Ok so iv had a lot of you (yes the guys
too) ask me about getting started if you want to start competing (And
personally I think this can apply to anyone just looking to get into training
for the first time to an extent) so here goes!
Preparing for a competition is a great
goals to have to get in shape and have a challenge and a goal work towards.
It’s a journey like no other and you cant quite explain it until you have
actually experienced it yourself.
before i get into what steps to take to get started i need to cut to the chase.....
In my opinion you need to ask yourself “Why
do I want to compete?”. In all seriousness you really need to consider this,
for if you are doing it for the wrong reasons it can be quite a detrimental
experience in the long run. But on the other hand it can be the best thing
ever. Personally for me competing is really about taking that healthy fit
lifestyle to the next level and really challenging myself to be better each
time I step up on that stage. So make sure you are doing it for exactly that ..
to better yourself… as you will be your own biggest competitor. If you are
doing it purely to win, or get ripped then I have some news for you .. you wont
always win and you wont stay that ripped. Let me elaborate on this point……
Firstly its quite an amazing process where you
work so hard for months just for one single moment but at the end of the day it
comes down to judges opinion and you simply are either what they are looking
for on the day or your not, You cant let this dishearten you, Just make sure
you are the best you can be on the day .. If you give it your all then remember
to be super proud of yourself as just making it to the point where your are
stepping on stage is a HUGE achievement (many wont make it through the whole
prep to even make it on stage). If you do a second comp and a third and step on
stage in better condition each time and you have WON!
Secondly if you are doing it to get super
lean and ripped then this also isn’t the best reason and let me tell you why.
When you see photos of people in comp shape on comp day they will only really
look like that “on the day”. Ok so YES competitors get very lean leading u to a
comp and look amazing but most will dehydrate and alter their diet to certain
extremes to really get as cut as possible for the big day. So what I’m saying
is the photos of the physiques you see on comp day wont stay in this condition
after the comp is over as realistically you don’t want to. Staying at a very
low body fat percentage for a long period of time is actually not very healthy
at all. It’s ok during comp prep as you are only this low for a short amount of
time in your last few weeks of prep. For example anything below about 11 or 10%
for girls is considered quite low where your body doesn’t function like it
naturally should. Also you want to be building muscle in your off or
“improvement” season so you need to be consuming a little more calories to do
so. At the same time you most certainly can stay very fit and in great shape
post comp and continue to lead the healthy lifestyle if you keep putting in the
work.
OK now that I have burst your bubble a
little bit (sorry but no beating around the bush here) there is A LOT of
positives that come out of comps as well J
It still is a great goal to have to really
help get you into shape quickly as it really helps get you in a routine of a
healthy lifestyle. A lot of my clients or anyone iv given advice or help with
contests come and se me after and always say that even when they try to go back
to their old life habits they find they cant. They always tell me that they
cant handle un clean foods as much and really fall in love with training and
seeing their body change and getting confidence to train in the gym without
feeling intimidated. I know one thing I cant live without since I started
training is my protowhey protein powder! Yummy!
its a fantastic way to kickstart your training or take training to the next level. but also remember that you can still achieve this without doing a comp! so just be true to yourself, stay realistic and get into that healthy lifestyle regardless of whether you end up on the stage!
So how do you get started for your first
comp?
First thing you really nee to do is find
ONE person that is going to give you a good nutrition/supplement plan! This
needs to be someone that is experienced with competitor diets. Now everyone is
different and there is not one single right way to diet for a comp so the best
piece of advice I can give is to pick ONE person to listen to and make sure you
listen to that ONE person from the star to the finish. This is very important
as a lot of people can start telling you lots of different things, which can
really get very confusing and throw you of track. So it’s simple, get a plan
and stick to it from start to finish and you cant go wrong!
I get a lot of questions on the best way to
rain and how many times a week to train. Once again this all very individual
but to get started if you are unsure of how to train either get a program done
for you have hire a trainer that is experienced with comp preps.
Personally I like to take photos in a
bikini then you can see what muscle groups need more work than others etc …
some people will need a full 5-6 day of weights and others may only need 3 or 4
days depending on what you need to work on. In terms of cardio this also varies
on how much body fat you need to lose or how much food you have in your
nutrition plan. You may start with 3-5 days a week or you may start with twice
a day 6 days a week and his may change during your prep so get a program and go
from there.
Remember to just focus on YOU and not what
everyone else is doing!
So like I said if its your first time you
REALLY need to get a plan in place (this goes for anyone not just first
timers). Your plan will change as you go depending on how your body goes so the
best thing to do is start EARLY. Its never too early to prepare for a comp. Most
competitors really start getting in a serious routine about 20 weeks out as its
just as important to “eat up” and build that muscle and definition as it is to
cut later on. In my opinion the off season or lead up is the most important
part because that’s where all the changes happen. At about the 12 week mark s
where you really start adding in the cardio and start to lean down. Its not
about getting lean super quick its actually a very slow process because you want
to keep all your muscle and even build a little while your cutting. If you do
it too quickly you risk losing the muscle that gives you all your awesome shape
and tightness (we don’t want that!). So START EARLY!
POSING is also a HUGE part of competing.
How you move and stand on stage can make a very big difference. You want to emphasize
your shape to the best of its ability and you want to be comfortable on stage.
So get to some posing classes at least 12 weeks out!
Now that’s quite a list where you need a
trainer or mentor, posing classes, supplements, and don’t forget the bikini! So
make sure you have the finances to do so as well so save and budget J
Once you have ticket all the boxes and are
ready to start your prep its honestly one of the best personal journeys you can
experience. There is so much you will learn and like any journey it has its up
and downs but you just dig deep and keep pushing through. When you make it to
the end and stand up on that stage you know how much hard work has been done to
get the that moment! I know that as soon as I step off the stage all I want is
to get back on! I wish there were more comps in a year! :D
I hope this has helped in some way. If
anyone needs more advice or some contacts for prep, posing, bikinis etc please
shoot me an email at nina@muscleworx.com.au
J as I could go on and on all day about this topic! So many factors!
Keep training hard! Hopefully see you in
the spotlight soon!
Nini xxxx
