Danae Apel - Figure Competitor/ Athlete

ayed softball, soccer, gymnastics, track & field, ballet, volleyball, and basketball. After high school, I joined the United States Marine Corps as a Military Policeman. I always thought I was in pretty good shape, but it wasn't until recently that I had sooooo much potential! In March (2013) something just flipped in me and I was sick of being squishy. I wanted a hard body that I didn't have to be self conscious of in any situation. So I started researching workout programs. I knew if I just went to the gym without a plan it wouldn't work. And I'm not a huge fan of cardio so the treadmill wouldn't last long. I came across Jamie Eason's Live Fit Program on Bodybuilding.com... and it was FREE! I'm a very thrifty person so this just made me even MORE excited! It came with a meal plan, grocery shopping list, videos, and the entire workout program (all for free...so cool!) The next monday I started the program, and after just one week I was seeing more definition in my biceps. After the first few weeks, my friend Ben Cruz asked me if I was going to try to compete. I really had no clue what he was talking about. Then he introduced me to the sport, I had heard of bodybuilding (obviously....) but I never knew how many different divisions there were for women. And these women looked amazing; they were getting these bodies from lifting weights, clean eating, and hard work (not by doing hours of cardio). It wasn't long after that I decided that I definitely wanted to compete. I stuck to the program and continued to see results! It was amazing watching my own body transform! I could feel a difference just putting my pants on, my glutes were lifting. My own body didn't feel like mine, it's like I had to rediscover myself because the change was so drastic. I went from a size 12, 150-155 lbs to a size 2-4, 135-140 lbs. TWELVE to TWO. that's insane. I had never thought that was possible. Even in high school I wore a size 7.....I was amazed. I finished out the program strong, so proud of myself. Immediately I started a new one; Bodybuilding.com is a great resource and has a ton of free programs with meal plans...FOR FREE!! I recently competed in my first NPC Bikini Competition. I was so nervous but it was a LOT of fun! However, I had too much muscle to place in the top 5....now, I personally LOVE muscles on women. I think it is awesome and I didn't want to sacrifice any of my hard-earned muscle to win in the Bikini Division. So, I decided to move up to the NPC Figure division! I'm very excited for the near future and where this journey will take me. I've also recently been Sponsored by Grind Training Apparel! I couldn't be more excited to represent this American-made brand. I'll track my progress here as well as pass on some useful information, recipes, workouts, tips/tricks/whatev. Enjoy! Hardwork. Dedication. Consistency.