When you have decided to embark on a journey to compete in fitness, your mind will start to reel. You will feel excited, anxious, and frightened, and a little confused. You will find yourself asking a broad array of questions, and then you have to set out to get those questions answered. The information within this article will hopefully help to answer some of the more basic questions, and get you started on your way to your first competition.
Where Do I Start?
The first of many questions is "where do I start?" Well, the first thing you have to do is be absolutely sure that you want to compete. Not to frighten, or deter your objective, but the fitness competition is a very competitive field. The women you will go up against may have been competing for some time, and will be difficult to beat. Always go into your competition with the goal to win, however, do not be disappointed if you don't.
Just placing well in a first or second competition is very rewarding, and proves that you have what it takes to place better and move up. I placed 6th in my first competition out of 28 women. I was very happy with that result. I continued to stay in the top 5 after that. Getting feedback from the judges, to find out what areas you need to improve in, will help you to come into your next competition better prepared and more confident.
Just remember that you are a winner every time no matter where you place, because of the hard work and dedication that you put into getting prepared for a show, because it's not easy. Competing is fun and exciting, and you will learn many things from every show that you participate in. Other competitors are always willing to help you.
Picking An Organization
With that said, the next thing to do is to decide which sanction you want to compete in. In general, the rules are similar. However, based on the sanction you choose, you may or may not have an evening gown, or a one-piece swimsuit round.
Ms. Fitness USA will have an evening gown round where you will be required to stand on stage in front of a microphone and answer questions that the judges ask you.
They will be looking at how well you project to the audience, how intelligent your answers are, and your overall grooming and appearance. Ms. Fitness USA does not have a one-piece swimsuit round. Fitness America and Miss Fitness Olympia do not have an evening gown round. Both of them do have a one and two piece swimsuit round, and of course the routine round.
Ms. Fitness's routine round is 90 sec. Fitness America, and Miss Fitness Olympia have a 2-minute routine round. You must take those things into consideration when you are deciding which sanction to go with. After you have competed for a while, you may opt to try them all. The rules however are basically the same. You may go online to their websites and pull up that information. You need to know the rules completely. A list of regional and national shows will be posted as well, so that you can decide on one to get ready for.
Getting Ready For The Show
Once you have decided on the sanction, contacted them and paid your fees to become a member, and have a show in mind to shoot for, you have to get ready for it. Now the really hard work begins. It is a good idea, if this is going to be your first show, to start at least 4-6 months out. After that, 3 months out is normal. You have a lot of things to do. Deciding on swimsuits and colors, gowns-if needed, routine outfits, and putting it all together.
If you have no background in dance or gymnastics, cheerleading, aerobics, etc., it may be a good idea for you to hire a professional who can help you in those areas.
If you do not have a trainer, you may need one to help you to get your body, as well as your nutrition in order. If you know people who have competed in body building or fitness, ask them to help you in your presentation, like walking out onto stage, turning, and your standing posture when facing the judges in a line.
Your package must be complete when you come out onto the stage. You must show confidence, and look like you are having the time of your life. Believe me, it will show if you are too nervous and look frightened. So practicing your routine and quarter turns in front of friends and family at least 1 month out will help you to overcome nervousness and fear before you get on stage.
It may also be a good idea to occasionally see a chiropractor and a massage therapist, because you will get sore and stiff. Keeping your muscles loose and agile during training is imperative. It will help your performance on stage dramatically. So having someone to aide in helping you to recover quickly from those things will only be beneficial for you. Keep in mind that you will need a variety of supplements to help you to get your body in peak condition. Bodybuilding.com has everything that you will need.
Conclusion
Well, that is pretty much the gist of fitness competing on a basic general level. Please refer to other more detailed articles written by me located here on Bodybuilding.com. Or you may contact me at MoserFitness@aol.com. for a more personal approach to your getting ready to compete.