Stephanie Davis, Pamela Reif and Tim Gabel have something in common: they are beautiful, athletic, and they love sports and modelling. Though such a beautiful image is acquired with blood, sweat and tears. The job of a fitness model includes not only a workout programme and a healthy diet, but they also need to have an active web presence. If you want to embark on a career of a fitness-model, there are a few details you must take into consideration.

What is recommended, and what is to be avoided? We have made a list of what fitness models need to know about not only in the fitness branch but also on the set.

The Do’s: What you Need to Consider

1. Sufficient exercise

If you want to become a popular model in the fitness branch, one thing is incredibly important: exercise. As obvious as it might seem, exercise is of paramount importance because fitness models are role models of healthy appearance and athleticism. Therefore, if you only manage to squeeze one or two workout sessions a week out of you, it is not enough. You have to be disciplined and eager if you want to exercise several times a week. It is essential to exercise every part of your body. It would be insufficient if you chose to exercise only certain muscles over and over again because every part of an athlete’s body should fit. Fitness models must have strong muscles and a very low level of fat in their body.

That is why it is recommended to combine strength and endurance training. The latter stimulates your body for fat burning, strengthens the immune system and minimises the risk of a heart attack, whereas strength training contributes to the muscle growth and makes your body look athletic and fit. Furthermore, it boosts your mental health and improves your posture. Thus, such a combination of two training types is definitely the right choice for fitness models.

2. A Healthy and Balanced Diet

If you thought you only need to do sports to have an athletic body, you are mistaken. The correct nutrition plays a decisive role in the training process. Not only an effective exercise plan must be part of your lifestyle but also a healthy and balanced diet. Owing to the intensive workout, your body needs certain nutrients that are found in food. Therefore, you need vegetables and proteins for muscle growth, a good portion of carbohydrates to be energetic and strong, and a healthy amount of unsaturated fatty acids. You can find the latter in fish, avocado or legumes, for example.

Moreover, always remember to give your body enough liquid a day. Adults need a minimum of 1.5 litres of fluids a day. If you exercise and your body loses fluids with perspiration, the daily amount of water has to grow up to 3 litres. Tap water, mineral water or tea without sugar are the drinks we recommend.

3. Social media presence

Social media is something that you simply can’t neglect nowadays. The importance of being present in social media increases day by day, and it is a particularly important criterion in the modelling business. A social media profile can give your career a boost, which can help the customers find out about you. Aside from Facebook, Twitter, etc., Instagram has gained a lot of popularity recently. The chance to present yourself in pictures often serves as a kind of personal identification card, and a potential customer may get the first impression of your photogenic qualities. Luckily, you can present yourself the way you want, so Instagram is a perfect place to show your workout process, diet plan and your positive attitude.

4. Take it Easy

To be a successful fitness model, you need to be patient. If you want to land a job in this branch, you have to accept the fact that it is going to be hard to find work at first. But this should not be a problem for you. In the modelling business, you will have to suffice with a few small shootings at first. However, you can use this time to grow as a model and do your best to prepare for further shootings and always be enthusiastic. When taking a break between assignments, use this time to exercise and boost your social media profile to increase your popularity.

5. Before the first shooting

You made it and you already scheduled your first shooting? Congrats! But what do you have to take into consideration now? If you are nervous, it is totally understandable. In the course of the shooting, your nervousness will vanish in the blink of an eye. We recommend having a light snack before the shooting to be calm and get enough energy for the work you are about to do. Also, make sure you take all the hygienic measures and keep yourself clean, so before the shooting, make sure you wash your skin and hair thoroughly. This will make it easier for the stylists to do their work.

As soon as you are on the set, get acquainted with it. Inspect everything and talk to the experts before the shooting to avoid common mistakes during the process. Both the photographer and the creative director can give you concrete tips on how the shooting is conducted and what you should take into consideration. If you know the ropes, the pictures are going to be fantastic.

The Don’ts: Things to Avoid

1. Less is More

If you want to kickstart your career as a fitness model, you will need more than just an athletic appearance. A positive appearance and natural charm are also crucial. Follow the principle “less is more”. A natural appearance is what most customers want from a model, so avoid extensions, artificial nails or eyelashes. The more natural you look at the shooting, the better.

2. Don’t Style Yourself

As a fitness model, you need to prepare well for the first shooting. Your hard work should eventually make itself felt! Don’t be late to the first shooting, which could leave a wrong impression about you. And don’t style or put on make-up at home. The experts on the set will make sure you look perfect for the shooting. You will also get your outfit on the set. It is, first of all, important to be open and honest on this first stage of the shooting. Tell the stylists if you have misgivings about the outfit or if you don’t like something about it. After all, it is only you who can tell if the look suits you one hundred per cent.

3. Caution in Social Media

Even though the world of social media is generally associated with something positive, not everything that shines is gold. There are many suspicious profiles and scammers out on the web, so you have to be considerate when promoting yourself in social media. You often might get offers from model agencies that would ask you to send them your photos. Be careful and don’t be too quick to act― make sure you check these accounts thoroughly. Such anonymous profiles might conceal unprofessional employers and scammers.

Conclusion

If you want to make a career modelling, consider the tips we have given. Nowadays, you must be not only athletic and have a healthy diet but also be present in social media. In your profile, you can show your talent and make the first impression on your future employer before the shooting. As far as the ins and outs of the shooting process are concerned, experts on the set will inform you about them before the shooting starts.