Alexis McKenna, NPC Figure

Olympia, the world’s most famous bodybuilding, figure and fitness competition, is the goal serious competitor’s dream of reaching. For me, Olympia was just the opposite. The year was 2003. The place was Las Vegas, Nevada and, yes, the show was Olympia, where I began my journey into figure. Something happened over those few days five years ago that changed the course of my life forever. I got the bug or the vision or the dream. I knew there was something within me that had to compete in figure. My dream was not so grand that I would waltz onto the Olympia stage, but still, I knew I had to compete. The amazing part of the story is the fact that I had no idea what it would take for me to be on a figure stage. I would begin a journey that night, which would take me across many paths and approaches and, a journey that still continues today, just months after coming in second in my class of the first figure show I entered. But, I am getting ahead of myself. I had to start from scratch.

I really had no idea what it would take to achieve my goal. I knew I would have to work hard in the gym, but that was about it. Trainers, sets, reps, diets, outfits, lifting programs, cardio, machines, barbells, dumbbells, squats, lunges and god only knows how many other “things,” I needed to learn. I might as well tell you now, what I did not know then. I would have to lose 100 lbs. before I could get onto the stage.

Here is how it happened from the time I returned home from Las Vegas. I will keep the past as short as I can and emphasize the most recent experiences, which really brought me to the stage under the amazing training of Jeremy Minihan.

It did not take long for me to find a “trainer” in a gym. And, I suppose he taught me a lot of basics. At the same time, I learned through him and several other trainers that I needed someone who “knew” figure and nutrition. Now that I look back on it, I would say I was not really ready for such tailored training and the commitment and demands I needed to make. My first wake-up call about what figure really is, was a training camp with Monica Brant. And even then, I still needed more time to find my way to a path that would give me the success I knew was in me. I must have tried everything. Then, I called a man, named Jeremy Minihan.

During my first phone consultation, I was pleased with Jeremy’s honesty, directness and knowledge. He gave me the choice of competing within 6 months (which I desperately wanted) or to take a year to build muscle and bring a competitive package to that stage. I chose the latter as Jeremy strongly recommended. From that day forward, I learned more about myself and my body than I had ever imagined.

What Jeremy asked of me was commitment. At which time, he was asking me to trust him. This exchange has been one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. Jeremy has an amazing knowledge to determine what you can do. He will only tell you what he knows you can do. This concept is challenging when your meal plan has the most carbs you’ve ever seen on a diet plan. When you’re instructed to complete another set of leg extensions followed by lunges and you’re unsure of your ability to walk, this concept is challenging. Yet I have been handsomely rewarded by every single thing Jeremy has instructed me to do.

There have been a thousand hills and valleys with each one seeming steeper or higher than a kite. This Minihan Path is really a path through my body, my mind and my soul. I have learned. I have changed. I have succeeded and now I am heading for the national stage. I am prepared to follow his word to the letter and go through deeper and greater challenges. Look for me on that national stage and look closely in the audience to see the man who tutored me with his great skill. It is my dream. It is my work. I am blessed to have this man to guide me through every step.