The worst part about shaving body hair for a competition is keeping it maintained. Yes, that is my personal opinion about the situation. Let me explain why.
The body is an amazing thing. It is so amazing that even when you shave off body hair it seems that 5 minutes later the hair is already starting to grow back. I am dead serious! For instance, I recently shaved the stubble off my chest area and then moved on to my arms. By the time I was done with my arms I could feel a small amount of stubble on my chest. Thus, in order to feel smooth all the time it requires that I shave just about daily.
To me, this extra work is annoying, but worth it for the end results I am trying to accomplish. It is just another lifestyle adjustment I am having to make. Becoming a bodybuilder and competing on a stage is something that requires some changes to my lifestyle. There are the obvious things like eating and training and then the less obvious things like shaving down. These things just have to happen in order for the goal to be achieved.
Some have asked why I am shaving down 5 months prior to my show. The answer is that I need to start working on the condition of my skin. The hair gets in the way of that. By shaving down now I can lotion up my skin and get it into better shape. I have also noticed that my skin is taking a bit of time (in areas) to get accustomed to the irritation of shaving on a regular basis. From what I've read, this can take some time and until such time as the skin is accustomed to the shaving there are red spots on various parts of my body. By the time of my show these will have gone away.
The entire process suits someone like me. I enjoy learning the how and the why behind the science of bodybuilding. I am lucky to have found an advisor who understands it very well and is willing to share his knowledge with me. I am not sure this would work for me any other way.