Common and a key necessity when competing. It looks crazy in regular light, real world scenarios but under the bright lights on stage, it helps bring out every detail and striation in your musculature. I actually underwent a three-day process when I got painted for that show. First, bodybuilding show are always on a saturday; no matter what level or division-it’s just a tradition within the sport. So, on thursday night I paint myself with this spray-tan brush tan stuff, which I then rinse with water-only and go to bed. Same thing again on friday night, except this time no shower, just pat dry after the painting.
Come the morning of the shower is when the real coloring gets started. Their are myriad products available which a bodybuilder can choose from, but I used this stuff called DreamTan. Dream Tan is thick, gooey, dark goop that gets applied all over my body. Having someone who knows what they are doing and is experienced with applying the stuff is very important here. If it’s applied wrong you will look like shit. I was done up great in the picture you are referencing. The stuff gets slapped on my body and then patted down, not painted or rubbed. It’s so messy, though. 