What To Expect On Your Bikini Competition Show Day (Part 2)
Hello all, welcome back to another blog where we talk about what you can expect on your Show Day!
In Part 1, we discussed some of the preparations you should make leading up to competition day. This included ensuring your tan, makeup, hair, NPC Card, and competition bikini are all prepped and ready to go. We'll cover more of that today, and dive straight to it.
Posing Suits
As we mentioned in our previous blog, you don’t want to risk messing up your competition bikini by wearing them too soon during the day. We recommend that you postpone wearing them till the last minute, and use your posing suit to regularly check-in with your coach. During show day the fitness competition is on and your coaches, if they’re not there with you, will be demanding a lot of check-ins (it can be every hour) to make sure your physique is on point. They do this by telling you to eat more or hydrate more, followed by more check-in and repeat the process. You don't want to be putting on your competition suit and risk it breaking more than you need to so bring your posing suit so you can practice your posing and do your hourly check-ins.
Heels
We recommend that you break in your heels well in advance of stage day, so that you know that it’s comfortable and secondly so you can practice posing and walking in them. However, on the actual show day, don’t risk wearing them till the last minute to avoid tan spill.
Robes
Many girls are still accustomed to wearing their bodybuilding gym apparel to the show (sweatpants, and big t-shirts), but we do not recommend it. For simplicity’s sake and to be risk averse go for a robe. Competition Suit Shop offers customized robe options to match your competition bikinis, and you can even personalize your name on the back of the robe! Bikini bodybuilding is all about being glamorous, even when you’re backstage.
Get Pumped
It is a fitness competition, and bikini bodybuilding competition till the curtain is drawn, so you need to get some equipment that will help you stay pumped backstage. We recommend that you get resistance bands with handles and glute bands (PHOTOS), these are lightweight, easy to pack and will get you pumped!
Some fitness competitions offer a small gym section (usually dumbbells) set up backstage, but even then everyone is trying to use them, so don’t rely on your show to provide for you. Have your own equipment to mitigate unnecessary stress, and so you can stick to your backstage workout goals and be your best on stage.
What do these workouts look like?
If you’ve never competed before, the standard exercises backstage, for bikini bodybuilding and wellness fitness competition focuses a lot on lateral raises to get your deltoids pumped. And lateral band walks or Kickbacks to get your glutes pumped (We don't really do push-ups like the guys or do anything too extreme that might stirate the muscle - which is a big no no in bikini bodybuilding).
Food
Make sure everything is prepared before-hand. You can either choose to meal-prep and pack all your meals, or if you’re planning an extended stay before the show, buy all the groceries at the show city and cook there. You should do all this BEFORE PEAK WEEK when you still have the energy and the time to manage with your coach. This should not be done last minute.
Pro Tip! Get extra tupperware, so you can eat on the go, or divide your portion as needed.
Pro Food Tip: Carry Rice Cakes, Salt and Honey - These are the food that professional bikini bodybuilders will snack on to get a good quick pump backstage.
Accommodation
Needless to say, It’s a good idea to stay near the venue of your bikini bodybuilding competition. Many fitness competition shows are held at hotels or at convention halls with convenient hotel access, so make sure to book those slots in advance for your stay as other athletes will also be rushing to get the same booking. Pro Tip: Get your own extra sheets and blankets because your tan will stain the bedding, and you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to pay for hotel cleaning services.
For those reading wondering when we’ll get to the actual show day weekend, stay tuned! This is part of the process and there’s a million and one things that you need to be prepared for before the actual weekend. There’s a wealth of information out there on youtube and podcasts on how to prepare for a bikini bodybuilding show and the girls at ‘Know Your Power’ podcast have done a really good job compiling this packing checklist, so print it and use it well!
