Senior Ella Cruz spotted her mom, coach and best friends in the crowd through the stage lights at the North American Natural Bodybuilding Federation Amateur Nationals. By the end of the night, Ella won first place in the Teen and Novice divisions, placed second in the Open division and earned the “Best Presenter” award. 

Her journey to this moment began 20 weeks earlier under the guidance of her coach, Caleb Blankenship. He created Ella’s meal plans and workouts, gradually helping her become stage-ready. 

“It’s important that you have enough time to get the appropriate amount of body fat off while saving as much muscle as you can so you can have the best look on stage,” Blankenship said.

Ella’s fitness journey started during her preparation for BVNW cheer tryouts during her freshman year. She said taking the Strength & Conditioning course at school sparked her love for weightlifting and tracking progress. Ella said her discovery of bodybuilding occurred at a point in her fitness journey when she didn’t know what she was working toward.

Blankenship recalled first meeting Ella at the gym he owns, Body Shop Gym, and seeing her potential. 

“She has a good physique. She was really strong, so I thought she’d want to take things a little further and get a little more serious with her fitness,” Blankenship said.

Five months before the competition in October, Blankenship said he adjusted Ella’s workout plan, increasing cardio and designing meal plans to decrease body fat. Ella’s daily meals consisted of foods like fried rice, chicken, ground turkey, vegetables and fruits, which she prepared herself in order to be precise. 

“I measured it all out and [was] very specific,” Ella said. “I take a lot of pride in how specific I was in all of my meals.”

As a result, six weeks before the competition, Ella said her energy levels dropped due to stricter meal plans, which also affected her social life.

 “There’s just a lot of things to consider, like your sleep, your next meal [and] thinking about the cardio [and] the posing you have to practice,” Ella said. “I decided it would be best if I stayed in.”

Despite the challenges, Ella said having a structured routine helped her rebuild a healthier self-image.

“Food was definitely a struggle for a while with body image and all of that, but through bodybuilding, having structured meals and workouts, it helped me be like, ‘OK, I deserve this,’” Ella said.

Ella’s mom, Julie,said she supported her throughout the journey by buying groceries and keeping tempting foods out of sight. Julie also spent time with Ella when her social life slowed. 

“When she’s too tired to go with friends, we’ll stay in and watch a movie,” Julie said. “The whole experience has brought us closer together.”

Ella’s friend, senior Madie Trainor, also provided unwavering support.

“Even if there were more exciting plans, (Madie) was just always there and a supportive person that I could go to if I was struggling,” Ella said.

The night before the competition, Ella checked in, had her first coat of tan applied and completed measurements. On show day, she received her second coat of tan, did her hair and makeup and sent photos of her poses to Blankenship for critique. 

For the bikini competition, Blankenship said judges look for qualities like a toned back, a tiny waist, big glutes and an overall athletic build. On stage, he shouted cues like “arch your back harder” to help Ella perfect her presentation. 

“I was hype,” Blankenship said. “I love coaching, and when your clients do good, it just gives you a lot of joy.”

After stepping offstage, Ella said she immediately hugged her mom. Earlier that day, Ella had written Julie a card expressing her gratitude. In the card, Ella said she wrote that having her mom to go home to at the end of the day after school and her workouts helped her significantly. Ella said the moment she got offstage, she only wanted to see her mom. 

“Just getting to see her and hug her right after was probably the best thing that I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Ella said.

Reflecting on the experience, Julie said watching Ella perform was emotional. 

“I almost cried seeing her up on that stage,” Julie said. “She looked so confident and carried herself like she’d been doing it forever. I was just so proud.”

After the competition, Ella celebrated with an unrestricted meal at Five Guys before beginning her reverse meal plan to restore a healthy body fat level over eight to 12 weeks. Looking ahead, Ella said she plans to compete again in Fall 2025 while attending Kansas State University to major in education. 

“During prep, you’re like, ‘Will I ever do this again?’ but when you get on stage, there is an end to it,” Ella said. “You learn so much about yourself, and it’s so rewarding.”

Ella said she carries lessons, all of them written down on her phone as “Prep Lessons,” from her bodybuilding journey into other aspects of her life, including her future goals. According to Ella, one lesson especially important to her was “find your why.”

“When I was having my really hard days on prep, just knowing why I was doing what I was doing just gave me all the motivation I needed,” Ella said.

For those interested in following a path similar to Ella, contact Caleb Blankenship, coach and owner of Blankslate Fitness and Body Shop Gym. His Instagram account can be found at @blankslatefitness_91.

To follow Ella’s fitness journey, visit her Instagram at @ellasfitness18.