Training for NPC Bikini

Hi everybody! What a great community I've stumbled upon here. Looks like a wonderful resource.

I've been weight training for a few years sort of half-heartedly and after going through a recent divorce, I've decided to step it up and put my energy into this and take it to the next level. I have a lot of work to do but I know I can do anything I put my mind and heart into, I'm just not sure where to start though!

I've been doing a lot of research and have a read a ton of interviews with female body building competitors which has been helpful, but the problem is that most of what I am finding is about women who are competing for the figure or fitness divisions. I'm curious what might be different about training for the bikini division? Specifically, will the diet for the bikini division need to be as hardcore as the diets of the fitness and figure competitors? This is the one area that I am the most apprehensive about. I am willing to give up alcohol, add more protein, do the protein shakes and protein bars and I can go hardcore for 4-6 weeks before the competition if i need to, but I not sure about doing that kind of extreme dieting for months on end. I suppose if I want it bad enough, I will do it but I want to know ahead of time what I am getting myself into.

I am 5'7", 124 pounds. body fat is 16.9% . I have a lot of training to do, but I do not think the competition is until March or April so hopefully I have time.

I am 33 years old, will be almost 34 by the time I compete. Am I too old for this competition? I have good skin tone, haven't had kids, and look about 4-5 years younger than I am but I am wondering if I am too old for this division?

Thanks so much for advice and feedback! :)

lift weights and diet hard and do figure. bikini is the biggest joke ever. unless you have big fake tits and a thin body with nice stems and ass, start lifting and do something people will respect you for instead of looking like a bimbo on stage.

you are never too old to start and i encourage you to find amentor in figure who can help you out and be successful. take your enthusiam and drive and do something that will push you and is respected. besides most guy like a chick with a little muscle and beauty!

[QUOTE=MeredithP1;392727211]Hi everybody! What a great community I've stumbled upon here. Looks like a wonderful resource.

I've been weight training for a few years sort of half-heartedly and after going through a recent divorce, I've decided to step it up and put my energy into this and take it to the next level. I have a lot of work to do but I know I can do anything I put my mind and heart into, I'm just not sure where to start though!

I've been doing a lot of research and have a read a ton of interviews with female body building competitors which has been helpful, but the problem is that most of what I am finding is about women who are competing for the figure or fitness divisions. I'm curious what might be different about training for the bikini division? Specifically, will the diet for the bikini division need to be as hardcore as the diets of the fitness and figure competitors? This is the one area that I am the most apprehensive about. I am willing to give up alcohol, add more protein, do the protein shakes and protein bars and I can go hardcore for 4-6 weeks before the competition if i need to, but I not sure about doing that kind of extreme dieting for months on end. I suppose if I want it bad enough, I will do it but I want to know ahead of time what I am getting myself into.

I am 5'7", 124 pounds. body fat is 16.9% . I have a lot of training to do, but I do not think the competition is until March or April so hopefully I have time.

I am 33 years old, will be almost 34 by the time I compete. Am I too old for this competition? I have good skin tone, haven't had kids, and look about 4-5 years younger than I am but I am wondering if I am too old for this division?

Thanks so much for advice and feedback! :)[/QUOTE]

welcome from a fellow noob! im not an expert in this kinda stuff, but i think if u believe in yourself and are disciplined u can do anything u put your mind to :)

Welcome! You are definitely not too old! I did my first 2 competitions this past Spring. I am almost 37 with 2 kids. I was pleased with how I did. I am working on building and will compete again at the age of 37 next Spring.
In my limited knowledge, I would say start your diet prep 8 weeks out. You want time to "tweek" things as needed. When you are about 2-3 weeks out (depending on where you are at) you will really buckle down and then the last week before comp is a true juggle with diet.
For now you need to focus on building lean mass for sure. Lots of good protein 5-6 times a day and go heavy.
I am sure other more experiened folks will chime in for you:)
Good luck with your prep!

I have done figure, fitness model and bikini for various federations -- inlcuding the NPC

Firstly, it is not a joke...no they do not require muscle and yes, it is easier to train for and yes, overall package is important, but not all girls want to build muscle, diet down to sinlge digits and apply upteen amounts of protan coats (though I do wish they would reward more muscle ;)

Do whatever you wish.....keeping in mind that they will knock you for an overly lean look and if your stats are right, you are already lean enough for this division....go to the NPC website and take a look at the recent winners (I belive Marzia Prince just won recently)....do you have that look? or more muslce? I placed top 5 at the Arnold amateur this year, but have a feeling that next year I will be knocked down for my muscle (which is tiny, but whatever!)

your age has little to do with anything....I am er, not much younger and compete several times a year....I actually find the older you get the better your muscles look

Thanks so much for the feedback and encouragement. I must admit I am a little surprised by the criticism I've come across on the Internet about the bikini division. From the pictures I've seen, I think most of the ladies competing in that division have amazing bodies and the type of body I strive for! I feel as though it would take a lot of hard work at the gym and changes in my diet for me to feel comfortable competing on stage with those women, and that is definitely something I would personally be proud of. However, I can see how this division seems wimpy when you compare it to the level of dedication that is neccessary for figure and fitness. Nevertheless, from where I currently stand, competing in bikini is something that I would be proud of.

Thanks again for the feedback!

[QUOTE=MeredithP1;393485021]Thanks so much for the feedback and encouragement. I must admit I am a little surprised by the criticism I've come across on the Internet about the bikini division. From the pictures I've seen, I think most of the ladies competing in that division have amazing bodies and the type of body I strive for! I feel as though it would take a lot of hard work at the gym and changes in my diet for me to feel comfortable competing on stage with those women, and that is definitely something I would personally be proud of. However, I can see how this division seems wimpy when you compare it to the level of dedication that is neccessary for figure and fitness. Nevertheless, from where I currently stand, competing in bikini is something that I would be proud of.

Thanks again for the feedback![/QUOTE]

tought I'd say hello! Aww I read the first reply and got so offended lol :( I think the bikini is more than bimbos on stage, you have to have a symmetrical body, tone, posture and most of all charisma and confidence, from experience i found it fun and alot of hard work practising your routines and posing etc, its not as easy as some people may think.

i understand where your coming from Meredith and i was tossing up betwen the two devisions and decided i'd start at sports model first and see how i go. well i just recently competed in that Sports model catagory and won!

I didnt have to work hard in the dieting part but i trained hard and practiced, practiced, practiced and i found it just as rewarding winning that trophy as any other person up on stage!

i think it comes down to your personal preferance, you may want to compete but havent got the time to diet down so dramaticly so bikini or sports model will e much less demanding on your body but you'll still have fun competing :)

candiixx congrats on your win! That is wonderful!!!
I agree, you have to do what you are comfortable doing! Don't worry with what others think..this is YOUR goal and YOUR dreams! YOU are the one that has to do the work and strut it on stage.
I know there is a lot of "talk" about the bikini division, but in the end there are few girls who can say that they have accomplished competing in bikini. It is something to be proud of.
Good luck with you decision!

I get so mad at people for thinking NPC bikini competitors are just skinny girls with fake (or genetically blessed) large boobs! The NPC bikini division is a new division and the judges have had to place what they are presented with, you will see a definate change in the top 5 girls in a competition from first year out, to what is placing and winning this year, and what will place and win in 2 or 3 years. When you envision what a NPC bikini cometitor should look like think cover sports model: Lean, overall definition and rounding of muscle groups but no striation when compared to a figure competitor.

For the last year I have avoided telling people I compete bikini, instead I say Im prepping for a fitness competition . . . .for some reason that is more respected and understood.

The bikini division is no "slack off" competition! If it is then why do I spend and hour every morning doing cardio intervals and another hour in the afternoon lifting PLUS 30mins abs and band work everynight before I go to sleep Not to mention fitting in 20 min tanning every other day and posing/walking practice???? Why is my husband stuck at home watching our 2 young daughters while I train roughly 3 hours a day 6 days a week! I also work full time as a trauma nurse 3-12 hour shifts a week. I stick to my diet to the T--yes I get all dairy pulled 6 weeks out and my 1/2 cup blueberries I love get pulled 4 weeks out Just as my friend whom is a figure competitor also gets pulled. In fact we often lift togeather; coming from the same trainer our routines are identical except she's lifting mainly reps around 6-8 with 3 sets and mine are around 10-12 with 4 sets (I have to lift LONGER then my friend and figure competitor) I water deplete the last week just like you . . .the difference is my meal make up. I stick close to a 30% pro/30% fat/30% carb ratio--and my caloric break down is less then most firgure competitors. Right now 5 weeks out from a show I have 2- high days at 1700 cal, 2 mod days at 1550 cals, and 3 low days at 1300cals. I am 5ft4 and 111LBS and 11.5% body fat (shooting for around 10% at show) By the way I just had my 2nd daughter less then a year ago AND was on 3 months of bedrest during the pregnancy.

I am a NPC Bikini competitior and I deserve the respect from my fellow competitor that I have rightly earned in my pool of sweat at the gym.

And those whom have been around ahwhile will recall that when "Figure" first came out as a division the women bodybuilders said the same things to you that they now say to us bikini competitors.

@MuscleWOP- there's nothing wrong with doing bikini. some body types work for different classes. just because there is a different regiment for a different competitive class, doesn't mean it should be frown upon. its like me saying to figure competitors..'EAT LIKE A BODYBUILDER 10 MEALS A DAY! AND DEADLIFT 600LBS! FIGURE IS A JOKE COMPARED.' nah...im not gonna. figure has it's brand, women's bodybuilding has its brand, and bikini has its brand as well. and i know very well each brand trains their @$$es off to be competitive in their groups. diets are all strict, we all sacrifice, we all dedicate, and all damn well show off what we worked on in front many strangers that have the choice to put us down or applaud to the hard work each and every one of us has went through.

i cheer on every single competitor and group that goes on stage. that alone deserves respect....cause it takes strength and courage. we all have our own image for what we want to be....someone should tell us how we should look. that should be the persons choice.

to OP, if u wanna do bikini, GO FOR IT! and rock that stage girl!!! support is gonna be all around you. u want it? so make it happen!

Good Luck!! So I went to the Rocky Mountain NPC site because I am also interested in competing but have no idea where to start. There are 6 moves pictured in the rules and regulation section,like the full split front, one arm pushup, etc. Are these mandatory and you have to be able to do those 6 to even be considered? Those look super hard!! How does one even start to train to do that? So much to know !

[QUOTE=ccmso12;541959613]

The bikini division is no "slack off" competition! If it is then why do I spend and hour every morning doing cardio intervals and another hour in the afternoon lifting PLUS 30mins abs and band work everynight before I go to sleep Not to mention fitting in 20 min tanning every other day and posing/walking practice???? Why is my husband stuck at home watching our 2 young daughters while I train roughly 3 hours a day 6 days a week! I also work full time as a trauma nurse 3-12 hour shifts a week. I stick to my diet to the T--yes I get all dairy pulled 6 weeks out and my 1/2 cup blueberries I love get pulled 4 weeks out Just as my friend whom is a figure competitor also gets pulled. In fact we often lift togeather; coming from the same trainer our routines are identical except she's lifting mainly reps around 6-8 with 3 sets and mine are around 10-12 with 4 sets (I have to lift LONGER then my friend and figure competitor) I water deplete the last week just like you . . .the difference is my meal make up. I stick close to a 30% pro/30% fat/30% carb ratio--and my caloric break down is less then most firgure competitors. Right now 5 weeks out from a show I have 2- high days at 1700 cal, 2 mod days at 1550 cals, and 3 low days at 1300cals. I am 5ft4 and 111LBS and 11.5% body fat (shooting for around 10% at show) By the way I just had my 2nd daughter less then a year ago AND was on 3 months of bedrest during the pregnancy.

[/QUOTE]

All this^^tells me that you're new when it comes to contest prep. Training 3 hrs a day 6 days a week is not needed. It's ridiculous, complete overkill. I've been competing in bb for over 10 yrs and I can get a solid workout done in an hr. Pulling out things like dairy, fruit, pb, wheat bread, etc...is one of the biggest dieting myths out there. A competition diet doesn't have to be boring, but people don't seem to know any better. You can't possibly compare your diet to other competitors, because dieting/calories needed are totally individual based on one's stats. Depleting/cutting water another big no no. This causes the body to retain more water...it's a defense mechanism to prevent dehydration.

You're making prep a lot harder on yourself and it doesn't have to be that way.

[QUOTE=kimm4;548731163]All this^^tells me that you're new when it comes to contest prep. Training 3 hrs a day 6 days a week is not needed. It's ridiculous, complete overkill. I've been competing in bb for over 10 yrs and I can get a solid workout done in an hr. Pulling out things like dairy, fruit, pb, wheat bread, etc...is one of the biggest dieting myths out there. A competition diet doesn't have to be boring, but people don't seem to know any better. You can't possibly compare your diet to other competitors, because dieting/calories needed are totally individual based on one's stats. Depleting/cutting water another big no no. This causes the body to retain more water...it's a defense mechanism to prevent dehydration.

You're making prep a lot harder on yourself and it doesn't have to be that way.[/QUOTE]

Acctually your pretty full of yourself, not to mention as a bodybuilder your requirments are far different the figure and bikini competitors and our diets have to be different so we come in differently. 1 hour cardio in am, Lifting 1 hour afternoon, then 30mins ab and band work with 30mins posing practice at night . . . .honestly add it up Im sure you do it also. My Diet does include all those things listed and I never Pull PB FAT IS GOOD. I do pull dairy and bread and all fruit except Blueberries out at certain points,

I totally respect you ladies who compete in the bikini competitions all around the world.

Ignore the stupid comments from MuscleWOP, and all the haters, and strive to achieve what your heart yearns for.

Best of luck.

P.S. If you want my opinion, focus on keeping your BF levels low, high protein diet with a decent amount of complex carbs, and make sure you are squeezing on every rep, no matter what exercise you are doing.

[QUOTE=ccmso12;552433423]Acctually your pretty full of yourself, not to mention as a bodybuilder your requirments are far different the figure and bikini competitors and our diets have to be different so we come in differently. 1 hour cardio in am, Lifting 1 hour afternoon, then 30mins ab and band work with 30mins posing practice at night . . . .honestly add it up Im sure you do it also. My Diet does include all those things listed and I never Pull PB FAT IS GOOD. I do pull dairy and bread and all fruit except Blueberries out at certain points,[/QUOTE]

Full of myself no, just trying to give you some solid advice to make your prep easier. I'm well aware of how it works when it comes to diet/training for bb, figure and bikini. Styles of training are different, but training 3 hrs a day to compete in a bikini comp...there's absolutely no need for it...but I'm not here to stop you.

Unless you have a lactose intolerance there is no need to pull out dairy. No reason to pull out bread or fruit either. Pulling out all these foods doesn't make a difference. It's all about eating the right amount of calories and giving yourself enough time to diet to get lean enough.

There is no difference in the diet when it comes to bb, figure and bikini. The only difference is the number of weeks we have to diet and the levels of body fat we compete at.

Hey ccmso12! I am 18 years old and planning on competing in my very first NPC bikini contest in April :). Am i allowed to have like toned arms with visible triceps and abs?? HELP! lol.

I have been competing for over 20 years, I started in fitness and moved over to BB after my kids. The critisim you have been getting is the conservative backlash from the non-bikini division competitors...the figure competitors got the same backlash from the BB and fitness competitors back when they began.

As far as dieting, diets are not unique to BB, figure or bikini, or length of time, diets are unique to individuals...some can tolerate more foods than others, some deal with a wicked fast metabolism (thus the need for more carbs and less cardio and all and all less dieting), some have wicked slow metabolisms. Some struggle to maintain size as they lean, some keep size but cannot get lean enough. You have to know your body and what it requires to get the look you want or need to accomplish your competition goals, what works for others may fail for you.

I have always competed in the NPC as a natural, some of the enhanced athletes diet very little and do very little cardio, some mimick how I train as a natural BB. In the natural federations it appears to me conditioning is king, in the NPC you better have some size behind that conditioning as well.

So it is all according to how your body responds to training and dieting...find a good nutritionlist and let him/her guide you through your first couple of competitions until you understand how your body reacts to training and diet....JMO

Hey everyone! So I'm 23 years old with 6 year old twins and I am finally ready to follow my dream...I'm ready to start competing in bikini / figure ! I've always had a passion for health and fitness ever since I used to watch my father work out as a little girl. I need to know where to find the proper trainer and Also how to find a show to enter and which is the rite one. Can someone please give me some advice!

Marie

you look like you'll do great! great physique and you sound like u enjoy this kind of stuff

go for it

Very glad to see this thread, let me know how a lot of knowledge.



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Can anyone on here help me please?!?!?! My ultimate goal is to compete in a Bikini competition, but I have no clue where to begin!!! For a couple of months I have been reading a lot of books on weight training and hitting the gym six days a week, while I try out different training plans. I am seeing results, but I still feel as if I'm going in circles. I feel that I'm lacking the direction necessary for me to reach my goal. And because I'm feeling this way I'm starting to feel discouraged. I am 5'9" and when I started training (for lack of a better word) I weighed 115 lbs. and had 15% body fat; currently I weigh 119 lbs. and have 14.7% body fat. Given these stats can anyone point me in the right direction? Also, how many months do you think it would take before I'd be ready to compete? Thanks in advance.

Hi - Good luck with ur training! I think you just need to remember that eating clean and weight training will always help you achieve a more healthy (n sexy) look. I also believe bikini is the most desirable and semi-sustainable look.

dont let criticism get to you - anytime a man has to call women derogatory names (or anyone for that matter) isnt worth your time and clearly has some mommy issues to work out.

Dont worry what the other women look like- just do your best (and be kind to urself during the process- it is not an easy journey) and i promise you will be happy with the outcome PLUS the best part about bikini is that natural womanly curves (just a bit toned) is what they are looking for anyway so you dont need to drop so low in body fat and you having slghtly higher body fat may serve to be better for your overall look- embrace your curves!