'06 vastly approaching and i need your help!!

[habitualhealth]

Soooo...i've been going at my new LIFESTYLE for almost a solid year now and you all have been soooooo incredibly supportive, encouraging, helpful, EVERYTHING. Go EF!! You've all been witness to the changes I've made with the ol bod and with all my heart I can't thank you all enough.

Proudly, I can say I tackled my fitness goals for '05. (and some i hadn't even thought about doing) Yay!

Now as we're quickly moving into 06 I wanna continue to set realistic goals. As I've mentioned a few dozen times over the year I want to compete this year. I know there have been about 50 gabillion threads and links up about it....sassy, daisy, shadow and so many others have really compiled some incredible advice and info...but due to the new job and life i haven't had much time to be on here lately ...but i reeeeaaaaallllllyyyy need some help getting started. I know alot of you did your first shows this past year...others just added to the decades of experience. I'm hoping i can get the best of the best advice from you all to get me started from ground zero of figure competing.

Let me go ahead and thank anyone and everyone in advance for any help. You all have been the backbone that brought me to where I am today so here I am again beginning a new phase....and need your help. (dang, anyone need a kleenex?)

Thank you allll soooo much!!

 

[Sassy69]

Been waiting to see this next phase hun!

I restuck this at the top as well - "So you want to compete"

That will give you all the initial advice you will get from anyone here.

Having worked the "Georgia Circuit", I can help a little if you can answer a couple questions:

- current stats (helps determine how much work / how soon you could compete)
- time constraints on your schedule - when would u like to compete (summer, ASAP, when?)
- any specific federations you want to compete in or just what's available in your target time frame?


Just a thought - the NPC Atlantic is Feb 25 -- you might be able to be ready in time as far as shape, but posing, suits, etc. may be an issue in 8 weeks. This is a very small show they hold in a HS auditorium in NE Atlanta. Its not a bad show, just small.

The next is the NPC Eastern Seaboard (which you saw this past May) - May 13 or so. This is a decent size show. Not sure the venue this year.

Also all GA shows are national qualifiers, but that's not to say that just because you won one of the smaller shows you can reasonably compete at the national level. (Just to keep things in perspective - esp figure because there are so many friggen people who qualify -- what i saw at the NPC Nationals this year was a bit scary -- you coudl see who won the small shows... it wasn't pretty...)

So let's get started!

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Sassy cut and paste your post from the thread on strong chick. That is the best piece of pre compatiton advice I have EVER read.

 

[velvett]

Never competed but I sure can ROAR and CHEER for YAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sassy69]

Sassy cut and paste your post from the thread on strong chick. That is the best piece of pre compatiton advice I have EVER read.

This is addressed a little in the So You Want to Compete thread, but it does help to set expectations. In HH's case, though, she has already gotten to what we woudl call "pre-comp" shape, as opposed to the girl I wrote this to on a different board -- she was a young girl who was not in shape & started training w/ the intention of doing a show in 5 months. In her case, her entire existence is focused on that show and she's starting from scratch. HH had personal fitness goals this past yr, and now she wants to put those results to work


"One comment I would make to someone who going thru the cutting process for the first time - you are essentially training your body to be leaner while you are still trying to develop those parts of your body that may not be as strongly developed as those parts that are your natural assets. When we talk about how lean you need to come in, I think the reality is that you will have a bit of a challenge getting exacty where you would optimally like to be simply because the whole process is new and can be very stressful as you go thru the various stages of denial as to the new definition of a "strict diet" (i.e. you always thought just cutting out dessert was keeping a clean diet, when now you are cutting out your diet coke, ALL salt, eating on a 3 hour schedule and spending an hour every night preparing your food for the next day). So I would really worry less about whether or not you are going to come in bone dry or just as good as you can with time you have and the way your body has responded.

I know its a big deal to think about preparing for your first show, but I would suggest expanding your thought about putting all the emphasis on that one show. If there is another show scheduled near the time of your target show, you might want to consider doing both. Most first-timers tend to come in like they would look better if they had another 2-3 weeks of dieting. That's not so much due to lack of schedule & intensity of diet & training - it just seems to be how it happens because you are totally new to knowing how your body will respond to the whole cutting thing and the stress of just "doing" a show - stage fright, posing, etc. If you have that second show date, you have a second chance to try improving whatever you need to improve from the first show, you get those 2-3 extra weeks to dial yourself in, you get another chance to use those $500-1000 posing suits you forked out for, you get to focus on enjoying the show after you've already survived the whole first time on stage & every thing. And it also takes that MUST DO THIS SHOW OR DROP DOWN DEAD TRYING attitude that tends to follow a lot of new competitors. There's always another show & if for whatever reason you weren't ready for your target show, you get sick, somethign comes up, they cancel / reschedule the show, etc."

 

[buffalogal]

Sassy you mentioned something about knowing what federations you want to compete in. I read your thread a while back and have done some research online but it's all still soooo confusing.

There seem to be local shows (which I believe is what Jens competed in), regional, amateur, shows that can qualify you for nationals, etc. Maybe I'm just trying to think this through too much, but if you find a show in your area, can anyone just walk in off the street and compete - or are there specific features you need to look for.

Thanks for starting this thread HH. It's going to be helping a lot more people and with Sassy providing answers, you're definitely on the right track. Good luck!

 

[Sassy69]

Most of the local & regional shows you just pay the entrance fee and you usually have to have the "membership card', i.e. your NPC card to compete in an NPC sanctioned show. The national level shows like the NPC Nationals & NPC USAs you have to qualify for based on a win or finish the the top x number at the regional shows.

 

[habitualhealth]

Been waiting to see this next phase hun!

I restuck this at the top as well - "So you want to compete"

That will give you all the initial advice you will get from anyone here.

Having worked the "Georgia Circuit", I can help a little if you can answer a couple questions:

- current stats (helps determine how much work / how soon you could compete)
- time constraints on your schedule - when would u like to compete (summer, ASAP, when?)
- any specific federations you want to compete in or just what's available in your target time frame?


Just a thought - the NPC Atlantic is Feb 25 -- you might be able to be ready in time as far as shape, but posing, suits, etc. may be an issue in 8 weeks. This is a very small show they hold in a HS auditorium in NE Atlanta. Its not a bad show, just small.

The next is the NPC Eastern Seaboard (which you saw this past May) - May 13 or so. This is a decent size show. Not sure the venue this year.

Also all GA shows are national qualifiers, but that's not to say that just because you won one of the smaller shows you can reasonably compete at the national level. (Just to keep things in perspective - esp figure because there are so many friggen people who qualify -- what i saw at the NPC Nationals this year was a bit scary -- you coudl see who won the small shows... it wasn't pretty...)

So let's get started!

Thanks so much sassy! I have an idea of my stats right now...but i'll get them checked tomorrow and give you the definites. (wanna go balls to the wall with this) As far as how soon....as soon as I can be ready! I want to get as many under my belt for the experience so I can actually get somewhere. As far as the federations....none specific persay, would like to do an npc show...but again, when ready.

What do you think would be the best for me to do for my first try at it?

 

[Sassy69]

I'd go w/ NPC simply because it seems to be the strongest federation in GA. As far as which one, depends on where you are right now. If you want to give it a shot at the Atlantic, that is Feb 25. It is early in the season and I dont' think there is much else to take advantage of until May. However in May, you are entering the summer run and there should be more to hit.

 

[*Bunny*]

Thanks so much sassy! I have an idea of my stats right now...but i'll get them checked tomorrow and give you the definites. (wanna go balls to the wall with this) As far as how soon....as soon as I can be ready! I want to get as many under my belt for the experience so I can actually get somewhere. As far as the federations....none specific persay, would like to do an npc show...but again, when ready.

What do you think would be the best for me to do for my first try at it?

Stats?

Nice post, bumpin it for ya cuz I missed ya! And wanted to see what you're up to these days

Ham Sweep ... lol, nyyyyyyyyyyce