How to prepare for your first fitness competition

Fitness competitions are becoming more popular by the day for the past few years now. Read any major magazine, fitness catalog, or log in to any social media platform. The array of beautiful ladies in bikini and confident-looking men showing off their defined bodies will seize your attention, making you feel like stepping on that stage for the honor.

So, after seeing your fitness icons parading their shredded bodies on that glamorous stage, you have made up your mind to contest in the next fitness competition; that’s a huge decision, and a profitable one too. You will finally have the opportunity to add a tangible meaning to your fitness ambitions and get awesome rewards for all your hard work in the gym.

Meanwhile, contesting in a fitness competition is not a joke. I didn’t mean to scare you off; that’s the whole truth. It involves a lot of commitment, discipline, and endurance to make it to any world standard fitness competition. Indeed, it requires sound preparation. Don’t panic; there’s always a first time. All those fitness icons contested in several fitness competitions have once been at this ‘first-time’ stage.

Now that you have decided to take your fitness ambitions to the next level, you must ready to give whatever it takes to make your fitness dreams a reality. Here are some helpful tips compiled by several experienced contestants in the world’s best fitness competitions to help you start your journey to the competition.

1. Get your motivations right

Honestly, contesting in a fitness competition should be for the best reasons. The negative side of a fitness competition may include eating disorders and obsessing over your body appearance, which can be a disadvantage in the long run. If you don’t have the right motivation for contesting in the fitness competition, it might lead you in the wrong direction and make the whole ambition shattered.

Going for a fitness competition to look lean and muscular forever can be a negative motivation. I mean, you don’t have to participate in a fitness competition before you can get the shredded body you desire. Plus, it’s neither healthy nor realistic to keep that muscular body for a long time.

Participating in the competition to achieve a new goal and enjoy doing it is a right motivation

2. Attend many fitness competitions

One of the best ways to learn something is to watch people doing it. Attending many world-class fitness competitions is a great idea. It will help you a better perspective about how things are being done in the events. Showing up in different fitness events will also allow you to understand better how contestants look. It will also give you a clear understanding of the essential requirements for contestants to emerge a winner.

Attending fitness competitions is right for you to know what to do and what to expect in the competition. A few federations hosting fitness competitions include WBFF, Muscle Marina, INBF, IFBB, and more. You need to be aware that the competition rules and regulations differ from one federation to another. It’s essential to learn about each federation to help you choose what best suits your goals. You can visit the official websites of each federation to learn more about them.

3. Choose your category

After you have decided which fitness competition you want to contest, the next thing is to choose the category you want to compete in. Meanwhile, the kind of you want to build will determine which category you can participate in. While some people may the category based on the type of body they want to build, others may choose to build their body to fit the demands of the category they prefer.

Here the most general categories in a standard fitness competition.

Bikini

This a female category. In this category, judges lookout for the contestants’ overall beauty, body shape, symmetry, and tone. Judges focus more on the beautiful face, physical fitness, figure, and confidence with which the contestant carries herself.

Fitness

Both male and female contestants can participate in this category. The judges in the category demand contestants to display more muscle tone and definition. Competitors in this category need to display an athletic and define physique and present themselves in a classy way.

Figure

Contestants in this category need to carry more muscles than those in the fitness category. But not as much as those in the physique category. Contestants also need to display muscle tone and definition body.

Wellness

The desirable look for judges in the figure category is a fuller lower body physique. Contestants do not need to develop their bodies muscularly or look over lean, but their body tone should be smooth and healthy. Judges in the wellness category pay more attention to the shape and tone of the constants’ body.

4. Hire an expert trainer, nutritionist, and posing coach.

You need excellence in these three aspects to succeed in your fitness competition journey. Every competitor who has achieved something worthwhile in fitness competitions takes these three aspects very seriously.

It takes about six months of hard training and disciplined eating habit to prepare for any standard fitness competition. You need to eat right to look right. Getting the body you desire for the competition depends on what you eat, how much you train, and how serious you are with your posing lessons.

Ideally, a good coach should be a seasoned trainer, professional nutritionists, and a qualified posing tutor. But, if you can find a coach that will serve the three functions correctly, you can hire a different one for each.

5. Get your money ready.

Truly, contesting in a fitness competition is expensive. There are more expenses associated with fitness competitions. The fact is, you might never know how much it cost until you start the process. The various costs involved include coaching fees, registration fees, food and supplements, tanning costs, competition outfits, travel expenses, and more.

In Conclusion

Fitness competition is a serious business; it is not for an unmotivated heart. It requires a lot of discipline, commitment, hard work, and a perfect diet. You have to make sure you are up to the challenge and develop a positive attitude to compete successfully. Meanwhile, training for a fitness competition is a fun way to improve your workouts and stay healthy. The reward worth the hard work.

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