I always got compliments about my body at gym and people always told me that I should take things to the next level and step on stage.
So over-time I built a solid confidence and decided to compete in my first ever Men’s Physique competition. I didn’t have any experience, a lot of knowledge on my belt or a coach to guide me in the right direction. All I had was my brother helping me out from overseas over the internet.
Surprisingly I managed to place 4th in my competitive group of 12. This didn’t satisfy me and I knew I had to come back better and stronger. I worked harder and was able to place 2nd and get qualified for the Provincial level in one of the biggest shows in the west coast, called Popeye’s classics.
After that I spent almost a 9 months dieting and working hard for the Provincial show in Vancouver. However, unfortunately things didn’t go as I expected, I got disqualified and did not make it to the National level. This was a big hit in the face for me because I thought I looked considerably good compared to rest of my lineup, but the decision is up to the judges and the things they take under consideration.
What I have realized though, is that your physique is not the only thing that makes you win a show.
There are many things that judges take under consideration. For example, you could look absolutely amazing on stage but still get disqualified or not be placed well. Other essential things are your posing, presentation, reputation in the organization and how influential you are in the industry and that also includes social media. Competitors, who took the top 5 in my class, were mostly competing in the show for the second year and were probably more known in the eye of the judge and they were active on social media representing the organization and the sport.
Bodybuilding or fitness in competitive level is a full-time job in my opinion, whereas in most of the other sports you only need to stay on top of your training and there’s not much interference with your lifestyle or social life. As a fitness competitor or bodybuilder, your whole life is affected and a lot of things are satisfied in the process of contest prep.
First off, you’re spending numerous hours in the kitchen preparing your food, sometimes training 2x a day and making sure you’re getting enough rest and recovery. You cannot miss a meal, cardio session or any hours of sleep because it’s all these details that will turn your mind and body into its best shape. Add all of that to working and going to school at the same time and you find yourself mentally and physically frustrated. The people around you are also affected when you’re going through your preparation, when someone is on a restricted caloric food regimen; they tend to have an aggravated temper.
My personal experience when I’m on my diet is that I feel like a starving zombie. The closer I get to my competition; I find it more challenging to carry a conversation with others or even simply spending time with them.
So all of that hard work and sacrificing for months comes down to maybe 1 minute on stage where you have the opportunity to make a statement and if you make the smallest mistake during the last few days you could ruin your physique in a matter of hours.
This whole process helps you to learn to be disciplined very efficiently but at the same time requires you to satisfy a lot of things including time, money and healthy relationship with others.
Even though, I still haven’t reached where I desire in the fitness industry, the knowledge and the experience I gained from competing has extremely helped me in my career as a trainer. I will be taking time off of competing at least for another year or so. I will be focusing on finishing up my degree at the University and I will also make improvements in my physique in the meanwhile.
Arman Ayazi, Physique Competitor.
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