Tis the Season to Compete!

'TIS THE COMPETITION SEASON'

As spring approaches you find yourself ready to get back on stage, or for the first time!  With all that needs to be done what should you be thinking about?  Well, I’ve laid out a Q&A that you should be going through during this time, to make sure you have everything you need in place to make it the most successful competition season possible.

Some of these are for those that have competed and others are for those looking to compete, what you need to know and do.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU TOSSED AROUND THE IDEA OF COMPETING

Is this something that you have always wanted to do?  Is it something that a friend or family member suggested because you already have a decent physique?  When training starts for a competition, it’s usually 16 – 20 weeks out from a show and any great Coach will take that time with you and detail your fitness & nutrition plans.

If you’re just starting out, then your Coach will assess the timeframe that you will need to train before even stepping on stage for a show.  This is the guidance that Club Inhale/Exhale Coaches will offer you, and here are some of the steps involved in reviewing this.

• Review your Fitness & Body Composition Assessment

• Put an Off Season or On-Season Plan together for you

WHAT DECISIONS MAKE YOU WANT TO COMPETE?  WHY DO YOU WANT TO COMPETE?

Is it for some sort of physical praise?  Is it so that your friends will be in awe?  Do you want this for yourself, because when you do it, it feels right?  The decision to train this way, or to do anything that we offer do have to are our own, and not because we are looking for some sort of accolade. Hey, don’t get me wrong it’s a nice prize too!  You must love what you do; this is for any part of your life.  Let it be for you not the other way around.

DO YOU HAVE THE SUPPORT YOU NEED TO DO THIS? 

Do you have people in your life that will support you? 

Who are the people in your life that will support you?  If you don’t have anyone that you can think of, find groups that have the same interest as you to keep on target.

More importantly if you don’t will you continue to support yourself?  This is a process and a journey. 

Are you ready to commit the time, patience and money to this?  Yes, it takes time and patience to realize and have the body you need to step on stage. 

Finances are also another important factor, to work with a great coach that will:

• Offer the support

There is also the cost for your:

• suits

• shoes

WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO HELP YOU FIND THE RIGHT COACH?  HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A COACH?

Looking for the right Coach should be one of your first priorities.  How to find the right one for YOU is also a top priority.  All Coaches work differently from one another, so finding the right one for YOU goes with interviewing your coach and your Coach interviewing you, this is called the Initial Consult. 

What should you be looking for when hiring a Contest Prep Coach?

• What are their qualifications? 

  • How long have they been a Coach?

Do you match up? This is a partnership.  Your Coach gets to know you and how your body responds to training and nutrition.  This is a process that happens over time.

DON’T THINK YOU NEED A COACH? 

All top athletes have coaches.  While you might know your body best, a coach comes in from an outside perspective offering insight on alternatives, adjustments to the plan, tweaks made here and there so that you’ll get the best possible results for your body.  We here at Club Inhale/Exhale rely on our team of Coaches to be our support system for our own success as Coaches

It’s ok to ask for advice, it’s not a weakness.

WHAT LIFESTYLE CHANGES DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER?  HOW WILL YOUR DAILY ROUTINE CHANGE, IF AT ALL? 

What will you need to know when starting this journey, yes, it’s an adventure!  You will learn a lot about yourself, your soul, how you work in these situations, what your actually capable of vs. what you think your capable of, all this will show you how mentally tough you really are. 

Here are some questions you will ask:

• Will you need to adjust your daily timeline for workouts? 

• How many workouts a day will I need to do? 

• How much or little will I be eating? 

These are all questions that you need to look at and as your Coach we will be right there with you. This is one of the greatest physical journeys you will ever take but without the knowledge of what goes into it from a Coach that is experienced and has the knowledge then your chances for success decrease.

Questions about what your nutrition will look like, your training schedule will all be answered during your initial free consult.  If your Coach is not meeting with you for the first time to assess you, or to assess the relationship and how you will work together then this could potentially end in disaster.  1 month in, you might see that this is not what you expected and you’ve just spent a month not getting closer to your goal. 

DO YOU HAVE THE MENTAL WILL POWER?  ARE YOU READY TO STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR ALL DECISION MAKING???

If you are someone that is constantly starting something and not finishing it then this isn’t for you, half ass bodies do not step on stage under our Coaching.  Tell yourself you can, tell yourself that this is for you and only you. 

This is one that you must think about, it’s going to be as easy as you make it.

If you make it hard, well then guess what? It will be hard. 

If you think it will be easy and live that way each day then it will be easy.

How will you make better decisions?  Here’s an example of how we helped our clients along in these situations.  Our clients have access to us for accountability, we ask that they text, email us with questions.  Clients going out to dinner might not know how to correctly substitute a meal when at a restaurant, but we will.  We offer suggestions based on their current nutritional design and what is comparable depending on which restaurant they are eating at.

Its things like this that should be expected by a client from their coach. 

Now don’t get us wrong, since this is a process and a journey you can expect to have days when things just don’t go your way, as a Coach we are here to help guide you through this. Its consistency and not losing sight of your goal that will keep you going through those mentally and physically tough days.  What you can expect is to have less of these days when you don’t lose sight.

Don’t put the stress on yourself of overthinking it! 

WHAT KIND OF RESULTS CAN I EXPECT?  

Normal training timeframes will be to start 16 – 20 weeks out from a show.  This allows the necessary time to adjust your nutrition & workouts accordingly.  Changes from this can show as early as 4 weeks into it and from there changes will be seen every week as more detail comes in.  We use different methods for each person based on how your body responds to training and nutrition.  We look for a decrease of roughly .5 – 1% each week depending on where you started 20 weeks out.

We make minor adjustments along the way that could be every 2-3 weeks when you are 20 weeks out to every week when your 6 weeks out.  These adjustments are based on pictures taken every week until the day of the show, so that your coach can review them for results and to make sure that he or she is seeing the required results.

We do measurements to assess balance within the physique, so important are all these things when competing in any show.  Be it Bikini, Physique or Bodybuilding.  As a NGA judge I am always looking for Balance in the physique.  There are other areas that are scored but these are things we will get into when you decide which show to compete in and in which class.

The nutritional design chosen for you will be recommended by your Coach and changes and tweaks will be made during those pre-competition weeks.

WHAT NEXT?

You’ve made it, done your first show!  Now what? 

You and your Coach will sit down and discuss your next show, what went right, what could have been done better. 

You will review your photos, food & workout journal for adjustment and tweaks that need to be considered. 

You’ll discuss if you should take time off and build your physique or go right into another training session for another show.

Set goals, set timeframes for all these to be achieved.

We don’t let you stand still now; we continue to push you to the next level.  We want you to succeed and part of success is to perfect your body to the next level.

We will leave you with this; remember that this is a journey, a process, a way of life that will reward you more mentally than physically!  Trust in the process! 

You will need to do the things most people don’t want to do, but in doing so, will get what most people don’t have. 

Club Inhale / Exhale is a boutique sized true Health Club that is community-based!  We are a private studio that integrates science and psychology to bring you upscale investments and opportunities. Our Nutritional Designs, Scientific Fitness & Body Designs, Food Psychology Coaching, and Unlimited Fitness Programs and Trademarked Fitness Classes are customized to complete your lifestyle and increase your health, fitness, and all around well-being  – easily.