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).

I competed in the NPC Ocean State Natural in Providence RI as a novice figure competitor last Saturday.  I had the time of my life.  Over the next couple days I would like to reflect on my experiences and share some insights I have gained.

First, I was truly blessed in that I met some absolutely amazing women with whom I shared the stage last Saturday.  I am so thankful that when I went to my competition I went focused on enjoying the competition rather than on "competing" per se.  All three of my new friends were novices, too, though one was brave enough that she had decided to compete in the Masters class rather than doing novice (you can’t do both at least at our competition).  One was two years older than me and a tall, poised, confident mom who had set up a Harley Davidson franchise.  Another was a personal trainer who had competed in novice here before.  The third had a similar history to me though she was much younger - she used to be overweight, lost the weight, discovered weight training and is now moving out of state to begin a new life and career in personal training - wow!   Truly inspiring! women!

Makeup - I used MAC NW45 foundation.  It was way too dark and didn’t match the JanTana On Stage.  I think I would have done better to have used the JanTana foundation I purchased.  I did 3 coats of the JanTana and I think that was about right in terms of how I looked on stage.
Make up - I am glad that I used stage makeup.  I think my makeup worked well on stage though I have to say I felt overdone off stage.  I used a very light color as a highlighter under my brows and it really lit up my eyes and face.

Suit - wise investment.  Lidia Conti’s suit would have looked cheap and horrid compared to the suits of the other ladies.  My suit a creation by Maggie Blanchard looked gorgeous, fit me perfectly and most importantly made me feel like a winner! and that’s what this should be about.  It wasn’t cheap but I am so glad I went with Maggie!

Pedicure - don’t waste the money unless you really want to have a pedicure; the judges can’t see your toes on stage and neither can anyone else.  Manicure on the other hand is essential - french tip looks great and you will feel great too!

Costume jewelry - essential as I found out everyone had the same basic stuff a ring, tennis bracelet and earrings.  Go to your local hooker store and get the jewelry there - it’s cheap and practical and they will have exactly what you need  My ring and bracelet stretch to fit and the whole look cost me $20.

Post competition eating - this has been my downfall and I will admit it upfront.  I was warned about this but I have to say head knowledge isn’t heart or in this case stomach knowledge.  When I left the competition venue last Saturday, I had every intention of eating clean and sticking to my program but I had to wait at the train station and I ended up devouring a ridiculous amount of junk food from the vending machines - honestly just about anything and everything and I am being quite honest when I say that.  When I got home after showering (I hadn’t bathed since Thursday night - pu!),  I had pizza and ice cream.   I haven’t eaten consistently well this past week but I am not going to cry about that.  I have been dieting hard since just before Xmas and I am LOL! very human.  I did workout last week.  I think the important thing is to get back on track and that’s what I did this morning.

Thanks
Before I share my adventures I have to thank a number of folks for making my dream come true.  First, I give all the praise and any glory to my savior Jesus Christ Jeremiah 29:14
It has been a long journey - I am grateful to Weight Watchers and my original WW leader Terry Sheehan, to my personal trainers John Faltus, Chad Pusateri, and Ryan Wright.
Thanks mom!  I know you don’t understand what I am doing but I thank you for supporting and helping me - putting up with my unique dietary needs and helping me with tanning and taking innumerable progress photos.
Thanks to Cathy Savage Fitness to Cathy, Jodi (I love you lady!!! thank you from the bottom of my heart!), and Ms. P(I cannot believe I did my own makeup!!)!! to Maggie Blanchard for a figure suit that made me truly feel like a princess!  You have a special gift Maggie!  To some special figure ladies who continue to inspire and encourage me Buffmother, Noel (AuTiger) and Dvsness, and to some very special ladies, DThiele on Bodybuilding, on the O2 boards FitnessRunner and Paula and to Thunder, Anca and AuTiger on LeanBodiesFitness discussion board and to all of the wonderful folks in the Bodybuilding.com community, the O2 boards, and on the LeanBodiesFitness boards.
Early Morning
Woke up at 6 am and called Jodi - directions have same breakfast as yesterday and follow w chix and spinach at 8:30 am and then go to show.  It was kind of funny but the Crufts Dog Show was on Animal Planet.  My mom and I love to watch the Westminster and the US National Dog Shows.  Unfortunately mom doesn’t have cable so that there wasn’t any point in calling her to tell her.  I got to see the selection of two of the dogs that competed for the overall - a pomeranian and some kind of a hound.  It took me about an hour to do my makeup.  I also touched up my tan.  I was so happy that I wore a loose fitting long sleeve black shirt and pant set.  I slept in it and didn’t mess up the bed with the tanning stuff (I did mess up my bed at home and mom reminded of that when we spoke on the phone) so be sure to bring sheets or wear something that totally covers you if you are not at home!!  Then I headed over to the RI Convention Center, the location of which I scouted out yesterday   I walked in and it was Savage City!  LOL!  Ms P was there doing someone’s makeup and there were several other Savage girls there.  I immediately felt at home, found a corner and set up shop.  I met three amazing! ladies with whom I spent the bulk of the show.    I met Kelly a statuesque 49 year old who set up a Harley Davidson dealership and is also competing as a novice.  Christine who won 3rd prize in novice category here last year.   Christine ended up taking 5th place this year in novice (worth noting that you can compete over and over in novice until you win first place so not everyone in novice is competing for the very first time!)   Christine is another amazing lady - she is a PT and trains three times a day.  Just goes to show you how hard these women work for their bodies.  I also met XXX another novice competitor who has a similar story to my own - she used to be 200 lb, lost weight and has just quit her job because she’s going to Florida in May and going to be a personal trainer!  Wow!

Registration
Had to wait a while as they weren’t set up or organized when I first got there.  Waited in the line a long time considering the number of competitors.  You show your NPC card and they give you your number which you pin to your left hip.  You actually don’t have to pierce the fabric of your suit bottom on the two piece by the way.  The width of the suit bottom is less than that of the pin on the tag.  Can’t say about the one-piece because I was competing in novice.  Then your height is measured - they weigh the guys.  Now that was funny.  Guys are so different than we are about being weighed.  Some guys took off their top.  Most left all their clothes on and most left their shoes on.  If women were being weighed in we would have stripped nekked!  LOL!

Competitors Meeting
Attendance is essential.  The organizer explained the process and outlined exactly what we would be doing when.  The co-chair Maggie Blanchard illustrated the turns for women and even showed us the poses for the men’s bodybuilding and was her physique awesome!!  I was so inspired!! I really understand now the difference between the physique of an amateur and a pro (Maggie is a NPC pro).  You can also ask questions - I did!  LOL!  I was a bit stunned because I didn’t realize we would be doing model poses.  Practice those ladies.  All I know is Cathy Savage and Mary Bell both emphasize quarter turns but you have to do model poses and you do these individually on stage!!!

Schedule
So here’s how things go:  Morning is judging and afternoon is the show and awards.  For judging each figure girl goes out when her group is called individually to center stage and does model pose, rear pose, and model pose other side and then moves to the side of the stage where she waits until everyone has been introduced.  Then everyone is directed through quarter turns.  The judges will call out different numbers and move you around and ask the group to do quarter turns again - maybe several times.  The girl in the center is #1.
When the program starts all the men are introduced and then all the women are introduced individually.  Each person is called out and does their model, rear, and model poses and goes off stage.  If you don’t win then this is your final appearance in the show (sadly).  You wait backstage and if your number is called you get to go out front and receive your award.  At the NPC Ocean State winners got a plaque.

Outcome
I had the time of my life!  I am so very proud of my self and so glad that I did this.  No, I didn’t place.  I didn’t expect to and I am not disappointed.  My lower body is atrocious and I really wasn’t stage worthy.  Photos to come I guess in about 3-4 days.  As soon as I have some I will post ‘em.

I have learned so much in the last year and come so far - learning to lift heavy in the gym, eat right (again thanks so much Jodi!), posing (thanks Cathy, Jodi and Ms. P), wearing high heels (who knew? me? LOL!), putting on makeup including false lashes, tanning, and body confidence.  I never dreamed in a million years I would ever be able to put on a bikini let alone a tiny two-piece figure suit and strut out there on a stage before other people - this requires a lot of self confidence, poise, dedication and just plain hard work - and it really has been a blast.

Lessons Learned and New Fitness objectives
If there is one thing I will take away today it is that this is just the beginning.  LOL!  When we were waiting to go out I shared with the other Novice B competitors that I was celebrating being half my former self!  After we came back from judging, the expeditor came over, told me she was a PT and asked if she could bring two of her clients backstage to meet ME!  I couldn’t believe it.  They are on their own weight loss journey and were inspired by my success.  We talked about loose skin and how long it takes to lose weight.  I just felt so blessed that I could help someone else.
Physiques varied widely.  So, if you are a newbie like me and don’t yet have a perfect figure no reason not to jump right in and get wet!  I am so glad that I did this show, a relatively small one and that I did it now.  I want to work out hard this summer put on some muscle and hone those legs and then compete again in the fall.  This summer I plan to really work on my posing and learn the T-walk as the next show I want to do is in another federation.

Shoes
I really didn’t have any trouble with my shoes.  In the end I went with the pair I have that has the ankle buckle.  I felt this gave me more ankle stability.  With the Insolia gel inserts it wasn’t any problem to keep my shoes on throughout the show - I never took them off once I put them on in the morning.  I really think the insolia’s were a wise investment and I highly recommend them to anyone planning to compete in figure.

Bikini Bite
This is temporary butt glue to hold you in your suit.  Great investment!  You apply it to your skin and then press the suit over it in place.  It doesn’t last forever so you should apply it just before going out on stage.  I couldn’t get the sliding ball on my new bottle to move so it’s a good idea to check it out in advance.

Vaseline
I was told to put this on your teeth before you go on stage to help you with smiling.  All I ended up doing is having lipstick on my teeth and swallowed most of the vaseline.  I say forget the vaseline just take a swig of water before going out on stage!

Your Manicure and Tanning
I was very worried about getting JanTana on my french tip manicure but this didn’t end up being a problem.  The JanTana didn’t harm my nails.

Post Competition Eating
I wish I could say I came home and ate healthy foods but that isn’t what happened.  I ate all kinds of evil things right out of the vending machine at the MBTA station and then more junk when I came home.  I did come home and read Jodi’s article on post competition eating and the importance of separating self from physique but I am not going to feel bad about eating and eating junk for a day or so.  I have been dieting hard for so long and I need a break so I am going to see how I feel tomorrow but I will probably eat "off program" again.

What Did I Most Want to Do When I Came Home?
Have a bubble bath!  ooh! this went soo wrong!  Soo wrong.  I was so tired.  I filled the tub up with steamy water and fragrant bubble bath, stepped in, and the brain barely registered something was wrong.  I looked at my feet standing there in the water and saw this brown stain snaking out.  After about a minute I realized:  this wasn’t going to work.  If I sat down, the bubble bath would become a JanTana tanning soak.  Ugh!  I stood there and screamed "Dam*, dam*, dam* and emptied the tub.  My bubble bath became a very long hot steamy shower.  I was so tired I could barely stay awake through the shower.  Bubble bath will be delayed until tomorrow.  Ugh! LOL!  Oh! good news most of the JanTana came off.  Some of it does stay on your skin but it really doesn’t look bad.  Looks like a faded tan.

So much to write about today but I am just too tired.

I was exhausted last night but I know that I have little time before my big day (April 19th) and I so want everything to be perfect so I practiced my makeup application again.  I think I did better overall in terms of getting an even coat of the foundation and I think the eyeshadow application also went better.  My main objective was two-fold:  figuring out how to apply liquid eyeliner and fake eyelashes.  As I mentioned last time I decided to go with Almay liquid eyeliner which has a pointed wand applicator that you dip into an ink well-like bottle and with Andrea mod lash starter kit.  I applied the eyeliner first starting at the center of each eye and drawing the line outward.  Not a perfect continuous line but I did manage to get closer to the eyelashes and do a more reasonable job.  I then moved on to tackle the eyelashes.  The Andrea starter kit really is the way to go if you are new to fake lashes.  You use the wide pink tweezers to grip and hold the eyelash.  Once you have it in the applicator you can apply the white glue across the  base.   Then  partially closing your eye, you can apply the  lash to your  eyelid.  Hold it in place for a few seconds and then you can release the applicator.  Keep your eye closed until the glue dries - it will turn colorless.  Then you can repeat the process for the other eye.

Unfortunately I am still having trouble uploading pictures so I can’t show you how my makeup came out.  Hopefully they will get this figured out soon so I can add my photos.

For those of you following along.  I am trying to learn how to do my makeup for my competition in 2 weeks - eek!  I have been struggling with the eyeliner and fake eyelashes.  I originally bought a set of Laura Mercier brand false eyelashes that came with black glue.  I tried applying those several times but just made a mess of my eyemakeup.  I also purchased MAC gel eyeliner and a brush with which to apply it but I only managed to make a mess of that, too.  So having already spent more than enough money on makeup, I headed to Walgreen’s to see what I could fine.  There I bought Andres brand modlash starter kit.  This contains a set of wide plastic tweezers you can use to grasp and apply the eyelash.  The kit also comes with white glue that turns colorless when it dries.  I also got Almay liquid eyeliner - says it lasts up to 16-h and won’t smudge.  We’ll see if it is any easier to apply.  Finally and perhaps most importantly, I bought Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towlettes to remove my makeup - hah! clean up my makeup errors!  These are supposed to remove even waterproof mascara.

Saturday evening I practiced again.  I am getting better at applying the foundation and eyeshadow.  No pics though because I got stuck on the eyeliner which I will explain in a second.  I was successful in applying the eyelashes - the holder provided in the Andres kit is terrific and the clear glue also worked better for me.  The applicator for the Almay liquid eyeliner is firm and more like an old fashioned pen that you dip in an ink well.  I think this is going to work better for me.  My only problem was trying to get close to the fake eyelashes and that proved impossible.  So, I am going to try again but reverse the steps.  First apply the liquid eyeliner and then apply the eyelashes.  We’ll see how that goes.  Anyway I think I am on the right track!

There is so much to preparing for a figure competition.  I really don’t think that fitness and figure competitors get nearly enough respect.  Not only do they have to develop a first class physique through a combination of rigorous dieting and exercise (weight training and cardio) but they also must be experts at tanning, walking in high heels, posing, nail care, hair and makeup.  Right now I am desperately trying to master all of these.  Last night I practiced applying my stage makeup by myself for the first time. It was a sheer and utter disaster!!  I should begin by saying that I don’t wear makeup.  Part of the whole geek thing and I just never was a girlie-girl.  Missed that class when I was growing up in part because I didn’t have a social life.  Hard to when you are overweight.  In a sense I was lucky because I was clever and good in school.  My social group focused on the life of the mind not the physical body.  So, here I am now at age 47 trying to play catch up!  LOL!

I will go through step by step what I did and what happened and what all I have learned so far.  If anyone has any suggestions, they will be most warmly welcomed as I plan to practice doing my makeup all weekend long until I get this figured out.
OK first step apply foundation primer to face and eyelid primer to eyelids (you put this on the lid and all the way up to the brow).  Next I am using MAC NW45 this stuff is dark!  The compact comes with a puff but I used a makeup wedge (disposable and available at any drugstore).  I put the foundation all over my face and down to my neck.   Don’t forget your ears!!
Next I started on the eyeshadow.  The plan I was given is based on three eyeshadows.  First you use a light color and apply it right under your eyebrow (this is called the brow bone) in a line.  The same color is also applied to the inside corner of each eye.  It is usually the lightest color and should be a shade lighter than your skin color.  Next you apply a different color to the eyelid itself.  Then you apply a darker color than wht you applied anywhere else on the eye under the brow bone - this is called the crease color.  You can also apply a bit of it to the outside corner of each eye.
Next you are supposed to apply your fake lashes.  I bought a set of Laura Mercier lashes that came with a small tube of black glue.  Great if you are good at doing this but lousy/messy if you aren’t good at applying your lashes.  I tried several times and just made a mess! of my eyemakeup and I do mean a mess!!  I finally gave up on this for the evening and moved on to eyeliner.  This proved to be another disaster.  I was told to use fluid eyeliner which is the most challenging to apply but is long lasting and apparently better for dramatic looks.   I used MAC brush 266 and their Blacktrack Fluid eyeliner which is really a gel.  You dip the angled tip in the gel and get some on both sides and then you start at the center and apply it as close to the eyelash line as possible using little strokes and working to the outside of the eyelid  and then you are supposed to work from the center to the inside of the eyelid.  This was really challenging.    Again, I basically made a huge!! huge!! mess.  I finally abandoned this for the evening and went with a eyeliner pencil which I found was much kinder and more forgiving to a makeup newbie
Last step is lipstick!  First though you use a lip pencil and carefully outline your lips.  Then you use the pencil and fill the lips in with the liner.  Next you actually apply the lipstick to the bottom of your lip and then purse your lips to apply the lipstick to the upper lip.  Reapply if needed.  Finally you apply the lipglass to make your lips shiny.
I don’t want to scare anyone but here’s what I looked like after my first practice run.

Youtube is really a godsend.  You can find all kinds of info here.  I found a nice series of videos on how to do your makeup on expertvillage.com:  http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/1983_apply-makeup.htm
That said it is one thing to watch a video or have someone do your makeup and doing it yourself is something entirely different!!!
MAC/Ford Models has a good video on applying fake eyelashes.  See URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRi8dvC7mmY
Sephora has one that shows how you apply the glue.  See URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ct3di-u6g&feature=related
This one shows a different approach (applying glue to your eyeline and then applying lashes to the eyeline.  It is really detailed and shows everything.  Only one downside- annoying music!!  See URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeLCpLtZO5w&feature=related

I will report back on my progress mastering eyelashes and eyeliner as I think that may help others too.