. It was hard but not impossible. Everything has to be planned & calculated. Even down to the question of " can I cover that class, is it too much cardio?. If I teach that pump class am I overtraining that body part?"

Do I up my calories because I had to do cover etc etc 

So yes it makes it more complex & there is more to consider & factor in.

All I can say is there really is no room for compromise. You have to make the decision early on which is going to take more of a back seat. Group ex or bodybuilding. In this regard you really can't have your cake & eat it.

For me I chose to look the best I could on that stage. I still have to pay bills but the compromises were all made in favour of bodybuilding. I said no to excess cardio classes. I got classes covered if I felt I needed to & took 2 weeks off before my comp both times. 

You can do both but there will always be a priority & foremost in your mind will always be the knowledge that neither of your passions compliment each other but you have to balance it in a way you can be happy. 

So there you have it.. Two crazy passions 

But then you could also add in a third like say personal training:coaching  right? 😉