with Emone Thomas of Switch Physiques

I followed Emone Thomas of Switch Physiques on her debut competition. Emone and I had began documenting her fitness journey in the weeks prior and it all boiled down to one day of fierce competition. While this wasn’t my first bodybuilding experience, I have never been quite as immersed. Watching Thomas sacrifice and make amazing changes to her body with the help of her coach was jaw dropping to say the least. Here’s how it went.

Emone and I had shot some content a few weeks prior and I thought she looked amazing then, but she told me there was still plenty work left to do. The techniques developed by Coach Clifton Dockery blew my mind. If something wasn’t looking quite the way we wanted, she made one phone call, and five minutes later….ABS! The muscle control was incredible. We got so many good looks, but this was her everyday body. To prepare for competition she would have to push her body even further.

She had done all the working out you can do at this point. Emone and her coach explained that at this point, it was all about the diet and discipline to stay on her very strict nutrition regiment. I wish I could let you know more, but I think those may be Switch Physiques trade secrets haha. I do remember Emone being ecstatic that she could have a Kit Kat on show day. She said it had been a while, and I believed her. I watched her pass on many great meals, opting instead for rice cakes or egg whites. No sacrifice, no reward I suppose….and speaking of rewards.

Emone competed in the Wellness Category for the NPC Southwest show. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Wellness category is a fairly new division of bodybuilding shows, that focuses on natural bodybuilding with a fuller and curvy physique. It’s a great category for women entering bodybuilding or those who wish to maintain a more relaxed, but highly fit physique year round. You can find out a lot more about this division by reading this article by Lip Stick Lifters. Emone and her coach felt great coming from pre-judging and even though competition was fierce, they both felt that the hard work they had put in had been received well.

The actual show was eventful and seemed to fly by. There were plenty of great vendors selling fitness products and there was beer available, which was a plus for me. Emone hit the stage and I was excited to see her live in this moment that he has been planning for the past few months. The abs were activated and she looked great! She ended up taking 1st in Wellness Open Class A and 2nd in Wellness Novice Class A (for first time competitors)! The Switch Physique army was there in full support as soon as she walked off stage. It was amazing to see all of her hard work pay off and her attitude towards the whole experience was heart warming. Kudos to Emone and all the competitors who pushed their bodies to the limit during the NPC Southwest. I hope to see all the winners at the next national event. Check out some photos and a video from the event below.