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If you are new to the physique competition world, or have competed but never used a coach, here are my top 5 things I wish I knew for my first contest prep!

1. Nutrition

This is easily the most important aspect of any contest prep.  A competitors nutrition program is their key to success!  No matter how hard one may train, how much one can train, or how many minutes of cardio one does, no one can out work a bad diet.  You nutrition plan is what will get you lean, and help you keep all your hard earned muscle you've worked for in the off season.

There are many different facets to nutrition that people may overlook such as:

• overall calories and macro nutrient break down (how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat per day)
• proper food choices (what you actually eat)
• meal and nutrient timing (what you eat & when)

These are just a few of the things that I didn't have a full grasp on for my first show.  Knowing more about each of these things would have made a world of difference, let alone remove a lot of the stress that comes with trying to figure things out on one's own.  Hiring a coach who has worked with many different body types, as well as competitors in every category is paramount in nailing down a nutrition program that not only will delivery a lean, stage ready physique, but also has the competitor's best interest in mind and keeps them healthy.

2. Knowing how long to prep or how to pick a show

This is where experience comes into play.  Giving yourself enough time to get in true stage condition usually takes longer than most people will admit or want to accept.  Many competitors start prep with more body fat than they know, which means it will take longer than they expect to reach their goal.  Giving oneself enough time to get ready makes all the difference when getting in peak condition.  Trying to rush a contest prep never ends well for the competitor.  It causes a lot of unnecessary stress, and rarely will the competitor look as good had they given themselves enough time. 

Also, without experience, it's hard to pick a contest without knowing what all each show entails.  There are many facets to each show, especially if you are a natural competitor, and even more so if you are new to the world of physique competitions.

A few things to take into consideration when determining length of prep or picking a show:

• How much body fat you need to lose to achieve the desired "look" appropriate for the division in which one will be competing.
  • This means a few things.  Knowing what look you need to go after, or roughly at what amount of body fat that category usually competes.  Knowing how much body fat you currently have.  Knowing an appropriate amount of weight loss per week to maintain as much lean muscle as possible.  And knowing what kind of caloric deficit will achieve this loss per week.

• How much is organization card, and how much is the entry fee?
  • If it hasn't been said yet, I will tell you now: This sport isn't cheap.  There are many different organizations that run physique contests, each with their own cost to join.  Some are $50-$60, others are as much as $130.  On top of that, you still need to pay a show entry fee.  Again, these are sometimes as low as $50, but also as high as $150 for some big shows.  There are also cross-over fees.  When a competitor wants to come in more than one class (novice, open, masters, teen, etc.), or more than one category (bodybuilding & classic physique, or bikini & figure) each of these crossovers costs an additional $50-$100 depending on the show.  These are all costs that need to be thought about before jumping into this ship.  Keeping oneself within budget will require a lot of planning if the competitor is planning to do more than one show, in more than one organization, and include some crossovers.
• What are the rules of the show's organization?
  • First of all and most important, knowing if the show is natural or not.  This means that steroids, prohormones, peptides, and other such substances are banned for use by competitors.  Knowing what these compounds are is important so that a competitor doesn't fail a urine test or a polygraph.  Yes, most natural organization shows will both polygraph (lie detector) before the show, and then urine test the top 3-5 winners of each class.  Other rules involve the poses that each category will be performing, the type of suits that are deemed acceptable, if certain crossovers are allowed, different cutoffs for weight and height divisions, and more.  A good coach will research all of these and be prepared to walk a competitor through the process that is picking a show that best suits each person.

3. Posing

Posing is by far the most overlooked aspect of competing on stage when a person doesn't use a coach.  Everyone gets so caught up in their training and nutrition, they completely forget to practice posing until about 2-3 weeks out.  Posing should be practiced from day one of prep, and in reality, also in the off season.  

Posing can make or break a competitor.  I have seen people with great physiques lose a spot or two due to poor posing, and I have seen people with so-so physiques place higher than they should due to how well they were able to present their physiques on stage to the judges.  There isn't much worse than working ones butt off for months, and then lose points because one couldn't hit the poses correctly.

Many competitors have a posing specific coach, but I have a great eye for posing.  So much so, that I have judged a few bodybuilding shows because the promoters were aware of my eye for aesthetics and posing.  Having a coach that can manage your nutrition, diet, AND POSING is a great find, and can be the difference between 1st and 2nd place in many situations.

4. Dealing with special events

With each contest prep lasting anywhere from 12-20 weeks or sometimes longer, competitors will almost always encounter a holiday, birthday, or other special event.  Knowing how to navigate these waters so they don’t hurt that progress they’ve made is so much easier with a knowledgeable coach, rather than saying “YOLO” and either binging or quitting all together so you don’t have to miss out or having to miss time with friends & family for the sake of prep.

This is where planning things such as refeeds, diet breaks, or managing nutrition through the use of flexible dieting comes into play and can save or ruin a weeks worth of work, or more!  Being advised on how to eat things at these special events, or how to plan to eat around them, will keep one from having to segregate themselves from family and friends in fear of spoiling their hard work.

Sometimes it's also good to hear "it's ok to say no." Meaning, there will be other picnics or parties to go to in the future, and sometimes it's not a terrible thing to pass.  We don't want to become hermits, but it IS ok to avoid some situations, especially as the contest gets closer and closer.

5. SHOW DAY!

There is so much stress that goes into the actual day of the show.  Not only are competitors tired, hungry, and have little to no energy, but now they have to deal with getting a tan, their suit, travel and a hotel if the show is far away, knowing where to be and when, how the day will be run, dealing with family and friends… having a coach by their side on show day is just about priceless with regards to stress management on the big day.

This is where the coach gets over shadowed, yet is there for the competitor the most.  Being there to lean on when things get stressful the day of.  This is the part of the coaches job that could be listed as invaluable.  When competitors are all over the place due to nerves, being tired, having friends and family trying to talk to you, there is always one's coach there to keep them on pace with the show, their meals, water, etc.

Competing alone is hard enough, but not having anyone with you to help mitigate all that goes into the actual day of the show is priceless.  Even if the coach is remote (online), having someone to call or text to keep you grounded can make everything flow so much better at the end of the day. 

BONUS: PEACE OF MIND

Trying to coach one’s self is tough enough, but then as you get leaner, your mind starts playing tricks on you.  You begin to second guess your nutrition programming, how much cardio you’re doing, even your training.  You see other people and begin to question if you look as good, or if you will look as good.  Coaching one’s self can be done down the road after a competitor has gain a good amount of experience, but if anything, having someone to talk to you when things get hard such as sleep, hunger, irritability, and lack of energy is worth more than you will ever know.  Not having to worry about controlling things and giving someone else the wheel lets you focus on your life, your training, your diet, without having to wonder if you’re doing things right or wrong.

Now that you know the 5 things that I wish I did before my first show, here's what Lithic Fitness has to offer:

I am one of the few coaches in the Columbus area that is a full service coach.  That means I will handle each client's nutrition, training, posing, and advise them in all aspects of what they need come show day.

We work as a team, keeping in constant communication so that together we keep your nutrition plan as accurate as possible, which means keeping calories as high as we can while still making the progress we need to make. 

You will turn in weekly reports on how your training is going, and we can adjust volume, frequency, and even exercises depending on your category, strong points vs weak points, and if there is any pain or soreness during workouts.

I offer my clients a wide variety of ways to complete their cardio requirements so that things stay fresh, "fun" (as fun as cardio can be), and so that the body has a hard time addapting to what we throw it, which will push progress further and faster than standard cardio regiments. 

I offer several different packages, depending on what you need, your experience, and how long your prep will take.

What clients are saying

Katie K.

Not only does his knowledge resound in results, but Rocky provides support to his clients in every sense of the word. He is encouraging, comforting at periods of struggles, and he is constantly motivating his clients.