Get Ready Seminar

Thanks to everyone who left comments about TJ and James. TJ is on the mend but we are taking him walking on a different route until we are all a bit more comfortable going back to 'Where the Wild Things Are'. James's hand is slowly getting better. He is new to Melbourne so at least he has a good talking point when meeting new people!

Finally have some time and energy so thought I would say a few words about the Get Ready seminar I attended on Sunday. It was a long day, but think we all got a lot out of it, not least sore muscles from all the posing practice!

We started off by introducing ourselves - about half of us had competed before, and half are planning to compete for the first time in the near future. Several will be novices at the the All Female show, so it was great that they will have others there that they already know.

Jo then ran through the different federations and what 'looks' they tend to favour, and talked about the different categories (physique, figure, sportsmodel etc). She also gave a brief overview of posing and requirements, talking about creating a 'Y' shape for a figure competitor (wide shoulders and back, narrow base) and an "x' shape for a physique competitor (wide shoulders and back, tapering in to waist then out again).

Jo also talked about how competing affects your family, and how it can affect you physically, mentally and financially. Something that I took away from this was that you should make competing an extra part of your life, rather than the center of your life. I thought it was important, as it's easy to become self-absorbed doing this sport - something I was particularly guilty of when preparing for my first competition, and that I've been trying to reduce since.

Before lunch we went through the quarter turns. Unfortunately Donna wasn't able to make it due to work commitments, so Jo had her work cut out for her, correcting the posting of 12 eager students. But she gave us all some individual attention, which was great. It was amazing to watch how a few small changes could make such a difference to a person's posing.

After lunch we went through music choice and editing, costumes and shoes, and routines



Then it was time for more posing practice, this time the compulsory poses. Going through these poses made me realise how little I know, and how much more I need to learn. I think Jo made a big difference to my side chest pose in particular - I actually looked like I had chest muscles, LOL.

Near the end of the day Gabriela Cioban arrived to pick up her suits from Jo. Gabriella is competing at the Arnold Amateur IFBB International Championships in Ohio at the end of the month - there are 22 competitors in her class! (See Gabriela in the latest issue of Harcore Aussie Muscle.) She sat in and added her opinion while Jo discussed tanning and grooming (hair, make-up etc). I got to be the guinea pig while Jo applied a base coat of Contest Colour to my stomach, then a bit of Dream Tan to one side of my belly button, and a bit of Body Shimmer to the other side, so we could see how to apply all the products, and what they looked like on.

I'm sure I've missed lots out, but that gives you a general idea of what was covered. It was a great day - not only does Jo give out lots of useful info, but it also gives you a chance to meet other people who are interested in the same sport as you. So it's definitely worth going - just be prepared to wake up a bit stiff and sore the next day!