Becoming a natural bodybuilder requires consistency, discipline, and a willingness to face the truth about your body. Talking about competing is easy. But stepping on stage is a completely different animal.
Lesson Learned
When I did my first show in 2011, I had no clue what I was doing. I coached myself starting in August 2010, and I’m proud of that. But I also walked into a storm of misinformation. I didn’t analyze my weaknesses, and I paid for it under those bright lights. That failure taught me about what it really takes to succeed as a natural bodybuilder.
Here are three things you must do before you ever step on stage.
1) Determine Your Weak Areas
This is the hardest and most important part.
Most people don’t want to face the mirror and in 2010 I was one of them. I refused to see that I had no lats, no arms, no size, and no density. I had good legs, and I was lean from running track in college. But that made me the “Bird Man” of natural bodybuilding: skinny, smooth, and nowhere near ready to win.
Don’t let your friends gas you up with “Bro, you look like Arnold!” They’re biased. You need an objective eye, which means a qualified coach who will tell you the truth.
Genetics play a role. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. For me, sprinting came naturally, but pull-ups and push-ups as a kid were brutal. Weaknesses can be improved, but only if you admit they exist.
2) Choose The Right Show
The stage exposes you. Choosing a show is not about what looks fun on social media. It is about when your body is ready.
If you are genetically gifted with balanced muscle and a lean frame, you might be stage-ready in 8 to 12 weeks. But if you were like me, with skinny man genetics and missing body parts, you could be years away from the stage. And that is fine.
Do not rush to the stage because your friends are hyping you up. But also, do not be like Charlie Charlatan, the guy who is always about to compete but never does. You will never be 100 percent ready. What matters is picking a realistic timeline and using that deadline to fuel your grind.
3) Follow The Right Training And Nutrition Protocol
The biggest myth in contest prep is that you need some “magical” natural bodybuilding training program. That is fake hustle.
Here are the classic mistakes:
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Using light weights and doing endless high reps to “get shredded”
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Doing hours of slow cardio that strips away muscle
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Cutting all carbs until you are flat, stringy, and miserable
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Hopping from program to program looking for shortcuts
If you are natural, you need to keep lifting heavy (relative to you). You need to keep sprinting and doing intense conditioning for as long as you can. And you need a nutrition plan that preserves muscle while dropping fat. Figuring out your caloric intake is the key to building your diet plan.
The truth is that eating drastically less and training dramatically more will cook you worse than overdone salmon. You won’t look good.
The Last Rep
If you want to become a natural bodybuilder, you must prepare with honesty, patience, and the right plan. Your first show may not bring a trophy, but it will bring experience and the hunger to improve.
I learned the hard way in 2011. You don’t have to. If you are ready to build a stage-worthy physique, my 21-Day Fit program is a proven starting point for your transformation. It’s the program I wish I had in 2010.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer & Barber,
Fitman x Fademan
