Comp Prep Guide

Carolina Walesiak explains in detail what you need for your bikini competition, how much everything costs, and some great ideas on how and where to save money.

Hi guys, Im going to run through the basic things that you would need to compete in a bikini fitness competition.

I'm currently 12 weeks out from my next show. I'm starting to think about things that I need to purchase, planning ahead of time, making sure I have everything so I'm not scrambling around last-minute trying to find these things. I made a pretty lengthy list which I divided it into two parts.

The first thing you're going to need is a gym membership. Some people may think that they prefer to do it at home. If you have a home gym, that’s great but personally I get more motivated when I am physically in a gym as the environment helps and I just can't imagine training from home.

I do live in an apartment, so creating an ‘at-home’ gym would be virtually impossible for me, there's not much space for that. I just go to the gym and get my workouts done.

As I said though, if you do have an at-home gym and it has more equipment, you might be able to manage without getting a gym membership. I think most of us would require a gym membership.

Price-wise what you'd probably looking at is about CAD $10- $15 here in Toronto. I know there are $10 gyms that have minimal equipment and some other gyms that have more extensive equipment. There are cheaper gym options, you don't have to be spending a $100 per month on your membership.

Do explore to see what's going to work best for you. Some people prefer something closer to them than price. So whatever works for you, I would recommend signing up for the gym if you do want to compete.

The second thing is a pretty obvious thing but I feel like it is something I do want to go over just because it is an expense that does add up. It would be food. You will be eating lots of protein which tends to be a little bit more costly than any other food.

Normally, I think I spend roughly around $150 to $200 per month on my food. I am 12 weeks out so I am eating more food than I will be when I’m closer to show date. I am spending a little bit more but the cost may decrease a little closer to show time. It all depends on your diet. I would give a ballpark figure of $100- $200 per month for food.

If you are living at home with your family and they're not really into the healthy dieting you will realize quickly how much you will be spending on your own food. It might be a little bit shocking for some at first which is why I did want to cover that as an expense.

You do want to prepare for proper nutrition because it is one of the main aspects along with working out in order to reach fitness competition physique.

The third thing is optional, I know some people have come up to me and asked me whether I decided to go with a coach or without one. I have personally hired a coach. I work with her, she designs my workouts, lets me know what my macros are which is basically the amount of food I can eat per day, amount of carbs, fats and proteins. That's what my coach does for me and it does work for me.

I have been working out for a couple of years prior to deciding to compete so, I know the basics of workouts and healthy eating. However, I feel competing and an actual fitness competition is a totally new ball game so I wanted someone more experienced, someone who knows what she's doing.

I just like having the guidance of somebody informing me of different stages of prep. I believe that it motivates you to not fall off track, when there's somebody that you're paying that expects the results from you that you're expecting. I think that you do tend to stick to it a little better than just doing it on your own.

Maybe you would second-guess yourself or just not go through with it, so I feel like once you hire a trainer it's a commitment you have to get through it and that's what works with me.

Once again, it's not something you necessarily need but if you are fairly new to competing or you have been training but it’s you're first competition I would strongly recommend doing a research on this.

Finding a coach that has the same goals for you as you imagine and you don't want to be stuck with a coach that's starving you on a diet that doesn't consist of enough calories or anything like that.

So, do your research, maybe look into who they have trained in the past, ask other competitors how they liked their coaching and just get a feel for it before you decide who you want to hire. I definitely feel is that more expensive does not always mean better quality.

Next, would be hiring a trainer or a posing coach. My coach also does the posing with me so I have never hired a posing coach but if you are doing your first competition and you want more practice, I would strongly recommend hiring somebody to do the posing with you.

For a cheaper and more communal option, I know Federations do also offer posing sessions. They offer them a little more frequently this year than in the past and it's just great to get an idea of what is expected of your Federation and how the poses should look like and just gives you more comfort for the day of competition.

General Comp Prep Cost Prep Guide For Beginners