39: What Your Family Can Expect From Your Show Prep (...and when to step in)

Everything Else In Bodybuilding

Hey guys! In this episode, I offer some guidance to the loved ones that will be putting up with you during your contest prep so they are better prepared for the process. Be sure to have them give this episode a listen!

As always, like/subscribe/and share! And come join the conversation in the private Facebook group for listeners to talk about show topics. The Facebook group is called “The ‘Everything Else’ in Bodybuilding Podcast Insiders!” so head on over there and request to join!

Additional Resources:
-FREE posing assessment and road mapping call at http://www.learntopose.com
-Want to learn skills that will help you look and feel more confident in your posing and transitions from pose to pose? Learn more at:
http://www.weeklyposing.com
-Interested in posing courses and custom made tools? Shop Here: https://learntopose.podia.com
-Want to WIN your next competition? Learn more at: http://www.posingwinsshows.com
-FREE posing tutorials for Wellness, Figure, Bikini, and Men's Physique competitors at http://www.learntopose.com
-FREE ebook “5 Things Every Bodybuilding and Fitness Competitor Needs To Know Before Preparing For A Show” at http://www.eeinbb.com
-Grab your “My Own Motivation” tank top at https://shop.killitwithdrive.com/

Key Takeaways:
*An invitation to your loved ones (3:40)
*Gaining an understanding on the overall goal (learntopose.com

There are also entry fees to the contest and travel expenses to factor in, especially if there is a flight and hotel involved. There are also many show day necessities you need to purchase such as specific attire to wear on stage, a very dark tan applied to the skin before the show, and even show day makeup and hair requirements. By the way, the stage tan is not a regular tan. There is a solution applied to the skin a couple days or even the day before the show that will darken to a level that is quite extreme compared to a regular tan. This is also normal. For women, the stage makeup applied and the hair style is also much extra than the regular hair and makeup done on an every day basis. I always joke that my hair and makeup makes me look like a drag queen version of myself.

Because this is a physique competition, the attire for the stage, also called “a competition suit” or “suit,” for short, must be customized to fit to your measurements, which means these suits are often hand made. The sky is the limit on how much you can spend for a suit, but at the end of the day, the most important thing for any suit is that it fits and flatters. For women, a suit can cost as little as $300 for a hand made suit if you get a Maggie Suits suit and tell her you want a Michele Welcome suit. My collaboration with Maggie is to make sure that anyone can get a quality suit that fits like a glove that also doesn’t break the bank. I do not get any affiliate fees for this collaboration. This is purely to help competitors get a suit for an affordable price. For men your suits typically are less than $100. However, if your loved one is competing in an organization that also require costumes, gowns, and tuxedos, this is where things can get super costly. This is normal.

The suits, hair, makeup, tan and accessories are all normal costs of doing a bodybuilding show and will add up so be prepared for all of these expenses.

Ok so far you’ve learned that being in a relationship with someone competing in a bodybuilding show requires adherence to diet and training, since a competition physique is much leaner and more extreme looking than just being hot on the beach fit. This adherence to diet and training must also be done over an extended period of time as well to allow enough time to bring body fat levels down to stage ready levels. You’ve also learned there are many different organizations and levels of muscularity required depending on where people compete. You are aware that performing on stage is the most important thing, really the only thing, you need to do on show day and all the scoring is 100% opinions. And you’ve also learned there are quite a bit of expenses involved in competing that requires you to budget for and set aside money.

There are a few other considerations to be prepared for as your loved ones get ready for shows. Some of these considerations I am going to tell you because I want you to be aware of things that might seem like red flags but are normal, and things that might be presented as normal but are actually potential red flags.

For one, emotions are going to run high. This is normal. As the process gets further and further into full swing and your loved ones get leaner and leaner, the amount of effort they put in and the changes they will see in their body will affect their everyday mindset. The focus and dedication can be stressful, even if the results are great, because it still take a lot of effort to stay focused day in and day out while also working full time jobs and/or handling everyday family obligations with the household and kids. Plus getting super lean can be uncomfortable so there might be an undertone of irritability at times from the discomfort. By the way, no matter how lean they get,they will probably still not think they are lean enough. The mind can play some head games as time goes on and stress levels increase. Remind them that competing is a hobby and that they are doing everything they can to look and feel their best.

Another thing for you to consider as a loved one watching from the outside in is that who they affiliate with with will influence decisions. There are many different bodybuilding organizations. There are many different coaches too. And people are people no matter where they compete and naturally, in any sport, people are competitive. Some coaches will only train clients for specific organizations. Some organizations will say they are the best and the other organizations don’t matter. Some competitors will think their shit don’t stink because they won a trophy or a pro card. The competitiveness of the sport and the attitudes of those your loved one affiliate with can influence their decisions. As a loved one looking in from the outside I suggest you remind your loved one that once again bodybuilding is a hobby and on some level should always remain fun and decisions should always be in their best interest, not the interest of the coach, organization, or anyone or anything else.

One thing to note on the topic of who your loved ones affiliate with is you are going to see a lot of people walking around sporting team logos at shows. You will hear things like, “I’m with my team.” “My team is…” This might be confusing for you as a loved one because Bodybuilding is not a team sport. The individual takes home the trophy, and part of that trophy is their physique. The team thing is just for fun and camaraderie. At the end of the day, everyone that competes should make decisions that are best for them, not the team. I repeat, bodybuilding is not a team sport.

Another major consideration you must know about if your loved ones are competing in bodybuilding is that there are drug tested and non drug tested federations. Drug tested federations are organizations that do not allow performance enhancing drugs and will test their athletes for banned substances and disqualify anyone from competing should any banned substance be found in their system. Some drug tested organizations add an additional layer of testing by also requiring their athletes to take a polygraph test before a show and disqualify anyone that is found lying about taking performance enhancing drugs. These drug testing measures help weed out those who use performance enhancing drugs to increase muscle size and assist with getting super lean. Drug tested bodybuilding organizations believe taking substances to increase muscle and decrease body fat is an unfair advantage in a competition that is scored on muscle size and level of leanness.

Non drug tested bodybuilding organizations do not test for any performance enhancing drugs. Over the past 20 years I have been in the bodybuilding industry I have watched the amount of performance enhancing use in non drug tested federations skyrocket. The winning physiques of competitors in these organizations has evolved greatly as a result of performance enhancing substances to the point that it is debatable whether anyone who is not using performance enhancing drugs will be competitive in these organizations no matter the division, no matter if male for female.

Because of the common use of performance enhancing drugs, there is a nonchalant attitude towards the use of them. As a loved one you should question any substance that is recommended to your significant other. You should also remember that this sport is unregulated and remember what I said about coaches and how many have no formal education on human physiology. Any chemical that is recommended should be questioned and researched. Especially anabolic steroids of any kind. For the women in your life, please hear me today when I say, there is not ONE safe anabolic compound. Some compounds are said to be meant for women and safe from side effects - that is completely inaccurate. There is no such thing an an anabolic that has zero androgenic affect (androgenic meaning male characteristics) So any anabolic will run the risk of causing male side effects in women. It will start off subtle but the thing with anabolic compounds is not the acute dose, but the dosage over time, that is the problem. You will hear that there are preferred ones for women because of the lesser degree of side effects with an acute dose, but I assure you, women are very sensitive to androgens and the level of response from taking anabolics is going to be unique to the individual and many of these side effects are permanent. There are no short cuts to building muscle that don’t have consequences. As someone watching from the outside I recommend you be a part of these decisions and remind your loves ones that once again bodybuilding is a hobby and there is no trophy worth ones mental and physical health and overall well-being.

As a loved one you might be wondering why on earth anyone would compete in bodybuilding. Why does anyone compete in any extreme sport? You learn a lot about yourself when you compete. You learn willpower, pain tolerance, structure, and the incredible capabilities of the human body to transform its shape. It’s a challenging goal too. Bodybuilding is an extreme sport that requires a lot of time, dedication, and patience. The things we do to prepare for a show are really just the same things we do the rest of the year, like adhering to a nutrition plan, exercising, but just with more precision, and with a specific goal in mind. If done right, competing can be done for many decades. In fact many of the people I work with are in their 50s and 60s. Preparing for a show is only a small part of life but during this time it can change the dynamic of your relationship. I hope you become involved in your loved ones journey to the competition because your support, trust, and having their back during the process I assure you will mean the world to them. I know from experience the difference this support makes. My husband today is extremely supportive and involved in everything I am doing and that adds a layer of excitement to the experience. I encourage you to do the same for your loved one.

Thanks for listening to the show! As always like, subscribe, and share to others that could benefit from listening. And don’t forget to go to learntopose.com to find out more information about all the ways I can help with posing and presentation for both men and women in all federations and divisions. There are some free tutorials there along with information on my signature weekly virtual group posing classes that are an absolute hit. Again that’s learntopose.com. Till next time!