Already Chiseled and reaching for that next thrill? Put yourself in a bodybuilding competition to see how you stack up against others.
Say you’ve been working on your physique for a long time now. Maybe you’ve even been flexing your competitive muscle and you’re looking to enter a bodybuilding competition. If you’re passionate about bodybuilding then it will be rewarding regardless of whether you win a trophy or not. No matter what goals you set, here are some good first-time bodybuilding tips.
1. Make sure you have enough time to prep for your first competition.
Unlike most sports, bodybuilding does not have a set season. This gives you the freedom to pick when you would like your first competition as it is a year-round sport. Give yourself the necessary time to refine your physique and practice your poses. If you believe you are ready, the International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) has an event schedule going all the way until November. See where your body is at, how long you’ll need to be competition-ready, and select a date that allows you enough time to prepare.
2. Competition-ready physiques require major discipline.
A competition-ready body is a definition of Chiseled. When it’s all said and done, you should only have a very minimal body fat percentage and your body should be very well defined. At the very least, you should have been lifting for a couple of years and have been hitting your macros for half a year. When the competition date approaches, you will have to be on an even stricter diet.
3. Posing is key in competitions.
Making sure you practice these ahead of time will make or break your chances of success. One pro tip is to condition yourself to be able to hold the poses for longer periods. If you only have to hold it for 10 seconds and you’ve been able to hold the pose for 40, then it should be easier when it matters most.
4. Practice in the mirror first, then lose it.
Another valuable tip is to practice in the mirror first and then gradually lose the mirror. When you’re onstage, you won’t have a mirror guiding you. Videotape yourself ahead of time to see how your muscles and face look so you can commit it to memory. Knowing what poses work with certain lighting is also important.
Bodybuilding is a beast that not many know about. Once you commit to it, there’s a lot of prep and work to do. However, you’ve been working on your body for a long time. It’s time to push your limits and see what you can do in the big leagues.
