Your First Physique or Bikini Competition
Don’t Just Hit the Beach, Hit it HARD!
Giannci before and after – 1st runner up at her first show NPC Musclecontest
It’s summer again. If you’ve been working out, eating right and watching your weight, you may already be ready to show off your great bikini bod. But why not take it one step further? Seriously. I’ve worked with a number of first time fitness, bikini and figure competitors to get them ready for competition. More and more of my clients these days are expressing interest in participating in these types of fitness events. No, you don’t have to pack on pounds and pounds of muscle to compete. In these types of events, the judges are looking for great figures, well-toned muscles and even a little bit of personality. It’s a fun way to take your rockin’ body to the next level.
Nick – Mr. Muscle Beach Physique Overall Champion July 4, 2014 – his second show!
What do you need to do to get started training for one of these events? Willingness, determination, motivation and a great coach who knows the ins and outs of competition – like me and my team. We know how to get you into the best shape of your life. From what to eat and when, how to train and even how to pose for the judges. Yes, it requires work on your part, but isn’t that what you’ve already been doing? Aren’t you ready to knock everyone’s socks off at this point?
Let’s get started. Motivation is the difference between taking your workout lightly and dutifully completing your pre-planned scientific workout every day. There are a number of things you can do to optimize motivation.
Arsine – 2nd place WBFF Los Angeles Championships – 1st place WBFF Chicago Championships – Won Pro Card!
Take your “Before” picture today. In your bikini, or workout gear. If you honestly assess your fitness levels we can begin to do the things necessary to improve your appearance and conditioning. Put that picture in a place that will allow you to see the truth about your present fitness levels. Then put an aspirational picture next to it – one in which you can envision yourself looking your absolute best. A good place to post that picture would be on the fridge since each time you eat at home you will be faced with your current self and your goal self. Put another picture up in the room where you sit and watch television, this will be done to motivate you to get off of the couch and go to the gym to do your workout.
Use a dose of reality to help you, to drive you, to force you to change your fitness levels for the positive. Do these things and success will become more than a remote possibility for you, it will become your reality.
Gale – Venice Beach 1st place women’s bodybuilding at age 53!
Next do some homework and find out about the different contests and categories to compete in. There are organizations that hold contests that are good for beginners like ocbonline.com (mostly east of the Missippi), and I usually steer by first time competitiors to the Muscle Beach Venice competitions.
Working out and eating lean, clean meals will help get you on track, but only when you commit to training with a professional will you really see the results you want to get you into competition shape.
Using motivational movies and other sources of media can help you greatly in your quest to attain your fitness goals. I know it sounds corny, but watch any of the first three Rocky movies and see if you are not more motivated to do your workouts in a vigorous manner. I will give a personal tip, read Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book “Education of a Bodybuilder,” I have never read anything that motivates me as much as that book and the amazing thing is that I have read it at least fifty times and it still has the same effect on me as it did the first time I read it.
Hanna: 1st place Figure at Ms. Muscle Beach 2008
Creating your motivation, setting your goals and kicking yourself into gear will get you on the road to a competition ready body. Training with me will help you WIN.
Contact me today to get started on the road to success.
Lejla won both NABBA Miss Figure America and Miss Muscle Beach!
Nick – Men’s Physique overall winner at Mr. Muscle Beach and his coach Jason Kozma (me)
Mr. Muscle Beach
I won the Superheavyweight class at the Mr. Muscle Beach on July 4th, 2007
Avoid These 3 Common Contest Training Mistakes
As you know, there’s nothing I love more than helping my clients meet their competitive goals and inspiring my readers. I know you are driven to get in the best shape of your life to win that first physique, bikini, figure or bodybuilding competition. It hardly seems fair to say that you can make a lot of mistakes in trying to achieve these goals on your own, but it’s true. I’ve made these mistake myself due to not having a coach for my diet. Let’s talk about 3 common fitness mistakes.
3 Competition Training Mistakes To Avoid
1. Not eating enough. When people start to lose fat and see the benefits, whether it’s fitting into an old pair of jeans or losing that beer belly, some people think if they reduce their calories or meals even further, they’ll lose more weight, more quickly. The opposite is actually true. Your body needs a consistent amount of calories and a regular eating schedule to increase metabolism and burn fat. When you starve your body of calories, it begins to burn muscle, not fat. This doesn’t do anyone any good. Sure, the scale may show a temporary weight loss, but in the end, you’re robbing your body of important calories and your metabolism will slow down. The pounds will creep back up faster than you can imagine.
Eat small, nutritious meals throughout the day. Make sure to balance lean proteins, leafy green vegetables, some fiber-rich fruits and good carbs to fuel your body. You’ll see and feel the difference.
2. Working out too much. Yes, you can actually work out too much. Of course you can lift too much weight or do too many reps and cause yourself injury. But what you might not realize is that your body has a finite ability to recover from training. You can easily do weight training too many days in a row for your body to keep up with. You can do too much cardio, to the point that you’re no longer burning fat and calories, you’re actually causing your body to start breaking down. When you finish a workout, you should feel tired, but energized. If you find yourself feeling light headed or have abnormal muscle fatigue, you should stop and re-evaluate your workout.
The key to seeing benefits of your workout is to also give your body rest. You need time to rebuild muscle and see better definition. You can try alternating weight and cardio workouts throughout the week, or stick with the conventional 3-4 days of weights and cardio 5-6 days per week. Also be sure to give yourself a day of rest. My rest day is Saturday.
3. Not sleeping enough. Sleep deprivation is one of the worst things you can do for yourself. Telling yourself you can get by on 5 – 6 hours of sleep per night, or even less, is a lie. Whether or not you believe in the general guideline of 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night doesn’t really matter. You need to give your body and mind a full night’s sleep to recover from the day’s activity and turn over new cells – brain, skin, muscle and build your metabolism. Even if you don’t think you need it, your body definitely does. Make time to get a full night’s sleep every night. Get rid of the distractions, like cell phones, tablets and TV, in your bedroom. Drink some hot tea or take a warm bath or shower to help your body and mind relax before sleep.
You’ll begin to see the benefits of better sleep, not just in your health and fitness, but at work and in your relationships. You may even be able to cut back on your caffeine habits as well.
Contact me today to create your contest workout and nutrition program that’s sure to get you in the winner’s circle.
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