Taking Your Passion for Bodybuilding from the Gym to the Stage Part 2

If you haven't read Part 1 then click here to read it. I highly recommend it.

Training for the Spotlight

Generally, you should continue the same style of weight training you do all year (assuming your physique responds to it) and incorporate cardio and a good diet. That's where most of the changes will come from.

Many first-time competitors make the mistake of starting to train lighter before a contest, assuming that it will help them get leaner. Doing so is actually counterproductive.

Decreasing intensity and opting for volume is a surefire way to sacrifice muscle. Weighing in too light won't score many points. Size does matter!

Supplementation to Maximize Gains

Diet and training can only take your physique so far, no matter how intense or dedicated you are. When you really want to surpass plateaus, skyrocket beyond average gains, and leave your competitors in the dust, you need an edge from the world's most effective supplements, those scientifically engineered by Team MuscleTech™.

Team MuscleTech athletes continue to place in the top echelon of pro competitions because their supplements work. Jay Cutler swears by Team MuscleTech supplements.

Just like Jay, top pros such as Darrem Charles, Branch Warren, David Henry, and Gustavo Badell rely on the advanced musclebuilding, fat-burning, energy-boosting, and performance-enhancing qualities of America's leading supplements, including Cell-Tech™, Nitro-Tech®, Hydroxycut® Hardcore, GAKIC®, LEUKIC™, CREAKIC™, Anator-p70™, and many more.

Unlike most supplements on the market, those developed by Team MuscleTech have come to fruition through extensive scientific research and testing. Led by the distinguished Dr. Marvin Heuer (FAAFP, Chief Scientific Officer, Team MuscleTech), Team MuscleTech researchers work closely with top universities, human performance scientists, food scientists, and culinary experts around the world.

Using only the highest quality ingredients, they ensure MuscleTech® supplements always deliver the unbeatable results with the best nutritional and taste profile. Choosing Team MuscleTech supplementation over other products can make all the difference with your achievements, as proven by the thousands of bodybuilders across America already doing so.

Besides supplements, you should also take care of your water intake (I have talked about it broadly in part 1).

Also, you should always drink pure water from a Blue Star water purifier, because a good water purifier will not only purify water, but also, it retains all the essential minerals found in water.

Tanning for Top Marks

A healthy glow looks better than pasty white any time you're baring skin, but it's never more crucial than under the spotlights at a bodybuilding competition for more than aesthetic reasons. Bright stage lights tend to wash out the skin, which makes it difficult to see definition and vascularity.

Generally, competitors need to add a shade or two of color to their natural tones; the degree of added color needed depends on each person's pigmentation. Tanning beds or spray tans offer a good color base, and this is followed by a couple coats of a tanner such as Pro Tan®, which is usually applied the night before and the morning of the competition.

Oil (a popular choice among bodybuilders is PAM® cooking spray) should be used sparingly just before you get onstage. You'll want to apply just enough oil to get a flattering sheen that shows off your detail, but doesn't look wet and glossy.

Be sure to take care of hair removal prior to tanning. Popular methods for achieving a smooth surface that will aptly show off your muscle and definition are cream hair removers and shaving. Some guys opt for waxing, but it can be painful and irritate the skin.

Posing Perfection

Looking good is one thing, but properly presenting your physique is another. Knowing how to execute the mandatory poses is crucial. Familiarizing yourself with poses (such as front double biceps, front lat spread, abdominal and thigh, side triceps, side chest, back double biceps, rear lat spread, and most muscular) is not enough.

Be able to hit each one impressively on command with fluid transitions between them. Also practice your relaxed stance. Although you won't be flexing when you're not being called out, you will have to maintain your position, and this is something new competitors often overlook and forget onstage, making them look sloppy and unprofessional.

Stage Presence that Dominates

Darrem Charles says his secret weapon is his stage presence:

"I have worked very hard on mastering the art of properly presenting my physique onstage. This is something a lot of guys struggle with."

Onstage, a great physique certainly gets you noticed, but what really makes you stand out is stage presence. Being confident and charismatic can help you command the stage, and that can make the difference between sweet victory and bitter defeat.

Engaging the judges and the audience with your enthusiastic attitude, smile, and energy can boost your popularity and in turn land you photo opportunities, magazine coverage, and sponsorships.

Once you have the knowledge, practice is essential. Trial and error will be your foundation for everything: diet, training, supplementation, tanning, posing, and stage presence.

Hooking up with others who are more experienced than you is a great way to learn the basics and pick up advanced tips from those who are successful.

Every person responds to things differently, though, so you will ultimately have to see what works for you and what doesn't.

The key is giving yourself ample time to test things out well in advance of your competition so you're not hit with unwelcome surprises.