Before she stepped onto the stage, Crista Jordan had no idea how she would feel up there in front of so many spectators and judges.

Her competitive background was as an All-American college volleyball player, but now she was entering a bodybuilding competition, which to outsiders can appear to be a glorified beauty pageant.

“It was different, but when I went on stage, I was like, oh, I get it now, I get why people come back to this sport, because you get that same little bit of thrill and adrenaline that you do in athletics,” Jordan said.

Jordan, 33 and a personal trainer who lives in Prineville, made a statement in her first-ever bodybuilding competition, winning the overall bikini title late last month at the National Physique Committee’s Cascadian Classic at the Riverhouse Convention Center in Bend. Because it was her first competition, she also won the true novice and novice divisions.

The victory qualified her for a chance to compete at one of several national events that will be staged across the country in 2022.

“It was definitely about the journey and the process, and the winning aspect was just icing on the cake,” Jordan said. “I went in wanting to win, but I understood I was a first-time competitor and I didn’t have expectations, so to win the whole thing was actually pretty exciting. I was living on the high afterward.”

Jordan started training for the competition in August 2020, balancing her time as a personal trainer at Xcel Fitness in Bend and as a mother of a 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a home gym helped her add in some late-night workouts, her kids sometimes hanging out with her in the garage as she stuck doggedly to her training plan.

“Watching Crista be an active and present mother of two, work over 30 hours a week, and train and eat perfectly for over 10 months was simply impressive,” said Crista’s husband, Ryan Jordan. “It gets me a bit choked up, because I really don’t think she cut a corner in 10 months of training. Not one. It was almost annoying.

“She has inspired many people in the fitness industry in Central Oregon.”

Crista Jordan was raised in Fresno, California, and attended the University of La Verne in Southern California, where she was a three-time All-American in volleyball for the NCAA Division III Leopards.

She said she “fell in love” with strength training during her college years, doing a fairly intense strength and conditioning program as a collegiate athlete. That passion led to her bachelor’s degree in movement and sport science and a career as a personal trainer.

Shortly after graduating from college, Jordan had friends who entered a bodybuilding competition.

“I thought that would be fun to have a goal like that,” she recalled. “It’s always been on my bucket list since my early 20s, but then life happens, and I had kids.”

She moved to Bend with Ryan about 10 years ago and they started a family. They moved to Prineville last year, and Crista commutes to Bend to work as a personal trainer at Xcel Fitness.

“My coach (Melissa Brush) is a good friend who I met in the fitness world,” Jordan said. “I always talked to her about it. She finally, said, ‘Do it already!’ She is a national level competitor herself. I could not have done it without her. Even trainers need trainers. We all need a coach.”

Carving out time for training herself was the most challenging part, Jordan said. Her preparation included weight and strength training for six days per week for one hour each day. She also followed a strict meal plan of healthy proteins, carbs, fats, fruits and vegetables and did not drink alcohol for five months before the contest.

“It was a lot to juggle,” Jordan said. “It just shows you that time and consistency do pay off. It’s not magic.”

Jordan said the bikini division of bodybuilding is about muscle symmetry and developed glutes and deltoids, but not as developed as physiques in other divisions of the sport.

“Bikini is that hourglass figure,” she said. “So small waist, and developed shoulders and glutes, that’s what they’re looking for. I think from the outside perspective, people see the glam, bikinis and sparkling jewelry, so in a sense it looks like a beauty pageant, but it really is about muscle development, muscle symmetry, density and conditioning. They have a very specific look they are looking for.”

Jordan credited the support of her husband Ryan, Xcel Fitness owner Israel Love, and Cascadian Classic promoter Dominic Current as crucial to her victory.

“You have to be confident in who you are,” Jordan said, “and know that everyone going out on that stage has worked their butt off and looks great.”