Staging Your Success
Preparing for your first Bodybuilding, Fitness or Bikini Competition is by no means an easy task. It takes many months of determined effort both in and out of the gym. The journey is tough, especially the dietary side where sheer will power is tested over and over on a daily basis. It takes both strength of mind and body to produce a winning physique come competition day. At this point I am taking into consideration that you have done your homework when it comes to the bulk of your contest preparation, you are on track and just looking to gain that winning edge to bring to the stage.
This is the point where you have the power to move in one of two directions. It’s a point where a good number of competitors fail because they start second guessing themselves. This is usually brought on by nerves and lack of confidence in your own ability. Seeking too many opinions at a time when you really should be sticking to your guns and running with what feels right for you, or at least listening to just one experienced person who has the confidence to guide you to victory.
There is absolutely no place for confusion, nerves or self doubt when it comes to making a successful stage debut. You have to be 100% confident in your approach otherwise it will show on stage.
Do you feel you are on point and stage ready?
Your answer should be a bright and positive- yes! If your answer is no, don’t worry I am going to help you iron out any sense of self doubt by sharing some of my 30 plus years of experience of both competing and coaching thousands of aspiring competitors. I want to keep this concise so I will run through each of the elements that I feel are imperative in staging your success.
1. Prepare to be Prepared!
Sounds dumb right? It’s not because before you can prepare for the final battle you have to be armed with heavy artillery. Meaning you have to be on the mark at least 2-3 weeks before your big show.
At the 2-3 week mark your body fat percentage should be down to low single digits for guys and lower double digits for girls. The biggest mistake made by the majority of competitors is trying to peak on the day of the show. The margin for error is just too high and leaves no room to fine tune over the last 2-3 weeks. If you are stage-ready 2-3 weeks out you can essentially cruise into the show making minor adjustments gradually tweaking both your training, diet and water intake as the event approaches.The truth is if you are looking soft 2 weeks out no amount of playing with water, salt or cardio will whip you into shape. Hence when it gets down to the wire you need to be prepare to be prepared!
Read the rest of this article in Volume 5 Issue 6 of Australian Natural Bodz
