Men’s Competition Preparation: Pro Tips
You’ve been diligent about your supplement regimen, lifting large weights, and eating healthily. The stage is so close you can practically taste it… sorry, it was just chicken.
After putting in so much time and effort for so long, you don’t want to risk losing progress in the last weeks of preparation. Before you step onto the stage, here are the most crucial pieces of advice you can follow.
1. Begin Preparing Your Skin Early
Applying a tan successfully requires, first and foremost, that you properly prep your skin. Even if you have the perfect body, a bad tan will make you look unfinished. Two weeks before the concert, begin exfoliating to prepare your skin for the spotlight. The more dead skin you can scrub away, the better your skin will take to the tan.
Shaving becomes more and more important as the exhibition date approaches. Shave your entire body, and I do mean your entire body. Competitors have tried to discredit me by claiming, “the inside of my arm doesn’t have hair.” You may put your faith in me on that one. To shave it. If you don’t shave, your skin will reject the tan. Plus, a bladed razor is required. It’s impossible to get the hair short enough with an electric razor.
2. Hire A Professional If You're Overwhelmed
If the thought of applying fake tan yourself stresses you out, consider shelling out the cash for a professional application at the event. We think you’ll agree that it’s money well spent. Having them on-site means they can touch up at any time, which is crucial. As a result, you have one less item to stress over.
3. Wear Lightweight, Dark Clothes
I always recommend that individuals dress in dark, loose-fitting clothing. A tan on a black jacket and dark pants or shorts won’t look terrible, but it will ruin a white T-shirt. The slip-on convenience of sandals or flip-flops makes them a practical footwear choice. If you tend to perspire easily, it’s best to avoid wearing anything too bulky. Typically, silky clothing perform really well.
4. No Lotion, Sprays, Or Deodorants
When entering a competition for the first time, this is the most common error. Lotion, deodorant, and perfume are all off limits. Your tan will fade if you use these products. Backstage, you should exercise extreme caution because some rivals may be spraying hairspray, which may produce an unattractive colour change to your tan (green, orange, or yellow). I know firsthand what a dreadful event this is. You will definitely stink on that particular day. Please realise that this is acceptable.
5. Be Prepared For Anything And Everything
You’ll be there all day, and there are a lot of details to take care of before the event begins. Make sure you have a roomy duffel bag to store your belongings in. What to bring to the tournament can be found in a number of places. Everyone should bring a gallon of water, even if they don’t think they’ll need it. As anything might happen, you should always have water on hand.
The inclusion of an electrolyte-enhanced beverage is also recommended. Additionally, please bring at least one towel and a banana to provide some additional potassium. After a performance, baby wipes come in handy for wiping away any lingering tan from your hands or face. Finally, I always make sure to have some sort of sugary snack, like candy, in my luggage. The biggest advantage of rapid sugar is keeping your energy up, and many underestimate how tiring a show is. If you don’t have something and end up needing it, having it anyhow is better than needing it and not having it.
6. Start Posing 4 Weeks Out
In bodybuilding competitions, the ability to strike a compelling pose is crucial. There have been guys whose physiques were clearly superior than mine, but I always managed to win the competition by virtue of my superior posing skills. It’s disheartening to watch someone who has put in a lot of effort to acquire a physique but doesn’t know how to display it properly because of simple mistakes in posing and tanning.
At least four weeks before a competition, I have my rivals start posing every day. The reason I don’t want to do too much posing before then is because it’s a mental effort, and it’s not fun if you start before you’re in good shape.
7. Hold Poses Longer
Hold each posture for 10 seconds to begin with, increasing to 20 seconds the following week, then 30 seconds the week after that, and 40 seconds by the third week if you’re into physique, classic physique, or bodybuilding. Holding a position for 30 seconds while instructed to hold it for only 5 will feel effortless, but the likelihood of really having to do so onstage is quite slim.
8. Practice Without Mirrors
Many people’s idea of posing is to look at themselves in a mirror. The lack of a mirror on stage forces them to acknowledge how much they rely on the reflection’s critique to shape their physical presentation. Posing without a mirror can teach you the sensation of striking the right stance.
Taking a self-video is a great idea. You may learn a lot about yourself by observing your own behaviour. How does your expression change when you strike a pose? Do you know how to flex your muscles? Once you realise the error of your ways, you won’t need a coach to urge you to correct them. Taking a video can also be incredibly helpful for gaining feedback from your coach.
