The Truth About Bodybuilding: A Candid Conversation
- Kaitlyn Marie Redmore
- Jul 20, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 25, 2023
How do you know if bodybuilding is really for you?
In recent years, bodybuilding has definitely taken more of a spotlight in the general fitness world. This is possibly due to the constant rise of social media, as we are all more exposed to what goes on around the world.
When many people initially think of bodybuilding, a few things come to mind - Big muscly men and women with almost no body fat, posing on stage in minimal clothing. I suppose that is a common stereotype that many would associate bodybuilding with.
Little do many know that bodybuilding is so much more than that. The sport of bodybuilding requires HUGE levels of dedication, commitment, sacrifice, and mental strength. All of these elements are on top of pushing your physical body to its absolute limits. At a competitive level, it is not a sport for the faint-hearted.
Bodybuilding has come a long way over the past decade. There are more divisions now than there ever were back in Arnold Schwarzenegger's day!
In this blog, I will focus on the female side of bodybuilding and provide you with a little bit of food for thought surrounding competing.
One thing I like to note - Social media glamourises EVERYTHING! It is important to remember that for most people Instagram is a highlight reel, it is not a good representation of someone’s real day-to-day life. So it is important to not get caught up in all the glitz and glamour you see on your favourite pro athlete’s Instagram or Tik Tok.
In all honesty - To be competitive, you will have to get to a level of conditioning and leanness that is not healthy or sustainable long term. We need to remember that at the end of the day - Bodybuilding is still a competition. Whether your goal is to go pro one day or just tick competing off your bucket list. No one goes into a competition without the intention of doing well and trying to win.
Now don’t get me wrong - WINNING IS NOT EVERYTHING! The pure satisfaction of how much dedication and commitment a person has put into themselves and their goals both physically and mentally is enough for MANY people.
Before competing, it is vital to weigh up all the pros and cons of competing for you personally and see if it aligns with your current goals and life commitments.
Bodybuilding takes up A LOT of time! It is not just a short-term commitment. Athletes will dedicate years of consistent gym training and good nutrition to build the muscle required to step out on stage and be competitive.
Then you need to also remember that after a dedicated build phase, you still need to enter the preparation (deficit) phase of prep. Now this is where the real mental grit comes into play.
An actual bodybuilding prep is different for each individual person. But to give you a rough idea of timeframes - A prep may be anything from 12-20 weeks on average. For some, this will be much longer, depending on your starting point and how much body fat you are required to lose to come into competition condition. Now this is just talking about the cut phase, not the build phase which can take years beforehand.
So it is not as simple as losing a few kilos after a year or so of training in the gym, and stepping out on stage.
On top of the actual physical and time commitments - You also need to consider financial costs. Bodybuilding is EXPENSIVE! Of course, there are many ways to save money on competing and I will talk about this at another time. But it is important to note that it can costs thousands of dollars to compete, and for many this is just a hobby after all.
Costs of bodybuilding to name a few include (but are not limited to): Coaching costs (prep coach + posing coach), registration fees, food prep, gym membership, competition bikini and heels, competition jewellery, formal dress or theme wear attire (dependant on federation and category), hair and makeup for show day (and possibly registration night depending on federation), competition tan, and all the beauty appointments leading into competition. Now the costs do go even further beyond that, but that is just a quick rundown of some finical costs to consider.
Bodybuilding can be a fantastic challenge for those already in a good place with their nutrition, training and mental health. But if any of the previous are not in a good place, I would take some time to get these aligned before considering competing.
Bodybuilding will push you to your absolute limits both physically and mentally. It is absolutely NOT always glamorous. It is pure hard work and dedication - Going to the gym and training when you don’t want to, sticking to your nutrition plan even when social events are on, hitting your daily steps when you are tired, and prioritising your recovery. You will have to sacrifice SO much to compete. Many say it is a selfish sport for a reason - You do need to put your competition priorities above many other important things in life.
It can be hard enough to manage work commitments, your social life, good nutrition, and the gym for many people already. Putting the pressure of competing on top of this can be too much for some.
Now, bodybuilding can be SO rewarding and fulfilling! So don’t think that this blog was meant to turn you off competing in any way! My biggest recommendation is to do your research, speak to a competition preparation coach and see if your competing goals align with your current lifestyle and ability to commit financially, mentally, physically, and time-wise.
Many blog posts are coming soon, dividing deeper and deeper into bodybuilding. So keep an eye out for them!
Just remember, competing is something that you should put a lot of thought into, not something that should just be jumped into one day out of the blue.
