The Bizarre World of Bikini Competitors - Things most people don’t know.

Thanks to Instagram stars like Paige Hathaway and Michelle Lewin the Competitive fitness industry is blowing up! Their commitment to sculpt their bodies are inspiring women around the world to set the goal of one day stepping on the stage as a fitness competitor in the bikini division.

I find that this community still isn't universally understood or accepted. I'm here to reveal some of the thing that go on behind the scenes and hopefully shed light on one peculiar and wonderful sport of bodybuilding.
As a former bikini fitness competitor, I feel I have to share the hilariously strange bodybuilding practices I took part in to earn a Medal, which sits awkwardly on my desk at home.

1 -Your spray tan comes in layers.

Some girls got away with applying just three layers of spray tans, I’m already olive skinned, I still went through the same process. Even though most of us come out looking like and entirely different race, the purpose of these tans are to make the muscles POP.

2 - You pee in a cup for a day.

Yeah…. I really did! To avoid ruining your spray tan, most coaches recommend that you pee in a cup. The metal sanitary boxes, garbage cans and stall floors in every ladies restroom at the show’s venue were filled with used plastic cups and we all knew where those cups had been…

3 - Your suit is literally glued to your butt, boobs and crotch.

This one surprised me. The purpose here is to make sure the necessary body parts remain covered as you move through your poses in a suit that was made to show as much skin as possible.

4 - A “good” suit can cost anywhere from $350-$1,000.

(This is one that i made)

Which is insane! Luckiliy I came from a Fashion design background and I could tell they were being seriously over priced. I made my bikini and added Swarovski Crystal, but it’s not unheard of to spend up to $1,000 on a custom show bikini.

5 - Certain muscles are trained to help you properly display your rear.

The ideal rear pose has you sticking your butt out just enough to make sure it looks its absolute best, while also keeping your back upright enough to make sure the pose is ‘family-friendly’.

6 - You eat zero calorie “food.”

You literally become obsessed with finding the lowest calorie snack and food. Zero calorie food actually exists, although you can usually expect a funky after taste.

7 - You eat 5-6 a day.

The six meals a competitor eats each day might sound like a lot, but when you consider the portion sizes and the fact that competitors work out upwards of two hours per day, six meals can and will definitely leave a competitor hungry between each scheduled mealtime. Veggies are the one item coaches will allow their clients to eat on end. My competitor friends and I would eat bags of veggies at a time to stay full between meals.

8 - You dehydrate yourself.
Sounds bad, but it is only for a day. Most coaches recommend that you take natural diuretics (commonly called water tablets) several days before your show to drop water weight. These tablets work by helping your kidneys push more sodium into your urine. The sodium then takes water from your blood which helps you lose the salt and water that appears as excess weight on your body.

9 - You get oiled up with cooking oil.

When I came back stage from the toilet (using the cup), I could barely see or breathe, I think that the oil spraying was over done. When you see a bodybuilder on stage, you might assume they smell of the coconut tanning oil… that’s because it is.

10 - You eat an insane amount of carbs the final two days.
For the final month, a bikini competitor’s carbs will be restricted as much as possible. This is why all competitors look forward to the glorious day they get to start carb loading. Although it sounds counter intuitive, increasing your carb intake right before your show helps you fill out your muscles to make sure they “pop” on stage.

11 - You go ham on the post-show binge.

All competitors go a little crazy on their first meal after the show has come to an end. I went wild, like a wild animal with its eyes on prey (chocolate filled doughnuts!) everything I ate was AMAZING too good to the point where you’ve eaten so much you can barely breathe. My friends who had been deprived of a cheat meal for several months took their binge to a much higher level, scarfing down Cinnamon Toast Crunch with whole milk, icing and tons of cream cheese, followed by waffles made from doughnuts and stuffed with Reese’s peanut butter cups.

However, before you decide to embark on a competitive fitness journey yourself, I recommend that you do some research, be honest with yourself about why you want to do it and what you hope to get out of it, and take crucial steps to be safe throughout. Other than that, expect these bizarre truths to become a part of your reality. You will make amazing friends, who will become a part of your fitness family.