Preparing for bikini competition- Powerful Tips for winning contest

Competing for a bikini competition can be a one in a lifetime experience.  You are going to feel on the top of the world while standing on that contest stage. The feeling of competing professionally in a fitness competition is both empowering and inspiring.

This journey of transforming yourself and going on stage will be no less than a roller coaster ride. You will sure to experience goose bumps while sculpting a bikini body.

There will be times when you feel like quitting. You may even question what is the use of toiling so hard?  But trust us, this is going to be an amazing experience. Keep in your mind that having a bikini body is a dream. A dream everybody wants to live at least once in their lifetime.

Preparing for Bikini Competition

Preparing for a professional competition like the bikini contest demands a careful planning and proper execution. Sculpting a fitness competition physique demands a strict regime and requires you to make constant sacrifices.

Allow us to be a part of your transformation journey. Let us be a supporting hand and help you make a leap in your transformation journey. In this article, we are including all the required information to help you prepare for your bikini competition. Our article will narrow down to these important points.

1. An introduction on Bikini competition
2. Writing down your purpose for bikini competition
3. Deciding the organization of your competition
4. Estimating the cost of bikini competition
5. How to train for bikini competition
6. Bikini competition Diet
7. Bikini Competition Tips

These are among the important points you should note before preparing for a bikini contest. The above mentioned points form the foundation for reaching your goal. Let us now discuss these important points in detail. Sit back and learn all these bikini competition tips to have an edge over your competitors.

An introduction on Bikini Competition

A Bikini competition is a professional woman fitness competition. The bikini fitness is a division of women`s bodybuilding. It was the year 2010, when the bikini competition category was come under light. It was then recognized by the IFBB as an independent category in the fitness competition.

If you wish to dig further. The women`s fitness competition is divided into Women`s Bodybuilding, Women`s Physique, Women`s Figure and Women`s Bikini.




The contestants in the bikini contest showcase their bodies in a swimsuit. These contestants are then judged on various physical attributes. These attributes includes a lot of key things and judges put their notice to even the minute details.

The physical attributes on which you are going to judge includes your symmetry, proportion, shape and balance. The other key factors which contribute to your success includes your styling, skin tone, poise and overall stage performance.

Purpose of your bikini competition

The purpose of your journey should be vivid in your mind. There should be no looking back after stepping on this roller coaster. It is advised you write your purpose on a paper and set little goals in the way of your bikini competition.

Winning your bikini competition or stepping on the bikini contest stage for the first time has its own purpose for you. The purpose can be related to you either physically or emotionally.



Before stepping out, ask yourself your purpose on why you want to compete in a fitness competition? You can either be doing this just for fun or for experience. You might be looking to establish yourself and your brand as a fitness trainer. It can simply be counted for you trying to lose weight. After all there is no good than losing your weight and can step on stage after your hard labor.  Saying that, whatever your purpose is with your bikini competition, it should be vivid and clear in your mind.

Deciding the organisation of your bikini competition

You are competing for the first time on fitness competition stage? Then, it is important you choose the right organisation and right division under which you are going to compete is a bikini competition.

The fitness world has expanded many times, so are the organisations which organize these fitness competitions. All these organisations have specific rules and regulations on which they judge a contestant.

In order to make a victory, you should know the organisation and their specific regulations on which you are going to be judged. The big names that conducts amateur bikini competition include NPC (National Physique Committee), WBFF (World Beauty Fitness and Fashion Inc.) and INBA (International Natural Body Building Association).

You can also aim for pro competitions after getting a pro card in these amateur competitions. However, being an amateur contestant, you can try multiple divisions and different organisations to see what`s best for you.

Cost of competing in a Bikini Competition

If you planning to compete under a professional fitness competition, you should be aware about all the related expenses. The cost of competing in a bikini competition is generally high. Saying that, your budget should be able to match that required cost. Let us give you the list of some of these requirements, you need to plan your budget for.

Requirement for Bikini Competition	Cost required
Contest Registration Fees	$100
Travel (Plane Ticket, Car Rentals, etc.)	$500
Hotel Accommodation (in case)	$50 per night or upwards
Contest Bikini	$300 to $1000
Makeup	$250
Jewellery	Up to $100
Heels	$30-$70
Competition Tan	$150
Supporter Tickets	$50 per person
Professional Stage Photography	$100 to $300

If we just go and sum up only the lower limits of these requirements for competing in a bikini competition, it will come around $1600. This cost is just for competing in a bikini competition and it doesn`t include any pre contest cost. The pre contest requires you a lot more in terms of expenses. It generally includes the cost for your bikini competition diet. And, the fees for a dedicated coach to help you train for your bikini competition.

How to train for bikini competition?

The pre contest preparation is the most important part for your achievement. Your bikini body will outshine the other competitor on stage only if have the right foundation.

Talking of the foundation, your regime requires right training for your bikini competition. Training for bikini competition is no joke and you need a right approach.

You need to understand that it’s a bikini competition. And such fitness competition requires you to train your muscles right and putting an extra attention on special muscle groups. So how to train for bikini competition?  And, what are those special muscles you need to focus on?

Well, let us start first with how to train for bikini competition and then cover details on those special muscle groups. The training for bikini competition will be covered in phases. The first phase, you will train to build a strong foundation. The second and third phase will be the advanced phases, where you will be specifically training to carve your bikini body.

The Foundation training for Bikini competition

The foundation training for bikini competition will be a dedicated program where you will be conditioned and trained to meet the future advanced training. This period of foundation training will help you analyse your body capabilities and making constant changes while making your way to glory.

You can take time building your foundation. It can be either a 1 month or 2 months depending upon how well conditioned you are physically. The foundation training will include different body exercises targeting all major muscles.

The intensity of workout will remain moderate making a gradual transition. This training will aim to increase your strength and help you gain some amount of muscle. Mastering this foundation training, you are now ready for phase 2 of your training.

The High Intensity training for Bikini competition

In the second phase, you will be required to increase your intensity and your workouts will primarily focus on improving your aesthetics. As we have said earlier, the bikini competition is a game which demands your body`s symmetry and right proportion. You should start your high intensity training when you are 10 weeks out for bikini competition.

The high intensity training will help you improve your physique and lean out to perfection. This phase of high intensity training should include compound movements and plyometric circuits to elevate your heart rate and burn fat faster. The high intensity training should be carefully planned so that you cater maximum benefits.

Final Training for Bikini competition

The final training will start before you are two weeks out for bikini competition. In this phase of final training, you will focus on improving your weak spots. Any weak spot and you will be out of stage. So it is better you evaluate your body and work on your weak spots in this final phase of training.

The final training for your bikini competition will be the finishing phase and you will directly step on stage after this phase of training commences. Leave no stone unturned in perfecting your bikini body.

Also, there are these body parts where you need to put your special attention. These areas are generally ignored and less trained. But, if you wish to win, you need to put special attention on these parts too. These special parts include your

• Glutes
• Hamstrings
• Lats
• Shoulders

And, if you are finding it hard to plan your workout for bikini competition, you can opt for a special program developed by world renowned gluteal expert Bret Contreras.

This program has been authored by Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis in their book namely “”. The book will discuss programs on building lean muscles and a rounded butt. He is a successful author and helped many of his clients to achieve a good physique and improving their strength and mobility.

Bikini Competition Diet

Eating right is utmost important to support your goal of winning a bikini competition. So what should you eat to win a bikini competition? Well, the behind scenes of a bikini contest preparation are very hard and requires strict diets. But, you need not to starve to win a bikini competition, you just need to eat right. And what is that right, we will be discussing in detail below.

A bikini competition diet is a special diet which focuses on your fat loss. However, the diet is structured according to your goal. The macros in your diet are planned according to how much weight and fat you have to lose to fit in the category of a bikini contestant. Generally, a bikini contestant compete in a bikini competition with 11- 12% body fat.

Planning a bikini competition diet

You can prepare your bikini competition diet by planning on your daily calorie intake. After that, the calories are spread among different meals throughout your day. Plan your day with a six meal routine which will include three small meals and three snacks between meals.



The next thing goes on planning the macros for effective fat burning? You cannot eat carbohydrates, proteins and fats anytime you want in your diet. They need proper timing and scheduling. Right timing of macros will help you lose fat without losing muscle. So how will you plan your macros?

During the course of your preparation of bikini competition, you will aim to reduce your calorie intake subsequently after every 4 weeks. You should reduce your calories gradually and have to keep your protein intake enough so you don’t lose your hard earned muscles.

How to reduce fat for bikini competition?

In order to lose weight and torch fat from your body, maintain a calorie deficit in your diet. You should eat less calories than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

For instance, if your daily maintenance calories are 2000 calories, then to lose weight, you have to eat less calories. Also, to lose 1 pound of body fat, you need to go on a 500 calorie daily deficit diet for a week.

Read: How to lose stubborn fat with Intermittent fasting?

Calculating BMR and TDEE for a bikini competition

The BMR refers to Basal Metabolic Rate or generally how much calorie your body can burn on rest. So how to calculate BMR for bikini contestants?




BMR for bikini contestant= 655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in years)

Once you calculated your BMR, you can calculate your TDEE by referring to the table below. The TDEE is different for different individuals. It depends upon the level of the activity of the individual.

Activity	TDEE
Sedentary (Little to no activity)	BMR X 1.2
Little active (Strength training for 2-3 days a week or similar)	BMR X 1.375
Moderate Activity (Strength Training for 3-5 days a week or similar)	BMR X 1.55
Highly active (Strength training for 3 to 5 days and 1 to 2 days of cardio in a week)	BMR X 1.725
Extreme Activity(Training for 2 times a day with heavy weight training and cardio in a week)	BMR X 1.9

 Now, you will be able to calculate your TDEE and hence will understand your daily calorie requirement. Adjusting your daily calories, you can aim to reach your goal towards building a better bikini body.

In our opinion, you should alter your calories slowly not increasing or decreasing beyond 300 calories at a time. Go slow and reap maximum results.

Also, during the last three weeks before your bikini competition, reduce your sodium intake. Proper hydration is required during this time to avoid abdominal bloating and cramps.

Furthermore, you should decrease the protein and carbohydrate intake to some more extent. This decrease will help you shed more fat and get ready for your bikini contest.

Concluding on bikini competition diet, we advise you to make the right food choices. Be sure to check labels before buying your packaged food, as you are now on a road to prepare for a fitness competition.

Also, there will be times when you feel sudden cravings and want to indulge in cheating on your diet. But, you have to stay patient and avoid everything what triggers sudden cravings.

Bikini Competition Tips

A fitness competition is all about minute details and working on those details, our bikini pros have already made to a place where they are standing today. So, we are including some pro bikini competition tips to give you an edge over other competitors on stage.

Posing for bikini competition

The bikini competition is way of expressing yourself and your body on stage. You have a great body but you lack in showing it off the right way. Believe us, the game will certainly get over for you at that only point. So, you should include a posing routine during your bikini competition preparation.

You should take your posing routine seriously. The bikini competition has specific poses and you need to perfect them before stepping on stage. The different organisations have different poses, so do a thorough research and practice your posing routine accordingly.

Attend a local show

Attending a local show prior is a must for competing in a professional bikini competition. It gives you a glimpse on how actually the bikini show works. What are the specific poses?And, you can understand better about the judging parameters.

Most importantly, you can see how the competitors are posing on stage. And, what kind of makeup are they having with a lot more other insights.

There is always a chance that you got an opportunity. A post competition talk with the competitors about their journey and how they prepared for the contest.  It can really help you in planning for your own bikini competition.

Hiring a coach

Hiring a professional and a right coach can help you do wonders in your bikini competition.  A good coach can make you aware about the insights and what it is require for a bikini contest.

Training for bikini contest under the guidance of a competition coach can double your chances of winning. You can also opt for online coaching. Or, you can have a personal coach who can train and keep a watch of your performance.

We advise you to hire a dedicated competition coach. Also, you can consider hiring a veteran coach if you are amateur competitor. A veteran coach can guide you in your complete journey in sculpting a bikini body.

Supplements for bikini competition

The right supplements can enhance your bikini competition results when paired with right nutrition. After all you are training hard and is on a strict diet. This type of restricted eating and intense training can cause various nutritional deficiencies.

So it is always a good idea to include right supplements. Thy will support your body and further enhance your overall fitness.

Whey Protein for bikini competition

A whey protein shake is a perfect treat for your hard earned muscles after an intense workout session. You should opt for  isolate Protein Shakes. The isolate whey gets absorb easily into your system.

Also read: What to look for in a protein powder before buying?

BCAA for bikini competition

The or  the branch chain amino acids are the important food for your muscle. These supplements help in protein synthesis which promotes maximum muscle retention during fat loss.

L-carnitine for bikini competition

L-Carnitine is an amino acid which promotes fat loss. It will be helpful on your low carb days when you will be eating high fats in your diet. L-carnitine helps in metabolizing fats to produce energy.

L-Arginine for bikini competition training

L- Arginine is the most used amino acid in pre workouts and there is a reason for that. Taking l arginine prior your bikini training will promote better blood circulation in blood. The improved blood circulation will help you in muscle gains. Supplementing with l arginine will also give you fuller muscles with better contraction.

Multivitamins and minerals for bikini competition

Working out hard and limited supply can lead to various nutritional deficiencies in your system. Include a to keep all your systems healthy during the bikini contest preparation.

The Bottom line

The final piece of advice for your bikini competition is to have fun. Also, don’t over expect out of your fitness competition. Whatever the result will be, either win or lose, you are getting an experience of your lifetime.

Most importantly, having expectations of becoming the next fitness magazine cover model just after winning competition will land you nowhere. Saying that, if you wish to make a mark in the fitness community, do persistent efforts for success. You have a long way to go.