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Getting ready for a bikini bodybuilding competition is demanding, tough, and time-consuming. In this article, we will cover your training, nutrition, competition posing, and much more.
How you can get ready for a competition is more than just a 14-week prep to lose a few pounds!
To get on stage, you must exercise discipline to gain lean muscle, maintain a nutritious diet, and master your stage-posing routine.
How to Train for the Competition?
To start with, to make the most of your workouts, it’s important to understand the various types of exercises.
A lot of contestants train for competitions much earlier than they prepare for a show. It can take up to six months of regular exercise and diet to transform your body and add enough muscle.
However, many competitors have also trained for more than a year and a half to reach the required muscle level to compete in a show.
Strength training is important for gaining lean muscle in the areas required for your category and federation when preparing for a bodybuilding competition.
Cardio exercises help you shed weight and fat without sacrificing muscle mass, which makes them very important when prepping for a bikini competition.
How To Get Toned For Your First Competition?
Let’s talk about getting toned. In reality, tone isn’t the best description for a competition.
The reason for this is that many women have this goal, but they need to be made aware of what it entails.
You need to gain enough lean muscle mass and reduce body fat so that the muscle beneath is visible if you want to seem toned. Put another way, maintaining a consistent food plan is necessary to participate in bikini bodybuilding.
There should be two phases to your pre-contest eating plan: one for growing lean muscle and the other for cutting body fat.
Combining the two at the same time is challenging.
Competition Training
All the competitions are organized by groups focusing on bodybuilding, so it’s a good idea to include weight training. Lift weights 5-6 times a week, do cardio 6 times a week, and remember to take rest days! Split your training into different parts to ensure your body gets exercised during the week. If you have any weak parts, work on them twice a week to get the right muscle definition.
Find out which part of your body needs the most work and concentrate a bit more on that area. Do intense cardio 2-3 times a week (at the end of your workout – here’s why). Try not to do slow, steady cardio. You can do that during peak week. Also, try to keep your rest breaks between sets short, around 45-60 seconds. Here’s what a typical workout week can look like – :
- Monday: Legs
- Tuesday: Chest and Triceps
- Wednesday: Back, Biceps, and Glute Focus
- Thursday: Shoulders and Core
- Friday: Legs (with plyometrics)
- Saturday: Cardio and Abs
Remember to change up your workouts to keep your body challenged and avoid getting stuck at one level. If you want, you can do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach and lift weights at night after work. Rest days are really important. It might be tough to take a day off, but your body needs time to rest and recover. You can use your rest day to practice posing or just relax.
The Right Nutrition
Before we go on, let’s be clear that we are not nutritionists. Everyone’s different. It’s best to talk to a nutritionist or coach for proper advice because nutrition is super important during prep.
Here are some basic tips:
- Eat every 2-3 hours, around 6 meals a day.
- Have balanced meals with carbs, fats, and protein.
- Cut out cheat meals, sweets, and alcohol.
There are lots of ways to plan your bikini competition diet. Some people do carb cycling, some cut down on calories, and some stick to the same diet all the way through. You need to figure out what works best for you. One simple thing you can always follow is – chicken breast, broccoli, and sweet potatoes.
If you’re into carb cycling, you eat more carbs on days when you work big muscles like legs and back, and fewer carbs on lighter days or rest days. More carbs help with muscle growth, while fewer carbs help with fat loss.
Again, find what works best for you.
Stage Posing Routine – How to Perfect Them?
Even though diet and exercise are important during prep, nothing beats posing and stage presence! You might have a great body, but if you pose poorly, you could lose. So, practice, practice, practice!
Here are some tips:
- Be confident but not arrogant. You want the judges and audience to like you.
- Look at the judges while posing. They decide who wins, so make eye contact and show off.
- If something goes wrong, just keep going. Judges like it when you bounce back from mistakes.
- Practice walking in heels.
- After your walk, practice your pose on the side. Judges can still see you, so stay engaged.
- Move a little, but not too much.
- Watch posing videos on YouTube if you can’t get a coach. Look for good quality routines. You can find lots on Instagram too.
- Even if your body isn’t perfect, good posing can still win you the competition. Posing is about hiding your flaws. If the judges don’t see them, they won’t judge them.
Conclusion
Remember these things before your bikini bodybuilding competition – Consistency is key. Stick to your training and diet plans. Focus on hypertrophy to build lean muscle for your category and federation. Start cutting down at least 3 months before your show. Use the right tools and resources for your prep. Practice posing early on to perfect your stage presence.
Consider hiring a prep coach if you need guidance and want to ensure success.
