Have you thought about competing? Do you want to spend 12 grueling weeks working your ass off while taking in fewer calories than you burn? Would you not miss a workout or a meal for the 12 weeks prior to the contest? If you answered yes to these questions, competing is right for you!
Choosing An Organization:
Once you make the choice to start competing, you then have to determine which organization(s) you are going to be a part of. Most organizations have you purchase a membership card, which usually lasts a year. Once you pay for this card, you are able to enter any of the contests that the organization is having throughout the year. Keep in mind that these are amateur organizations and there are no cash prizes. In order to start receiving money for placing in competitions, you have to turn pro and enter the pro contests. You do so by winning a pro-qualifier or placing in the top three at a super qualifier.
When choosing which organization you want to be a part of, you should first look at what substances they allow. There are two kinds of organizations, tested and non-tested. An example of a non-tested organization would be the IFBB. This organization allows all substances because they don't test their athletes. The tested organizations can further be broken down into two categories: those that allow prohormones and all other products that are legal, and those who don't allow any hormones altogether. An example of each would be MuscleMania and the INBF. MuscleMania allows prohormones and related products, while the INBF doesn't allow them.
Picking A Contest:
Once you have chosen your organization that you want to be a part of, you then have to choose a competition to enter. This will most likely revolve around your yearly schedule. Preparing 6-8 meals a day, weight training, cardio, and all the other activities that you have to do in order to prepare for the competition will be very time consuming.
My advice would be to ask people you could trust and pick the methods that you think would personally work best for yourself. Also, you will need to find out what things will be mandatory to have the day of the contest. Posing trunks are essential! At my first contest, someone just rolled up their shorts instead of wearing posing trunks. Let's just say that he was 16 years old and got beat by a 14 year old! Also, a thick tan is essential for on stage. The lights shining down on you make yourself appear much more pale than you really are. Some great tanning products include: Pro Tan, Jan Tana, and Dream Tan.
The most important motivation must come from within. You must welcome the changes in your body, diet, and mind. Enjoy each progressing stage that you enter as you get nearer and nearer to your competition. Never feel sorry for yourself. If you are suffering, your opposition might be suffering twice as much. Think of it as a game. The harder you make the game, the more rewarding the finish will be.
Remember that competitive bodybuilding is not for everyone. Not everyone has the will power to do what you are doing. Prove to yourself that you can do it! Prove that you can compete in competitive bodybuilding!
—From BodyBuilding.com
Raised in Texas and schooled in New York, Brian Finke defined himself as a documentary photographer at the World Press Photo Masterclass in 2001 and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Photography in 2004. The author of Flight Attendants (powerHouse Books, 2008) and 2-4-6-8: American Cheerleaders and Football Players (Umbrage Editions, 2003), Finke has also exhibited his work in New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, Chicago, and Houston, among others. Finke lives in New York City with his wife Lisa Daniels and son Oli.
