As the competition season begins most women are busy thinking about their food, workouts, cardio, water and all of the critical stages of the last week before your big competition. Most carb and fat depleted girls forget about the little things that are just as important….I am talking about your “Competition Day/Bag Checklist”.

There have been many times in which I forgot something at home or back at the hotel. I have also heard horror stories…none have happen to me yet (knock on wood)….where girls have forgotten the single most important item…THEIR SUIT!! Every athlete is a bit different in what they like to bring to the day of the show as well as backstage but there are a few key items that should ALWAYS be included. You want to make sure you are prepared for whatever might happen. Please take this list and make it your own…adding or subtracting your key items but I wanted to also give you all a sneak peak as to what I pack for EVERY show.

Checklist:
1. Suit—single most important item!!!
2. Shoes—can’t walk onstage without these.
3. Food—make sure to pack enough food just in case prejudging runs a little long. You don’t want to be stuck at the venue without your food.
4. Plastic utensils
5. Makeup—whatever you may use for touch-ups…also make sure to pack eye lash glue (just in case)
6. Safety pins—suit strap might break.
7. Bobby pins or hair clips—never know when you want to pin hair back.
8. Towel—to clean up sweat or excess tan and glaze
9. Baby wipes
10. Robe—in case you want to go out in the seating area to visit friends and family.
11. Curling iron—if needed…I know a lot of girls that like to do their hair when they get to the venue.
12. Change of clothes for after prejudging.
13. Bikini bite and glaze
14. Small travel blanket and pillow—-some shows last foreeever!
15. Cash
16. Ipod or music
17. NPC card—for the amateur athletes
18. Camera-—memories!!
19. Cell phone—to keep in contact with your trainer or loved one
20. CONFIDENCE!!!

Feel free to add to the list in the comment section if there is something that you always bring to the show with you. My good friend Kristi Tauti ALWAYS brings me a homemade granola bar from her local Whole Foods in every show that her and I have competed together in….we have kept that tradition for the past 3 years now.

Good Luck to all competitors this year…make sure you DON’T forget anything on your big day!!

Felicia Romero
www.azprophysiques.com

Check out the latest from our resident contributor, IFBB Figure Pro, fitness model and personal trainer Felicia Romero. Felicia will be competing next week at the Phoenix Pro and two weeks later will be on the Figure International stage at the Arnold Classic Weekend.

As I come up on my last week before competing in the first show of the season I find myself excited and eager to get on that stage. But, this last week for me is the easy part. I’m not running on much in the food department but I am running on pure adrenaline and DISCIPLINE to get me through this last week. Don’t’ get me wrong…it has been a long 12 weeks with my fair share of ups and downs and questioning whether I can get through it.

Trying to balance workouts, opening up a business, training clients all while trying to have a normal loving relationship with your fiancé is not always the easiest thing to do when you are in training. Months and months of the same routine and regiment all for 5 minutes onstage…but for me it is a lot more then that 5 minutes onstage, it is setting a goal for yourself and following through and putting in that work and effort. DISCLIPLINE AND PASSION has been the bridge between my goals and accomplishing those goals.

Without DISCIPLINE and PASSION for what you are doing, whether it is training for a competition, gearing up for a marathon or trying to lose 50 lbs you must first have the character to get out of bed, commitment that moved you to take action and the DISCIPLINE that enabled you to follow through.

Xoxo
Felicia Romero
IFBB Figure Athlete

This is a question I am commonly asked as I am sure many other figure competitors and gym going hardbodies are asked as well. “How did you get those shoulders?” Well, not always an easy question to answer but what I often tell people while genetics do play a small role… hard work and consistency is KEY. First and foremost, make sure your diet is clean and conducive to your ultimate goals. Although some might think protein is key when trying to build those muscle groups, you must also make sure you are eating an adequate amount of calories in the form of carbs and fats as well. Second, you MUST train shoulders correctly in order to round and shape the shoulder. What I see too often in the gym is incorrect technique and form. Many times women use too much trapezoid (trap muscle) and not enough delt muscle. An example workout that I have been doing for years to help build my shoulders:

1. Dumbbell shoulder press – 3 sets of 15 reps
2. Side laterals – 3 sets of 15-20 reps
3. Front raises – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
4. Rear delts – 3 sets of 20 reps

You always want to make sure you are targeting every part of the shoulder (front, side and rear) to make sure that you build and create a complete shoulder. If you are trying to build I would recommend adding a second shoulder day at the end of your week targeting any weak or lagging parts you may have.

Happy Shoulder Training!!!

xoxo
Felicia

We asked who you’d like to hear from and overwhelmingly one of the women was IFBB Figure Pro, Felicia Romero. You voted and we listened. Every Friday, Felicia will share her “Keeping Fit with Felicia” here on HARDODY.com.

Hi Everybody,

I just want to thank Hardbody.com for letting me contribute and hope that everyone enjoys following along while you try “Keeping Fit with Felicia”. I want to target many topics ranging from not only the competition side of my experiences but also what I practice and preach everyday….and that is to be fit and healthy for ME.

With that comes a POSITIVE attitude. You will not achieve anything you set out for without being positive and always living your life with the glass half full. Whether you are trying to lose 10 lbs, increase your endurance or look good for your wedding your attitude is first and foremost the factor that will affect how you achieve those goals.

I hope everyone wakes up today and is looking forward to the day to come. I look forward to contributing a little bit of my knowledge to hardbody readers as well…it is going to be a great year!!

If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit

This quote is so right for so many people. This goes along with changing your body as well. If you don’t like something about your body…then change it. But, as you know sometimes that task can be very hard. For me, I had a difficult time changing the look and development of my legs. So I felt like I “couldn’t” change them. The moment that I started to think positive and changing the way I thought about my leg training sessions that is when CHANGE started to happen.