August 2008

Image after image and in one video after the next, you’ve seen flawless Figure girls on stage. Their skin glowing, all that light bouncing off a countless number of rhinestones perfectly positioned over their fabulous suits, their faces beautifully made up, and their physiques looking impeccable.

Each and every one of these women looks unquestionably glamorous and absolutely striking in those bright lights — that’s undeniable. What is questionable, however, is just how “glamorous” their journey up on stage really was.

There’s little talk about what these stunning ladies went through to look the way they do when we see them flaunting their physiques for the judges.

No, we’re not talking about their Spartan lifestyles for the last four months. What we are talking about, are the few days before that all-important event, and the hours upon hours spent backstage getting prepared to walk up those steps looking as flawless as they do.

Ladies, it’s time that someone tells it like it is.

Let’s talk about the prep the day before and on the day of competition. You’ve done all the training to look your absolute best; you may as well know a few truths about those final stages of prep. Brace yourself — some of these facts may surprise you enough to punch some of the enchantment right out of the alluring world of competition.

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When it comes to tight muscles, there is one simple tool that’ll serve you better than just about any other option. Yes, stretching is excellent for lengthening the muscle; but this little baby targets the tone of the muscle as well, thereby doing something that stretching alone will never do.

Ladies, I present to you the foam roller.

Foam rolling, also known as self-myofascial release (SMR), is essentially just like getting a deep tissue massage. The difference is, you control the pressure and areas of concentration; plus, it doesn’t cost you $80 a pop!

SMR allows you to reach and properly stimulate tense, tight areas of your entire body, relaxing those muscles and releasing pressure — which in turn makes them soft and supple. The entire of goal of SMR is to stretch the fascia (connective tissue that supports and protects the body), releasing bonds between the fascia, integument, muscles, and bones.

These adhesions develop throughout life as areas of major muscle imbalances, knots, and scar tissue from physical trauma; they’re also known as trigger points. Alleviating these knots and tightness will restore normal flexibility, range of motion, and balance to the body. By rolling over these areas, the fascia is manipulated, causing it to realign and reorganize itself in a more functional manner.

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