Competitive
BodybuildingCompetitive Bodybuilding at 24e is more than a sport. It’s a transformative journey that helps you become the strongest, most confident version of yourself. Our team focuses on building a balanced, powerful physique through smart training, supportive coaching, and a community that pushes you to grow. You’ll discover how strength training, purposeful nutrition, and structured habits can elevate not just your physique, but your overall health and energy.
Joining our team means surrounding yourself with people who share your drive and celebrate your progress. Along the way, you’ll improve muscle and bone strength, boost metabolism, and develop the kind of discipline and resilience that carries into every part of life. Whether you’re curious about stepping on stage for the first time or looking to take your training to the next level, 24e offers the guidance, motivation, and family like atmosphere to help you thrive. 24e offers in person and online training. Ready to see what you’re capable of? Let’s build it together.
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Meet Your Coach
Jay Wilkins
Jay Wilkins is the Head of Competitive Training at 24e, where he brings unmatched expertise, intensity, and passion to every athlete he trains. As both a professional bodybuilding coach and a seasoned bodybuilder himself, Jay knows firsthand what it takes to build a champion on and off the stage.
With years of experience guiding competitors through every phase of their journey, Jay specializes in developing personalized training strategies, precision nutrition plans, and winning stage presence. His coaching style blends discipline, education, and motivation, helping athletes push past limits and unlock their full potential.
Jay has taken the individual sport of bodybuilding and transformed it into a true team environment where every competitor feels supported, driven, and pushed to become their best. What’s normally a solo journey becomes a unified mission under his leadership. Athletes celebrate each other’s wins, grow through challenges together, and move with a shared sense of purpose. Coach Jay gives unmatched attention to each person, meeting them exactly where they are and equipping them with every tool, resource, and ounce of guidance they need to succeed. With him, and the rest of our competitive coaches, you’re never just prepping alone. You’re part of a team that shows up, works hard, and rises together.
Whether you’re stepping on stage for the first time or aiming to elevate your competitive career, Jay is dedicated to leading you there with the same commitment and grit that drive his own success.
The Winners' Circle
Meet Our Pros
ISABELLE
New York raised me; Alabama humbled me—and rebuilt me. I originally came to Alabama temporarily for work. I wasn’t planning to stay, discover a career I didn’t know existed, or find a whole new life. Bodybuilding? Not even on my vision board. Being in a state with no immediate family was tough, especially through prep, but my gym friends stepped up, and quickly became my family. Life has a way of throwing you exactly where you’re meant to be, and for me, it handed me a career, a calling, and a circle of people who turned into family.
I didn’t start this journey from a place of strength. I started with a broken leg from a car accident a leg I thought I’d never run or train with again, and extra weight (never again). Rebuilding it took 6-8 months of pushing past pain, doubting myself, and fearing I’d break it again. The kind of self-doubt that makes you question everything. The grind became personal. I chased discipline harder than motivation, learned the difference between showing up and showing out, and dropped from 18o to 140 like the weight owed me back taxes.
Then came a 6-month competition sprint:
My very first planned show—we pulled out because I wasn’t the best version of myself yet. Still figuring out how to eat what I loved and stay on track.
Ist show-I took ist place, but no pro card.
2nd show-3rd place. This one grounded me. I wanted to win more than anything, but God had a different plan and gave me the strength to push a little longer.
3rd show—I showed up with a whole new look, won ist place, and finally earned my NGA Pro card.
The eating prep? A whole different beast. Not the cooking, that part’s fun, but weighing portions, counting macros, and saying goodbye to rice and sauce at every meal? That’s heartbreak for a Caribbean soul. But I learned discipline, how to read labels, and that cravings are temporary. They come, they fight, they throw punches, but they don’t win. And yes, I’m obsessed with the gym… because the fork and I are in a committed relationship.
This journey changed me mentally, physically, and spiritually. It taught me resilience, patience, and the power of a team, and wow… what a ride it’s been. The journey isn’t over. Not because my coach signed me to a forever contract, but because I’ve found something that pushes me farther than I ever imagined. And that? That’s just the beginning.
EMILY
For as long as I can remember, I was chasing weight loss. I dreaded stepping on the scale and avoided mirrors at the gym, terrified of what I might see. Every glance felt like judgment. Every weigh-in felt like failure. My fitness journey began over five years ago, and it’s been nothing short of a roller coaster-full of highs, lows, and lessons I never expected to learn.
In the beginning, progress felt impossible. I lost and gained the same 10-15 pounds countless times, never enough to make a real difference. I started lifting in my college apartment gym because I was too insecure to walk into a commercial gym. I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of strangers. I thought everyone would notice how out of place” I looked.
Eight months later, my best friend convinced me to join Crunch in Tuscaloosa. It was a big step, but even then, I was inconsistent. I went when I felt like it, ate whatever I wanted, and partied on weekends. Fitness wasn’t a priority-it was just something I did occasionally. Deep down, I wanted change, but I wasn’t ready to commit.
In July 2023, I lost my dad-my best friend in this entire world-to a very sudden heart attack. There are no words for that kind of pain. Everything changed overnight for me. The gym became my therapy, my escape, my outlet for grief and anger. I poured everything I had into lifting. Every rep was a release. Every set was a way to fight through the heartbreak.
What started as a coping mechanism turned into my greatest passion. I began to see my body change-not just physically, but mentally. I was so much stronger, more disciplined, and more determined than ever before. Little did I know this was paving the way for something greater than anything I ever could’ve imagined.
After college, I moved back home and continued my training at 24e. A wonderful person at the front desk encouraged me to try bodybuilding, but I laughed it off. I didn’t think I had what it took. Me? A bodybuilder? That sounded impossible, but she saw something in me that I failed to see in myself.
Then as life does, I got another curveball thrown at me. I needed something to consume me completely.
Bodybuilding quickly became that outlet. It gave me structure when everything else felt out of my control. It gave me purpose when I felt lost. With the help of my amazing coach, I lost 40 pounds in eight months. I transformed-not just physically, but emotionally. I learned that discipline is freedom, and strength is built in the moments you want to quit but don’t.
Today, I’m proud to say that strength training led me to become a professional bodybuilder. The team and coach I found at 24e changed my life in ways words can’t explain. They gave me hope when I needed it most. They reminded me that even in the darkest seasons, there’s a way forward.
If you’re reading this and feeling stuck, insecure, or defeated, remember this: your story isn’t over. You have the power to rewrite it—one rep, one meal, one day at a time. Don’t wait for the “perfect moment.” Start now. Start messy. Start scared. Just start.