Top 5 Supplements

1. Protein Powder: Protein powders are one of my staple supplements. They are great post workout and also to quickly drink if you are running around between meetings.  They help to build and repair muscle. My favourite protein powder is Nutrigenix in chocolate. It takes like a chocolate milkshake and is perfect to make delicious protein cupcakes.

2. HMB: HMB is one of the bodys essential BCCAs. It helps to increase muscle mass and decrease muscle breakdown. I take the Nutrigenix HMB 3 times daily during comp prep to make sure that I am doing everything to retain that hard earned muscle while dropping fat.

3. Joint Formula: When you are lifting heavy and putting continuous pressure on your body it can result in the degradation of the structure. The joint formula will help maintain and recover the tendons, bone cartilage, joints etc.  I use the Nutrigenix Pro Joint Stack twice a day to help reduce any joint soreness.

4. Multi-Vitamin: If your diet is adequate then you should be getting enough vitamins and minerals from the foods that you eat, however when you are consistently dieting and exercising your immune system can be comprised so the body needs more vitamins and minerals then usual.  My favourite is the Nutrigenix Revive Ultimate Multi Vitamin Complex. I take this twice a day to make sure that my body constantly has all of the vitamins that it needs to make sure that I am performing at my peak.

5. Glutamine: Glutamine is one of my absolute favourite supplements. It is great for reducing muscle soreness and boosting your immune system. It is an abundant amino acid and can also help replenish glycogen stores after a hard workout. Start by adding 5 grams post workout and 5 grams before bed.

Any questions on supplements just message me on Faceboook - https://www.facebook.com/JessicaPendergrast

Are you taking the right supplements?

Glutamine is one of my favourite supplements and one that I take all year.

After an intense workout the glutamine levels in the body can become depleted and this can stop muscle recover and repair. Glutamine aids in recovery, reduces protein catabolism and increases protein metabolism.

By supplementing the glutamine post-workout, you can reduce the amount of muscle breakdown that happens during a workout and it also helps to reduce the soreness. The glutamine available in the muscle cells will then be able to help maintain muscle protein balance and speed up the recovery process.

I recommended the Nutrigenix Glutamine to some of my friends who have been having it for a month now and they have all said that they definitely recovered faster and were not as sore. We all know that when we train super hard that soreness can often prevent us from training hard again the next day so glutamine will help speed up the process.

The Nutrigenix Super L-Glutamine Stack blend contains the most advanced forms of glutamine to ensure maximum absorption into your muscles. It is slightly sweet (which I love) and it can be added to protein shakes but it is also fine to have by itself.  I personally use glutamine before my first meal, after my workout and before I go to bed. Start by having 5 grams of glutamine post workout.

Keep training hard and start taking glutamine to help those sore muscles recover faster! 

Is Bodybuilding a selfish sport?

I often hear that bodybuilding is a selfish sport, while I mostly agree with this I also believe it’s what you make of it.

Bodybuilding definitely requires a lot of time and dedication, hours at the gym and making sure that your meals are prepared at all times but I try to find a way to make sure that I’m not being selfish and still have time for the people that mean the most to me. Always put everything into perspective, remember why you first started in this industry, who supported you and who will support you if you ever decide it’s not for you. Getting on stage shows off all of your hard work but don’t forget to enjoy the process! Focus on the end goal and give it everything you have but without sacrificing the most important things in life.

When you are in prep these are some tips to make sure that you can still enjoy life while competing

1.      Train with your friends: Encourage your friends and family to get fit and healthy. Invite them along for a workout. I love to do my plyo workouts with friends as it’s something that you can do together.

2.      Still go to events even if you can’t eat or drink: It was one of my best friends birthdays last week and while I could have said that I wouldn’t go because of gym and my eating plan, I found a way to work around it to make sure that I could attend for her. I planned my workout for a different time and ate my meal before and just drunk water at the event. If your friends are real friends they will respect that you are competing. After all it’s you actually making the effort to go, not about what you are eating or drinking.

3.      Plan a weekend away with your loved one after your competition: Every time I compete, my partner and I always book a weekend away after my competition. It can sometimes be hard on relationships as you can’t spend as much time together but if you book this time after the event your partner will appreciate it.

4.      Invite your friends over for dinner: While you are on your eating plan you can’t eat out much so invite your friends over for dinner. This can be a lot of fun and many won’t mind eating your healthy food.

So while bodybuilding requires a lot of time and dedication, remember to not forget about your loved ones. The prep process will be a lot more fun if you include them and find ways around some of the perceived barriers!

Train, motivate and inspire! 

8 Weeks out!

I am currently just over 8 weeks out from the FitX IFBB Australia Pro Bikini show and my prep is starting to ramp up. I am really excited about getting back up on stage and can’t wait to step on stage with one of my inspirations Nathalia Melo! I am more motivated and determined than ever and my goal is to bring a better package than my last competition.

This is the best contest prep I have ever had. My mind is in the right place and i’m ready to step on stage again. At the end of the day I am competing against myself and all I want to do is improve from my last show each time I step on stage. The sport is super subjective and is based purely on the opinion of others so always remember to step on stage with the body that you want and are proud of. As I am now competing in the pro ranks I don’t expect to place but each time I will learn something to take to the stage next time.

To tell you all the truth when I thought about getting on stage again I was faced with so much self doubt and the fear of failure. It doesn't matter if it’s your first competition or your tenth competition I think that some of these questions go through everyone’s head... Will my body hold up? Will I improve from my last show? Will I look the way I want to look? Can I even do this? These questions often keep you from realising what you are capable of doing. The most successful people in the world would have had these thoughts too but the key to success is pushing them out of your head, fill your mind with positive thoughts and just get on with it. Celebrate each little success you make towards that bigger goal. The first step you take means you are that much closer to your goal and what have you got to lose?

Contest prep definitely has its ups and downs but learn to enjoy the process and keep pushing forward! 8 weeks to go... lets do this!

Keep training hard!!

Are you becoming obsessed? Live life a little!

So you want that perfect six pack, toned legs, nice glutes? This is something that we work hard for but how much is too much? There is so much in the media about anorexia, obesity and bulimia but not much information about exercise and healthy eating obsession, also termed as orthorexia nervosa, which I believe is just as bad. This is when you begin to obsess about every workout, every meal and it transforms into an unhealthy addiction.  This is something that I spoke to women about recently at a seminar and it’s something that I feel strongly about.

I am definitely dedicated to what I do and absolutely love healthy eating and fitness. When I am competing I am 100% focused on the end goal but if I ever begin obsessing about every little thing then I take a step back to re-evaluate as this is when it begins to get unhealthy. Time and time again, I have seen women get obsessed with exercise and healthy eating. There is a HUGE difference between prepping for a competition and living a healthy lifestyle.  Prepping for a competition is for a short amount of time, usually 12 weeks with a very strict diet, and if you are competing stick to this as much as you can to have the best end result. However, living a healthy lifestyle is about maintaining that type of exercise and nutrition for your life. If you are obsessing over having a slice of cheesecake, are you really living your life? As long as you eat these treats in moderation you will be fine.

Too much exercise and the body will begin to break down and you will be more susceptible to the flu. Removing whole food groups for an extended period of time can actually have a negative effect on the body and you may not be as healthy as what you think you are. Remember why you started exercising and healthy eating, it was to lead a healthy lifestyle and once it becomes an obsession this is no longer the case and you may be doing your body more harm than good. This can also put a strain on relationships as people begin to avoid friends house or restaurants for dinner.

Just remember that we are all real human beings, if you have been eating healthy the majority of the time and eat piece of cake don’t feel guilty, savour that delicious flavour. Have fun, live life a little and lead a healthy lifestyle! 


Here's a pic of me with some of the women I spoke to xx

Tips for avoiding post-comp blues!

After months of hard work, you have done it! You stood on stage wearing a sparkly bikini, tan, false eyelashes, clear shoes and gave it everything. You competed, you were in the best shape of your life and it felt great but now what! You’re back home, your skin is all patchy from the tan and you can feel the weight creeping back on.

Suddenly after all of those weeks counting down to the show , it is all over. You can be left with post contest blues where you can feel quite lost and unfocused. This is very common. The cookies, chips and icecream overload doesn’t help and it can be quite scary thinking what is next?

After coming back from Pittsburgh, not performing at my best, I was left thinking what should I do next? As soon as I got back to New Zealand I begin to write down some new goals to keep me focused and to keep me motivated. I decided to learn as much as I could from the experience, leave it in the past and focus on my next goal. 

Below are some tips to keep you focused:

Get Back Into the Gym: Do some light training and slowly get back into your routine. This will help keep you positive and will stop you from feeling that you are gaining too much weight. It also means you can start work on your weaknesses straight away to make sure that you improve for next time.

Focus on your next goals: It is important to establish some more goals and to keep working towards them. This doesn’t have to be competition goals; it can be life, work or other goals.

Keep your Diet Clean: While you can have some treats, try to keep your main meals clean. Since coming back from Pittsburgh, I will admit that I have had desert most nights but I have kept most of my other meals clean.

Spend time with your loved ones: During comp prep it is very hard to find time to spend with your loved ones. It is important to make sure that they know how much their support meant to you during your prep. Have fun and go out for a nice dinner with them and enjoy it!

Make sure that you have some goals in place after your competition to keep you focused and remember at the end of the day it’s not all about competing, it’s about living a healthy and happy lifestyle.

The fun adventures of my first pro show!

I just arrived back from the Pittsburgh Pro at 5am yesterday morning and then went straight back into work and into my normal routine. I am very exhausted! I loved the Pittsburgh Pro and although there were many disasters, I am still happy to have stepped on the stage as a pro and I now know what I need to improve on for my next show. Every thing you do in life, no matter if it turns out good or bad, is a learning experience, take everything you can from it to better yourself and return stronger than ever- this to me is what it takes to be a champion.

My pro debut started with many hours flying in a plane and as many of you know, when you are days out from a show flying on the plane is not the best. After stopping in LA, we picked up some chicken and steak to take on the way... next thing we know it is leaking all through the airport... meat juices leaking everywhere! Moe went to throw one of the bags away and people kept asking me if I knew it was leaking and I just replied “Yes he has gone to find someone to clean it up”, we then quickly ran through customs and then cleaned in all up with plastic bags on the carpet next to bins haha! Next time I think we will take some containers. We then proceeded to the gates only to find that apparently our seats had been taken but the flight attendants figured it all out and finally we boarded the plane.

Moe and I arrived in Pittsburgh many hours later, it is a beautiful city! We stayed in the host hotel and the atmosphere was buzzing with all of the athletes everywhere. I went to the competitors meeting that night and every woman looked amazing. It was awesome to see some of my inspirations in real life. That night I got my spray tan by Jan Tana and then got locked out of my room wearing only a big old t-shirt and guess who happened to walk past... Phil Heath. He was staying in the room next to me and it was slightly embarrassing standing there locked outside my room!

One of the highlights of my trip was sitting in the room with Adela Garcia (5x Miss Olympia Fitness) and Sonia Gonzales (Miss Bikini International 2012 and Miss Bikini Olympia 2010). They both are such beautiful people and helped me with my posing. I thank them both for their help and advice.

The day came around and I was ready to hit the stage but wait... my tan had gone green! It was only an hour before I was set to go on stage and I didn’t have enough time to fix it, I just had to go hulk styles and do it. To top it off, the makeup made me look like I had red dirt on my face and my hair style all fell out. Now if that’s not bad luck I don’t know what is. Every possible thing went wrong but I still went out there and competed. It was a great learning experience for me and one that I will never forget.

After pre-judging I went back to the hotel and Moe fixed up my tan so that I at least didn’t look green for the night show. After the night show we went out for a delicious dinner... now this was no ordinary ride to the restaurant. I was squished in the middle between Kai Greene and Moe ElMoussawi with Dexter Jackson in the front of the car. Now if you have never seen Kai Greene in real life, this guy is huge! He is also one of the most down to earth guys and kept apologising for squishing me. I had four plates of delicious dessert that night – post comp treats. We started to walk back to the hotel to catch our flight at 4am and we got lost. When we finally found our way back to the hotel, our taxi driver forgot to come so we nearly missed our flight. Running through the airport, Moe had to nearly save a woman from being crushed by a door, then we grabbed some post comp treats and we got on the flight just in time.

It was such a fun adventure and I am so grateful to have competed on a pro stage. While the result may not have been want I had wanted, there is a reason for everything happening to make me learn, to make me stronger and to make sure that when I come back to the stage again I will be better than ever!

Thank you NZIFBB for this amazing opportunity and thank you Moe for everything that you have done and for all of the laughs.

And thanks to all of you for your support! x