Contest season is just around the corner. While browsing
fitness and bodybuilding forums, I find it common for new
competitors to be completely lost in an abundance of
information.
Information overload can destroy your best intentions. Many
individuals that are new to the fitness sport gather a ton
of quality information. While this is good, the downfall is
that they use every method they have outlined, leaving no
back up sources for when a plateau strikes.
Consistent Off-Season Diet - You can't realistically look
100% on contest day if you haven't maintained a clean and
consistent off-season diet. You can't go from eating pizza
and burgers all winter and attempt to clean it up come
January and expect to enter a show in May. While you may
make some physical changes, you won't be in the shape you
could have been if you ate well in the off-season.
Off-season is the time to build muscle quality and density.
It's extremely difficult to attempt to build density and
lose body fat at the last minute.
Last Minute Preparation - This can fall under the lines of
the above to some degree, but what I'm putting emphasis on
here are those who decide on a contest at the last minute,
thinking they can start from scratch and prepare in twelve
weeks. Contest preparation and competing on stage takes
time, effort, and vision. While I have seen many take the
last minute approach, it's quite obvious they were not
prepared and just competed for the sake of saying, "I did
it."
Cutting Carbohydrates - Granted, limiting and even
restricting carbohydrates will lean you up, get you hard,
and define physique, but many people go about this in the
wrong manner. You can't realistically cut carbohydrates
until you have them in your diet first.
The best approach for reducing carbohydrates and lose body
fat is to cycle the carbohydrates down slowly. This way you
are always presenting something new to the body and it
keeps the body responding by shedding fat. By the time you
are in your final week of dieting, you will be on very low
carbohydrates and showing a great amount of detail.
However, you can't get to this point overnight. Dieting
down properly takes time and it should follow a formula.
Supplementing - Supplementing your diet is crucial if you
are planning to compete. When you prepare for a contest you
are putting your body under a great deal of stress
mentally, physically, and nutritionally. You must
compensate with supplements that provide nutrients, such as
a quality vitamin/mineral. Adding sports nutrition
supplements to aid in muscle growth and recovery, as well
as fat burning will be a plus.
Cardio - Cardio is a tactic many people employ, thinking it
will get them ripped. While cardio is wonderful for the
cardio-pulmonary system, too much can destroy muscle gains
and put you into over training mode. Many novices start off
with a terrible amount of cardio, up to an hour or two a
day the first month. When the body adapts to this amount of
exertion, what does it have to fall back on? Three hours a
day?
A better approach would be to start your cardio 16 to 20
weeks before the show, starting with three days of 15 to 20
minutes and build on that every week in a slow manner. This
way you have a backup method.
Last Minute Fatal Tricks - This is the deadly downfall to
90% of the newbie's and even some veteran competitors. Last
minute fatal tricks can destroy you on contest day. Don't
get this confused with last minute tactics employed to
further prepare you for contest day. A fatal trick will be
something along the lines of loading creatine the week
before a show or eating a dozen donuts the night before.
Yes, I've seen these "tricks" used before and it will
destroy a ready physique in a matter of hours.
General Steps To Bodybuilding and Figure Contest Preparation
Eat well year around. When a contest is 24 weeks away,
begin cleaning up your diet by eliminating any obvious junk
food you may sneak in during the day. Limit your bread and
dairy intake as well.
After a few weeks of general cleaning up, start tracking
your calories to find your caloric baseline. Take your
stats and design a diet based on your lean body mass and
activity level. Make sure you feed your body a complete
meal every three hours.
Add cardio to the equation. Start off on the low and
progress slowly each week. Don't overload the body with too
much cardio too soon.
Tweak your diet only when it shows no positive results. A
tweak would be considered something minor, such as lowering
the carbohydrates, or adjusting the calories, or changing
the cardio. Do not do all at the same time. Use only one
tactic at a time.
If you simply cannot make proper adjustments, hire a
trainer. It's far better to have a watchful eye over you
than for you to destroy your own plan at the last minute
when panic strikes. While your trainer's plan my not appear
effective on paper or at the time, you must have faith in
them. Preparing for a contest is a far different avenue
than general dieting and it can have many unfamiliar faces.
In Summary to Bodybuilding and Figure Contest Preparation
Getting into contest shape is not an overnight process. You
have to prepare wisely. No amount of tricks can help if you
didn't do your homework off-season or in contest-prep mode.
Look for changes in your physique each week or two by
comparing pictures. Stay true and honest to yourself and
your program and you will be your best on contest day.
----------------------------------------------------
Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988.
She is a nationally qualified bodybuilder and holds two
personal training certifications. She has written 6 ebooks
on fitness and has helped hundreds of clients transform
their bodies.
http://www.competitive-edge-ebook.com
"Use of this article is authorized provided it is
reproduced in full, and all web URLS are active hyperlinks
directed to the author"
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