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The majority of bodybuilders harbor a vision of contending
in a bodybuilding competition. However, the trouble with this
is that a lot of of us don’t know how to correctly prepare
for a contest. If this describes you, then you should be ready
to go on a diet, and watch what you eat for several weeks,
except you are one of the a small number of bodybuilders who
maintain around 7% body fat all year round.
First, you need to assess your body to see if you have enough
time to prepare for the show. You can decide how much cardio
needs to be done judging from your body fat levels. Body fat
percentage will also determine how your training is to be
done. The training part is easy because if you train heavy
and with intensity, then you are right on track. Frequency
can be between once every 5-7 days per body part.
Essential Contest Preparation Issues
1. Rehearsing poses. Finding out how to pose and to pose properly
is a necessity. You need to start practicing posing 10-12
weeks before a competition.
2. Nutrition. You must refine your diet.
3. Stage presence. This can help to score points as well as
gain crowd support.
4. Prepare to live with the judges’ decision
Persistence is what separates the winner
from the quitter. Being persistent will make you stronger
than any iron pumping exercise could. You should have
resolve in your purpose to become a champion. Once you
have a firm purpose of mind, you’re motivated to
get into the gym with determination to overcome the heavy
iron pumping that you must endure. You must also have
belief in your ability to win. Even if you don’t
win, learn from your defeat.
The Competition
Diet
The competition diet is perhaps the most complex element
of contest preparation. When do you begin the diet? This
depends mostly on your body composition and the date of
the competition.
The difference between a good contestant and an exceptional
one is all about conditioning. Supposing your caloric
ingestion is 3500 daily, begin by slowly reducing it by
300 each week for four weeks – start doing this
about 12 weeks out from the show. At eight |
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weeks out, begin to supplement with protein, amino acids and
glutamine peptides. At the six-week point, begin your supplementation
with thermogenics to speed up fat loss. Begin to carb load and
carb deplete at four weeks out to shock your body.
Here is a sample contest preparation diet for the week before
the show, the most critical of the diet stage:
Monday
Food
A minimum of six small meals, all containing protein from a
variety of sources. Complex, high fiber carbs until 2 p.m.,
after that, protein only.
Water
1-2 gallons sodium free water.
Tuesday: same as above
Wednesday
Food
Same as Monday except for a slight reduction in the amount of
carbs. Absolutely no refined flour, rice, sugar, etc.
Water
Take in up to 3 gallons of water.
Thursday
Food
Same as Wednesday, except for one thing: sodium has to be drastically
reduced.
Water
Try to take in 2 gallons
Friday
Food
Same as Thursday with extra careful attention to sodium.
Water
Reduce water to ½ gallon taken between morning and 6
p.m. Sip sparingly and only as needed from 6 p.m. on.
Saturday
Food
Very small meals containing no sodium. Many competitors
will take raw hone and natural peanut butter backstage
with them for quick energy and muscle fullness.
Water
Sip only as needed. By now you should be dropping water,
your abs should be very defined, and your muscular definition
and vascularity should be very high. This is a very delicate
balance. Do not try anything new at this point to alter
this condition.
A contest diet can be incredibly expensive. Quality meats,
supplements, and other specialized foods together with
the quantity a bodybuilder needs can cost quite a bit.
Dieting needs to be done gradually at first so that the
body doesn’t respond negatively or lose too much
size too quickly. By the fourth or fifth week of dieting,
food options will become extremely limited.
The
Perfect Tan
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When it’s time for competition you
want each muscular detail to be plainly visible to the
judges. Here are five easy steps to applying the perfect
sunless tan.
1. Remove hair: if you want the best application of the
tan and you want it to go on properly and uniformly you
need to get rid of the hair in the body parts you are
tanning.
2. Exfoliate your skin: this step is frequently ignored
and leads to dark and light spots if not done.
3. Apply tanner: put a quarter size amount of self-tanner
in your hand, rub your hands together and massage the
tanner into your skin.
4. Give joints special attention: dilute the tanner with
moisturizing lotion to make application to the joints
smoother and lighter.
5. Drying: the drying process usually lasts about 15-20
minutes. |
The State Of Mind
“Many are called, but few are chosen,” the Bible
says. This is spot on when it comes to competitive bodybuilding.
You have to be at your best on the day of the show to win
at competitive bodybuilding. Making the resolution to participate
is a tough one. We all want to develop our existing condition,
and we’re in the gym because we’re not content
with it. For some people, this dissatisfaction can be crippling
when it comes to making the decision to compete. In order
to compete as a bodybuilder:
• You will have to make the decision early (sometimes
as much as a year in advance).
• You don’t have to be super-human to compete.
Related Articles
Preparing
for a Bodybuilding Contest
Water Intake Before
a Contest
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and Fitness Contest Results
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