Good Heels/Bad Heels

My first bodybuilding competition I made a lot of mistakes, but one of my favorite ones had to do with the heels.  See, if you are in the bikini or figure divisions you have to wear clear 5″ high heels.  But where the heck to you find these things?  Certainly not Target.

My trainer was a guy and I was his first bodybuilding client, so he didn’t know either.  Fortunately there were two women who were practicing in the Group X room for the upcoming Texas Shredder.

• “You guys look great!  It looks like you both have the same shoes.  Was that planned?”
• “They’re called Ellie’s and they’re five inches!  They have to be clear so they elongate the look of your leg.”
• “How do you walk on those things?”
• “Not well,” the one woman laughed.
• “Where do you get them?”
• She leaned in and whispered, “La Rogue.”
• “What’s that?” I asked stupidly.
• “It’s where all the strippers go,” she whispered back.
• “Oh…OHHH.”  We both laughed.

Shopping there was an ordeal because I had my kids with me since I was expecting something along the lines of a Hot Topic type clothing store but it was, you know, an adult store.  Oops.  So I had to describe to the clerk the shoe I wanted (clear, 5″ heel minimum) and she brought it outside to me where I waited with my kids.

After my $65 investment and spending a week trying to walk in these things I had new respect for strippers.  I also had a posing lesson with Dave Goodin and he told me the shoes were wrong.  I had indeed purchased, you know, actual stripper shoes.

So if you are new to figure and bikini competitions, please look at the two types of shoes and note some differences.

Good Heel (used for bodybuilding competitions)

• Has 5″ heel
• Has a strap to give your ankle support.  (The strap isn’t required, it’s just helpful.)
• Sole of shoe is close to ground

Bad Heel (used for…well you get it.)

• Has 6″ heel
• No strap
• Has 1″ platform

Later that week I was back at the gym, talking with one of the older women in the locker room who had recently retired.  She asked me how my week was and I told her I made, not one, but two trips to La Rogue.

“Oh yeah, that’s where all the strippers go.”

Why was I the only person in Austin who didn’t know about this place?

Lisa

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