Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? If only we could just turn back the clock and change all of our mistakes…that would be sweet, right? Unfortunately, that isn’t life. A lot of competitors will tell you that there are many things that they wish they did differently on show day/the lead up to it. So, to save you the regrets we have gathered up 10 of these reminders to help you to avoid making the same mistakes that we did! We know, how kind of us, right? Lets get into it!

1. Take allllllll the photos!
There are so many things to remember on show day that it can genuinely get to the end of the day when you are sat eating your burger & you realise that you didn’t even take any photos! Been there, done that! Especially if you are on your own you may feel a little self conscious asking others to take photos of you, but believe me, no one will say no if you ask them to…nor will they be judging you! If you don’t feel too confident asking strangers then you can set up your phone, pop the timer on and take some by yourself! Capture the day, you will regret it if you don’t!

2. Don’t compare yourself!

Comparison is the thief of joy…don’t let it ruin your show day! Everyone looks different backstage unposed. Everyone looks different with a tan. Someone may have an incredible physique but they haven’t put the practice into their posing to show it off. There are so many variables when it comes to judging, so leave it to the judges! At this point, you’ve done all of the hard work so why worry about something that is out of your control?

3. Create a timetable
On show day, there’s a lot of tasks, appointments and things to remember. Tan, makeup, hair, check-ins, registration etc. To avoid stressing yourself out, worrying that you are going to forget something, we have a simple solution. Write out a timetable with all of the tasks you need to do throughout the day on the ‘notes’ section on your phone. Take a screenshot & set this as your lock screen. Now you can see your itinerary at a glance. For extra reassurance you can also set an alarm for each task. No more flitting between coaches messages, IG pages, emails etc. to remind yourself!

4. Make friends!

Bodybuilding may be an individual sport but it doesn’t have to be a lonely one! Talk to your fellow competitors, arrange a gym date, find out if you are doing any more shows together. A bodybuilding friend will understand your prep brain, they will understand you walking around your living room at 10pm to meet your step goal or going to the gym for the 3rd time in one day. They are the friends that will understand this part of your life more than anyone else. Keep them close.

5. Have a separate show day bag

The last thing you want is to be sat backstage and realise that you have left your earrings at home or your cup/show tan saver in the hotel bathroom! To avoid this we recommend that you pack a separate show day bag earlier in the week, tick everything off from our ‘show day checklist’ and don’t touch that bag until show day! This ensures that everything is where it should be and you won’t be second guessing yourself. If you need extra reassurance you can double check the bag the night before against your checklist.

6. Take extra food/water

You may already have your days food planned out from your coach, but as we know, shows can often run late. Or maybe you stay on to do the pro/overall show meaning that you will be going on stage later than originally planned. Therefore it is always a good idea to have extra chicken, COR, PB etc. just in case you are asked to eat a little more than originally planned.

7. Get to the venue early

You don’t want to be panicking if you get stuck in traffic or the registration queue is longer than you thought it would be. Leave earlier than you think you need to, just to be on the safe side. If you arrive early then you can make some friends, watch some of the show or just chill out and relax.

8. Tan tips

If you have never had a show day tan, then please believe us when we say it is not a normal tan. First of all the obvious, it’s much darker than your everyday tan but secondly it’s very very sensitive. You want to be extra careful and avoid getting any water at all on yourself. This includes little drips when you go to the toilet (we know what you’re thinking “I don’t pee on myself”…again, trust us & just be careful). Avoid sitting on toilet seats or hard flooring that may make you sweat causing your tan to run. But if you do get any marks on your tan, don’t stress! The tanners are on hand all day and they will touch up your tan/fix any marks before you step on stage!

9. Pumping up

Sometimes the time you have to pump up is out of your control due to the show schedule. However, when there is ample time you want to ensure that you aren’t pumping up too early, as the effects won’t be visible by the time you step on stage. However, you also don’t want to leave it too late, meaning that you have to step on stage with no pump.

10. If you ‘mess up’ your routine…

Don’t panic! The judges and the audience have no idea what your routine should look like. They don’t know what your transitions look like, when you are supposed to move your hair etc. So, if you do miss a step or do it late, don’t let it get to you. Don’t show it on your face and just continue. The chances are no one will even notice!

Bonus Tip…

This is arguably the most important one…relax and have fun! This is your day, so breathe & enjoy it! You’ve earned it!

As always, if you have any show day (or anything else) -related questions then please feel free to reach out via email info@kompak.store or DM @Kompakwomen we are always happy to help!