Natural Female Muscle Podcast

As we are coming around to the END of 2026 & this competitive season... and you also start to see so many others getting ready for their prep in 2027 - it can feel super tempting to hop back into prep yourself.

BUT it might not be the right decision for YOU. So, in today's episode, I run through 10 reasons why competing in 2027 might not be the best idea for your overall experience and outcomes as a competitor and athlete.

Thank you for listening as always! 

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Teveo Clothing (Code LOZ): https://teveo.com/en-gb

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

Hey Everyone! Little bit of a different episode this week as we cover a number of different topics guided by questions asked by YOU guys!

From chasing professional status as a natural bodybuilder, changing divisions, my thoughts on fit model, prepping in a relationship... there were some really good topics I enjoyed covering this week!

Thank you for listening as always! 

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction and Loz's background

01:09 Loz's current competition schedule and mindset

04:50 Goals: Pro bodybuilding and federation choices

07:12 Long-term vs. short-term bodybuilding goals

10:09 Potential of Loz's athletes turning pro

13:20 Switching to bikini and training differences

20:50 Upcoming competition plans

21:20 Sources of inspiration and mindset

24:07 Passions outside bodybuilding: music, F1, and philosophy

29:21 Favorite gym brands and apparel

30:50 Prepping with a partner and relationship tips

35:34 Changing coaches before a prep

37:32 Peaked condition: Peeled vs. mass

39:31 Alcohol and muscle growth balance

44:21 Fit model category and natural bodybuilding

48:28 Dealing with exhaustion and fatigue near competition

53:09 Mental health and prep challenges

01:03:48 Building a coaching career and journey

01:07:32 The impact of bodybuilding on Loz's life

A discussion this week to run through some of the 'realities' of being a natural female bodybuilder, in a prep scenario. In terms of both what the process truly looks like, physically, but also the lifestyle and emotional experience of this as well.

Not to highlight the negatives, but to create greater awareness, relatability & also run through ways that we can approach this process to hopefully create the most enjoyable, and productive outcomes.

Thank you for listening as always! 

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Enter or Spectate the 2026 NBW International: https://events.naturalbbworldwide.com/

Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and episode overview

04:02 The importance of a longer, steady prep process

06:26 The effort required to get stage lean as a natural female

08:52 Managing hunger, fatigue, and discomfort in prep

12:59 Performance, muscle maintenance, and training challenges

22:24 Physical appearance and body perception during prep

29:06 Psychological and social aspects of prep

33:19 Perception of self and body image shifts

39:06 Dealing with societal perceptions and misunderstandings

43:20 Category misunderstandings and social perceptions

47:38 Reflections on the prep journey and life lessons

Aspects that competitors struggle with post show can come on both sides of the coin - from letting go of prep to aggressively, to not letting go at all.

There's so much to discuss on this topic (which I have done in my full Post Show breakdown episode), but I wanted to do a little reminder of the main points to be mindful of & keep an eye out for during (and in advance of) this time frame.

Of course, above all else , make sure to speak to those around you if you need more support & guidance on this matter. You can always get in touch with me via the links below!

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Enter or Spectate the 2026 NBW International: https://events.naturalbbworldwide.com/

Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

As a follow up on last weeks episode, I wanted to dive a little deeper on my point that growing/building phases are actually much harder than dieting phases (when done well).

It's important to know WHY, so that you can actually embrace and maximise these phases (and your progress) to your full potential.

Thank you for listening as always! 

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Enter or Spectate the 2026 NBW International: https://events.naturalbbworldwide.com/

Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

On this week’s episode I wanted to discuss the idea of ‘earning the right’ to diet. Essentially, being in a position where you can actually warrant going into a fat loss phase, doing it well & getting the results you want (without an unwanted negative experience or side effects). 

As it can sometimes be hard to know if dieting is or isn’t the right call for you… where it be a case of simply deciding whether to pursue a growing or fat loss phase, or off the back of a recent prep.
Today I cover WHY it’s important we do an assessment before going into a diet phase & some of the points you should consider.

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Enter or Spectate the 2026 NBW International: https://events.naturalbbworldwide.com/

Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and episode overview

01:09 Main topic: Earning the right to diet

02:08 Why most people prefer dieting over building muscle

03:07 The false perception of quick aesthetic results

04:00 The challenge of a proper growing phase

05:24 The misconception that dieting provides instant gratification

06:24 Social media's influence on body image and dieting standards

11:08 When not to diet: building muscle first

12:35 The importance of muscle mass for revealing physique

16:22 Assessing readiness: muscle, health, and psychological factors

20:40 Psychological and hormonal considerations for dieting

26:19 Timing and proximity to previous diets or preps

33:30 Health over aesthetics: the priority in dieting

35:53 Conclusion: The importance of earning the right to diet

Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing super well as always - coming at you with a replay episode this week (as we are very much in the thick of competitive season), and I wanted to re-fresh and re-address this episode on 'Peaking' Female Competitors.

Hopefully you can find this insightful from both an athlete and coaching perspective.

Thank you for listening as always! 

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Enter or Spectate the 2026 NBW International: https://events.naturalbbworldwide.com/

Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

A brief but important reminder & little chit chat around this topic to discuss this week  🫶🏻

Thank you for listening as always! 

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Enter or Spectate the 2026 NBW International: https://events.naturalbbworldwide.com/

Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and episode overview

02:37 The importance of enjoying bodybuilding prep

05:56 Building a foundation of enjoyment in bodybuilding

08:49 The impact of perspective and content consumption

11:40 The importance of enjoying the entire process

14:05 Controlling your mindset and enjoyment

15:05 The role of content and community in mindset

16:01 The cross-transfer of mindset skills from other sports

16:58 Building mental resilience and accountability

18:54 Final thoughts and encouragement to enjoy the journey

Figuring out what class or category to compete in can be a little bit of a whirlwind at times, especially if you are new to the sport and all of the divisions feel so overwhelming. Ultimately there are some factors that we can assess (in order of priority) to help increase your understanding of what division is ultimately right for YOU.

Thank you for listening as always! 

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️
Enter or Spectate the 2026 NBW International: https://events.naturalbbworldwide.com/

Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

Feeling like you're 'missing the mark' with your condition & just simply struggling to get down into the condition you want as an athlete, can be super frustrating.

But there's a usually a few things you can look at to assess IF you really aren't lean enough & if so, why that's the case (how you can fix that moving forwards.

As always I hope you find this episode helpful and thank you for for supporting the podcast!

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to give the podcast a 5 Star Rating ⭐️ 
Message me about your goals here: https://wa.link/q50uty

Coaching Enquiries: https://form.typeform.com/to/iZ9zMXjK

NBW Clothing (Code LOZ): https://nbwclothing.com/

Join the Natural Bodybuilding Worldwide Community today: https://naturalbbworldwide.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loz.v/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@loz.vickers

Shop for ALL of your Supplements over at Pitstop Nutrition, Code ‘LOZ10’:  https://pitstopnutrition.co.uk?sca_ref=9492715.ne77awIvi8bNpx

Listen to the Natural Female Muscle Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ACytE60wOsCU2yPF8AtX6?si=rilOgxK0Q8aYV84SpxH9LA

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and episode overview

01:09 Why natural athletes often struggle with stage condition

02:09 The debate around conditioning and natural potential

03:33 Impact of assisted vs. natural athletes on conditioning

05:56 The importance of muscle mass for leanness

06:24 Muscle mass as a prerequisite for stage lean condition

16:47 Starting prep with too much body fat and insufficient time

17:16 The value of long, steady prep processes

21:42 The importance of realistic timeline management

29:52 Fatigue, inflammation, and peak week strategies

33:55 Adherence, effort, and honest communication in prep

41:04 Nuances and individual differences in natural bodybuilding