Post by Tim Wescott on Dec 18, 2003 20:35:50 GMT -5
My Pre-Contest Principles-by Tim Wescott
I have competed in a lot of bodybuilding contests over the years . I made a ton of mistakes along the way, but I feel that I have finally hit on a formula for success, at this point in time anyway.
This may change in the future, but for now my strategy works out pretty well for me. I used to only diet for around 8 weeks, and went with a zero fat approach, with high protein, and low carbs.
Nowadays, I cycle my carbs, and do have some fat, all the while keeping the protein high. I keep carbs fairly low throughout the diet. I pick out the show I am going to do well in advance, and start my diet at 16 weeks out.This gives me plenty of time to lose bodyfat, while trying to retain as much hard earned muscle as possible. I think it is far better to be in shape in advance of the show, rather than to have to try some last ditch extreme measures that you can`t predict the outcome of .
My first move in changing my plan once I pick out the targeted show, is to eliminate junk food, bread, calorie dense foods,all simple sugars, except post-workout , and all dairy products. I also try to increase my water intake which is normally about a gallon a day or so, all the time.
The next step is adding low intensity cardio, such as walking on a treadmill on an incline, into my training routine. I usually do no cardio in the off-season, unless I see myself slipping into "fat mode,"then it`s only 20 minutes per day, at three times a week. A lot of people advocate doing cardio first thing in the AM on an empty stomach. I don`t !! I beleive that doing cardio in the AM, without any food in the system, is extremely catabolic, as you have not eaten all night while you slept, and the body is in a state of "negative nitrogen balance". Some people will disagree with me on this, but I have done it ,and I did lose fat, but also beleive I sacrificed some muscle in the process.
Doing any type of training without food in the system, only increases the risk of catabolism. I now do cardio post-workout,after my training, and beleive that after training hard and fast, the body`s glucose and glycogen stores are depleted, and this is the perfect time for the body to burn fat as fuel.
After 4 or 5 weeks on the treadmill, I go into doing HIIT cardio on the Eliptical Machine for 20-30 minutes, depending on how I look at this point in time. I find HIIT on the Eliptical to be very effective, and I burn over twice as many calories on it than I do on the treadmill, in less time. It also elevates the heart rate, and your body burns calories long after you are finished with the actual cardio routine.
I call this the "afterburn".
Briefly touching on my training, I train as heavy as possible throughout the diet, and simply try to move a little faster with less rest between sets. I sometimes incorporate some Giant -Sets,Tri-Sets,or Drop -Sets, into the mix to increase intensity. Never train light with higher reps,for increased definition, as this is another of those myths that are still hanging around. Training heavy is what gets you there ,so keep it as heavy as possible for the amount of reps you are shooting for. I think the term heavy is relative ,as a weight that`s heavy for 5 reps, and a weight that`s heavy for 12 reps, is still heavy, as long as you are training your hardest, and can`t possibly push out one or two more reps at the most.
I keep my protein at 1 gram per pound of bodyweight as the minimum amount, and go as high as 300 grams at times. For carbs I cycle them, having 3 low carb days followed by 2 slightly higher days. I never go too high as a rule, unless I feel particularly drained. A lot of people expect to be able to still eat a ton of carbs and get cut ,this is bodybuilding, and you have to make some sacrifices, after all we are dieting not pigging out.
Eat light, but keep protein high, to preserve muscle.You have to create a calorie deficit to shrink fat cells, and this means burning off more calories than you take in. I go as low as 1500-1700 calories at times, and on a high carb day it`s never more than 250 grams, and usually more like 175-200.Never go lower than 50 grams of carbs. Another useful tool is to use the mirror as your guide to progress, as it will not lie to you if you are completely honest with yourself. I do check my bodyfat periodically, but the mirror is the best weapon you have at your disposal,other than a knowledgable friend with a good eye for bodybuilding.
As far as carb depletion/loading goes I do neither but simply increase complex carbs slightly 3 days out from the show.On water depletion ,I keep water intake high and only stop drinking on the night before the contest at about 10PM.I find that the more you drink,the more you will excretye and you will look fyull ion the day of the show.I have done sodium loading and find it doesn`t do that much for me so I will no longer incorporate it into my plan. Just eat with a slight amount of sodium,or even extra salt to your food throughout the diet,as sodium is only crucial the last 3 days before the show.Cut it 3 days out and you`ll be fine.Stick to chicken breasts during this time as your protein source as eggs and fish contain a lot of sodium.
Here is a sample of the type of diet I use.I alter it at times as I feel the need depending on my condition.
Meal #1-10-12 egg whites scrambled in Pam cooking spray
1/2 cup of oatmeal
10 oz. water
Meal # 2-(Post-workout) Protein shake in water with 50 grams of carbs in the form of Dextrose
Meal # 3- 8oz. chicken brest
salad with low fat low sugar dressing
baked potato or 1/2 cup of brown rice
10oz.water
Meal # 4-1 can of water packed tuna
salad
10oz.water
Meal # 5-10 egg whites
10oz. water
Meal # 6-8oz. chicken breast
10oz. water
This is a typical low carb day.On higher carb days,I have more carbs,but try to eat them early in the day as possible. I hope this diet helps you out,or at least gives you some new ideas to incorporate into your pre-contest regimen.
I have competed in a lot of bodybuilding contests over the years . I made a ton of mistakes along the way, but I feel that I have finally hit on a formula for success, at this point in time anyway.
This may change in the future, but for now my strategy works out pretty well for me. I used to only diet for around 8 weeks, and went with a zero fat approach, with high protein, and low carbs.
Nowadays, I cycle my carbs, and do have some fat, all the while keeping the protein high. I keep carbs fairly low throughout the diet. I pick out the show I am going to do well in advance, and start my diet at 16 weeks out.This gives me plenty of time to lose bodyfat, while trying to retain as much hard earned muscle as possible. I think it is far better to be in shape in advance of the show, rather than to have to try some last ditch extreme measures that you can`t predict the outcome of .
My first move in changing my plan once I pick out the targeted show, is to eliminate junk food, bread, calorie dense foods,all simple sugars, except post-workout , and all dairy products. I also try to increase my water intake which is normally about a gallon a day or so, all the time.
The next step is adding low intensity cardio, such as walking on a treadmill on an incline, into my training routine. I usually do no cardio in the off-season, unless I see myself slipping into "fat mode,"then it`s only 20 minutes per day, at three times a week. A lot of people advocate doing cardio first thing in the AM on an empty stomach. I don`t !! I beleive that doing cardio in the AM, without any food in the system, is extremely catabolic, as you have not eaten all night while you slept, and the body is in a state of "negative nitrogen balance". Some people will disagree with me on this, but I have done it ,and I did lose fat, but also beleive I sacrificed some muscle in the process.
Doing any type of training without food in the system, only increases the risk of catabolism. I now do cardio post-workout,after my training, and beleive that after training hard and fast, the body`s glucose and glycogen stores are depleted, and this is the perfect time for the body to burn fat as fuel.
After 4 or 5 weeks on the treadmill, I go into doing HIIT cardio on the Eliptical Machine for 20-30 minutes, depending on how I look at this point in time. I find HIIT on the Eliptical to be very effective, and I burn over twice as many calories on it than I do on the treadmill, in less time. It also elevates the heart rate, and your body burns calories long after you are finished with the actual cardio routine.
I call this the "afterburn".
Briefly touching on my training, I train as heavy as possible throughout the diet, and simply try to move a little faster with less rest between sets. I sometimes incorporate some Giant -Sets,Tri-Sets,or Drop -Sets, into the mix to increase intensity. Never train light with higher reps,for increased definition, as this is another of those myths that are still hanging around. Training heavy is what gets you there ,so keep it as heavy as possible for the amount of reps you are shooting for. I think the term heavy is relative ,as a weight that`s heavy for 5 reps, and a weight that`s heavy for 12 reps, is still heavy, as long as you are training your hardest, and can`t possibly push out one or two more reps at the most.
I keep my protein at 1 gram per pound of bodyweight as the minimum amount, and go as high as 300 grams at times. For carbs I cycle them, having 3 low carb days followed by 2 slightly higher days. I never go too high as a rule, unless I feel particularly drained. A lot of people expect to be able to still eat a ton of carbs and get cut ,this is bodybuilding, and you have to make some sacrifices, after all we are dieting not pigging out.
Eat light, but keep protein high, to preserve muscle.You have to create a calorie deficit to shrink fat cells, and this means burning off more calories than you take in. I go as low as 1500-1700 calories at times, and on a high carb day it`s never more than 250 grams, and usually more like 175-200.Never go lower than 50 grams of carbs. Another useful tool is to use the mirror as your guide to progress, as it will not lie to you if you are completely honest with yourself. I do check my bodyfat periodically, but the mirror is the best weapon you have at your disposal,other than a knowledgable friend with a good eye for bodybuilding.
As far as carb depletion/loading goes I do neither but simply increase complex carbs slightly 3 days out from the show.On water depletion ,I keep water intake high and only stop drinking on the night before the contest at about 10PM.I find that the more you drink,the more you will excretye and you will look fyull ion the day of the show.I have done sodium loading and find it doesn`t do that much for me so I will no longer incorporate it into my plan. Just eat with a slight amount of sodium,or even extra salt to your food throughout the diet,as sodium is only crucial the last 3 days before the show.Cut it 3 days out and you`ll be fine.Stick to chicken breasts during this time as your protein source as eggs and fish contain a lot of sodium.
Here is a sample of the type of diet I use.I alter it at times as I feel the need depending on my condition.
Meal #1-10-12 egg whites scrambled in Pam cooking spray
1/2 cup of oatmeal
10 oz. water
Meal # 2-(Post-workout) Protein shake in water with 50 grams of carbs in the form of Dextrose
Meal # 3- 8oz. chicken brest
salad with low fat low sugar dressing
baked potato or 1/2 cup of brown rice
10oz.water
Meal # 4-1 can of water packed tuna
salad
10oz.water
Meal # 5-10 egg whites
10oz. water
Meal # 6-8oz. chicken breast
10oz. water
This is a typical low carb day.On higher carb days,I have more carbs,but try to eat them early in the day as possible. I hope this diet helps you out,or at least gives you some new ideas to incorporate into your pre-contest regimen.
i think you risk losing muscles.....