Eating and working out aren’t the only times you need to focus on bodybuilding. If you want to be a champion, you need to set yourself up for success with your actions at other times as well.

Here are five winning habits to develop:

Keeping a training log is an important component in your long-term success so you can see the incremental progress you’re making over a long period of time. Granted, it can be tedious to enter in each set, rep and weight used—but over time, you will be able to adjust your training based on the immense amount of data you have collected.

Part of the record keeping process includes setting goals. We have heard about goal setting so many times over the years that it goes by without thought but it’s critical to your bodybuilding success. Setting measurable goals in a time-bound fashion gives you a road map to guide your efforts and keep you on track.

Sleep is important to both your overall health and the recovery of the muscles in your body. It’s when your body is actually building the muscle you tore down in your workout routine. If you’re maxing out your training routines, it’s especially vital to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep every night.

In fact, you should get enough sleep that you do not have to rely on the alarm in the morning. Schedule your bedtime and sleep hours so that your body gets enough natural rest to wake up by itself. If you have to rely on the alarm clock to wake up, you are not getting enough sleep.

Perhaps it makes you a better well-rounded person to have many interests and activities. But it will not make you a champion bodybuilder. To excel in the sport, as in other disciplines, you must focus your efforts.

That includes limiting your physical activity outside the gym. You cannot play in a hockey league or play tennis regularly. Your body can only handle so much physical activity and it is important to maintain your training regimen. Otherwise, it is too hard to monitor the process of recovery.

While you can keep things light in the workout room and tap into your natural enthusiasm for your sport, you must be 100% committed to bodybuilding. A lackadaisical, unfocused effort will result in minimal gains and doom you to also-ran status.

The time commitment of diet monitoring, weightlifting, and cardio is significant. You must have the support of family and friends for you to recognize your goals. In a sense, you need to set up your whole life to support your commitment to bodybuilding.

In short, competing to be a first-class bodybuilder isn’t a casual effort. The more seriously you take it throughout your daily life, the more it will pay off in the gym and on the stage.

There really is no age limit when it comes to competing.

In fact, we’ve seen competitors as old as 82! Ray Moon, who is in his early 80’s, is a well-known bodybuilder in his home country of Australia. And “godfather of fitness” Jack LaLanne advocated competing at any age.

Being fit is not just for the young anymore—it’s increasingly popular with the young at heart! For example, the most popular age range at the Arnold Sports Festival used to be 18-24 year-old males. Over the years, it’s risen to the 25-45 age group.

In 2008, the NY Times reported the World Natural Sports Organization had 44 competitors over 60 in their 2007 competition—up from only 2 in 2000. And in the 5 years before the article, the number of women and men in their 60’s and 70’s competing in the United States Bodybuilding Federation show doubled.

You can see it in your own gym too—more and more older people are hitting the treadmill and weight machines. This is partly due to demographics, since people over 50 is the fastest growing age range. But it’s also due to more awareness these days about how important fitness is to staying healthy for the long haul.

The NPC added a new division in 2011—Men’s Physique—which will be searching for contestants who display the best shape and symmetry as well as muscularity and overall condition.

The vibe is different as well. Contestants will be asked to walk in board shorts, entering the stage shirtless and barefoot. Judges look for stage presence, poise and personality.

Since it is not a bodybuilding contest, extreme muscularity is actually awarded lower points. This category may be just the ticket for older competitors who don’t have the massive size to compete.

Although it is harder to gain muscle later in life because the anabolic hormones in your body are starting to slow, it is possible.

Furthermore, adding muscle mass may be even more beneficial for you than it is for a youngster—muscle built now will serve you well in later years.

Here are some things to keep in mind about getting ready for competitions when you’re over 40:

In short, whether competing in the full-on bodybuilding or physique division, there are plenty of opportunities for competitors of all ages.