The NxLabs Body Challenge Blog

Posts Tagged ‘physique exhibition’

Welcome to the NxLabs Body Challenge Blog

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

Welcome to the NxLabs Body Challenge Blog!  Over the next six months, I’ll be your host for the contest, and providing you with some solid tips to not only get you looking your best, but also to navigate you through the contest to help you reach the top and get you that much closer to the grand prize.

To enter the contest, all you need to do is create your profile.  From January to June, the voting public will decide which 20 contestants will move on to the semi-finals. The top five with the most votes at the end of this round will make it through to the final.  Of those five elite athletes, one will be chosen as the grand prize winner by our panel of judges.

There’s $35,000 in prizes to be won, including an endorsement contract from NxLabs and a trip to the 2010 Arnolds.  And remember – there’s no purchase or entry fee necessary.  In fact, just for participating or even voting in the contest, we’re giving a 10% discount on all of our products.

So what are you waiting for?  You’ve got six months to show the world what you’ve got and take home the hardware.  Create a profile, tell your friends, and get your supporters rooting – and more importantly, voting – for you.

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How to Win the NxLabs Body Challenge

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

NxLabs Body Challenge is a physique-exhibition contest that emphasizes muscle tone over muscle size.

Physique guidelines for fitness competitions typically suggest a small amount of muscular mass; clear separations between muscle groups (but no visible striations); and leanness. The competitor should also represent a physically active body; provide examples of fitness, sports and adventure achievements.

Judges will be looking for symmetry, shape, and sculpting, as well as conditioning, leanness and how “athletic” (as opposed to brawny) their muscularity is.

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How important is the scale vs. mirror for progress?

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

A scale can be discouraging and really mess with your head – even when you’re making progress.You could be trading off fat for muscle, yet still be maintaining the same weight, if not getting heavier. Therefore, if you really want to see your true progress, take a look in the mirror. If your muscles look bigger and your waistline seems smaller, then they probably are!

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Preparation for a Contest

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

The general strategy adopted by most present-day competitive bodybuilders is to make muscle gains for most of the year (known as the “off-season”) and approximately 3-4 months from competition, attempt to lose body fat (referred to as “cutting”). In doing this, some muscle will be lost, but the aim is to keep this to a minimum. There are many approaches used, but most involve reducing calorie intake and increasing cardio while monitoring body fat percentage.

In the week leading up to a contest, professional bodybuilders will begin decreasing their water intake so as to deregulate the systems in the body associated with water flushing. They may also increase their sodium intake. At the same time they will decrease their carbohydrate consumption in an attempt to “carb deplete.” The goal during this week is to deplete the muscles of glycogen. Two days before the show, sodium intake is reduced by half, and then eliminated completely. The day before the show, water is removed from the diet, and water loss products may be introduced. At the same time carbohydrates are re-introduced into the diet to expand the muscles. This is typically known as “carb-loading.” The end result is an ultra-lean bodybuilder with full hard muscles and a dry, vascular appearance. This should be left to PROFESSIONAL BODYBUILDERS only and NOT attempted by amateurs. This is for information only and should not be considered advice or instruction.

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How to Take a Good Competition Photo

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

Participants must post before pictures of themselves. These must be original photos and must be taken and posted within a week of registration. Some things to consider when taking your progress and pose photos:

Clothing

  • Wear the same type of clothing in all your photos.
  • Remember that if you are covering up parts of your body it will be difficult to show your progress, so show it off.
  • Do not cover your legs with long shorts or “cut” them out of the photo.
  • Avoid wearing jewelry or accessories as it could block the judges view of your physique.

Photos

  • Try to get the highest quality photos you can. Remember, this is the only way the judges can see your transformation. Good, clear, high quality photos are essential. Again, good, clear high quality photos are essential.
  • Try taking them outside in either the morning or the late evening (when the sun is low) as the light is generally better for photos at that time.
  • Take your photos against a plain background.
  • Please include your whole body, from head to toe. Make sure to take the key poses, so comparisons can be made. Additional flexing photos can be taken for progress comparisons, but make sure to have the main ones.
  • Try to fill the photograph with yourself. If you stand too far away it may be hard to see your great results.

With your photos you can also submit additional stats

  • Weight
  • Waist, chest, arms, thigh measurements
  • Body fat % (you should be able to have this measurement taken at any local gym, or you can usually buy a small body fat caliper at any sporting goods or health store. It will come with directions on how to measure your body fat %)

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