Know your Fitness Federations

With more and more events in the competitive fitness industry there has never been a better time to strut your hard work on stage.

For some people stepping on stage is the final achievement of personal goals, for some a career stepping stone and for some a lifelong passion. So whatever your reasons, be sure to pick the right event for your goals and personality.

For ease of comparison I see there as being two fitness camps....one more pageant oriented and the other that see themselves as a competitive sport. The shows feel entirely different from an audience point of view but the ultimate aim, of course, is to showcase the best athletes.

I will also say, at this point, that many of the federations are also competing with each other for competitors so some degree of snobbery and favouritism are rife....so be careful who's basket you put your eggs in, and make sure it's the right one for you.

Firstly I am just going to concentrate on the events that run in the UK, as this is my native country and I know more about these ones.

Pageant Fitness Federations include:

• WBFF
• Pure Elite
• Miami Pro
• Miss Galaxy Universe

This is the WBFF , where all the competitors do exactly that...parade in all their gorgeous finery. This is a totally entertaining show, full of sass and sparkles.

When you are in the audience it feels like you're watching a show...... the lighting, background visuals, nightclub volume music (for hours and  hours). The production is high key, and impressive and the forerunner of most of the other pageant style shows that began afterwards.

Sports Federations include:

• PCA
• UKBFF
• NABBA
• IFBB
• BNBF  

This is the UKBFF, a very different beast indeed. Stripped of all the show trappings, and no distractions you just see the athletes in all their glory. 

So, if you are thinking of competing I would highly recommend going to several of the shows and checking them out for yourself. Figure out where your personality fits within the fitness industry before diving in headlong.


With new federation spin-offs popping up all the time it shows that this is a growing industry with a massive fanbase and it's here to stay!

I'll be following up with more in depth look at each federation, including rules, how they judge and their individual bikini preferences....

Bikini fit - The 5 minute boob job for competitors

Part of being a bikini designer is fitting, cutting and sometimes stuffing. Ultimately my job is to use all my couture making skills to make a bikini that enhances the body. Sometimes this means hiding flaws with clever pattern cutting....and using enhancing techniques without going overboard.

One of the things I'm really keen on as a designer is correct fitting. No matter how much bling you have on your bikini poor fitting can leave you uncomfortable and exposed on stage.

We're all familiar with this feeling...

Do not worry if you have natural boobs. There are many ways of padding and fleshing out your bikini. But what you need to do first it get the right size. Buying a cupped bikini 2 or 3 sizes too big and relying on chicken fillets will do you no favours at all come show day!

Make sure your bikini designer creates a balanced bra for you, you can go for the cup size that fits you now and pad it up or go down a cup size from the get-go. This small cup with underwires and moderate padding fits Kat's delicate frame perfectly. A bigger cup or heavier decoration might have overwhelmed her overall balance.

Kat Freeman, Miami Pro wearing a bikini by Miss C.

 Triangle cups are perfect for smaller busts because you can bikini bite them down on all sides and stuff them.....

Since Stephanie Phillips has already made a great video on how to stuff your bikini to give yourself a 5 minute boob job I'll just leave this here:

Nail your first bikini competition

10 Top Tips from bikini competitors

 

Bikini competitors, November 2015 UKBFF Model Division, Chingford Assembly Hall

10 - Go see lots of shows across federations 

Nowadays there are a whole host of federations that serve whatever style of fitness you are into, and new one's turning up all the time. It's really worth going along to a few competitions as a spectator to get a feel for where they are all at because one of them will be a more perfect fit than others.

9 -  Decide what you want to look like

You should make all the decisions about what you want your final body to look like, to truly walk on stage with confidence. You should discuss this with your coach, and keep an eye on achievable goals without doing harm to your body or mental health.

8 - Get a coach you trust 


It is true that you can prep yourself, but a good coach that you trust will have your back all the way. When you can't face chicken any more, your strength has sapped and you are at the end of your mental tether (yes...you will have those days!) your coach is there to help you push yourself through that wall. Not only that but a great coach will never let you do something harmful to yourself and won't let you get on stage unless you are totally ready.

7 - Organize yourself 

Mark Spitz's quote "If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail." rings true for almost every important situation, and competing is no different. With competitions becoming so popular there is a possibility you won't get to compete at all unless you enter well in advance, it also gives you a deadline to focus on. Make sure you read the rules with regards to your suit, heels and jewellery....some federations have been known to turn competitors away for not having appropriate attire.The run up to competition day is busy, especially for the make up artists, tanners and hair dressers, do not expect them to be able to serve you on the day without booking them well in advance. Hotels also tend to get booked up quickly, especially at any finals, so make sure you're sorted not stressed out.

6 - You cannot practice posing enough!

Not a truer word said, posing practice will  help you understand how to utilize and show your body off to it's best and impress the judges with your stage presence. Even when you are lacking confidence inside (lets face it...it isn't easy to stand on a stage in front of a crowd in a bikini and heels) you need to project ease and comfort as if this stage malarkey is something you do every day. There are plenty of posing coaches that offer group classes or one on one tuition, so there is no excuse to squirm when you hit that stage. 

 

5 - Your competition survival kit

• needle and thread, double sided tape, safety pins
• liquid, water
• headache tablets
• music
• prepped food
• small treats
• bikini bite

4 - Don't compare yourself to others

Don't do your head in comparing yourself to other competitors. Ultimately you have no idea exactly what the judges are looking for, and you have no control over it...you only have control over yourself. So don't waste your energy doing it. 

3 -  Take some music to focus on

Everyone has different ways of tempering the nervous excitement, or anxious doubt that can creep in competition day. Music can be a great way to block out the crowd so you can focus on what you have to do.
 
2 - Don't worry about the result

It's really hard not to feel the sting of disappointment if you don't get a call out or walk off with a trophy, but don't let it overwhelm you. Use it to motivate where you go from there, what improvements you want to make or whether that is the end of your competition journey....only you can decide. 
 
1 - Don't gorge on food afterwards

 Straight after the competition is a stampede to get back to the car or hotel to get fed. Competition day is a really tiring day, especially if you are in one of the last categories, and it is tempting to celebrate by gorging on rich food you have denied yourself for weeks....don't! Your body is no longer used to processing such complex foods and you could actually make yourself ill. Be sensible, treat yourself, but don't go bonkers and get your fluids back up. You'll feel better for it.

  *** ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE***