All...I have been thinking about doing two shows this year, somewhat close together, in the fall. Since I have only done 2 shows, and they weren't back to back, I have some concerns.

First, the most annoying thing about competing for me, is color. I am really white off season and have to tan a ton and put on a ton of color. I hate it.

Question #1: How do you veterans deal with color for back to back shows?

Second, I hear from friends that it's a big mental strain after the first show, knowing you can't cheat because you have another one coming up in a few weeks.

Question #2: How do you prepare mentally?

Any tips would be cool, I know a lot of you have done multiple shows.

Thanks.

Dwayne

No matter how close your shows are, try to get as much color off as possible and apply new coats for the show. That way you avoid any blotchy spots. In terms of cheating, I always go the night of the show and have a nice dinner (usually pizza etc.) and maybe splurge some the next morning for breakfast, but then go right back to the diet. That usually takes care of cravings, plus it never hurt me for the next show, even when I did one right the next weekend.

The Home Of Champions - www.dasgym.com

I am with Rainer.

Do the first show. Have a meal that night of what you want. Sunday or the next day back on the diet.

A Louva (sp?) sponge works great to take off the die. Baby oil may help take it off as well. Like Rainer said get as much off as is possible.

Mentally see the first as a warm up. The second as the real show. This way you are not planning to break the diet after show one but instead focussing on being further prepared for the second.

I found doing two shows easier than I had thought. Not that it was real easy, just not as hard as I thought.

Good luck!

Ray

Dwayne: I have done my shows back-to-back usually with 1 week between them. Last Fall my shows were 2 weekends in a row. So, that was 'new' for me. On the cheat meal, Mark R. advised me to make it a good, heavy cheat for the night after the show, and maybe even pancakes or something on Sunday. Then right back on diet. I didn't eat enough following the 1st Sat. night show - and I ended up bottomed out, flat, weak, shaky leading into the next weeks contest prep.

On Color.. ugh.. it was awful to get most if not all the dye off in less than 3-4 days until I needed to dye again. I used cheap shampoo and baby oil and scrubbed with a sea sponge and then heavily moisturized so I didn't peel like a snake. It helped so I didn't go into the next show all splotchy and blotchy. I also moisturized heavily after applying each coat of tanning dye. For me, also, color is the worst part of contest prep!

Sulcop is the expert on back-to-back shows. He did three last year and finished very high in each. He had some threads regarding the best way to deal with the carb -loading and related issues. Do a search for back-to-back or look up sulcops posts from the late summer early fall 2003 timeframe. You will find some good advice there.

VA MadDog

I am also doing two shows within 2 weeks this year (the Northern and the Battle of Champions). My main concern is the dietary aspect since I don't need that much color. Can anyone offer advice and/or link me to Sulcop's posts?

Lats I knew they were still posted. I think we ended with about 3 pages of stuff between VA, ETX Broch...etc. Lots of good advise there but I'll do a quick review.

Color: I used protan for the first show and was still blochy after scrubbing myself to death for a week so for show #2 I used my usual 7 coats of protan and then dream tan. I used the dream tan the nigh before, slept in it and reapplied in the am and went to the venue. I used hot stuff applied with a airbrush (I build modles) and my color and sheen were the best ever. For show #3 I figured I would cut back on the protan to 3 coats and just the AM dream tan and was not dark enough. From now on for back-to-back shows I will use only approcah #2.

Minerals/water: I looked good for the muscle mania (show #1) but cramped that night. I was full and hard in the Am but flat and softer for the overall pose down. I cut water too much and not enough carbs. For show two we started with the maddog cocktail (1/2 carboplex, 2 scoops glutamine select and 1 teaspoon salt) and I was hard for the AM. VA and others suggested I drink more and I did... about a gallon after prejudge, and I had no carbs but extra salt. Again I bloated for the overall posedown. The last show I did the exact same as week #2, BUT kept the fluids to around 32 oz or so and also had some carbs and no extra salt. Result, by the night show I looked my all time best and never bloated. Between shows I did the potassium taper as outlined for a 165# male, and tapered down after each show arriving at the the start ammount on Wednesday, as outlined. I did not cut water until Friday night and did my carb up meal on Wed night and again on Friday night (I think this was Jasons reccomendation) and that worked well.

Pumping: None for the last show, and that worked best.

On doing three shows back-to-back... NEVER AGAIN! I will do them as close as possable, but from now on I'll try to keep at least two weeks to recover fully betewwn them. This is mostly a mental thing. Its hard getting ready that lst week, and doing it once is hard enough, but knowing you have two more... its like being on the 25 reps of a 50 rep set of full squats and knowing you have 25 more to go and you just dont know how you will make it.

Advice: Use this board to your advantage, lots of support here and remember no matter what its just bodybuilding its not real life. Do not get too caught up in it because in 5 years no one but you will remember it anyway, so just try to enjoy the challenge and have fun.

Sully