The challenge of wanting to better herself has taken Sophie Jenkins through successes, injuries, defeats and everything in between. It doesn’t take long to see her sheer determination and unparalleled dedication which has left her with coveted trophies after recently coming third in her second pro show in America this October. Her story is that of many who are working day and night to achieve.
(Picture credit: @bigsoph.ifbbpro Instagram)
Show day is the day you’ve worked for. This is the outcome of years of working tirelessly, committing yourself, pushing relentlessly during your prep phase towards a goal that creeps up quicker than expected. When you set the goal, sometimes years ago, it seemed so far away it was less palpable, but suddenly you’re just twelve weeks away from show day. Then you blink and it's five weeks. Then you take a deep breath and it's a matter of days. Then it’s over.
Your identity, the main talking point for the last six months, the reason for every restricted and calorie counted meal, the 4am cardio sessions and every single early bedtime, the reason your lifestyle changed completely. Show day comes and goes so fast, with every emotion under the sun felt within the twenty four hours. It’s a long day and it leaves your body exhausted and your mind feeling drained.
The early morning nervousness as you get ready for the show mixes with an oasis of calm the moment you step on stage, adrenaline keeping you standing, and you know that what you have worked so hard for is already yours.
(Picture credit: @bigsoph.ifbbpro Instgram)
Then, before you know it, you’re into your improvement season. Load calories and carbs, build muscle, get uncomfortable, train to failure. The improvement season often feels like an unending battle, the grief of losing your trained physique can hit you unexpectedly, no matter how many times you’ve been through it. The underbelly of bodybuilding, the long process of dieting down to achieve the pinnacle of fitness, it feels like the slowest process but actually everything changes in a matter of seconds. It’s a full 180 in terms of your goals flipping on its head. Regardless of the outcome of this show, the goal is always bigger and better. The goal is always loading muscle, working harder, changing your mindset again to bring something even better for the next competition.
(Picture credit: @bigsoph.ifbbpro Instagram)
Sophie Jenkin is an IFBB pro figure athlete, a title she won in her figure category in 2021 after five years of competing in the sport, in one of the most prestigious leagues. This year, she competed in her first two pro shows in America this October, where she placed within the top six, then top three.
(Video credit: @bigsoph.ifbbpro Instagram)
We video called later on one evening to discuss her post show experience with food and body confidence, recap her previous competitive seasons and discuss future plans. Jenkins is sitting in her room, her long blonde hair loosened, fanning across her chest and shoulders. She smiles as I explain my idea for the article.
“I’ve got a lot of experience with it, with how many girls I’ve worked with over the years as well.” She shakes her head and laughs. “I have behind the scenes prepped a few guys too, but I don’t market it, I like to have my girl gang basically!”
Sophie continued, “Obviously post show doesn’t come without its struggles for me, but because I haven’t competed year after year, season after season, I’m very much used to looking in the mirror and seeing a healthier level of body fat. But this is bodybuilding, bodybuilding isn’t just about a diet or a show, you know, if you want to be a successful bodybuilder, most of your time is going to have to be spent in a surplus phase.
“And it’s also loads more fun, like I don’t know why people don’t think like that. It’s the fun bit, when you get to eat!” Sophie laughs mid sentence. “I do struggle with it still, but once you’re out the other side of the initial few months, you just realise how much better you feel, how many more things you can do because you’ve got the energy.” She continues, nodding and smiling playfully.
This season Jenkins competed in America, placing within the top 3 in her second pro lineup, a commendable achievement which had her rethinking her previous decision to retire from bodybuilding after this competitive season.
(Before and after comparison photo, credit: Sophie Jenkins)
She looks proud, with a shy smile forming on her lips as she thinks about her experience this year. “This post show was a little bit tough I think for those first few weeks, tougher than I thought it was going to be, especially because I had been planning all year for this to be my retirement season. I was going into these two shows thinking this is it, then I’m done and very focused on, sort of the next phase being very chill.”
(Picture credit: Sophie Jenkins, with her dog)
She smiled ruefully, lost in her own thoughts for a moment. “I think I’m still processing that now, I don’t think I’ve quite registered that that’s actually the change of plan yet.” She nods and laughs self consciously.
A bodybuilder’s off season can often feel like a mountain to climb, with calories being increased week by week and the grief of changing your goals so suddenly and losing the coveted lean vascularity that was achieved through countless days of dieting down, Jenkins said; “You don't realise how much a prep will affect your food relationship, so that’s a big thing for me, and it’s something I’ve learnt with coaching.
“I end up getting a load of these girls coming to me, because their food relationship is in a md that’s the worst thing you can do.” Within the UK, disordered eating is becoming a bigger issue within younger adults, with a trend being observed between social media and disordered eating of any kind. The NHS released a study that observed an increase of disordered eating being recorded in 17-19 year olds. The statistics showed a spike from 0.8% of the population, to 12.3% in that age group, between 2017 to 2023. The issue is steadily growing and is something that Jenkins is open to working on with others, specifically those struggling with reversing out of their prep phases.
Jenkins opened up about her own struggles with body dysmorphia and coming back to the sport after an injury after her pro card win in August 2021. “Two weeks after I won my pro card, that season, that’s when I slipped my disc. It was a serious injury, literally two weeks post show.” She sighs as she carries on, “so obviously my physique changed very quickly, I’m a big eater and I’m a big foodie so I wanted to eat post show, but I was completely immobile. So that was really tough, that comeback from my injury was a really really rough ride.”
(Picture credit: @bigsoph.ifbbpro Instagram)
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