Over the past five years bikini and figure competitions have been exploding into the mainstream and for good reason. Who wouldn’t want to show off their hard work on stage and wear glamorous bikinis and have their hair and make up all done up? Its a great goal to have and is extremely motivational since you have a time limit to reach a certain body fat and appearance. With that being said, there are many factors to consider before starting the competition journey. With this type of training and diet you want to make sure your priorities are in line. Below I will cover the essential elements to consider for a successful contest prep:
make time for your workouts – many women who work out know they need to make the time to get their workouts in despite work and family life. But when you’re dieting for a show you will spend more time in the gym than you’d think. Workouts will be longer, more time will be spent stretching and posing, cardio sessions will increase and sometimes be split into 2 sessions, among other things.
food preparation is a must – though you may eat well in general a competition diet is unlike your typical regimen. Everything is measured! (except for vegetables) Consistency is imperative for success and that means bringing your meals with you when you’re running errands, attending functions or family events.
support from your family and friends – if you’re husband or boyfriend is not supportive then that will make your contest prep so much harder! And sometimes relationships end this way, especially if the partner has never competed or can’t relate to the time commitment and (unintended) ‘selfishness’ of the sport. Partners who are not involved in fitness or competing will find it hard to understand this side of the sport. Support is essential and so is communication. You’ll have days of low energy and maybe even mood swings, but if the communication is open between you two then you’ll be successful!
rest and recovery – your social life will start to diminish and maybe even become non-existent, depending on how dedicated you are to achieving your best. Going out for dinner and parties isn’t so fun when you have to bring your food and limit what your beverages are. This is a great time to catch up on your favorite shows. Besides, the heavy training you do in the gym requires plenty of sleep and rest to repair and build the muscles your working.
the cost is not cheap – this is not a cheap hobby to participate in. There are a number of costs and can range easily between $2000-$4000 depending on a few things. Here’s some things to consider: diet prep (the fee your diet coach charges), suit, shoes, food, tanning, makeup (unless you do it yourself, can save some $), spray tan, hair stylist (unless you do it yourself, can save some $), registration fee & membership fee to compete, supplements & vitamins throughout contest prep, etc.
don’t rely on others, this is an individual sport – this is a big one. Its nice to have friends who you may work out with or do cardio with but the best way to reach your goal is to rely on yourself during the journey. It’s great when your gal pal meets you to work out or do cardio but consider that as a bonus perk not a regular routine. I only say this because it’s easy to lose your momentum if you rely on your friends to always accompany you to the gym. If you plan to train solo and have everything structured then there is no room for failure or missed workouts.
the first show is always a ‘feeler’ show – what I mean by that is many people may have the hopes of winning their first show and that’s great 🙂 but that doesn’t always happen and it’s important to accept that. The nice thing about competing is it’s a continual growth process. Once you’ve achieved your final look for your first show then you can see what needs work for the next one (if you decide to do another one; its quite addictive in a good way). It’s always good to have goals and strive to perform and be better. And if you don’t win or place as well as you hoped for in your first show then that will just drive you harder to do better for the next one!
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