fitnessprincess’s BodyBlog

I get asked a lot by friends and folks interested in doing figure what I do and therefore what do you need to do in order to compete? So, I thought it might be worthwhile blogging on this topic. Many people seem to think that all that’s involved is dieting down or dieting down and exercising. There’s quite a bit more required if you really want to do it right - enjoy the process and feel good about your very short time on the competition stage.

So here are the key elements:

1) Diet - key elements here? a diet filled with healthy, whole foods (meat, poultry, veggies, fruits, and breads/crackers) that delivers the right amount of calories and the right macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals) in the right amounts! And please note we are not talking starvation diet here ladies! unless you want saggy, baggy, unhealthy looking skin and no muscles when you stand on the stage in your little bitty competition suit! For a variety of reasons not the least of which is our modern world and what we have done to the animals and plants on it, you are going to need to use supplements and I am not talking about fat burners here (no such thing by the way ladies!). I mean vitamins, minerals, amino acids, creatine.

2) Exercise program - key elements here? solid, old-fashioned weight training with heavy weight DBs, Bbs and some cardio (mix of HIIT, plyometrics, and ss cardio). Your program should not be hours of cardio each day ladies. You should be working your whole body and your workouts should emphasize compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, lunges, etc. 

3) Stress management - yoga (also great core training!) - I got introduced to yoga by Cathy Savage Fitness’ Ms. P (my eternal thanks lady!), adequate rest, and sleep!!! You have to manage your stress if you want to lose weight, maintain your sanity, and your health and get up on that stage!

4) Posing - It may look to you like those figure ladies are just standing up there, smiling, and all relaxed but that’s far from the truth! To get the most out of your physique you have to flex your muscles and it isn’t easy and you have to figure out how to do this in such a way that it emphasizes the best aspects of your hard won physique and hides your flaws (everyone has some by the way! everyone!). Walking in 4" high heels isn’t easy either and you have to make it look that way smiling the whole time. All of this takes practice - months of practice! in your high heels in front of a mirror! and near the end in your posing suit.

5) Appearance - posing suit, makeup, hair, tanning, fingernails. To compete in figure you need to get a figure suit (these aren’t cheap!) and these typically have to be ordered 10-12 weeks in advance of your competition date. Even if you tan outside or in a tanning bed (I hope you don’t do the latter - very bad for your skin’s health!) you will need to learn how to apply competition tanner so you look nice and dark on the day of your competition (your tan needs to look ridiculously dark but will look great under the harsh stage lights). You will need makeup (many women use false eyelashes) that compliments your figure suit, hair, etc. Lots to learn and lots to do here and you can’t do it at the last minute.

Many of us hire a coach to help us navigate the labyrinth of figure prep.  Some folks hire someone to help them with diet. Others hire someone to help them with training. Still others hire a coach who will help them with diet, exercise, and some of the other elements of figure prep including suit selection, makeup, tanning, posing training, etc.  You can get a coach who will design a program for you on-line.  Of course, it is harder to get assistance with certain elements, e.g., proper exercise form, posing, etc. many of us use this approach (on-line coaching).

Practicing posing is going well. I don’t recall if I posted this but I brought my hooker – um “competition” - shoes to work (the university in my case) and I wear them around my office when I am not teaching (just not cool taking a dive off my heels in front of my chemistry class!) LOL!

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful if I wrote today about all I have learned regarding competition shoes. Before I do that though I have to thank the Community because you have all been super generous and helpful in sharing your experiences with me and that has made my road a lot easier.

Some of the suggestions folks shared include 1) purchasing two pairs of shoes – in case one breaks. I thought that sounded like a good idea. 2) Someone else posted about the value of purchasing shoes that don’t have a buckle strap as that makes it easier/quicker to step in/out of your shoes on competition day so you don’t have to wear them longer than you want to or are able to (these things are simply not comfortable! And don’t let anyone tell you differently!). 3) Alot of folks advised me to practice and I sure do see the wisdom! You watch some ladies up on the stage and they look simply awful as they stumble around and their inability to walk properly ruins their posing. Such a shame to have your shoes detract from all the hard work you have put into getting up there on the stage and so unnecessary.

I originally purchased the “standard” 4” Brook style shoes from Snazy75.com (wide selection and great prices ca. $35) – shown at upper left. Four inches by the way is the minimum heel you should be looking at. You can use 5” or 6” inch heels but why put yourself through the torture? I have heard it argued both ways for and against a higher heel in terms of accentuating your calf and the length of your leg. I am a novice to competition and a novice to wearing any kind of heels so I am not interested in being sidelined from my workouts and competition by a pair of high heeled shoes.

By the way if you are interested in competing apparently NPC frowns on platforms so check with your show beforehand to find out what shoes are acceptable or not. I also liked the idea of just a bit of sparkle on the shoe – you apparently don’t want too much though as the idea isn’t for you to sell shoes but your figure (wink!) on stage. So, I decided I would get a second pair of shoes that I will keep and wear at home which don’t have buckle straps, do have just a touch of bling, and a small platform. The ones I picked are the Loretta style – shown top middle. I purchased mine from MaggieFit.com (wide selection and good prices ca. $40-55). They were a bit more expensive ($55) than the Brook’s but I really like them. They are really cute and I must say that they are much! much! easier to get on and off.

If you like the idea but don’t want the bling then you might choose Coco – shown at top right.

As I have discovered there are a number of places you can purchase these shoes. I mentioned several places above where the shoes were relatively inexpensive and where I had good shopping experiences. Other places you might try include:

• www.suitsyouswimwear.com – I found their prices higher – around $70 for the styles listed above.
• www.fitnessprodirect.com – they carry a much wider array of shoes (be careful because they may not be acceptable for competition) at very good prices (ca. $50)
• www.ebay.com – of course, you can find anything on ebay but I haven’t had good experiences on any purchase through them so unless you are ebay savvy I suggest looking elsewhere.