Road To Milan: How to plan your season around one pro qualifier

With one Masters pro qualifier a year in Europe, SIBEL OSMAN explains how she plans her season backwards from the NPC European Masters in Milan, from choosing the right stage to turning judges’ feedback into a better package.

THERE is one Masters pro qualifier a year in Europe. One show, one line-up, one chance. After five shows and five golds this season, I’m now one week out from it in Milan. This is what I’ve learned about planning a season around a single date.

1. Know which stage is yours

You’re a Masters athlete from 35 and I’m 53. A 25-year-old can’t bring the depth, maturity and density of muscle that comes from decades of training and I shouldn’t try to look like her. That’s apples and oranges and it’s no disrespect to either of us. A Masters athlete at an open pro qualifier will usually go nowhere. If it isn’t a Masters stage, it isn’t yours.

2. Work backwards from your qualifier

I start my season early, on purpose. The front end is a test drive: I get on stage, see how the physique performs and collect feedback. The back end is for fixing what I’ve been told, which is where Milan sits. This year I started on September 6, so I had every possible opportunity to arrive at the big one with my best package.

3. Treat feedback as the point of competing

Winning is lovely, but feedback is what the early shows are for. For years mine was “more of everything”. This season an Olympia-level judge told me: don’t touch anything, just one thing. Going from a long list to a single item is the clearest sign you’re moving in the right direction.

4. Use other stages strategically

In Toulouse they were short of competitors in Women’s Physique Class C, so I stood in, won it, then won Masters Bikini as well. I believe that’s a first at an international pro qualifier. It was a great trial run against high-level competition and I’d recommend it to anyone who gets the chance.

5. Invest in the right coach

I changed coaches in November last year and the improvement has been exponential. You may have to trial a few before you find the one who fits. I’ve invested my life in this goal, so why would I cut a corner on the person guiding it?

6. Understand the size of the show

Milan is capped at 600 athletes and bikini is one of the biggest and most competitive categories. Women fly in from around the world, so there’s no room for a dropped beat.

7. Control only what you can

I can’t control who stands next to me. To win your category, then the overall, then the card, you have to beat everyone anyway. So all my energy goes into my physique. Less talk, more work.

Key Takeaways

• Know whether the stage is built for you
• Plan your season backwards from your qualifier
• Collect feedback early, fix it late
• Choose a coach who fits
• Focus only on your own package

Watch the full 24-minute season review below, which was recorded when Sibel was three weeks out:

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