Thinking about a competing in my first contest ~~~ How do you know you're ready?

[Iplan]

I'm 44 (will be 45 this fall), and was wondering 'when' you know if you're ready to try for a contest..... I workout in my garage, and none of my friends lift, so it's kind of hard to compare....

I've thought about competing before.

Two years ago, it was my shoulders that kept me from thinking I'd be competitive.

Last year my holdup was my arms.

This year, I've dubbed "the year of the back" ~~~ lol ~~~ there's always something....

Anyway, I had a recent realization that I need to do it now~~~ if ever....

I'm 6'0" weighed 220 this morning, and my legs (not shown) are my strong suit....

Thoughts?

Iplan

PS: I know it's hard to see anything when your taking a picture while holding a camera.....

[f=ma]

if its a goal for you, you should do it regardless. know that you have every bit of 45+lbs to lose though depending on what your leg fat storage looks like

[JohnnyRingo]

You are always ready man. It's like powerlift meet, if you can lift 45 pounds in each event you can compete. So just compete and try your best. If you desire to do really good, you have more work to do imo.

[Behemoth]

Depends on what you want out of the contest. If you want to place well then can you diet to competitive levels of bodyfat? If yes then you're ready. Conditioning is what wins the shows, not just a little more "shoulder, arms, or back". If you really want to do it just for the experience then there's no reason you shouldn't.

[Iplan]

if its a goal for you, you should do it regardless. know that you have every bit of 45+lbs to lose though depending on what your leg fat storage looks like

Man that is a LOT of cutting ~~~~~~

but

The camera doesn't lie ~~~ just finished lifting, and had my wife come out to the garage and take a few pictures ~ which I will not post for reasons related to maintaining some semblance of dignity....

So, here's my plan: I think I'll try a 6-8 week cut, and see where that puts me. I know that's not a big cit at all, but I have never cut or ever tried to lose weight, so this will be a grand experiment.

All and all, I'm not sure where to begin.

[LuNa]

Depends on what you want out of the contest. If you want to place well then can you diet to competitive levels of bodyfat? If yes then you're ready. Conditioning is what wins the shows, not just a little more "shoulder, arms, or back". If you really want to do it just for the experience then there's no reason you shouldn't.

Agree with this.

If you dont know where to get started but are serious about doing a contest for either reason, i would hire someone with more experience. I think a combination of someone coaching you and the focus on a contest will be one of the most motivating things you can do.

[cphafner]

Put up some mandatories to see where you really stand. I agree with the others that you have a big job to do in order to get on stage condition. But Rory is right when he says it all really comes down to your goals. If you are looking just to give it a shot and get some experience, go for it.

[Iplan]

Guys thanks for the encouragement.

I tell you, I'm really tired of being caught in "no man's land" between the obvious need to continue to gain muscle and the obvious need to start cutting fat. Aside from the 70 days of Ranger School (in 1990 ~ yes, it used to be 70 days long ~ lol) ,I've never lost weight in my life, so gaining anymore weight without demonstrating the ability to lose the fat is a serious concern.

So, I'm going to give contest prep a shot. I started my diet plan yesterday: modeled after one of Allen Cress' contest prep diets ~~~ that he posted on the forum (the one w/ all the eggs in it). I also contacted a personal trainer/ nutrition guy who was the 2009 Amateur Mr. South Carolina ~ he's in grad school right now, and not actively helping people, but offered to help me once I got a little further along. http://www.carolinafitnesstesting.com/

Today, I weighed 216.7 lbs

Here are some pics from two days ago, and it's no secret I've got much work to do, but at least I'm moving forward with a plan. I converted them to black and white because they showed more contrast ~~~~

BTW, if you look closely, you can see the lingering bruise from a strained calf muscle in my left leg.... still nice and purple after 12 days....

Current measurements
Chest: 44 in
Arms: 16 in (feeble)
Quad: 25 in
Calf: 17 in
Waist or "Waste": 38"

No idea at this point which contest I'm preparing for.... It seems like there's not much happening in the fall, and I'm obviously not going to be ready by the end of the summer.

Rotating my routine today also ~~~ going to BGB.

Best,
Iplan

[FearFactory]

I wouldn't contest prep if you don't even know what contest you are going to do. If you are in contest prep mode but have no ending in sight, it is going to be really hard to stay consistent and motivated.

Just do a normal cut like the recreational guys do on here (who walk around 24/7 with great physiques) to get yourself into a good body fat range. Then from there, if you decide to do a contest, you will be starting from an already lean state...

[Iplan]

Fearfactory:

What a great post, and timely, as I was thinking that was what I was going to have to do.

I'm taking it slow ~ down to 214 as of this morning (losing about pound a week ~ after 4 pounds just dropped out of sight in the first week ~~~~~). Anyway, I think I've got the diet right for now.

I'm going to try to cut down to 190-192-ish~~~~ That should have me within about 10-15 lbs of contest day weight, and I'll try to maintain that.....

Wish I had started this at the beginning of the year, when I first started thinking about it.

Have you ever competed?

Best,
Iplan

[Allen Cress]

Following my diet I did for a contest may help you in the begining just realize that things need to be tweaked along the way and don't go too much by the scale, focus on the mirror. Also you really need to work on your posing. Even if you have a good physique if you can't show it properly it won't matter. Besides dieting, correct posing is the hardest part of getting ready for a contest if you've never done it before. I have been competing for 20 years and still practice for 20-30 min 4 days a week at about 6 weeks out so its a piece of cake and I'm not breathing heavily like many do because their bodies aren't conditioned.

I would advise though if you do decide to do a contest to hire a coach, especially being your first time. A 2nd set of eyes is priceless.

[FearFactory]

Fearfactory:

What a great post, and timely, as I was thinking that was what I was going to have to do.

I'm taking it slow ~ down to 214 as of this morning (losing about pound a week ~ after 4 pounds just dropped out of sight in the first week ~~~~~). Anyway, I think I've got the diet right for now.

I'm going to try to cut down to 190-192-ish~~~~ That should have me within about 10-15 lbs of contest day weight, and I'll try to maintain that.....

Wish I had started this at the beginning of the year, when I first started thinking about it.

Have you ever competed?

Best,
Iplan

No problem and no never competed. I am 6'5", so as a lifetime natty I have a lot of frame to fill out before I would be comfortable standing on stage 90% naked.

Those first 4 lbs were just your glycogen levels depleting. A pound or two a week is a good rate, just keep that pace up. Once you get down pretty low, then you might have to start getting more strategic with the diet. But someone else besides me would better help you with that as I have never been bodybuilder lean before, so I am not quite sure what it takes to get down that low.

[Iplan]

Allen ~ thanks for the council on the diet, and getting some council. I think you're overall approach to bodybuilding is really sound, and it was your February article, "Contest Prep" that got me moving toward this goal.

Quick question on posing: Is there a How To Resource you recommend? It seems all of those "How To Pose" youtube videos all seem to have a slightly different take on how to do a "Most Muscular," or "Double Bicep," etc.

[Allen Cress]

Allen ~ thanks for the council on the diet, and getting some council. I think you're overall approach to bodybuilding is really sound, and it was your February article, "Contest Prep" that got me moving toward this goal.

Quick question on posing: Is there a How To Resource you recommend? It seems all of those "How To Pose" youtube videos all seem to have a slightly different take on how to do a "Most Muscular," or "Double Bicep," etc.

I'm not familiar with any.

[cphafner]

Here is one video from Layne Norton on how to pose.

http://videos.bodybuilding.com/watch/83382

There used to be a really good set of posing tutorials on bodybuilding.com, but it's about 10 years old now and I can't find them. I'll try to dig it up tomorrow.

[chevelle2291]

[Cards]

and hes back