Everyone wants to improve. Not everyone wants to hear the truth.

In this episode, we talk about feedback in bodybuilding and competition prep - how to receive it, who to listen to, and how not to let ego derail your progress.

We cover:

• Coach to athlete communication
• Handling critique during prep
• Why asking too many people for opinions backfires
• Emotional maturity in competing
• Feedback vs projection
• Why growth requires discomfort

Plus another Sharn that proves not everyone hears what they’re told.

If you’re serious about improving your physique and stage presence, this episode is essential.

Find us here:

🎧 Follow The Macro Lounge on Spotify

📸 Instagram: @macro_lounge_podcast

▶ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMacroLoungePodcast

📩 Email: hello@boldphysique.com

Work with us:

👙 Posing School – Accentuate Posing Academy
https://www.instagram.com/accentuate_posing_academy/

💪 Coaching with Chris – Team Bold Physique
https://www.instagram.com/teamboldphysique/

✨ Competition Bikinis – Accentuate Bikinis
https://www.instagram.com/accentuatebikinis/

The off season is not a break. It’s where your next prep is decided.

In this episode, Chris and Rachel unpack what the growth season really means for bikini, wellness, and bodybuilding competitors.

We cover:

• Why prep starts the minute you walk off stage
• Reverse dieting and restoring health post show
• How much weight gain is actually appropriate
• Why staying too lean hurts progress
• Building muscle properly with progressive overload
• Growth season nutrition and protein targets
• Why posing should start long before prep
• The mental shift after stepping off stage

Plus the debut of our new segment “Sharns” featuring one very dramatic two weeks out meltdown.

If you’re serious about competing and improving your physique season to season, this is required listening.

Find us here:

🎧 Follow The Macro Lounge on Spotify📸 Instagram: @macro_lounge_podcast▶ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMacroLoungePodcast
📩 Email: hello@boldphysique.com

Work with us:

👙 Posing School – Accentuate Posing Academy
https://www.instagram.com/accentuate_posing_academy/

💪 Coaching with Chris – Team Bold Physique
https://www.instagram.com/teamboldphysique/

✨ Competition Bikinis – Accentuate Bikinis
https://www.instagram.com/accentuatebikinis/

Posing is not the fun extra you worry about at the end of prep.
It is the skill that decides placings.

In this episode of The Macro Lounge, Chris and Rachel break down posing from the athlete’s point of view, what actually matters on stage, what judges are really looking at, and why so many competitors sabotage themselves by overcomplicating it or leaving it too late.

They cover why mandatories come first, always, how posing exposes weaknesses you have been hiding, and why confidence, control, and facial expression matter more than flashy transitions. Chris shares insight from his time judging, including how comparisons are decided and why routines are often the first thing cut at busy shows.

Rachel talks openly about stage presence, confidence under pressure, common posing mistakes, and why copying pros or Instagram poses often works against you. Together they unpack why posing must be tailored to your body, your structure, and your personality, not your coach’s or someone else’s highlight reel.

This episode also introduces Accentuate Posing Academy and the upcoming in person workshops across New Zealand, designed for all federations, all levels, and both women and men. The focus is simple, pose for your physique, not trends.

Accentuate Posing Academy workshop dates:

• Auckland, 2 May 2026
  Book here: https://tinyurl.com/Auckland-Workshop
• Christchurch, 18 July 2026
  Book here: https://tinyurl.com/Christchurch-Workshop
• Tauranga, 29 August 2026
  Book here: https://tinyurl.com/Tauranga-Workshop
• Wellington, 5 September 2026
  Book here: https://tinyurl.com/Wellington-Workshop

You can also follow Accentuate Posing Academy on Instagram for updates, education, and behind the scenes content:
@accentuate_posing_academy

If you are competing this season, or even thinking about stepping on stage, this episode will change how you approach posing.

If you want the coaching and educator perspective to pair with this episode, go back to Season 1 Episodes 21 and 25 with posing experts Becc Gwilliam and Allie Waddell.

Find us here:
🎧 Follow The Macro Lounge on Spotify📸 Instagram: @macro_lounge_podcast
YouTube:
📩 Email: hello@boldphysique.com

Season 2 of The Macro Lounge Podcast is officially live!

In this first episode of Season 2, Chris and Rachel are back behind the mics after a busy off-season and break down everything currently happening in the bodybuilding world, from Fit Model shake-ups to Olympia qualification changes and what they really mean for athletes.

In this episode we discuss:
• Season 2 direction and how the podcast is evolving
• IFBB Fit Model division controversy and where the pro look may land
• Bikini pros switching divisions and the ripple effect on standards
• Olympia qualification changes and why international athletes are feeling the squeeze
• Arnold Classic preview and standout athletes to watch
• New Zealand and Australia competition calendars for 2026
• Honest advice athletes wish they received before competing

This episode is part catch-up, part industry breakdown, part waffle and part reality check.

If you compete, coach, or follow bodybuilding seriously, Season 2 starts right here.

👇 Tell us in the comments what you are most excited about for the upcoming season.

Find us here:
🎧 Follow The Macro Lounge on Spotify
📸 Instagram: @macro_lounge_podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMacroLoungePodcast
📩 Email: ⁠hello@boldphysique.com

Season One of the Macro Lounge is officially wrapped, and what a ride it has been. Twenty six episodes, countless sparkles, a few near cancellations, and a community that grew faster than Chris adds carbs in a reverse.

In this final episode of the season, Chris and Rachel look back on the highs, the lessons, the chaos, and the moments that shaped 2025. From insane prep stories and athlete breakthroughs to behind the scenes insights from the bikini business and guests who brought serious knowledge and hilarious honesty, this show has become something far bigger than we expected.

A huge thank you to every listener who tuned in, shared the episodes, sent messages, laughed with us, cried with us, and gave us the courage to keep showing up imperfectly but consistently. You built this community with us.

A special shout out to Valerie, Mrs B - producer, editor, thumbnail queen and the very patient third member of this podcast. Without Valerie, there would be no polished episodes, no Canva magic, no crisp audio and probably no YouTube at all. She keeps the chaos in line and the podcast alive.

Season Two lands late January or early February. Bigger topics, more guests, more honesty, more sparkles.

Thank you for making Season One unforgettable.

See you in 2026!!!

🎧 Follow the Macro Lounge on Spotify
📸 Instagram macro_lounge_podcast

PLEASE leave us a rating or review. It really does help! See you next year!

From PNBA World Champion to IFBB Pro League judge to founder of the Australian Posing School, Becc Gwilliam has shaped the posing game across Australia and beyond.

In Episode 25, she joins Chris and Rachel for a deep dive into bodybuilding, posing, judging and how APS became the global standard for stage presentation.

Becc shares how she went from investigative journalist to international posing coach, how APS grew from a solo idea into a worldwide team, and why posing remains the most underestimated part of competing. She also opens up about athlete transformation stories, backstage emotions, judging insights and the trends she hopes will disappear forever!

Expect wisdom, sass, storytelling and a lot of laugh out loud moments.

Find Becc here:
📱 Instagram: @becctheposer🏫 Australian Posing School: https://www.australianposingschool.com.au/
📸 APS Instagram: @australianposingschool

Find us here:
🎧 Follow The Macro Lounge on Spotify
📸 Instagram: @macro_lounge_podcast
📩 Email: hello@boldphysique.com

Dr Susan Baxter, PhD in movement science, award winning educator, former bikini competitor, global presenter and founder of the AHA Method, joins Chris and Rachel for a deep dive into the worlds of bodybuilding, coaching, business systems and longevity.

In this episode we cover:
👉 Susan’s wild origin story from Highlanders TV host to national stage winner
👉 How competing shaped her discipline, resilience and academic career
👉 Why so many PTs struggle with skill set and structure
👉 The rise of wellness and recovery and what gyms are getting wrong
👉 Identity loss after competing and how to transition without blowing up your life
👉 How bodybuilding systems can improve every part of your world

Susan also shares her best gym horror stories, her favourite movement pattern, and why she once ended up on a newspaper cover in a bikini she regretted immediately.

🎧 Subscribe for new episodes every Saturday
📸 Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/macro_lounge_podcast/
If you want to get in touch with Dr Susan Baxter PHD - find her links below! She'd love to hear from you.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsuzbaxter/
Website: https://www.drsuzsquad.com/

This week, Chris and Rachel sit down with Cam - founder of UglyFace - the brutally honest supplement brand shaking up the industry with zero sugarcoating (and maybe a few paper bags).

From dodgy fat burners and “detox teas” to collagen hype and influencer fakery, nothing’s off-limits in this caffeine-fuelled deep dive into the realities of the supplement world.

💥 What you’ll hear:

• The origins of UglyFace (spoiler: caffeine + chaos)

• The worst supplement scams still selling

• Why collagen protein is basically useless

• What brands get wrong about transparency

• Influencer horror stories and shady formulas

• How small NZ brands can do it better

If you’ve ever felt lost reading a supplement label, this one’s your crash course in spotting the red flags.

Big thanks to Cam for his honesty on the subject and for giving up his valuable time to chat with us!

🎙️ New episodes every Saturday at 8am.
📸 Instagram: @macro_lounge_podcast
📩 Email: hello@boldphysique.com