Bikini Contest Prep Workout Plan
I am going to be sharing some steps I take when programming exercises for my online clients, half of which are bikini competitors. They come to me to help put together an effective bikini contest workout plan for them to be sure they are ready for their show on time.
One frequently asked question I get is, how many times per week should I workout?
To answer that question, there is not an actual straight up answer like "you need to work out five times a week doing this everyday, and this everyday for bikini prep." To be honest, it's different for everyone. When it comes to exercise programming, it just kind of depends on where you are at physically, what areas of your body you are strong with, and what areas you are weak with. All those things can play a part into what sort of training program you should have.
Today I want to give you a very general idea of how to create your own exercise program if you don't have a coach. Because sometimes it can be a little bit confusing about what you should do.
Scenario: Sarah
Let's say Sarah is someone who is very strong in her upper body, but needs some work in her lower body like her glutes and her hamstrings, which are very important for bikini, right? We also know that she has been lifting for a while and she is getting ready for a contest in a few months. She really wants to put on muscle in her lower body. She has been working out consistently four times a week.
So as a coach I am just going to go with you through my mindset of what I'm thinking when I am writing a bikini contest prep workout program for her.
For Sarah's bikini contest prep workout plan, I would program the following for her: 5x/week lower/upper/lower/upper/lower program. I'm increasing her frequency since her body is used to 4x/week and I'm hitting her lower body 3x/week since that's her weak area. Lower body days would include bridge/thrust pattern exercises and also lateral rotary (hip abduction and hip external rotation) exercises to hit her lower glutes, too. She will have two rest days to either do some cardio, yoga, or rest.
There are so many different ways you could do this, but I just wanted to give you guys an idea of my train of thought and what I'm thinking when I'm programming things for my clients. I think this would be a good start for Sarah and then we could change up her workouts in four weeks. Always change your workout programs every 4-6 weeks so you can continue to see progress, avoid plateau, and enjoy them.
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Once the weekly schedule is set, then I would go in and fill in each day with 6-8 exercises for each workout. I usually keep total working sets around 15-22 depending on the client's time restraints.
When I’m choosing which exercises to prescribe, I am not just randomly picking them. I focus more time on compound exercises than accessory/single-joint exercises. I am making sure the muscle is being strengthened in different ranges of motion. For example, I am making sure I am choosing some exercises that work the muscles in the mid range, some that work in a shortened range, and some that work in a lengthened range. I am also making sure the reps are varied, so every exercise isn't just "do three sets of ten."
There is a lot that goes into writing an exercise program. I recommend you get a coach who is knowledgeable and can give you the right resources and program that is custom to your needs- not a cookie cutter program. It will save you a lot of time and will make you train outside your comfort zone by programming exercises for you that you may not already know or choose for yourself.
For those of you who can't afford it, it's not a problem. That's why I wanted to share this with you today. Don't just copy this, but at least you can hopefully now understand my train of thought when I am writing a bikini contest prep workout plan. Hopefully you can take these steps to writing your very own custom plan.
Steps to writing your own bikini contest prep workout plan:
- Decide how many days per week you will workout
- Decide which muscle groups you will workout on each of those training days; keeping them spread out, allowing at least one full day of rest per week, and working each muscle group 2-3x/wk
- Think of 6-8 exercises for each training day that work those muscle groups at varying ranges of motion and focus on compound exercises
- Decide on varying sets/reps for each exercise
If you are still struggling or need more help, be sure to checkout my online coaching which includes new custom training programs every 4 weeks.
Hello! Just hoping you could give 3 different leg or bum exercises that would be examples of mid, short, and lengthened ranges? I tried googling and could only find info on passive and active ROM, and I’m not sure if you are referring to the same thing or not. Thanks!