Why Tan Before Contests

[motof]

Hey
I'm a complete newbie to bodybuilding and I was wondering why tanning is so important before contests? I can understand that it shows your definition better normally, but is a deep tan really necessary?

[j0s1ah]

Hey buddy,
The stage lighting at contests are intense. You will look white as snow if you don't go up there with a decent tan. A tan in combination with that lighting maximizes definition and striations.

[gymBum]

Exactly what jos1iah said, the tan will make your muscles stand out more for the judges to see your definition and the lines of your physique.

[BATMANNYC]

There is a little more to it than that. Everyone, no matter how dark their complexion might be, has different shades on their body based on what parts get exposed to the sun (your legs are almost always paler than your forearms for example, as they are usually covered). When you are onstage, those differences show up very dramtically and it takes away from your overall muscularity. The lights tend to wash out paler areas, making it harder to see the definintion that you may have in that area.

Tanning, however, when done properly, creates a nicely coloured physique that is dark enough to maximize your level of definition. But it also has other uses, tanning helps remove that subcutaneous film of water that often obscures muscular definition, and a little known fact, tanning actually increases testosterone levels slightly.

The best strategy however for a contest is to tan judiciously, never tanning for more than 20 minutes at a time for no more than 3-4 times a week, and then applying a quality competition tanning product like Dream Tan or ProTan before the contest. The application of these products, though, is just as much an art as is training sometimes, and it helps to have someone that knows what they are doing put it on for you.

Hope this helps.

[SarahPT&SN]

Everyone made good points. Typically judges will say that they have never judged anyone down for being too dark, but that they have judged people down for being too light.

Sarah

[Tove]

Remember Tom Prince? HUGE AS HELL, didn't tan lost...end of story TAN!

[manuelrodriguez]

Originally Posted by motof

Hey
I'm a complete newbie to bodybuilding and I was wondering why tanning is so important before contests? I can understand that it shows your definition better normally, but is a deep tan really necessary?

Hey Motof,

I think its not, but it looks good.

[Shwa']

For bodybuilders of darker skin (Such as Latinos and African Americans, and others), what would they have to do for th competition? I know for myself I would just sit out in the sun for a while, but are there like creams/solutions to make your skin more shinny to show off muscle? Always wondered that...

~Shwa'

[GetSwoll]

Originally Posted by Shwa'

For bodybuilders of darker skin (Such as Latinos and African Americans, and others), what would they have to do for th competition? I know for myself I would just sit out in the sun for a while, but are there like creams/solutions to make your skin more shinny to show off muscle? Always wondered that...

~Shwa'

I'm not so sure about what bodybuilders of darker skin do. However, they do have oils that make your skin shiny and are pretty popular. If you look closely at the pictures you can see that most of them are pretty glossy looking.