Deciding where to get my feet wet...

[OTCbooty]

Apparently lots of us around here aspire to compete but haven't gotten there yet. From what I see, the novice groups in physique contests have much variability as to the quality of the competitors. Getting everything right---dieting and drying out, tanning, posing, hair and makeup, routine, suit selection, not even including training your body to have some bangin' muscles---is obviously a huge undertaking, especially that first time around. I have seen a multitude of photos particularly from drug tested comps where the novice group is not only showing fairly little muscularity---usually quite a bit less than typically seen in pro Fitness---but not anywhere near ripped either. Of course, I've seen some women who look excellent also.

So this gets me wondering where the appropriate starting point is. Where I stand right now, I feel like I could fit into either group in a tested comp...maybe stronger as a Figure competitor, assuming they really are looking for Fitness-type muscle, but with more uncertainty as BB competitor, depending on the quality of the other gals' bods. It seems reasonable that stepping on stage for the first time for a figure comp, rather than bodybuilding, might be a valuable test run and prove to be more....productive and positive an experience, there not being quite as many variables to deal with. On the other hand, I've never been overwhelmingly feminine, and that I feel might weigh more against me in Figure than it might in BB, and in the end, hitting those poses is what I really want to do.

I know some of you must be mulling over some of the same thoughts (Phem...), or have more direct experience with it (Sassy, new@, w6, MS, et al) so I'd love it if you'd share some thoughts on the matter.

 

[Sassy69]

Hey OTC -

You are right -- competition seems to be the thing that you need to give yourself a tangible goal for all the dieting and training. If you've never done it, its fascinating. If you've done it at least once, you realize it just aint' that glamorous. But its an experience you never forget.

I think its really important to find someone who can help you at least prep for the comp. So you don't totally stress yourself out, its good to pick a rough time frame to target, but understand that if you aren't ready for the particular date that you targeted, there are always other shows. For ex, if you target one in the middle of the summer, there are usually one or two other shows around the same time. Its really important that you are ready when you are ready, not that you are ready for a particular date. Here's an example --- I started having a falling out w/ my trainer about 4 weeks before the show I wanted to do. She started saying things like "maybe you just shouldn't do a show - its ok to not do a show" -- well bullshit. You bust your butt for 12-16 weeks and of course you're going to do a show - not just toss everything. SO then I"m stuck wondering what the hell I'm gonna do. I was worrying about not having my quads come in right, etc. And then you start adding to the existing stress from diet / training and get really miserable - you start doubting yourself and then feel like if you dont' hit that date, you may as well jump off a cliff. Well - this isn't true - if there is another show near the same time, you can focus on getting yourself ready, but you don't have to worry about feelign like a complete loser for missing your show. This sort of knowledge is important - esp. to a new competitor.

YOu also want someone who can take you through what is needed for contest prep -- I think we saw with Fennec recently -- you wonder why you are being told to do this or that - I WISH my trainer would've talked me through the whole process instead of saying "don't worry, just stick w/ me" --- well - she wasn't around, so I was left to get stress out again. And of course, to help w/ the tanning, hair, etc..

As far as picking bb or figure -- start with what you want to do -- do you enjoy doing the bb poses & want to put together a bb routine? Or do you want to wear the big fuck-me shoes and do the quarter turns? If you worked hard to get your bicep peaks, do you want to show them off? Or are you more into the overall "figure" look?

At this point, I would defer to new@ and others for more experience or feedback. I just don't see myself ever doing figure. Right now I have it on the brain to do a bb posing routine to "Pour some sugar on me"!

 

[primodonna]

I have been to a few natural shows (poly tested only) and a few NQ's in the past 6 months...so here's my take on it...

Unfortunately, (and this is just from the shows i was at obviously) across the board, the Figure class was a T&A show. Many "dancers" came out of the woodworks who were very comfortable in the heels but had never stepped foot in a gym before...and these women were placing ahead of the harder, leaner women who actually had some muscle and trained and dieted for the show. I heard a few of them back stage say they just heard about the show that week and since they already had the outfit and shoes, they thought it would be "fun" to do.

As far as BB in the natural shows, i remember the 2 i did...no one was big by any means... most lower bodies were soft but upper bodies were extremely ripped

As much as the judging criteria is up in the air in women's bb'ing and what the judges are looking for varies from show to show... i don't think it's any better with Figure right now.

Of course on the local level, from the bb shows i have seen, one or two competitors always stand out from the rest and it's pretty obvious who should win. As you go up to state or regional levels, the competition gets stiffer and here's where the criteria (or lack of) comes into play more.

But you may have answered your own question when you said "in the end...hitting those poses is what i really want to do"

 

[OTCbooty]

Or do you want to wear the big fuck-me shoes...

Damn, thanks for reminding me of those You don't think I could get away with wearing my sneaks?
Thanks for your input Sassy, which, as always, lends a better perspective to things. I just thought it might be useful to start out in a situation where I can deal with the stress of contest prep without stressing over the routine, which would be 100% new to me. There's just less to screw up in Figure, not that I diminish that group in the least. Hell, they all look great to me

Primo, that makes me so sad...I read more and more how Figure is supposed to be Fitness without the routine, but then I don't see/read much that bears that out "But you may have answered your own question when you said..." Good point. I'm just afraid to do the poses on stage

 

[MS]

Figure sucks IMHO. The judging is ALL over the place, and talk about pre-contest stress.....Not only do you have to worry about being lean and muscular to a certain degree, but ya gotta worry about having you nails/hair extensions/sequins/hair glitter/high heels/make up/jewelry/smile and everything else perfectly feminine on the day! You try showing off your hard earned biceps when you're not even allowed to make a fist!!!!??? Try looking feminine when you're starved to death and dehydrated and doing the most god-aweful unnatural poses while smiling! And make sure you have breast implants otherwise you've got no hope of placing........

Naaah. Go for the lean mean muscular look.

 

[BronzedGoddess]

I saw some pictures from a figure competition and the girls were pretty soft. Most of the women on this board are harder and more muscular that any of the women I saw. They didn't even have ripped abs, just a flat stomach with maybe a little definition. They looked more like Hawiian Tropic girls than actual fitness competitors. So I don't really buy in to the hype about it being a fitness comp minus the routines. If you wanna check out the pics they are in the Dec issue of M&F. The only one that looks good in my opinion is the short class winner. Also check out npc.org.

 

[OTCbooty]

Figure sucks IMHO

But MS, what do you REALLY think? Shit, you guys are right. I'd be out of the running before I made the first quarter turn due to the boobs alone. Dammit, if they're going to do urine tests for drugs on the girls who place, they should test for implants too.

 

[primodonna]

But MS, what do you REALLY think? Shit, you guys are right. I'd be out of the running before I made the first quarter turn due to the boobs alone. Dammit, if they're going to do urine tests for drugs on the girls who place, they should test for implants too.

especially in "natural" shows

 

[Sassy69]

Yea - those damn shoes.

No offense to anyone who has done a figure show - I have great respect for the girls I see on this board who have trained long and hard for this. But I still just don't get figure -- you do these little quarter turns and the shows that I have seen are truly T & A shows. OTC - you said you want something that has less stress in the competition -- how about the 30 + figure competitors that are coming from all different areas - I've seen the dancers, the aerobics queens, bb's who are still too big, girls who probably should've trained harder, etc etc etc. I was going nuts watching the last figure show - some of those girls had amazing backs but they wouldn't pull them out in their rear poses because the "quarter turns" dont let them I guess. They don't get to show off those muscles. For my time in the gym, I want to show off my stuff. Once you master the mandatories, doing a posing routine allows you to pick and choose the poses that let you show off your best stuff. You don't have to worry about being the master of smooth moves to do the routine - even if you just do the mandatories with nice transitions to music - its all good - but it lets you express yourself. And there usually aren't a shit load of competitors so you have a chance to place or at least stand out. Like MS said - the figure shows seem to draw all those people who just can't pull off a bb comp.

As I said - no offense to those who have done figure shows because I KNOW those girls have trained hard and went in wanting to be their best. Because the competitors and/or the judging is inconsistent its really hard to say if it was a good competition or not. I just don't get what its all about.

Do the posing routine OTC. Give yourself 6 months, work with a good trainer who can show you the mandatories (and the correct way for women - not the men's poses). Work on them - some of them feel weird when you first try them. Once you have them down, you can practice your transitions - do it while you are out dancing, do it in front of the mirror before you go to bed - find your own feel - what feels right to you and then get some more feedback from your trainer and then pick some music that represents you and makes you want to move. THen put together something. Even tho most trainers will tell you the posing routine is the least of your worries for contest prep, its the one part of it that can be fun and creative so spend some time working on it. Use that as your creative outlet as you get more intense in your prep and it becomes more work than fun. By the time of your show, the only thing you have to deal with is the audience. (E.g. stage fright.) But you also have to tell yourself that you've worked hard for that 2 minutes on stage and you deserve that time to strut your stuff for the audience - and dammit, they love it! So play to them! And remember that some red wine before you go on stage will act as a mild natural diuretic, it'll help u with vascularity and you lose some of those inhibitions!