It’s competition season, and Pro-Tan’s Dream Tan is flying off our shelves! But for all of you wondering, what is the obsession with bodybuilders and tanning products?
At first, you may think that the bronze coat of tan is just the finishing touch to make their bodies more aesthetically pleasing, and you wouldn’t be completely wrong. However, it can take days for bodybuilders to perfect their ideal skin tone, often putting their first base coat on way before the competition begins.
While some of us have never touched tanning products in our life, and some of us have only used fake tan for a night out – why is the perfect competition tan sought out so much by bodybuilders?
Defines muscles
The main reason why bodybuilders use tanning products is that it defines muscle. When you are competing, you always want to have the edge over your competitors and that is why you see them in their bronzed-up bodies. The colours that they choose defines their muscle and gives them better shape than what they would look like with natural skin colour, and with every shade darker you go some believe that it gives you a 10% increase in muscle definition.
Appears to make them slimmer
Using tanning agents in competitions also give the competitor the appearance of a slimmer physique. Bodybuilders spend a lot of time at the gym, reducing the amount of body fat they have, while also trying to increase the size of their muscles. Giving themselves a darker skin tone draws the attention of the judges inwards towards their body, making them appear smaller as people will be drawn to their defined muscles and not their towering stature.
The battle against stage lights
Anyone who has ever competed in a bodybuilding competition or even been on a stage with bright lights will tell you that stage lights are not the most flattering. The stage lights are meant to light up your full body, meaning that everyone can see the shape that you’ve trained so hard to get your body in. However, due to the brightness, it is a common complaint that bodybuilders feel their skin looks washed out and more round. Since bodybuilders just want their body to look good, it can make or break their competition – that’s why most bodybuilders feel that using a dark tan that can withstand the brightest of stage lights is the most beneficial for them.
Improve the appearance of skin
Whilst bodybuilding is mostly on a different scale compared to the stereotypical beauty pageant, it still mirrors the fact that the competitors in both have to have a good body physique – which includes having really good skin. Stretch marks are a bodybuilder’s worst nightmare, underneath the gruesome stage lights and without a tanning agent would be disastrous for a bodybuilder, as their stretch marks would show up as clear as day. That’s why bodybuilders use a very dark tanning agent usually, as they hide the imperfections in their skin that they would usually get judged on.
Hang on, what products do they use to look like that?
Dream Tan is a very popular brand among bodybuilders, their instant skin colour range is one of the bestselling lines on the market. Bikini Bite is also very popular, as it stops competitors suits coming loose/falling down. Pro Tan also provide competitors with a large range of high-quality products, with their own instant skin colour and top coat also very popular among competitors.
Whilst they use tanning products to achieve their ideal skin tone, they can also use other items such as water shedders to lose their water weight and Emu Oil, to combat burns they may encounter from the sun if they want to use the sun to their advantage and tan naturally (often not suggested for UK competitors!)
And Finally…
Tanning is a fantastic way for bodybuilders to look more muscular, legends of the bodybuilding games such as Jay Cutler, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dorian Yates have all been through the process – whether this is at Mr Olympia or at your local competition. Everybody has got to start somewhere.
