by darinstarr | Jan 8, 2026 | Beginning Bodybuilding, Contest Prep
Mental Challenges During Bikini Prep This article is currently being expanded. Bikini prep comes with unique psychological challenges that most competitors don’t anticipate until they’re in it — including body image shifts, comparison, and emotional stress. This page...
by darinstarr | Nov 20, 2025 | Beginning Bodybuilding, Bodybuilding Workouts
The Anatomy of the Perfect Set If you want more muscle on your frame, stop chasing speed and start chasing tension. A “perfect” set isn’t about theatrics; it’s about extracting as much high-quality mechanical tension as possible from every rep – with focused...
by darinstarr | Oct 20, 2025 | Beginning Bodybuilding, Bodybuilding, Contest Prep
Thinking about stepping on stage for the first time? Awesome. Competing can be one of the most rewarding challenges you’ll ever take on. But figuring out which division you belong in — Bodybuilding, Classic Physique, or Men’s Physique — can be confusing as hell. Let’s...
by darinstarr | Jul 5, 2024 | Beginning Bodybuilding, Bodybuilding, Contest Prep
There are a lot of categories to compete in at bodybuilding shows – 3 for men, and SIX for women. In this video I break down the men’s categories: the men’s physique division, classic physique, and bodybuilding. Each category has different...
by darinstarr | Oct 30, 2023 | Beginning Bodybuilding, Bodybuilding
A lot of people find me online via social media, where it’s very obvious I do contest prep coaching for competitive bodybuilders – people often ask if I do coaching for non-competitors and the answer is absolutely – I call it body transformation...
by darinstarr | Oct 13, 2023 | Beginning Bodybuilding, Bodybuilding, Contest Prep
As an online contest prep coach, one of the first thing that aspiring competitive bodybuilders often bring up to me sounds something like this: I want to compete in bodybuilding but I have to idea where to start To be clear, the “bodybuilding industry”...
