It was what I thought of as a “bucket-list-worthy” goal to compete the year I turned 40 years old. As a mother of five and an active group fitness instructor in my community, I thought a Bikini competition would be a useful tool for personal growth as well experience to add to my fitness knowledge base. I had just started becoming familiar with weight training the previous 3 or 4 months prior, just enough to be “dangerous” so to speak. I managed to place 3rd, 4th, and 5th in that competition even though my posing and my nerves were a wreck. Little did I know what my body and mind was capable of! I was a little intimidated at the thought of training with Jimbo. I recall making some reference to him being a huge tree, and to please not break me, because I was a delicate flower. Hahaha! I had no idea what I was in store for! Over a period of 12 weeks of training with Jimbo and following the plan he mapped out for me, I had several obvious improvements: my mental clarity became laser sharp, my lean muscle mass increased, my muscularity was balanced and well developed, and my stage presence and confidence grew leaps and bounds. This was all celebrated when I took 1st in all three divisions as well as the overall win at the NGA River City Classic. Jimbo has prepped me for other successful shows since then, and I am eager to continue to improve my health, stamina, and physique and compete more in the near future.

What first started as a chance encounter, became a marker in adapting my lifestyle to be a stronger, more fearless version of myself. Jimbo is an incredible coach, who consistently reinforces that there are no shortcuts or cheat codes to success and there is no room for excuses in the winner’s circle. This advice is true to life in a myriad of ways, be it in your career, personal goals, relationships.

Elaina Carrera