Tanning for a competition to look have the best tan on stage!
Bodybuilding can be a sport of illusion and if you have been to a competition and seen a competitor with little or no colour they will appear to be less defined, compared to the person standing next to them where you would then definately see the difference.
I have seen over and over again after giving advice that you can never be dark enough really up on stage underneath those bright stage lights, competitors thinking they are tanned enough whilst preparing for a competition.
Getting the right skin color will make your appear more muscular, leaner, and more defined. You'd be amazed at what applying the correct contest skin dye can do to your physique.
Competitors are judged on, muscularity, symmetry, poise, posing, and even skin. You have to have the prefect package when stepping on stage so read below a few different ways competitors will get ready for a competition with their competition colour.
You can't just go painting your body the day before you competition and hope you make the cut. There is a bit more detail to it than that if you want to look the best you can possibly look tanning wise.
Building the Base
Before starting your base tan with contest colour we suggest you exfoliate to remove all dead skin and also consider waxing a day or so prior to starting to allow the skin to rest before applying the tans.
First, you need to get a a good base tan. The tanning bed is still an option for some because you can avoid the suit strap lines. It's good to start your tanning process early enough so you soak in a good dark color without burning if you choose to get your start of the base tan by using the sun beds.
So some say don't worry about skin cancer from tanning because the chemicals in food and personal care products are much worse. Burning the skin, well that's bad and can damage your skin and who knows what!
The option at Health Mucle Body is we suggest getting your base started with a good contest colour for a base.
Even if you are darker skinned individual such as African Americans I suggest you should also tan. You want to get a rich and even color overall.
The lighter your skin tone the more base you should focus on.
You can start applying your contest colour about 3-5 days before your competition. Personally, I like to start about Thursday morning (if competing on the saturday) with a coat of contest colour . Shower off the excess Thursday evening and apply another coat and keep this process going until contest day.
This long and slow application process allows your skin to absorb the color really well, giving you an even deeper and richer color on stage.
(Some spray tan salons will allow you to bring your own contest colour rather than using theres which in my opion most of them are not dark enough.)
The morning of the show finish off with a light coat of dream tan or body shimmer and let it soak into your skin before heading off to the competition where before you compete you would get your back stage helper to put on another coat.. Use dream tan or body shimmer as a finishing touch for that deep bronzing look.
Your skin prep for your competition is very important, so learn how to prepare your skin for the big event correctly.
Regular Questions
Q. Do you need to remove all your hair prior to beginning the tanning process?
A. Yes, Most competitors will wax completely all over. Remember hair will hide the definition of your muscles and give you shadows and not show off your muscle as well. Not to mention the tan may go gluggy in spots.
We reccomend you wax a day or so before you start your base tanning so it allows your skin to rest and its pores to close before applying the tan.
Q. If I havent got access to a spray tan machine what do I use to apply the contest colour?
A. We suggest getting yourself a little paint roller and rolling the contest colour over yourself. Dont worry about even marks as when you lightly wash you will find that it all evens out. Some use sponges but I find that a sponge soaks off moisture which means you can be actually wasting product.
Q. Can I shave to touch up after I have applied contest colour?
A. Yes but be aware if you have sensitive skin you may want to allow time for your skin to rest before applying another coat.
Q. Does contest colour wash off?
A. Yes it does but I wouldnt be wearing your best clothes as staining can occur. I would also be using old sheets on your bed.
Q. How do you remove the contest colour?
A. Most use baby oil it seems to help remove it well. Otherwise a bit of elbow grease and soap and water.
Q. Using oil for a top coat on the day of the show?
A. We suggest to not go overboard and yes there are lots of oils that companies will say is the best to try etc. We suggest good old fashion canola spray is the best and just a light coat to give yourself a nice shimmer of shine (Body shimmer and dream tan usually looks fine without it though)
Other trainers and coach swear by a light spray of hair spray. This can help tighten the skin a little bit more. I would not go overboard with this option though.