This season two of our athletes, Sheridan and Jess, took their prep across the Atlantic to compete on the biggest stages in the sport, the IFBB Pro League. Back-to-back shows, repeated peak weeks and some of the best athletes in the world. We sat down with both to talk through their seasons, the numbers behind the prep, and what got them to the stage.

Jess

The prep

“I was really happy with how prep went. It was one of the shortest preps I've done, and probably the smoothest and most enjoyable too.”

Jess started working with her coach, Cal, in September 2025, spending around 16 weeks in an improvement phase before prep began. In that short window she made what she calls the most progress of her bodybuilding career.

Competing in the US gave her exactly the feedback she needed for her next off-season. Standing on stage next to top Olympians showed her where she sits at the pro level and, more importantly, where she needs to improve. Moving from the amateur ranks into the IFBB Pro League makes development a season-by-season process: getting your name out, showing your face to the US judges, listening to their feedback, and coming back with the improvements they have asked for.

Show day

Prep was smooth, but peak week in Texas was not. It was a reminder that no matter how meticulously you plan, things can happen outside your control. What matters is not letting those moments affect your performance, and when it came time to step on stage everything switched to autopilot. Jess ran her routine and comparisons exactly as she had practised hundreds of times before.

“Peak week and show day are just 1% of your prep. The other 99% is built over months and years of consistency.”

She finished top 13 in a stacked IFBB Pro lineup at the Texas Pro, where the organisation and professionalism were next level, then took to the stage again at the Chicago Pro with a much smoother lead-up, finishing the US trip on a real high. Competing alongside Sheridan, her long-time prep partner, made the whole experience even more special.

The numbers

Prep length: 17 weeks

Starting bodyweight: 64.6 kg

Lowest bodyweight: 53.0 kg (before the Chicago Pro)

Shows: Texas Pro and Chicago Pro

Food, cardio and steps

A real stand-out of this prep was that nothing had to be pushed to the extremes of previous years, and her body responded well.

• Start of prep: around 2,900 kcal on training days and 2,500 on rest days, with 10,000 steps daily.

• Toughest point (held for around six weeks): around 1,800 kcal on training days and 1,600 on rest days, with 40 minutes of cardio and 13,000 steps daily.

• Final three to four weeks: cardio removed, steps eased to 12,000, and food gradually reversed back up into peak week, with weekly weekend refeeds across the last four weeks.

“It was great to come into the shows feeling full, healthy and recovered rather than completely depleted. I felt much more present throughout show week.”

What's next

The judges' main feedback was that her legs were slightly too overpowering for the bikini criteria and could be a little more streamlined. The focus now is building her glutes to create more balance, while improving overall muscle density and maturity. At this level it is all about refining the balance to compete at the pro standard, and that is exactly what this improvement season is about.

The supplements that helped

• Pre Shred: a staple before fasted cardio. “I used 1 to 2 tablets daily, and because it's so effective I never felt I needed the full 3-tablet serving.”

• Cream of Rice and Whey Elite: her go-to meals throughout, chosen because they digest so well. She even packed bags of both to take to America to keep everything as consistent as possible. The new Maple Syrup Cream of Rice landed mid-prep and pairs perfectly with Salted Caramel Whey Elite.

• Magnesium: taken before bed to relax, improve sleep quality and support recovery, which matters more and more as prep goes on.

Sheridan

The prep

“As a whole, my prep went extremely well. As always, it was a relatively short but highly effective prep, with everything responsive from start to finish.”

Sheridan's prep ran around 14 weeks, and across that time he needed only a very limited amount of high-intensity cardio, a sign of just how well his body responded. Everything stayed controlled, letting the team land each peak week and bring the best possible package to every show.

Despite the travel, the back-to-back shows, the repeated peak weeks and the level of competition, they presented an improved, competitive physique every single time. As he puts it, he could not have asked for a better first competitive IFBB Pro season.

Show day

Every show day felt calm, collected and professional from start to finish. Competing overseas, through Europe and the United States, was an incredible experience, with every promotion treating the athletes with the professionalism the level deserves. Having Jess by his side made it even more special: competing together, representing the team, and fully immersing themselves in pro bodybuilding, especially in the US, the home of the sport.

The placings were exactly what they expected, if not better. Against no fewer than 25 competitors in his class, and up to 43 athletes on stage at some shows, finishing inside the top 15 was a massive achievement and a serious step up in competition. The judges' feedback made the improvements clear, and knowing how much development is still ahead makes the future exciting.

The numbers

Prep length: 14 weeks

Starting bodyweight: 85 to 86 kg

Lowest bodyweight: 75.3 kg (around 0.5 kg below his professional weight cap)

Shows: Italy, then the Texas Pro two weeks later, then the Chicago Pro a week after that

Food, cardio and steps

One of the biggest positives was that food stayed relatively high throughout, which kept training performance, recovery, muscle fullness and responsiveness intact from start to finish.

• Food: never below 2,800 kcal a day, with carbohydrates above 300g, protein between 260 and 270g, and fats never below 45g.

• Cardio started at 30 minutes a day, then was replaced with 20,000 steps a day, which produced a better response.

• He finished prep on 20,000 daily steps with no structured high-output cardio.

“I never needed to rely on excessive or high-impact cardio, which kept fatigue under control while still achieving the level of conditioning required for the stage.”

What's next

The feedback was extremely positive: a very high level of muscle for his frame, with a clean, polished and balanced physique from top to bottom. Nothing was dramatically lacking. It is about more maturity and continuing to build on the foundation already in place, with added density through the rear poses, particularly the mid back, alongside continued improvements in width. At the pro level, time and consistency do the work, so the plan is simple: keep building across the whole physique and refine season by season rather than making drastic changes.

The supplements that helped

• Hydra Flow: staying on top of hydration was one of his most important factors, and keeping it consistent made a noticeable difference to performance, recovery and overall look as body fat came down and fatigue increased.

• Supreme Sleep, Ashwagandha+ and magnesium: a consistent evening routine that improved sleep quality and recovery through the hardest stages of the diet.

• Cream of Rice: the same reliable carbohydrate source throughout, keeping digestion predictable, especially during peak week and carb loading into the stage.

• Pre Shred: his non-negotiable. As he puts it, the one supplement that will always be a staple whenever he is dieting or preparing for a show.

Sheridan, Jess and the team are already planning their return to the US next year. Explore the range they trained on at contehsports.com.