Competition Primer Part VI

Last I left off "between shows", and now I will about "finals" or the "evening show". Remember that all of the comparisons and decisions have been made at the pre-judging; however, if your look changes (and believe me, it can), then the judges can change their minds.

The finals will start with another athlete brief a half hour before the show. This is where they will review the schedule and make changes depending on how smoothly the pre-judging ran.


It is important to attend to hear the changes, and usually they tell you how to contact the head judge if you want feedback on your physique. Here is what the head judge had to say to me in October:

Congratulations on competing in the San Francisco Championships. You looked great!!!!

First of all I just want to say that you have a great physique. You have beautiful muscle, good balance and conditioning and a nice presentation. 

What I think would benefit your placing's would be to bring up your calves and quads. You have these great wide shoulders and they overpower your low body a bit. Bring out the sweep on your outer quad and work on the calve size and you should do better.

Keep up the great work Kristy, you look amazing for any age and phenomenal for over 50!

It is also important to get feedback, if what they tell you is a surprise, then you have some serious reflection to do! We should all be very well aware of what we need to improve on, and if we don't then we have some serious head issues and perhaps need to re-think our coach or trainer. I am quite aware that I need to bring up my quads and calves, I have been for ages. That's why I write about it so much!

At the finals it is quite common in the larger shows to just have the competitors walk out, wave and stand. You really don't get to see much of them, but families and friends tend to go to the finals as they are "glitzier", there is music and an emcee and you get to see the awards being given. 

The judges do want to compare the competitors though, so they will look at them from the front and the back and the sides. It is a lot more relaxed since you just did it hours ago, and you have a feeling where you placed. Everyone looks fabulous huh?

The finals are very similar to the pre-judging but as I mentioned, the expediter will tell you at the briefing what the changes will be and as you stand at the side of the stage, he will explain how you are to come out and pose. If you have only seen finals, you would think there was very little posing or comparison going on, but it really happens at the pre-judging.

One very important award is not yet determined until the finals and that is the "overall". The competitors in this are the 1st place winners in each height category. Not the Masters (although they usually have an overall for the 35 and over), but the "open" or "unlimited". This is all ages, by height.

This is the category you need to place high in to qualify for a National show for the NPC. Placing in the top 5 will qualify you for the Jr. USA's or Team Universe; placing in the top 3 will qualify you for all other National competitions. Qualifications last for one year.

Sometimes you will see a woman go on to Nationals, and then she is back at a local show the following year. There are those who frown upon this and those who don't. One school of thought is if she placed high enough to go to Nationals, then she doesn't belong back at the Locals taking a possible qualification from someone else; or the other thought is she didn't place well enough, so she needs to re-qualify and that is the only way.

I understand the need to re-qualify, but sometimes it can be a bit discouraging.

So this is why many women who compete in an age division such as 35+, 45+ and 50+ will also compete in "unlimited", they want to qualify for Nationals. If you are in a Masters age group, I encourage you to also cross over to the "open". The satisfaction of placing when the other women are half your age is amazing! All of my trophies in the "open" have been much more exciting to me than the Masters trophies. I expect to place in Masters, but not always in Open.

Once you get to the Nationals you can then try to win your pro-card. What does a pro-card get you? You can command a higher price as a trainer or coach, you can compete for cash prizes and you can more easily pick up endorsements. 

At the finals, they will usually call out your group, you all wave and leave very quickly, then they call out the top 5. The top 5 line up and the emcee announces the 5th place, 4th place, 3rd, 2nd and 1st. As each is called out, they move to the appropriate space designated for the place winner, #1 is always in the middle! There is always a pro or previous winner there handing you your trophy and telling you where to stand if you aren't sure. They will place the trophy at your feet, it stays there until a group picture is taken then you can carefully bend down (not over) to pick it up, wave and leave the stage as a group.

The energy backstage during finals is so high, everyone is excited, upbeat and giddy with anticipation. All of the competitors have worked hard for months to get to this point, and the culmination is something not to be missed. 

At my show I had lots of treats for after finals. I finally got to meet two friends whom I had only interacted with on Facebook and this blog! Sakura and Megan! I had actually been in competitions with Megan before but we never met.  Sakura and Megan came to pre-judging and had homemade signs to cheer both me and Maria Adelus on, and they brought us bags and bags of goodies!

Above is S'mores and homemade chocolate dipped pretzels, peanut butter, chocolates...it was overwhelming to meet them and have them bring these special gifts for us! Having them there was special and just the fact that they took time to show their support helps to remind me that I can be an inspiration to others.


My good friend Stacy stopped by prior to my show and had a gift card for Opa!...Everyone knows the way to my heart- food!

After finals, each competitor can stay and watch their friends or leave. I like to sneak out into the audience and scream out their names as loudly as possible. They can hear you! It is very helpful, at least to me to hear people cheering me on, and nothing like the big deep voice shouting "GO MOM!!!" from Cooper.


There is always a famous guest poser at the finals to bring in the muscle heads. This year, and last year at the San Francisco it was Phil Heath. He patiently poses with anyone who asks. Why does he have his hands in a #1??? This is about me, not him!

By the time finals are done it is late, late, late! Some people stay in their hotel, and they may have to if the live far away. Me? I live 45 minutes away from this venue and all I want to do is go home, eat, drink and be clean.....

Champagne, Pinot Noir and a big, juicy, rare cheeseburger on sliced sourdough. Then a very long, hot shower.  

The tanning solution will swirl around your feet, dark and dirty looking and your skin will remain stained for a week or so, not in a bad way, but still tanned a bit. Then into bed, and let me tell you, bed has never felt this good.

The next morning? I was a bit blurry (as you can see so was David I guess) and we enjoy a Ramos Gin Fizz and with the addition of a sparkling wine float it becomes a Diamond Fizz!

Butts and Backs

Backs and Butts

I think that those two parts of a woman's body are stunning, absolutely beautiful. I mean look at this view, pretty nice huh?

I am on the left (in case you couldn't tell). This is the top four in the Unlimited "C" division of the 2011 NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Men's Physique and Bikini Championships. I placed third.

So many people only concentrate on the muscles they can see, the "mirror muscles". I have always loved to train glutes and back, part of this may be because my back gets wide and impressive  and I love to see the results.

My glutes? I have always had a good, round butt. Genetics. However, I still have to train it and train hard. Those little leg pulley things that people call "kick backs" might feel good, and in fact I do it sometimes too, but it won't make your glutes ride high and hard. I don't think it does anything actually. You need to perform exercises with a lot of heavy weight, just like you would for any other muscle you are trying to grow.

And, not much looks worse than a dimply, saggy, loose, fat butt.

What do I do? There is lots to do!

Wide stance squats, plie or sumo squats (stand on two raised blocks so you can go deep), hip thrusts, barbell glute bridge, sprints, reverse hypers, Good mornings, ball ham roll outs, Glute Ham Raise, kettlebell swings, running stairs, lunges, RDL's, deadlifts (all the major lifts and all squats will hit the glutes too). 

Hey! Thats' serious weigh training isn't it? And hard stuff too! You bet. You cannot grow big, beautiful muscles without lifting heavy and working hard! The cute little colored weights with the powder coating are not your friend!

I usually train back once a week and glutes once a week. Then, as I am getting closer to a competition, I will train back twice a week and incorporate the glutes into other days.

Having a strong back and strong glutes is not only pleasing to the eye, but it will help you in life. 

What a Difference a Year Makes

This is me (obviously) and Phil Heath at my last competition on October 1, 2011. Below is me (yet again, surprise) with Phil last year at a competition on October 2, 2010.

In both instances it was immediately following The Olympia, so he was in prime condition. I thought that this year, the year he won, he looked amazingly bigger on stage, and looking at these pictures, I see much bigger arms this year, although they are huge in both pictures.

I often wonder what it must feel like to have muscles this big, how it feels to move around in the world with such amazing mass. I have no desire to become this, yet I find it so fascinating. 

Think of the sheer amount of food it must take to support a metabolism such as this!  How much weight can a body this size push and move? Where does he buy clothes to fit his physique?


But a year can make a huge difference, it did for me. Here are my placings:

2011 NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding, Fitness, Men's Physique, Figure & Bikini Championships
Figure Class C 3rd
Figure Masters 50+ 1st


2010 NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships
Figure Class C 4th
Figure Masters 45+ 3rd

I placed higher in both "Open" and Masters this year! Why? I think that working with Roy really helped, I was able to sculpt my physique better. I added some size, but still not enough in the legs. We are fixing that though, we are now training three times a week instead of twice. I didn't have a trainer last year, I was completely on my own and I have always thought a trainer was a very important part of lifting and weight training, I just hadn't found the right one until now.


I have 7 months to train, to add size, to think about my new goal of competing in Women's Physique. I will need to learn to pose like a bodybuilder, I will need to design a routine.


I am looking forward to the challenge.

A Competition Primer (Part 1)

If you have never competed you won't know any of this, and if you have, it may be different as each organization runs things differently. Or you may just be curious what happens! I thought it might be helpful to understand what you need to do, prepare for and bring if you will be competing.

The competition I was just in requires the Figure and Bikini gals to check in the night prior to the competition. Some gals will buy their NPC card there. The NPC (National Physique Committee) is the amateur branch of the IFBB (International Federation of Body Building) and is the organization that sponsors the competition, you must join every year, the cost is $100.00 and it allows you to compete in any of their events and provides insurance coverage. 

So, unless you live super close, you will stay the night at the host hotel. Usually your spray tan is scheduled for that evening also, and that is why I brought my own dark blue sheets to put on hotel bed.

I keep these sheets specifically for this purpose, I bought them at goodwill. The tan can transfer off the skin and leave a very dark imprint on the white sheets, it will wash out but the hotel doesn't know that, so don't take chances that they charge you $200.00 just throw them on top of the existing sheets.

I get a fridge and microwave too, since all of my cooked chicken, beef, sweet potatoes, rice and cheesecake is here I don't want to risk getting food poisoning. I also prefer my food hot, when I eat it if I have a choice.

Friday night I was leaving my room to tan and ran into a gal at the elevator with a container of food. She was heading down to the kitchen to warm it so I invited her to my room to heat it instead. I told her I have been down to the kitchen, it was a long way down there and rather sketchy...so she came back to my room and heated her food. Her name was Jen and it was her second competition. We chatted a few times after that the following day.


I bring some magazines and books, to kill time after my tan while I dry and to read backstage as I await my turn to go out.  Once you tan you are pretty much stuck standing around naked for a while (a long while) and then wearing loose fitting dark clothing as you lounge, avoiding sun and water.

Dinner the night before the competition. Flank steak, asparagus, and a whole baked potato with lemon and pepper. I cook and weigh it all out at home and just eat in my hotel room. The food is designed for me. I get too lean and really need to add back a lot of starches, not everyone must do this. Work with a coach or a nutritionist who specializes in competitors to figure it out! 

And my homemade cheesecake...I get a piece at night and one in the morning. The pieces were small so I have three...(I ate two at night and saved one for the morning).

Breakfast Saturday morning, the same thing as dinner but no asparagus. My first competition I had room service waffles...most women will eat something like this in the morning to fill the muscles and look better.

At the registration and check in they will usually have instructions of what you need, so you have an idea of what you need before you stand in line. Here is my checklist.


There were quite a few women. I counted 1 fitness competitor (there really are very few these days); 59 Figure competitors; and 43 Bikini competitors. The female Bodybuilders are checked in the following morning with the males, they need to be weighed in, and us? They just check out height.

The classes or divisions are broken down like this:

Unlimited: Also referred to as Open. This is any age (18 and over), and is divided into heights and assigned a letter. 

Unlimited A is up to and including 5'1

Unlimited B is over 5' 1 1/2 up to and including 5' 2"

Unlimited C is over 5' 2" up to and including 5' 4"

Unlimited D is over 5' 4" up to and including 5' 5 1/2"

Unlimited E is over 5' 5 1/2" up to and including 5' 7"

Unlimited F is over 5' 7"

If the show is small they can compress the groups, check out the rules here.

Then they also have a few groups of Masters. Usually 35+ (and it is divided into just a couple heights); 45+ (usually one height); and 50+ (one height).

I compete in both Masters 50+ and Unlimited, it's called "crossover". This gives me the opportunity to compare my physique against other women of the same height, and I know most of them are younger but this is more significant to me than placing in a Masters group.

I think I look quite remarkable for a woman of 50, so I should place well. To place high in open, against much younger women really gives me a thrill.

Also, to qualify for a National show, you must place in the to 5 of an Unlimited class to qualify for the Jr. USA's or the Team Universe; and in the top 3 in an Unlimited class to compete in any other National show. (So I placed 3rd in C which makes me eligible to compete in any National level show next year!) Check the rules.

I always pre register online, or they charge you more to do it the day of the registration. I also buy my NPC card at the start of the year, I think investing the money ahead of time further cements my mind that I will be competing. Waiting until the last minute always gives you the excuse of backing out for any little reason.

So I don't have to wait in any of the lines, except to have my height checked. They hand you a slip with your height on it and when the organizer calls your group up, you bring it to the table and they check you have paid, registered and get you a number and place you on the roster.

Then of course you need to listen to them telling you what you can and cannot do. They answer questions, and make sure we all understand what will happen. Here we are all sitting like nice young women, listening carefully. Actually we are all tired, hungry, thirsty and ready to end it all!

In the NPC shows I have done, they always call up the Masters first. I hang back and try to be the very last one to be given a number. The reason is that you go out on stage in the order of your number, so the first one in line is the first one out on stage. This is not a big deal with just a few competitors, but if there are lots, then that first one is standing on the side of the stage, feet and calves cramping up, trying to suck in her stomach, holding her breath, smiling, basically it's the pits!

If you are a crossover, as soon as you get your number and your space on the Masters roster, you are added to the top of the Unlimited roster you compete in, so almost every single time I am the first in my Unlimited class on stage because not many of the women my age crossover. 

Here is my friend Maria Adelus, after we registered. The nerve of them, having this HUGE stainless steel, icy cold vat of water right outside the door! All of us had cut water either earlier in the day, or early that evening, we were thirsty, but dared not drink.

Why the water? Fluid flattens out the muscles, you looked more defined with less water in your system, less "water retention". Again not everyone does this, but the majority do. 

I start cutting at 7:00p.m. the night prior, so from 7 until 10:30pm the following night, over the next 27.5 hours, I would have approximately 5 ounces of fluid. Not much. Another reason why you should never take diuretics. Combined with cutting water, you could become extremely dehydrated and kill yourself. There is nothing pretty or sexy about death. 

After we are done, about an hour and a half later, we wandered back to our rooms, some to tan, some to eat, some to sleep. The next day would be a long one!

More to come in a few days.

Placings at the San Francisco

I am home, it's 12:45 a.m; technically Sunday morning, I am very tired, but I had to tell you how I placed at my competition!


I entered two divisions, the Figure Masters 50 and up and then Figure "unlimited" or "open" which has no age distinction, but is by height; I am in "C" which I believe is 5'2 1/2" to 5'4".


I placed 1st in the Masters 50 and up and 3rd in the C open!


The Masters is not especially significant to me, I expect to place and place high every time, as I am not your average looking 50 year old. In fact, one of the expediters was actually questioning my age tonight, I had to remind him that Masters are required to show I.D. when they show up to register, no one else does.


And in this show, there were only two in my division, so it was not much of a challenge to me.


But the open division? That is especially exciting to me! There were 8 women, and I was first in the line up as usual (not by my choice, but it is a matter of how they place the cross-overs like me). I looked down the line as we waited in the wings, it would be a tough call, they all looked stunning, and all were quite younger than me, the one closest to my age was 37.


I thought I had 4th at pre-judging, and much to my surprise, I was awarded 3rd at the finals in the evening.


Here I am enjoying my champagne, pinot noir and hot skirt steak sandwich when I got home.


Then a long hot shower and off to bed. I will write more later in the week.


Night!

Today is My Competition!

You will be seeing this on Saturday, October 1, 2011. Today is my competition. I think I look ready don't you?

Ready is not even the word for it, more like chomping at the bit. I want to do it, and I want to end it. There is so much that I enjoy, yet so much I have had my fill of.

I am looking forward to enjoying nights out eating and drinking like a regular person. Having a banana, or a mango. A ripe fig from my tree. A big juicy lamb chop.

Thursday I took the day to cook my food that I need to take with me so I have food Friday and Saturday at the hotel and the competition.

Below is some of my food. Flank steak, chicken breast, sweet potatoes, baked russets, asparagus. It all gets weighed and packaged.

See the beautiful cheesecake? I get that Friday night and Saturday morning, along with steak and a baked russet.

Stacy is stopping by Friday to snag a piece before the boys eat it all!

I almost forgot my honey bear. He is very important at a competition, you will see several of them around the room. The trick is to eat rice cakes, peanut butter and honey about 40 minutes before you step on stage, but of course, none of us know when we will step on stage, so we eat these all day long! ha ha


And my absolute favorite- Jo's dark chocolate caramel with sea salt. I get them at Peet's coffee. I will eat that backstage after finals!

I want to thank everyone for their love and support and encouragement. I have friends at work, on Facebook, from my blog, at the gym, all over the world!


In fact, there will be some people that I chat with all the time on this blog, that I have never met in person, who will be at the competition! I am excited to meet them finally. 


Although everyone is important, I do need to say a special thanks to David and Cooper. They "compete" in their own way, out of necessity not desire. They have both said they are looking forward to a regular, normal life for a while now that this will be over.


And Roy- thanks for the beautiful physique you have helped to sculpt!


I put together 11 weeks of photos, the weekly pictures of my poses so you can see them start to finish. First all the front shots, then the back, then side, it really is quite amazing to see the transformation that one body can go through so quickly. Take a moment (or 3 actually) to view it, and I found some great music to go with it!


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