8 Simple Tips on How to Prepare for a Figure Competition
By Karen Sessions NSCA-CPT
Author of "Figure Competition Secrets"What is your course of action when you want to get fit and get in shape? Do you cut calories or slice carbs? Do you suffer from cardio queen syndrome and venture onto a cardio program full-force, hitting it hard to burn that stubborn fat?
As you will learn in this article, how to prepare for a figure competition is more than just starving yourself and doing endless hours of cardio. You will be surprised to learn that you can still eat food and not have to live in the gym to get in shape.
“No matter what I do, I just can't seem to get in shape.” Does this statement sound familiar? Do you
put effort out each week in trying to eat right and exercise, only to fall short by the third day?
If you are constantly starting a healthy exercise and eating program, only to let it fall by the wayside by the middle of the week you are destroying your metabolism, and killing any motivation you might have had.
Preparing for a figure competition is just as much as a mental approach as it is a physical one. If you want to prepare for a figure competition once and for all you have to make some changes. Below are some tips on how to get in shape to prevent falling off the wagon again.
Figure Competition Tip #1
Make a Committed Goal to Prepare for a Figure Competition – Setting goals, blah, blah, blah. You may think this is an unnecessary step and a waste of time, but NOT making a committed goal can be your biggest reason for failure. As cliché as it is, it is true… Failing to plan is planning to fail.Setting goals doesn't have to be a written contract outlined like a house deed; it can be as simple as marking out your training and nutrition on a calendar for a quick, daily birds-eye-view. Simply map out a week or two on your calendar and follow it.
Figure Competition Tip #2
Stick to your Figure Competition Goal - Don't keep changing your mind once you've made a goal. Sure, just because you have some goals written down or outlined on your calendar doesn't mean you will get in shape. You have to actually follow your plan.The problem many figure competitors have with setting goals is they make the decision in their mind, and they may even write it down, but they keep changing their minds of what they want on a weekly basis. You have to decide, do you want to lose fat, build muscle, or transform? There are no right or wrong answers here, and it's not anyone else's decision. You have to decide what you want to do, and stick to it.
Constantly changing your goals every week will only cause you to lose motivation and lead to frustration. Set a goal, and stick to it.
Figure Competition Tip #3
Eat Balanced Meals – Eating balanced meals is one of the most important aspects of preparing for afigure competition. Most figure competitors tend to think that a can of tuna or an apple is a meal. Wrong. A meal is a combination of a complete protein and a carbohydrate.
Your body NEEDS nutrients from ALL the macronutrients in order to build hormones, burn fat, build lean muscle tissue, and just keep you healthy and functioning. To keep your energy levels high and to stay motivated, eat several balanced meals throughout the day.
Figure Competition Tip #4
Eat Real Food – Just ANY food won't do. You should be feeding your body QUALITY nutrients in the form of natural foods. Far too many figure competitors rely on processed food-like items in boxes labeled “healthy,” low-fat,” low-carb,” etc. for fat loss.There THOUSANDS of synthetic chemicals in processed foods, and many of them have carcinogenic properties. The human body isn't designed to process chemicals to the degree we are putting them in our bodies.
These synthetic chemicals become lodged in your fat stores as toxins and make fat loss an even greater chore. To add to the equation, the amount of toxins trapped in your body makes your body work even harder to purge them, adding stress to your immune system and leaving you open to illnesses and diseases.
For the best quality food, eat those that Mother Nature has provided. If you can hunt, pick, gather, or harvest it, you can eat it. More importantly, it would be wise to eat organic as much as possible.
Figure Competition Tip #5
Don't Skip Meals – Many figure competitors think that in order to prepare for a figure competition they have to starve themselves. Your body relies on food from your meals to repair and build muscle, to keep you healthy, and to burn fat. When you skip meals you miss out on opportunities to burn fat and build muscle.Missing meals leads to metabolic downgrade.
Figure Competition Tip #6
Don't Cut the Carbs – The no-carb craze is still in high gear. Granted, lowering carbs can have an effect on fat loss to a certain degree, but there's a certain procedure you have to use to do it correctly to prevent fatigue, burnout, and excess muscle loss.Too many figure competitors jump into EXTREME low carbs and burn out in a matter of days. Take the lowering carb process slowly for it to be fully effective.
Figure Competition Tip #7
Don't Kill the Cardio - Cardio is fine, provided you are eating the right nutrients to support it. The problem many figure competitors have when trying to prepare for a figure competition is that they DRASTICALLY cut their calories AND carbs, and then suddenly jump on an hour of high intensity cardio a day. This is simply as recipe for disaster because it leads to metabolic downgrade.Cardio does not need to be an all out torture session. When you eat the correct combination of macronutrients and implement cardio by listening to your body, you will achiever far greater results than going through dieting and cardio abuse.
Figure Competition Tip #8
Don't Put Your Faith in the Latest Wonder Supplement - Many figure competitors become desperate when they want to lose body fat to prepare for a figure competition. This can lead to taking “fat burning supplements” with high promises and disappointing results.Supplement companies prey on your emotions. They know you may be feeling hopeless and despondent. Therefore, they use that opportunity to employ deceptive marketing techniques with misleading before and after pictures, false claims, and a whole host of other marketing tactics used to draw you in, and make you buy their “latest breakthrough supplement.”
Now, don't get me wrong. There are a lot of effective supplements on the market, but you have to know what they are and how to take them for them to properly work.
These are just a few figure competition tips to get you on the right path. Use them to your advantage. You can find a whole host of tips, tricks, and tactics used by the IFBB Figure Pros to get in outstanding shape and win your figure competition in "Figure Competition Secrets".
Get that information Right Now >> http://www.FigureCompetitionSecrets.com
Karen Sessions NSCA-CPT
About the Author
My name is Karen Sessions and I am a nationally qualified life-time natural female bodybuilder, multi-certified fitness instructor, specialist in performance nutrition, and success coach.
I teach people Just Like You how to transform their bodies, get in shape, and compete in figure and bodybuilding competitions. When you have the correct information you can have total confidence and turn your dreams into reality... and I can help transform YOUR body. I have helped THOUSANDS of clients reach their figure competition goals and I can help you, too www.FigureCompetitionSecrets.com
