Everything You Need to Know About Competition Preparation

Many people who start bodybuilding on the advanced level at one point or the other think about competing on stage. While most of those people never gather the courage to step on stage, the ones who do suffer because of a lack of knowledge about preparation.

To win a bodybuilding competition, you need to do more than workout every day for a few weeks. The right contest prep is what separates the all-time bests from rookies who stick around for a couple of shows. If you’re ambitious enough to join the elites, we’re here to help you.

All You Need to Know About Bodybuilding Competition Preparation

You Need a Coach

It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, the sooner you accept you need a coach, the better it’ll be for you. A coach can help you with your diet, training, posing, and juice. An experienced coach can even tell you what’s going to work for you in a particular show and then polish it.

Plan Your Training

Most people try to stay in shape throughout the year which can be harmful to their overall health. The better way is to shortlist the shows you’ll be contesting a year in advance and then start preparing for them not more than 20 weeks from the show date.

Design a Nutrition Plan

You can’t win a show just by going hard in the gym. Nutrition is a key aspect of achieving peak conditioning. Get an expert to design the nutrition and diet timeline as per your show and then stick with it.

Get Posing Classes

In the documentary Pumping Iron, Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about the importance of posing and even goes to ballerina classes to perfect his routine. Consulting a choreographer about your posing routine and a bodybuilding coach about the mandatory bodybuilding poses is a good idea.

Find the Right Tan

Most people overlook the importance of finding the right tan and settle for the cheapest option they can buy online. The right tan can make a big difference in your placing in the show, so do the effort of finding the right tan as per your skin type. Getting a professional to apply the tan can also improve how the tan looks.

Look For a Posing Suit

Posing suits are one of the most important (and the only thing you’ll wear) which many people overlook. It would be great if you could find out the backdrop of the stage and choose a suit which will make you pop out and compliment your skin and tan tone.

Know the Stage

Reaching the show early and checking out the auditorium can do wonders for your performance (yes, posing is a performance). Know where the focus lights are and try to be under the ‘good light’ always. A good stage presence will show up on the mark sheet.

Prepare For Your Division

As a classic physique contestant, its okay to idolize a free-weight bodybuilder but copying his moves and poses won’t go down well for you. Know your division well and the things which work like posing, costumes, stage presence, etc.

It’s All About You

Bodybuilding is a selfish game, and you need to turn mean and focus all your energy on your own self. Arnold got in the headlines when it came to surface he missed his father’s funeral as he refused to go back to Austria because Mr. Olympia competition was in a couple of months.

Learn From Your Mistakes

You probably aren’t going to hit the jackpot in your first attempt. It might take a few tries before you learn from your mistakes and realize what works for you and what doesn’t. Bodybuilding is a never-ending game of self-improvement and one which will challenge every fiber of your being.

Are you planning to compete in a bodybuilding show? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.