✨First-Time Competitor Guide: What to Expect Show Weekend - PART 2✨
SATURDAY
SHOW DAY Morning: What to Expect
Show morning can feel busy, but preparation will make the process much easier. Give yourself plenty of time to eat, get ready, attend your scheduled appointments, and arrive at the venue without feeling rushed. Like we mentioned in Part 1… most of you will have trouble sleeping anyway because of nerves and simply just triple-checking yourself to make sure you don’t forget anything. It’s normal. Try your best to stay in a calm & relaxed state of mind.
One small room/area of the venue will be buzzing in the early hours on Saturday as Hair & Makeup Appts begin a little after 3am! Charity and her Stage Ready Glam Team will lift your spirits if you’re feeling groggy that morning, don’t worry! ;)
Be prepared by knowing where you’re going that morning. Watch the Athlete video below showing you where to go and what door to enter through. It’s a very short walk from the host hotel across the street to this entrance. You’ll be greeted by a Security Guard who will ask to see your competitor button with your number on it for entry. ONLY athletes may enter through this door & at this timeframe (3am - 7:55am).
If you arrive after 7:55am, you’ll need to come through the Main Entrance which is just a little further down.
Although there will not be a traditional Saturday morning athlete meeting before Prejudging this year, we’ve decided to have a 30 minute “open stage” at 8am where athletes can come and walk the stage in their heels just to get a feel for what it’ll look and feel like on stage. You’ll receive some simple instruction from Whitney & the expediting crew about how the stage will run (this will also be mentioned in the Athlete Meeting Video that goes out to all registered athletes via email next Wednesday).
All important show-day information will be provided in the athlete email sent before the event, so make sure you have watched it in full.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE VENUE:
Be sure to ONLY bring what you truly need backstage. PLEASE NOTE – oversized roller bags, wagons, or other oversized bags are NOT allowed in this venue.
Pack only what you need and leave the rest in your hotel room so the backstage area is not cluttered. We have some fun things planned to keep you occupied (and slightly distracted) backstage this year so get ready to have a great time!
When you arrive, follow the directions provided for athlete entry and backstage access.
Backstage: What It’s Really Like
Backstage can sound intimidating, but most first-time competitors are surprised by how supportive and welcoming it feels at this show!
Backstage is simply a waiting area for athletes to relax & make friends, a space to practice posing to warm up, and pump up. It’s basically a sea of athletes helping athletes — girls adjusting suits, fixing hair, running through poses, offering encouragement, and having a great time!
As your stage time gets closer:
Change into your competition suit & make sure it is tightly secured (lots of women will be backstage to assist you, just ask!)
Make sure your competitor number is securely attached and VISIBLE when in your front pose:
BB, WP, Figure - your #’s go on the left side
Wellness, Bikini, Fit Model - choose the side that is facing the judges in your front post
Listen for instructions about lining up to get final tanning touched up or glazed by Liquid Sun Rayz
AVOID applying oils or messy products. LSR has everything you need and will do it all for you
You’ll receive instruction on where to go immediately after getting glazed in the “holding area” near the stage
Avoid pumping up too early or exhausting yourself backstage. Your goal is to feel warm, confident, and full/ready—not fatigued. This is individual to each athlete and you can get specific instruction from your coach on this.
Most importantly, take a breath and enjoy the moment. You have already completed the hardest part: the months of preparation that brought you to the stage. Trust your training, listen to the backstage team, and allow yourself to be fully present for the experience.
You’ll see women at all levels, from first-timers to seasoned competitors. Everyone started somewhere. Take a breath.
You DO belong here!
Stage Calls & Lining Up
Kayla & Hali are part of our backstage expediting team! They’re always reviewing paperwork to see which classes to call to go get glazed and ready to line up!
Bodybuilding shows often include periods of waiting followed by moments when everything begins moving very quickly. This is why we don’t list times on the show running order and classes may progress faster or slower than anticipated. Pay attention to your division & class calls, listen carefully to the expeditors, and do not leave the backstage area when your division is approaching.
We also post the expeditors paperwork on the wall backstage so you can see which classes you’re listed in and where exactly in the show line up you appear.
There will be a TV backstage with a live feed of the stage so competitors can see exactly what is going on at all times. The expediting team usually tries to have at least 3-4 classes lined up and ready so whatever is on stage, just know that if you’re within 4 classes of that – your class is probably already getting glazed and lined up.
You’ll hear several announcements when it’s time for your class to line up.
This is when:
Athletes are guided into position
Stage staff helps organize you in numerical order
You’ll be directed on where to stand, what to do, and when to do it
As you get closer and closer to the stage, everything is explained to you step-by-step. You don’t need to memorize anything — just listen and follow instructions when they’re given.
On Stage: Judging & Presentation
Once you get to the stage and your class is the next to go out – you’ll receive very specific instructions from the on-stage expeditor and/or the expeditor sending you out on stage.
What your class does first will depend on that specific class size. So even if your first class does individual presentations first, it doesn’t mean that all your classes will be like that. Usually the larger classes come out in groups to be judged first, then individuals, and then callouts/comparisons.
The smaller classes may go straight into individuals and then callouts/comparisons immediately following.
You will only do your individual presentation once at Prejudging (in the first class you go out in) and once at Finals.
Once on stage, focus on:
Walking confidently to the center box
Holding your poses confidently (long enough to get good photos)
Staying present & focusing on the judges
It’s really easy to zone out on stage, the lights are extremely bright so looking out into the audience is usually a bit overwhelming. Although you don’t have to have a huge smile on your face the entire time, remember to “think happy thoughts” so that you don’t mad in your focused face. ; )
Judges are evaluating these 4 criteria:
Muscle development (that appropriate for your division)
Conditioning (that appropriate for your division)
Symmetry and Balance
Your Presentation and “overall look”
They are not looking for perfection. So if you trip slightly or make a mistake, play it off and roll with it. No one can usually tell at all if this happens. The judges are looking for how confidently you present your physique & the specific criteria for your division.
Best advice: Treat every show as a learning experience!
FINALS: Awards & Recognition
Awards are an important part of honoring the work you’ve put in! EVERY competitor “makes it” to finals.
Whether you place or not, stepping on stage is an achievement. Many competitors walk away from their first show realizing:
They’re more competitive than they thought
They learned A TON more than expected
And realize a lot about how they can come back even better next time!
This is also when you can receive JUDGES FEEDBACK. Getting feedback from judges after every show is CRUCIAL to your success.
“Just because you think you know your weaknesses doesn’t mean that you’re fully aware of them. I can say this from first hand experience and it’s still one of the biggest lessons I learned the hard way after many years into the sport. I always thought I knew better so I was about 5 years in before I really started going to get feedback and during a conversation with a judge, it helped me realize something about my water protocol that wasn’t working in my favor before, but the experiment I tried at that show helped drastically. I wouldn’t have fully realized that without that quick convo after the show. The judges want to see you succeed; therefore, their goal by offering feedback is to help you get better!”
- Whitney Wiser Savage, IFBB Bikini Pro & Olympian
Come prepared to wait a few extra minutes to get your feedback in person, face to face with a judge. There will be a designated area with signage that you can go wait and after each division is complete, a judge will come backstage to give feedback one at a time to that entire division.
If you wait and email them days later, you may or may not receive a response since most judges work full time jobs on top of judging shows almost every single weekend. If you plan on competing ever again — stay for it!
Common Mistakes to Avoid & Your Mindset for the Weekend
Before anything else, remember this: you have already accomplished something significant. You completed prep, made it through the hard days and earned the opportunity to step onstage. Take a moment to be proud of how far you have come.
Throughout the weekend, encourage yourself to:
Stay present and take in the experience
Trust your preparation
Support the women around you—they will be cheering you on too!
Receive feedback without allowing a placing to define your experience
Meet new friends, take plenty of photos, and enjoy the moments that pass so quickly
It is also important to remember that nerves are completely normal. Shaking a little on stage during your first few competitions is normal. Forgetting a transition or not executing something exactly the way you practiced is normal. Give yourself grace. Most small mistakes are far less noticeable than they feel in the moment.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
❌ Comparing yourself to other competitors backstage
❌ Skipping meals or water out of fear
❌ Over-pumping before you go onstage
❌ Letting nerves steal your joy
❌ Failing to review all athlete communications
❌ Leaving the backstage area without notifying anyone
❌ Allowing one imperfect moment to overshadow the entire experience
Focus on your own experience and learn as much as you possibly can. This day represents months of work, discipline and courage. It is your moment—be present, enjoy it and make the most of every part of the weekend.
Final Thoughts for First-Time Competitors
Your first show isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about showing up.
It’s about gaining courage & confidence.
It’s about learning & growing.
It’s about doing something hard that less than 1% of the entire population could do — on purpose.
At the Fit Show, we’re committed to making sure your first competition is one you remember for the right reasons. You’ve earned your place on that stage.
We can’t wait to welcome you backstage and cheer you on.
AFTER THE SHOW
Post-Show can be a roller coaster of emotions, with a lot of highs and lows.
Competitors often prepare extensively for the stage but not for what happens afterward. Check out Part 3 of this guide for post-show tips and the Sunday brunch we’re hosting this year!
One of those “lows” if you didn’t place exactly how you had hoped or wanted to, is knowing how to navigate conversations with the people around you who have seen you in prep for this for weeks or even months!
What to tell family & friends when they ask “did you win?!”
“This is something I navigated repeatedly throughout my decade of competing in 31 competitions. Even when I placed well and was very happy and proud of my own hard work and placing, people who don’t understand the sport can unintentionally diminish that perspective.
Even strangers would ask “So did you win?!” just anywhere I’d go after a show if they saw the tan and knew there was a competition going on somewhere.
What I discovered helped me the most in these situations was to always answer “YES!” no matter what! Because to be honest, I did “WIN” to me! Sometimes I had a trophy or medal in hand to say “I won 3rd place!” and even the times that I didn’t, I still won by simply putting my all in, making the progress I needed to for me, and walking away with the data and feedback I need to continue progressing.
So please save yourself a lot of mental torment down the road and be prepared to always answer YES with a positive attitude when anyone asks you if you won!” - Whitney
Watch the Competitor Newbie Series: Episode 10 on YouTube where I talk a little bit about this HERE
