How to Enter Your First Bodybuilding Contest

By Franco Ruggiero

The time has finally come. You have been training now for several years and feel you are ready to step on a bodybuilding stage for your first bodybuilding contest and be a major contender. Your mind has been made up and the contest date is set. Now, for the first time in your bodybuilding career you have a real goal to actually train for - other than bragging rights or attention from the opposite sex. Along with the stakes being much higher, there is legitimate glory that is capable of being achieved.

Choose a Contest Class

The first step is for you to select a bodybuilding contest that best suits your weight class. Now when you pick a weight class you should have the knowledge to know that you need to pick the contest class that you will be in on the competition date, not on the day you have made your decision to compete. You need to pick the weight class that you will qualify for when you are your leanest. This means around three or four percent body fat.

Divisions

There are five divisions for a bodybuilder to choose from. The first one is the Bantamweight class, which is for contenders 142 pounds or less. The next is Lightweight, which features bodybuilders in the 143-156 pound range. Middle Weight is for competitors in the 157-176 pound range. The final two are light heavyweight, which is for contenders in the 177-198 pound range and heavyweight is for bodybuilders who are 198 pounds and any weight over that.

For example, if you have just picked a contest and you are at your off season weight, which is 185 pounds, because your main goal and concern was to build mass and you have 18 percent body fat, then you would be around 155 pounds with 3 percent body fat come contest day, That would put you in the Lightweight class.

This will give you you're best chance at winning and accomplishing a very worthy task because the more shredded and lean you are, the more appeal you will have towards the judges as opposed to you appearing stocky and smooth.

Preparing for the Contest

The way to get in shape would be to diet down at no more than 12 weeks out. If you are a heavier bodybuilder, you shouldn't be more than 20 pounds over your typical contest weight and 15 pounds would be the range for a lighter competitor.

If you have more body fat that needs burned off, then you must start to diet down and do cardio as early as 16-20 weeks out from the contest.

Cardio will also be a huge factor in bringing you down to your absolute minimum amount of body fat. You should ideally lose about 1-2 pounds per week and gradually create a large drop in calories, so you keep your lean muscle mass and get rid of the excess body fat. Cardio should be done every morning for 45-60 minutes on an empty stomach starting at 12 weeks out and done again after weight training for 45-60 minutes 2-4 weeks out depending on your progress.

Contest Details

There can be anywhere from 5-9 judges for a bodybuilding contest. They can be both male or female. The judges will evaluate the competitors by using a ranking system. Upon completion of each round, the judges will rank the bodybuilders from first to last. When the contest is over, the competitor with the lowest score will be declared the contest winner. Keep in mind that you do not necessarily need to win every round to be the overall winner of the contest, but you do need to have the lowest score at the end of the contest.

Contest Round One: Symmetry

The opening round is called the Symmetry Round. In this round you will make your initial impression on the judges. The judges will ask you to make four quarter turns to the right. As they do this they will be looking at symmetry, definition, and proportion of your muscles. It is very important to keep your abdominals tight and your muscles flexed at all times because all eyes will be on you.

Round Two: Standard Poses

The second round is known as the Compulsory Round. This round was designed for bodybuilders to show off their development. This round requires that each competitor make seven mandatory, standard poses. They are as follows: Front double biceps, Front lat spread, Side chest, Side triceps, Back double biceps, Back lat spread, and Abdominals and thighs. Two or three competitors will present their poses to the judges at a time and then once they are finished another group will do the same.

Round Three: Free Posing

Next is the Free Posing Round. In many cases the free posing round is absolutely critical for each bodybuilder. If you have prepared the right posing routine that gets the crowd to become alive and start cheering, this will have a largely positive impact on the judge's decision.

Music is incorporated during this round as it plays while the competitor is posing. The best idea is to pick a song that suits your type of body if you are a heavyweight then a hard rock song would probably do the job. If you are in the lighter weight classes you might want something faster or more upbeat. Nevertheless the choice of songs is really up to the bodybuilder to decide. In amateur bodybuilding, posing routines generally last only 90 seconds, so don't waste any time. Have one CD burned with just the one song you need and write your name on it so the sound technician doesn't have any trouble locating your CD.

A good posing routine works like anything else. It needs the right amount of practice and preparation. It will take about a month and half to really master your pose with the correct rhythm and smoothness as you go from one pose to another. Practice backstage using an I-pod or headset up before the contest begins so you will be crisp when your time arrives.

Just remember when designing a posing routine to hide your weaknesses and emphasize your strong points. You want to be clear and graceful so once you hit a pose, you should keep it for about three seconds and then proceed to the next pose.

Round Three: Pose Down - Exploit Weaknesses

The final round is the Pose Down. This round consists of 3-5 competitors on stage together, while the judges ask them to all give their best poses at the same time.

It is difficult to prepare for a pose down because you have no way of knowing who you are going to be posing against. A clever strategy would be to neutralize your opponent's weaknesses. For example, if he is hitting chest poses and your chest isn't developed as his, you should be hitting a back pose or whatever muscle you feel the most confident showing off.

Shaving Body Hair and Tanning

In the last six to eight weeks, along with your diet and cardio exercise you should also be shaving body hair and tanning. Shaving your body hair off will allow you to see all the definition, size, symmetry, and proportion you worked so hard for. Keep in mind the attire you are required to wear for the contest and that you really do need to be completely free of excess pubic and body hair.

Shave along with tanning at least three times a week, so you can develop a strong enough base tan. This will also help bring out the maximum amount of muscle density and definition.

Spray tanning is also an option.

You should also use some sort of paint on self tanner such as Dream Tan that will maximize your color. The more tan you are the more dense and larger your muscles will look at competition time.

All on Your Shoulders

If you still feel you are ready and worthy enough for a shot at true bodybuilding glory, then this is what you need to know. It won't be easy. It is on your shoulders. This is what is to be expected when you enter your first bodybuilding contest. It is like preparing for a boxing match to some degree - because of the training, and needing to know you and your opponent's strengths and weaknesses to out perform him on stage by out posing him, instead of fighting him. It is a huge challenge, but this is what makes entering a bodybuilding contest worth it.

Franco Ruggiero is a fitness expert based in New Jersey. His major in college is Exercise Science and he supplements his lifitng with Pure Protein bars, Protein Plus Bar, Nitrix CEM3, MuscleTech Thermogain, 150 caps, Extreme Body RTDs , and ANAVOL Volumizer. Visit this page to sign up for low-cost, one-on-one personalized fitness advice from a Campus Men trainer..

		Franco Ruggiero discusses how drinking alcohol causes problems for guys trying to build muscle.
		Franco Ruggiero Gives advice to Beginners seeking to join a gym for the first time.
		Franco Ruggiero gives advice to guys on which clothing to buy to show off muscles to the ladies.
		Franco Ruggiero gives tips on how to make bodybuilding more interesting to women.
		Franco Ruggiero discusses what food bodybuilders can eat when dining out - without ruining gains from the gym.
		Franco Ruggiero gives bodybuilders tips on how to bulk up muscles while staying lean.
		Franco Ruggiero runs through a football strength training program that relies of bursts of strength.
		Franco Ruggiero gives advice on how to stay motivated while lifting weights in the gym.
		Franco Ruggiero
		Franco Ruggiero tells new bodybuilders which muscle building supplements they should start with when beginning a weight training program.
		Franco discusses the benefits of bodybuilders taking N.O. - Nitric Oxide.
		Franco discusses the benefits of bodybuilders taking HGH human growth hormone.
		Franco discusses the benefits of bodybuilders building their legs.
		Franco Ruggiero discusses how the effectiveness of ephedra for weight loss and getting cut.