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 By: Alissa Carpio
The final month of contest prep is the most grueling and difficult. You are over-trained, underfed, moody, and ready to be done with all this pre-contest stuff already! Biding your time and pressing on until the day of the show is probably the most difficult thing at this point, as time seems to slow to a crawl. Motivation and energy levels can also drop, so it's important to do everything you can to stay on track with workouts and diet and push yourself to keep your training intensity high! There is not much to do differently at this point, except coast on in to show day knowing that you've done everything in your power to come in at 100%. If you do this, you will not have any disappointments on show day!
Your training will be getting more difficult at this point. The number one struggle will be to keep your energy levels and strength up at the gym. Time your complex carb meals and supplements to give you the ultimate energy right when you need it - pre-workout. You may be up to two training sessions per day at this point, which is very common.
A big pre-contest myth is that you have to do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. All this does is make you hungry and cranky, aid in muscle loss, lower your capability to train with high intensity, and deplete your glycogen stores - sometimes to the point where they are low all day long and can't recover or refill before your next workout. The truth is, performing cardio in a fasted state will promote amino acid oxidation and cortisol release. Cortisol is a very catabolic hormone that prohibits fat retention and inhibits muscle gain.1 If you just don't like doing cardio with food in your stomach, at a minimum take some glutamine and/or BCAA's to give your body an energy source other than your muscle tissue!
These are your three most important meals and should be structured first in your meal planning. Your other 3-5 meals should be "filler" meals, where you are getting a variety of lean proteins and fibrous vegetables to give yourself a varying array of amino acid profiles, vitamins and minerals.
If you experience this, I suggest tapering off of these supplements 4-2 weeks out. Supplements that you can and should keep in up until show day include your:
If you haven't sent in your entry form and made travel arrangements at this point, you have no time to wait! Check with the organization and show promoter to make sure you've filled out all the proper paperwork and sent in the fees for entry, membership, and if applicable, drug-testing. Some promoters require money orders, proof of age or residency, and certain postage standards, so check the fine print and details to make sure your paperwork meets the guidelines. You don't want to show up on the day of the show only to find that you were never registered to compete! Also, finalize your travel and hotel accommodations if you haven't done so already. It's also a good idea to check with your hotel/airline to make sure your reservations are still good 1-2 weeks out. Ask the hotel if they have a microwave and refrigerator available in the hotel lobby or in your room. Most often, you can pay a small fee to get a refrigerator delivered to your room once you arrive.
    Click To Enlarge. Check Ahead To Make Sure Your Registration Is Complete.
Figure Competition Shopping List:
Clean and relatively simple hairstyles are always the best option. Avoid flamboyant hair-do's that do little but distract the judges and audience from your physique. Whether you are curly or straight-haired, make sure your hair is shiny, healthy and smooth (frizz-free) to present your best package to the judges. I also suggest a coloring touch-up and/or deep conditioning 2-3 weeks out. Choose make-up that flatters your palette (warm or cool) and coordinates with your suits. This doesn't mean it has to match your suit color, just compliment it. Buy your make-up no later than 2 weeks out, and practice several different application techniques and colors to find the best match for your skin tone, facial features and suit colors.
They say that practice makes perfect, and this is preached so often for good reason - it's true, especially when it comes to figure competition. If you lack the experience of some of the seasoned competitors, you can make up for it by doing a mock competition run-through. Do your full hair and makeup, apply posing oil/sheen spray, put your suits and jewelry on, and run through each posing round, changing in between. You can do this alone, but it's best to have a small close audience, like a spouse, best friend or trainer. Do this run-through 2-3 weeks out so that you can change anything needed before the final week, when you'll be too busy. Get honest feedback from your "judges" and have them take pictures so you can review your posing and presentation as well.
 The Final Week
Your last week of contest prep will be unlike any other. During this week you will manipulate your diet for maximum muscle fullness and minimal water retention. You will cut back on training so your body can recover for the demands of the competition day. And you will tie up any loose ends with buying and packing items needed and finalizing travel and hotel arrangements.
Severe carb depletion early in the week, carb loading and water cutting 2-3 days before the show, and little to no sodium with potassium loading are common peak week mishaps. What you need to realize is that your goal for peak week is to come in full and hard with no water under the skin. You do, however, want the water in your muscles so you don't appear flat and soft. Carbohydrates, sodium and water all help to keep your muscles full and hard. Low sodium and high potassium levels actually cause the body to produce aldosterone, which increases water retention under the skin, exactly what you don't want to do! The general rule of thumb I tell competitors is to not try anything extreme. A 2-3 day carb depletion with a moderate increase the day before or of the competition, coupled with moderately-low sodium intake and high water intake, will result in the hardness and fullness they are going for. A good trainer/nutritionist will know this and will plan your week accordingly. If you are doing it on your own, stick with the simple basics, as extreme plans result in extreme (and most often undesirable) reactions.
A product that I highly recommend is MHP XPel. It contains natural herbs to help flush out excess water, but also contains a balance of electrolytes to keep the water in the muscles and out of the skin. It is unlike any other herbal diuretic on the market.
Training during the final week helps deplete glycogen stores and again, get rid of any excess water, prior to carbing up right before the show. Cardio should be cut back to half or less of what your former volume was, and should be done at moderately-low intensity. You should spend more time polishing up your stage walk and quarter turns this week, but make sure you get plenty of rest Thursday and Friday so you're ready to go come show day!
What most competitors do, and what I recommend, is to begin Tuesday night with the tanning process. Start by exfoliating the skin and removing unwanted body hair, either by shaving or a depilatory cream. Apply your base tanning product with a sponge or gloved hands. If your product comes in a spray bottle, pour it into a disposable plastic cup or bowl. It's much easier to apply this way.
Repeat this process (minus the exfoliating, instead just rinse body in cold water) Wednesday and Thursday nights. Friday morning will be your final shower and shaving touch-up, if needed. All coats applied Friday and Saturday should be done with special care, as they will not be rinsed off, so mistakes will be more visible. Space applications out about every 3-4 hours, to give the agent enough time to dry and enhance in color before the next coat is applied. Repeat this process for 3-4 total coats on Friday. Apply no more than 1-2 coats to the body parts you previously skipped - elbows, armpits, knees, hands, face, and feet. Apply a final touch-up coat Saturday morning, if necessary. On the day of the show, use a moisturizer or some Pam spray to get a nice even sheen without a wet, oily look.
Arrive at the show ready to step on stage, other than a few minor touch ups with hair and makeup, since you never know what will be available once you arrive at the venue. You don't have to wear your suit, but have it readily available at check-in. Pay attention at the competitor meeting so you know what time you have to be at each event and location. Expediters and promoters will not wait for you to start the show, so if you're not there, you don't get to compete! Treat everyone and everything with kindness and respect - this will help make your day a positive experience. Don't be afraid to eat and drink water on the day of the show. You should be carbing up this day and drinking a cup or so of water with every meal, to stay hydrated and keep your muscles full. Eating and drinking on show day aren't going to suddenly make you fat after 12 weeks of dieting, and your body needs the food and water for energy and a strong performance. Finally, I want to leave you with some personal pointers I've come to learn after 3 years of competing. I hope you have an enjoyable experience and find the journey to competition as rewarding as I have. Good luck!
 Click To Enlarge. Have Fun!
About the Author Alissa Carpio is a 6-time champion in NPC Fitness & Figure contests. She is currently preparing for NPC Nationals in November. Alissa is also helping several athletes prepare for their first competition through her unique online contest prep services. She offers Fitness & Figure Competitor Workshops to girls in the Washington, DC area. For more information, visit Alissa's site at www.alissa.net. References
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Staying Motivated:
Wake up early enough so that you can fix your make-up & hair, pack your show day bag (see packing list at the end of this article) and food, fix your tan if necessary, and arrive 30 minutes before the competitor meeting is set to begin. There is nothing wrong with being early, and this alleviates a lot of stress.
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