The Truth About Bodybuilding Competitions
Thinking of joining the ranks of bodybuilding competitors? Maybe you’re just a fan and want to know more. First off I would have to say that competing as a bodybuilder is a lot of work. It’s much more work than your weekly routine at the gym. First you must prepare yourself mentally for what it is about to occur and what you will prepare your body to do. Your workouts will have to change as well as your diet. The rumors you may have heard are correct, you eat so much chicken and turkey that you’d swear you’re about to sprout feathers. A day or two before the show you will need to decrease your fluid intake to no more than three cups of water a day, I mean three literal cups, measured cups. All this may not sound hard until you try it. You would be surprised how much you miss water until you can no longer chug-a-lug it by the gallon. Your mind begins to get fuzzy, you cannot think properly, and you long for the days when you could sleep through your alarm clock blaring. You cannot train as heavily as the off-season and your strength is a thing of the past. You have to pose your body every day for about an hour which doesn’t sound difficult until you find yourself sweating after only five minutes.
The day of the show will be a stressful one, remembering your routine, your posing, and the correct balance of carb-loading. I can remember sitting around the breakfast table at the local diner with my friends the morning of a show, we all ordered pancakes with plenty of butter and syrup. I devoured my plate before the others could even start and then I got to sit and watch them pass the orange juice, coffee, and pitchers of ice water all without even a sip! Even the thought of it is making me thirsty.
Then there is the issue of your tan. It goes way beyond the concept of self-tanners, it’s more like spreading roofing tar all over your body complete with the smell and stickiness. You have to be dark enough so your muscles 
will stand out on stage but you can easily overdo it and look like a complete fool. Any clothing you put on after your tanning cream will be completely ruined, it never completely washes out and the smell will last for years.
Back stage you will meet some really nice people. For the most part the competitors are friendly and helpful although there are always the ones that carry the competitive thing too far and won’t give you the time of day. One show I did there was a guy who was getting ready to go out and they held him back and said he wouldn’t be allowed to go on stage until he stopped his arms from leaking. Yes, leaking. His arms were leaking “Pump and Pose” in a sort of pussy, bloody mixture. I can remember thinking, wow, that can’t be good for you.
Once on stage, it is quite exhilarating. The crowd cheers with each strike of a pose egging you on for more. As you look out you can see the faces of amazement, those that with all the hard work in the world will never be able to look like you. There are also fellow competitors out there who clap because they know how hard you’ve worked and they support you.
Then your eyes meet the panel of judges. They look, they scrutinize, they squabble. If it’s a close call between you and one or more competitors they may have you pose and repose for what will seem like hours. Just be careful not to slip on your pool of sweat lurking below. I can remember receiving a mailing from the NPC stating that the judges wanted the women to have more curves, to look more feminine, and a bit more softness. Yet time and time again the winner of the show will always be the biggest, freakiest, and most shredded. There’s also a bit of politics in the judging, why don’t you look so surprised?
Overall I would say that it is a great learning experience. Your body will do things you never thought possible, some favorable and some not so favorable. For me it was hard because I wasn’t competitive enough for the sport. I would look around on the stage and say every single person here worked hard and we are all winners. It was good for me because I had previously been completely stripped of my self esteem. Yet my self esteem was quickly brought to life the moment I stood on stage in front of an auditorium full of people wearing nothing but an outfit that could fit inside a zip-lock sandwich bag! Looking back it was an interesting chapter in my life, one that has brought a wealth of knowledge and information. Today I am glad to have that chapter closed, having no desires for future competitions but rather helping, teaching, and sharing with others all the things I’ve learned.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Hi Michele,
My name’s Eric and I just want to say that I have all the deepest and greatest respect for you and your proud career in bodybuilding to the fullest. Not only that you were one of the most ripped and muscular among your peers but also one of the most beautiful and respected also. I’ve been a huge fan of women’s bodybuilding for many years now and your proud ladies are more than impressive physiques you are also real people with real jobs and with real families to support as well.
I see you and your sport as a great inspiration to people like me who had beaten the odds and become champions of our own lives. Having overcoming brain damage since birth to graduate from school on time and now enjoying a successful life of my own but wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my family and friends who were there with me ever since the beginning.
Well Michele I hope that you read this letter and know that you have earned my respect as a great fan of yours and even though you retired a while back your legend still grows everyday. have a great summer and feel free to write me at xxxxxx@msn.com and god bless you and your family.
Eric Isaac
Washington DC
June 13th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Hi Eric ~
First off, I would like to thank you for the beautiful comment you left. It’s nice to know that there are people out there that actually “get it”. It’s not really about what you do but how you do it. There are a lot of people who do not approve of female bodybuilding and they may even sneer at the sight of it. What they do not realize is that it’s only about half physical, the other half is mental. It’s the feeling you feel within, it’s the happiness you experience when you take control of your body, when you form, fix, and restructure your physique, it’s the feeling of power you gain by achieving new strength. This mental and physical concept encompasses more than just weight training, it involves every aspect of our lives each and every day. It’s our physical health, our mental health, the way we treat our family, our friends, and our neighbors, it’s how we perform our jobs, and it’s how we measure our success. We are all faced with trials and tribulations every day, some become swallowed up in self pity and fail to give an ounce of effort. Others emerge from the seeming destruction, dust themselves off, only to give everything they’ve got to get a minute distance on the road to recovery. Some trials are more difficult than others and the situation may sometimes feel helpless but I’ve never met a person I would condemn for trying their very best.
It sounds like you’ve overcome your obstacles in a successful way and you are to be commended. The truth is, you are the inspiration, you’ve proven that if you work hard and don’t give up, you will be rewarded.
~ Michele
June 25th, 2007 at 1:00 am
Michelle..I am an amateur BB and I have competed 8 times and hope to do so in the future…I am 56 and still in shape..preparing for my next show march 2008….I like to see your pics of your shows and is nice you keep guiving advice …I like very much the peak of your biceps and your over all simetry….I live in Mexico and I love the way the web bring us so much information fast …good luck God Bless you
July 25th, 2007 at 1:46 am
I’m surprised to hear that you weren’t competitve enough for BB, when I think you had/ have one of the most outstanding physiques I have ever seen. I’m sure it takes a great deal of effort to get so ripped, have you any photos of what you look like know, and what would persuade you to get back on stage.
July 5th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Wow Michele,
you are a true champion, in how you approached the sport and how you see it. I have done few competitions myself, agree entirely with the selfexperience you describe, what it does & takes mentally, and how the whole thing is about ‘inside out’ rather than ‘outside in’. Your decision to retire early, -way before you peaked in the sport- is equally accepted as regretted, -because you are a real champion that is as such required to form the direction of the -marketing compromised- sport as such.
I know what I am talking about, been in the sport, have done commercial things like launching Gold’s Gym in Germany and Better Bodies when I was young, and been a reknown marketing capacity since then in the wider world of FMCG.
It needs Personalities like you to stick with the competitive sport, to lead the way..
All my respect to you, as an athlete, personality, and rolemodel. For who can see through the sparkles of the moment, you are a beacon for the longterm heading of things..
sincerely
Stefan Laux
September 28th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I have been following your bodybuilding path quite closely, and when i first saw you, I was quite sure that i was looking at a future Ms olympia. What happened ? You suddenly disappeared from the scene. Is there any remote plans to come back into the bodybuilding scene ?