Many people have the desire to compete though rarely do. Determining why it is important to you to compete helps prepare you for the long road ahead. While competing is beneficial to many it is rare to find one with the drive it takes to compete. As in any sport, competing increases your confidence and forces you to strive for harder goals. Many people don’t have the motivation to continue to train; competing sometimes changes your outlook and your overall objectives.
When choosing a competition you must give yourself ample time to prepare. Training times vary depending on the amount of fat you need to convert to muscle. Lightweight –middleweight bodybuilders should only be a max of 15lbs over the competition weight. Heavyweight categories should only be less than 25lbs max over the limit. More weight will create issues when trying to shed the pounds later. The healthy amount as is always around 1-2 pounds per week so starting eight weeks ahead of time is a good Idea.
The competitions are divided into two stages or events; Pre-judging and Evening Shows. The pre-judging event is for a closer more detailed view. This often occurs in the early hours of the day. The Pre-Judging competition is very important it helps give you an idea about your judging and performance. While pre-judging can affect you negatively, you can still do well by winning the audiences.
In the pre-judging phase of the competition there are several rounds which are called the symmetry round. This is when you are judged by physiques and proportion. The compulsory round- in this round you are judged by your poses which are 7 for the men and 5 for the women. Comparisons round, the individual poses- which you must have a prepared show which involves music and posing.
During the evening, shows which contain the majority of these rounds as well as the pose down you must do your best. The pose down involves free posing. This can not be truly prepared for, the top competitors are brought out for a final showdown and viewing. The judging decision is then given as well as trophies and awards. The evening shows are viewed by many people and are often larger than the morning shows.
In the compulsory round there are several poses required to know before even attempting to get out there. These are the 101 of bodybuilding competitions. For men this is a series of 7 poses like front double biceps, front lat spreads, back lat spreads, side chest, side triceps, back double spread, abs and thighs. These are routine poses for all competitions; however women are not required to do two of them.
Though there is a lot to body building competitions with great drive and determination all body builders can get to a great look and weight. Men should only have about 5% body fat to compete and women should have less than 10. It is important to maintain this physique throughout the year, to keep in shape for up coming events. By eating a balance diet with extra protein and regular training you can be ready for any event that opens. Remember routine and discipline can win great things.