Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer McArver.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jennifer. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began my heath and fitness journey back in 2013 when I happened to stumble across CrossFit. Prior to my introduction to CrossFit, I battled heavily with depression and anxiety and realized there had to be more to life than simply going through the motions of just getting by. I have always been competitive by nature thus when CrossFit was introduced to me, I took to it like a fish to water. For me, it started as a distraction, an outlet, a way to surround myself with others who wanted to “see what they were made of”. As I started, I became better at the lifts, I began to see changes in my body, I began feeling better about myself and most importantly I began to see that I COULD DO IT.
At this time, I was a Director for a national preschool as well as a cocktail waitress on the weekends. As I was cocktailing one evening, I had a table of bodybuilders ask me if I had ever thought of competing. I was flattered, I was shocked, I was clueless as to how to navigate the waters but I decided to take the leap and give it a try. This couple became my first coaches to help me learn what a bodybuilder was, how I should eat, the supplements I should take and what I should eat to accomplish the aesthetics to compete. From this point, I set to compete in my first local bodybuilding show, the Formulation One Classic where I ended up placing high enough to earn a spot to compete nationally. This is where my real journey begins, in my opinion. I began prepping for my first National Show, Jr Nationals. I made one of the hardest decisions of my life, to walk away from my cock tailing job, this was a significant source of supplemental income but I knew I needed to have time to sleep and recover to put on the muscle I needed to compete at this level. The sacrifice was worth it, after competing in the show I ended up placing 2nd. This lit my fire and I was determined at this point to become a professional bodybuilder.
Following this show, I competed in 3 more National shows and on my 5th National show, in 2017 Las Vegas NPC USA Championships, I finally earned the coveted title of IFBB Professional Bodybuilder. The road from first national show to professional was a heck of a ride, I threw myself into learning the sport, from reading materials on methods of training to learning what supplements to take to strengthen my goals. I essentially locked down my environment, if someone or something was not a positive influence in my life then I cut them/it out. I threw myself into my faith and in the process strengthened my mind, the depression and anxiety that once controlled my life faded into the back ground. God strengthened my every step and opened supernatural doors. Taking that leap of faith changed my life.
Has it been a smooth road?
For the majority of my journey thus far the road has been mostly smooth sailing, however, I have certainly experienced my fair share of obstacles/setbacks along the way as well. For me, I believe the road to success comes with challenges to test how badly we want the end goal. Along with my journey, I have been left “coach-less” (previous coach) weeks out from my first 2017 competition, I have experienced mental battles like nobody’s business, dealing with hormonal obstacles, relationship failures, and even serious financial strains. My advice for other women and especially young women who begin their journey is finding the WHY of what you are doing this for. Maybe it’s for your children, your health, eliminating medications or just general happiness; whatever the reason, find the why. When I was going through most of my challenges, this is what kept me going. I felt I had a God-given destiny to pursue my dreams, this fueled my fire and kept my faith and passion alive and well. Put simply, it kept me going and kept me positive despite any challenge I faced.
We’d love to hear more about JGrace05.
In regards to my work, I am a full-time Assistant Project Manager for a construction company, I am a part-time rep for Hi-Tech Pharma as well as a sponsored athlete with them. Training and competing has always been my “3rd job” lol. Based on what others have told me, I am known for my uncanny ability to always smile, be positive and encourage the crap out of others to reach for their goals and dreams. I believe there is power in the ability to cheer others on to accomplish greatness. What sets me apart from others, from what I have been told, is my ability to find the positive in any situation, to be relentless and my ability to set a goal and accomplish it even when I do not know the way or have a clue how to get to the end goal.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I believe one of the biggest barriers in today’s fitness industry is the sexualization of females. I know I can personally attest to this, I strive very hard to represent myself in a pure fitness, health and wellness scope; regardless of how intently I strive to present myself as this, there are people out there that purely see me as a sexual image. I believe this is inherently wrong and reinforces the wrong idea to women and more importantly little girls. I also believe the condoning of this behavior reinforces other women to believe this is the only way to get ahead in the industry.
Contact Info:
- Email: jreichek@hotmail.com
- Instagram: @jgrace05
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.reichek.5?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Sean Nelson w/ Her Biceps, Dan Ray, Jason Oliphant, J.M. Manion, Lou Krivda
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