im just curious what the frequency looks like for everyone here when it comes to jumping on stage like how often are you guys actually doing shows throughout the year
and as a bonus question i was wondering how many years did you spend training and grinding in the gym before you finally did your first competition? just trying to see what the average timeline looks like for people or if some of you just jumped right in early on
i think most people do like 1 or 2 shows a year tops if they’re being smart about it. the prep is just too brutal to do more than that without burning out. i trained for 5 years before i felt big enough to even think about a stage and honestly i still felt tiny when i got up there haha.
honestly i jumped in way too early lol. had only been lifting for about 18 months and looked like a string bean compared to the heavyweights. id say wait until you have a solid 3-4 years of heavy lifting under your belt so you actually have some density to show off once you cut.
usually guys will pick a "season" and hit 2 shows that are a couple weeks apart. that way you only have to peak once. i spent 6 years grinding before my first one and i'm glad i did - that "old man strength" and muscle maturity really helps when you're standing next to the younger guys.
it really depends on your goals but doing more than 2 is pushing it. your hormones need time to reset after being that lean. i was a gym rat for almost a decade before i finally pulled the trigger on a show. no rush man the stage will always be there.
i know some absolute madmen who do 3 or 4 but they usually look like ghosts by the last one lol. id say stick to one "main" show a year. i waited 4 years myself... spent most of that time just learning how to actually eat right and hit my macros properly.
