The bodies are harder, leaner, and more muscular.  Everyone is looking for the 1% advantage, and make sure they stand out to the judges.  Newbies, look like pros, and pros keep raising the bar.  It is highly competitive, and fierce. 

If being in front of a crowd, lined up against your competitor, under the glare of the stage lights, is on your bucket list, here are five (5) of the most essential contest prep advice for beginners.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but strength as you are able to clearly communicate your needs.

If you are anything like me (which I believe we are more alike than different), I have learned the hard way, that I CANNOT do it all.

Family, friends, spouse, (and good childcare), can and want to support you.  LET them help you, and be apart of your competitive journey.

Family, friends, and your coach are not minded readers.  They cannot guess what you need from them.  Clearly communicate your needs, so they know how to support you.

Don’t build a house, move cities, get married or divorced, change jobs, take on extra projects, volunteer at your child’s school, lead a massive fundraiser, be on a number of committees, while doing contest prep. 

In the beginning, you might think you can handle it all, but at the end when you are tired, emotional (you will be emotional at times), and short on patience, you will be thankful you have some ‘buffer‘ time to spare.

You cannot do it all; all at the same time.

During contest prep, you have time for work, family, some friends, and your training – which includes nutrition.  That is about it.

You are investing a lot of time, and money into this venture, so going at it with an empty tank as all your personal energies are spent elsewhere is a bad idea.

If you are competing, clear up your schedule to make room for training and recovery.  You can thank me later.

If you are having a ‘hangry’ (hungry + angry, however it is more like hungry + tired) day, remember it is all in your head, no one around you wants to be the bearer of your dieting emotions.  

You will be dealing with a number of things, remaining organized is one, and keeping your emotions in check is another.

How are others in your life going to support your journey, if you are short with them?

Count to 10 in your head, and fake it.  Tell yourself, this moment will pass, and remind yourself, even if minute by minute why you are doing this.

Competing and the lifestyle changes that go with a prep, are massively repetitive, groundhog day-ish, and sometimes boring.

You are too far away to see results, and not close enough to see the end in sight.

You need to prepare yourself mentally each week, to do better.  Each week, you should focus on the tasks at hand, food prep, scheduling, training times, posing, meal planning, grocery shopping, and working hard, each and every workout.

Mindset is key during this phase, especially the 12-16 weeks out from the show – as it is more of a #grind (positive focus) or #grind (negative) focus.

Some days will be awesome, and other days you will ask, “why did I show up today?”

Either way, the work needs to get done, and you are the only person who can do it.  Focus on progress, getting stronger, moving better, and know you gave your best each day.

Use external rewards to keep you on track. Invest in headphones, an outfit, cool shoes, more equipment, better supplements, or even a training partner, or trainer for a few workouts.

You can JUSTIFY any purchase to help motivate you during those tough times.

Willpower can be strengthened, externally until it becomes internal.  There will be times when you need that incentive to ‘get ere done’. 

Contact your coach, and let them know what you are struggling with.  If they are a great coach, they will help guide you in the right direction.

We are all looking to do the same thing- look better, feel better, gain more confidence, and be the best version of ourselves.

Competing should be an empowering, insightful, and informative journey, into being a better you on step at a time.

Expect that the journey will challenge you AND change you.  There will be hard days, but not all days are hard. 

Keep these 5 fundamental foundational principles of contest prep in mind, to ensure you KEEP friends, family, and your sanity after the journey is complete. 

Competing is the reward; not a punishment.

Check out my blog with lots of getting started information, insights, science, and stories from the stage that include my mistakes (ahem learning opportunities), and a little drama.

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