Hi all! I have been on this board lurking for a while, and have even posted alittle here and there. I have been into fitness since i was really young. Just to give you alittle background, i am 26 yrs. old, i weigh about 126 and am about 17% bf. I'm 5'5". I'm really muscular in my legs, not as much on top. I have 4 children (all under 6 yrs.) and have had this "secret" ambition since i was 18 to compete. My question is, how do you get started in this? Do oyu get sponsered? Do oyu have to work w/ a couch? What is the competition like? Do you have to have a gymnastic/dance background? Are there any contest where a preformance is NOt required? I would love to talk w/ someone who can give me some insight on this subject. I can try to post some pics for whoever to get a critiquing (if this can ever be possible). I live in upstate NY and want to eat clean and work out hard. I can dedicate all winter to prepping (hubby is home). This is somehting that i REALLY want to do before my time is up.

Thanks for listening and sorry for all the questions, but if i want to ask anyone for info, i know THIS is DEFINETLY the place!! you guys are awesome!!

Cortney

p.s......feel free to e-mail me at nichpartyof6@yahoo.com

Hi Cortney - I'm sure that you will have many people respond to your questions. Finding a good coach or advisor will be very helpful to you. BI will provide no cost nutritional counseling for you if you send them a client questionaaire which you can down load from the main BI web site. That would be a good starting point for your nutrition plan.

Hopefully you can hook up with one or more of our female members here who will give you some insight into what type of show you might be interested in entering. The figure competition probably has the least "routine" or posing out of the three alternatives - BBing, Fitness/Figure, but in any of them you are "on display" and need to practice your presentation.

Good luck in meeting your goals and let us know how we can help you as you form a plan of action.

Hi Cortney. I'll try and answer some of your ?. First, no you dont need to have a sponsor (I dont-but would like too) It can get fairly expensive. No, you dont have to have a coach. I do bb, there is an individual posing routine-but no dance or gymnastics is required. There are all levels of competitions from beginners to pros, it all depends on wqhat federation you go with and what competition you enter. You have come to the right place to get good info. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

mprice631@hotmail.com

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where in upstate are you? im in lake placid. if you are in the albany area, aram from the board here helped me and many others here. hes great..a real kind hearted gentleman! i m planning the NPC green mountain in vermont in may, im unsure if they have figure. usbf does a show in plattsburgh that has figure divisions about the same time. i think im judging that one. i m not sure how close those are for you...

Courtney - I wanted to clarify something. When I suggest finding a good coach or advisor that does not necessarily mean hiring someone for that role, although that is one option. You may be fortunate enough to find one or more coach/mentors that will give you some guidance just to help a fellow fitness enthusiast meet their goals. People who are personal trainers, etc and do that for a living need and deserve to be paid, others may be able to offer help as an extension of thier own fitness activities which are separate from thier profession.

I think that Mussy would agree that having access to one or more people who have the right experience and are able to share that knowledge effectively is important and very helpful.

Sydney,

Congratulations on your venture into the world of competition!

I got started (always wanted to do it...I would walk around the house as a really young kid posing...would drive my parents nuts ) by attending a seminar about bodybuilding/figure contests. I actually jumped into my first one 6 weeks out...

I did not have a coach, nor a trainer (but it helps that I was one at the time), but picked peoples' brains, and got on the internet and did tons of research.

Since then, I have still done the same thing, but for my next contest (I am making the switch to BB), I have a judge working with me every Saturday on my posing and routine. He has been super and is doing it all for free. It might not hurt to ask around and see if anyone has anything to offer. Lots of people in this sport enjoy helping others b/c the resources are so limited. It is amazing how many people come out of the woodwork willing to help once they know what you are doing.

Many figure contests are just quarter turns, so that makes it pretty "simple" as far as a routine goes.

I would try to get to a show to see what the competitors do...maybe after the show one or two may chat with you...

Good luck and feel free to e-mail me!

Tricia

Yes Va, I do agree. I havnt ever been able to afford a trainer but have had great advice and pointers from others who compete. Alot of people are willing to help with posing, training tips etc if you ask.

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Originally posted by Tammy Patnode:

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where in upstate are you? im in lake placid. if you are in the albany area, aram from the board here helped me and many others here. hes great..a real kind hearted gentleman! i m planning the NPC green mountain in vermont in may, im unsure if they have figure. usbf does a show in plattsburgh that has figure divisions about the same time. i think im judging that one. i m not sure how close those are for you...

I live in Schenectady, it's close to albany. I don't know where to look for contest or if i would even qualify, or where to find someone to help me. thats my main problem (see, pretty much CLUELESS).

Sydney-

I graduated from Siena College...up there in NY State. Spent many a night in Schenectady!

Try looking at the different organizations websites for contests. You can also try a search on bodybuilding.com. They have a contest database. You can also try some local gyms and/or supplement distributors.

Good luck and have fun in your new venture!

T-

Sydney - Send Aram a PM. He is very busy right now with work but he will get back to you. He lives in the area and can point you in the right direction.

The INBF(exercisegroup.com), NGA(Naturalmuscle.com) and USBF(usbf.net) all have a lot of shows up there in the Upstate NY area, you would just have to check the list for banned substances and make sure that you have not taken as the INBF doesn't allow 7-Keto Products!!

Tee; I also graduated from Siena College, 2003. When did you graduate?