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Cutting the Cost of Competing

9/20/2015

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Helpful Tips to Put a Trophy in Your Hand and Money Back in Your Pocket

So you’ve decided to do a bodybuilding contest?  Whether you are planning to compete as a bodybuilder, figure, fitness or one of the new divisions, there is something you really need to know.  It ain’t cheap!!!!  Here is a list of what you need and possible ways to cut corners and possibly save a few bucks.

Cost of Training:

Currently as of this writing Donnie, my husband and personal trainer charges $50 per 30 minute session in Olympia, WA.  Posing, nutrition and/or personal training are additional costs that can range from $50 - $250.  These are all part of contest prep.  In Seattle, Los Angeles or any other large city the costs are much higher.

Cost Saving Tip:

You can always do this on your own but I highly recommend if this is your first time to hire someone to instruct you on the in’s and out’s contest prep.  You don’t want to be the one on stage having people say “What were they thinking?  Didn’t anyone tell them they aren’t ready or show them how to pose?”  All of this is very individual and you can’t learn it from a muscle magazine or book.

Entry Fee: (required)

This varies according to the contest and location.  The Emerald Cup this year charged $109.50.  The Oregon State charged $85.  This year the Masters Nationals in Pittsburgh charged $200 per entry.

NPC Membership Card: (required)

I only compete in NPC sanctioned events so I can’t speak of other associations.  Currently the NPC charges $120 per year.  You need the card to compete.  This card is only good for the calendar year.  At most shows you can buy your card when you check in but at the Nationals you must have your card registered in the NPC computer prior to your check in. 

Posing Suit:

You need at least one posing suit.  You need to order this early.  It can take at least 2 weeks and as long as 12 weeks to get it made depending on from who you order it.  Good suits are custom made to your measurements.  You do not want to wear a baggy or bad fitting suit on stage after all your dieting and hard work.  Suits are not cheap either.  Men’s posing trunks are priced around $25 to $75.  Women’s suits depend on whether they are plain or totally blinged out with 5 pounds of rhinestones.  A plain suit can be as little as $85 to the high end Rolls Royce model of $2000.  Also you will need two to three suits if possible.  Men need one for pre judging and one fancier for the evening finals show.  Women should have 3 suits, 2 that are jeweled and one plain suit for posing practice.  You don’t want to wear a jeweled suit to posing practice because process of taking them on and off causes the jewels to become loose and come off.  The second jeweled suit is a backup suit in case something happens to the one you are planning to wear.  Accidents always seem to happen when you least expect it.

Cost Saving Tip:

Buy a plan suit and add your own rhinestones.  This can save you between $100 to $500, depending on how complicated your design is plus how many stones you plan to add.  For your first suit I suggest you order a suit made with the glitter velvet which already has sparkle.  Then just add rhinestones around the edges.  This will still take a few hours to accomplish but you soon learn why they charge so much for the bling.  It is not so much the cost of the stones but the amount of labor and skill involved.

Shoes:

Figure, Bikini and Fitness competitors will need clear 5 inch heels.  They must conform to the association standards.  They can be ordered online and run from $40 to $75. 

Hotel:

Unless you are doing a local show and are a short driving distance to the contest location you will need to stay at a hotel.  The contest promoter usually is able to get a group rate at a hotel that is located close to the contest location.  Book early because the big shows fill up fast.  For example the Emerald Cup is usually in April.  If you don’t book by end of February you will be in the overflow hotel.  If you wait until April you might not be able to find a room anywhere close.  Depending on the show you may have to stay 2 to 3 nights.  If it is a 2 day show like the Emerald Cup or Masters Nationals with both you and your husband doing the show you will be staying 3 nights, guaranteed!

  • Emerald Cup – Courtyard by Marriott, Bellevue, WA - $134 per night
  • Oregon State – Courtyard Portland Hillsboro, Hillsboro, OR - $119 per night
  • Masters Nationals – Sheraton Station Square Hotel, Pittsburgh, PA - $183 per night

You don’t have to stay at the Host hotel but there are many advantages.  You will see all your competition and friends.  The spray tan service is usually either in the same hotel or very close.  The restaurant in the hotel usually has a special bodybuilding menu planned so you don’t have to worry about food.

Cost Saving Tip:

I strongly recommend that your first show be a small local show.  That way you don’t need to spend the money for a hotel and be sure to pack everything that might be needed. 

Tanning:

You will need a coat or two of fake tan.  Don’t overlook this part.  Us pale skins will look like a ghost on stage and if you are a person of color (any color!) you will look gray.  Stage lights take the red out of your skin.  If you’ve ever done a school play and remember how much make up had to put on you might have an idea of what I mean.  Having one of the companies that are available at the show spray tan you is the best way to go.  Yes, it costs $125 but it is worth it.  They will touch you up prior to going on stage and also glaze you. 

Cost Saving Tip:

Alternative to the spray tan service is to buy tanning product and apply it yourself.  This is not just the lotion that you buy at the grocery store.  It is a specialized product specifically made for competition such as Jan Tana or Pro Tan.  These run about $20-$40 per bottle.  Good luck at getting it on evenly everywhere.  You will also need someone to do it for you because there will be places you can’t reach or see.  During the contest you will then have to do your own prior to hitting the stage.  And all of this while you’re trying to pump up too.

Hair and Makeup:  (for us girls only)

These are totally optional.  They run about $100 for each session.  Which means if you do both it costs $200.  They are usually conveniently located in the same hotel or may come to you.  So you pay for the service.

Cost Saving Tip:

Book an appointment with your hairdresser and get a good cut.  A good cut is 80% of a hair style.  You can then have your hairdresser instruct you on how to style your hair for the show.

Makeup depends on how familiar you are with stage makeup.  Don’t forget the fake eyelashes.  Learn how to put them on.  You can go to the department store such as Macy’s and have one of the makeup artists show you how to put on your makeup the stage.  Just ask around first and make an appointment so you won’t have to wait around during the rush hour at the mall.  The most you will have to do is buy something.  It’s only fair.

Photos and Video:

At almost all the contests there is a photographer.  They will be doing portraits and stage photos.  Be sure to order before so you will be sure to get your appointment and make sure the photos are taken while you are on stage.  You won’t be in this shape again for awhile so photos are always good.    Mark Mason is the photographer for the Emerald Cup and many shows around the Northwest.  His prices are usually $40 for each set of photos, prejudging, portraits or evening finals.  He also has videos you can order of either the prejudging or finals.

Cost Saving Tip:

Get a close friend or relative with a really good camera to follow you around.  They won’t be able to get back stage but between prejudging and the evening finals there is usually about 4 hours you can get good shots around the contest location.  If the weather is good outside is always best. 

Join a Team:

This is very helpful to learn the ropes and have a great support system.  The cost depends on the team you join.  If you join a team affiliated with Whetstone Fitness it’s included with your gym membership (aka FREE).  If you join a team that is affiliated with a professional fitness, figure or bodybuilder it will incur a cost depending on the team and the price is much higher.

In our team we have been known to loan our extra suits or sell our old one.  We are able to give tips on the best vendors to purchase a suit according to our personal experience.  We help each other during the show to glue each other’s butts in, remind you it’s your turn up on stage and any other help when needed.  This is really great for first timers and lets you know you are not alone in this.

I hope this helps take the mystery out of what you need for your first competition.  Its fun and is worth every minute of the adventure. And good luck and much success!! 

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Contest Prep Check List

4/29/2014

1 Comment

 
Whether you are doing your first show or you are an old pro, checks lists are necessary so you don’t forget anything while packing, especially when you're brain dead from all the cardio and dieting.

There has always been something we have forgotten from those extra sheets so you don’t get an extra fee tacked onto your hotel bill for tan product stained sheets, to making that spray tan appointment at the last minute.  Plus it’s not so easy trying to locate or buy that one thing you need when you get there, toothpaste is one thing but 5 inch acrylic heels are something else!

Some things listed are probably obvious but to create a complete list they have been included here.

  • Train and Diet (of course)
  • Cardio, cardio and more cardio
  • Register for contest
  • Reserve your hotel room (ask about refrigerator and microwave in room, you might have to request one)
  • Get tickets for family and/or spouse
  • Make appointment for spray tan
  • Make appointment for hair and makeup if needed
  • Make appointment with photographer if needed
  • Practice your posing
  • Record/mix your music
  • Order your posing suit plus a backup (if you can afford it)
  • (this could be as much as 12 weeks out depending on who you order from and amount of custom work you want done)
  • Start tanning if needed
  • Shave legs, arms, arm pits and other :-) areas as needed.
  • Note weight in/check in times
  • Google or MapQuest both hotel and contest site so you don’t get lost  (GPS is great too!)
  • READ everything the promoters send you which includes any last minute changes or instructions!!!!!
  • Be on time!

Pack for hotel

  • Sheets (tan comes off on hotel sheets, bring your own)
  • Towels (same as above and for shower afterwards)
  • Cooler with food needed (check with your trainer)
  • Electrolyte drinks for after contest (helps with water retention afterward)
  • Supplements (check with your trainer)

Pack bag to bring to Contest

(small gym back for bodybuilders or small rolling bag for Figure or Fitness competitors)

  • NPC Card (if you already bought it for the calendar year)
  • Driver's license to prove age if masters or teen divisions
  • Cash for miscellaneous
  • Wear loose clothes for cover-up (tie waist) so not to leave marks and after spay tan
  • Posing suits
  • Small towel/wipes
  • Electrolytes for cramping  (my favorite it Nuun)
  • Gum or Hard candy to suck on to prevent “cotton mouth”
  • Food for carb loading back stage (check with your trainer)
  • Plastic utensils if you don’t want to eat with hands
  • Plastic storage bags (all sizes for food, dirty suits, etc.)
  • Resistance bands (pump up weights may not be available)
  • Comfortable shoes, flip-flops
  • Dental Floss (to get those carbs off your teeth prior to getting on stage)
  • Chapstick/Vaseline  (for dry lips and teeth, Keep Smiling!)
  • Lotion to even out tan streaks
  • Routine music (for bodybuilding and fitness competitors only)  plus back up music if the first one doesn’t play
  • Digital music player (and charger)
  • Cell phone and charger
  • Camera
  • Change of clothes for after show party
  • Props (if needed)

Optional Items (if you plan to do it yourself)

  • Couple pairs of latex gloves
  • Hot stuff oil/posing oil
  • Extra tanner & extra sponges, dish

Additional for Female Competitors

  • Bikini Bite, double sided lingerie tape, or Jobst It Stays (my favorite)
  • Heels (Figure and Fitness)
  • Blow dryer
  • Bronzing powder
  • Brush
  • Clothes and shoes for photo shoots
  • Curling iron and/or flat iron
  • Extra crystals with fabric glue
  • False eyelashes and glue
  • Hair clips of all shapes and sizes
  • Hair spay
  • Kleenex and/or paper towels
  • Jewelry
  • Makeup
  • Makeup remover
  • Mirror (you may not be able to get to a mirror to check makeup and hair)
  • Nail polish and remover pads (clear coat if french tip gets stained from tan)
  • Needle/thread/safety pins
  • Razors



1 Comment

    Author

    Diane Whetstone is an active over 60 year old that has been competing over 20 years in bodybuilding, power lifting and now figure competition. She has placed in the top 5 of the NPC Masters Nationals. She is determined to become the oldest active figure competitor. “Fitness is my passion and inspiring others is my goal.”

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Whetstone Fitness
1212 Black Lake Boulevard SW
Olympia, WA 98502
(360) 956-3400
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