guardianactual
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
by Layne Norton
Bodybuilder. The word seems more like a question than a simple word to me. What defines a bodybuilder? Is a bodybuilder someone who merely lifts hard? Is a bodybuilder someone who lifts hard and watches what they eat? Is a bodybuilder someone who competes in physique competitions? There will probably never be a good definition of the word "bodybuilder," since everyone has their own.
Why Aren't There More Competitive Bodybuilders?
I believe everyone can agree upon the fact that those who choose to compete are a different breed than all other people who call themselves "bodybuilders." Anyone who has ever attended a bodybuilding competition may wonder why there are so few competitors. Some classes only have 2-3 competitors!
The simplest answer I can come up with is that not many people want to do what it takes to get onstage. Dieting 12-20 weeks, never missing a meal, cardio everyday, and energy levels so low you don't feel like getting off of the couch, because you are constantly hungry. Waiting for your next meal does not appeal to the masses.
View Contests In Your Area Here.
I can personally attest to the physical and mental strain that contest preparation can put one through. However, I think another competitor at the gym I trained at summed it all up best when he told me, "I was in the Marines. I did boot camp for 6 weeks and it didn't hold a candle to how hard preparing for a contest was."
Truly, competitive bodybuilders are a different breed. Lack of information about how to properly prepare for a contest also hinders many competitors. More information is easily available for non-competitors than for those that take the plunge to compete. This article will provide competitors information on diet, training, tanning, posing, and other competition related topics.
Pre-Contest Dieting
Obviously the most pertinent issue regarding pre-contest preparation is the diet aspect of preparation. It is not enough to just clean up what you eat, it must be far more drastic than that. When you see the winner of a bodybuilding competition onstage, rest assured they tracked their calories, carbs, proteins, fats, and never missed meals. If you want to do well in a bodybuilding competition, you should expect to do nothing less.
When you see the winner of a bodybuilding competition onstage, rest assured they tracked their calories.
Before I begin talking about a proper pre-contest diet, we need to examine exactly how long a person should diet for a contest. The first thing that should be done is an "assessment" of your body. Look yourself over and be honest about your faults, strengths, and about how long you think it will take for you to get into stage shape.
Keep in mind that if you think you have around 25 pounds of fat to lose, you are not going to be able to lose it all in 10 weeks and keep all of your lean body mass. Aim to diet as slowly as possible. The severity of your calorie deficit will, to a large extent, determine how much muscle you retain/lose. Short periods of high severity dieting (more than 1000 kcals per day below maintenance level) are not too muscle wasting, but prolonging them for more than a few days will certainly cause one to lose a good deal of muscle.
As a general rule of thumb, losing 1 pound of bodyweight per week will allow one to retain most of their muscle mass. One can probably lose up to 1.5 pounds per week and retain most, if not all of their muscle mass (provided their training and nutrition are optimized).
If one tries to push their body to lose more than 2 pounds per week for any length of time, then they will begin to experience quite a bit of muscle loss. It is for this reason that I usually try to give myself enough time so I only need to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week at most.
If one is naturally ectomorphic (has an easy time losing weight) however, they may want to diet for a shorter period of time, and I would recommend a time period of 11-15 weeks. If one is naturally endomorphic (has a hard time losing weight), then they may want to lengthen their dieting time to 16-22 weeks. If this is the first time that you have ever done a contest then you would want to also give yourself an extra week as you will probably experience a hitch at some point along the way.
diet Information
The diet one follows for the contest will be the single most important determining factor of how well they will place in the competition. A person can have all the mass in the world, but if they do not come in razor sharp on contest day, then the mass will mean little.
Judges almost always go for conditioning over size. To design a proper diet one should give themselves adequate time to lose the necessary body fat to achieve that aforementioned shredded look. Being said, what kind of diet is optimal for a person to follow?
The Diet Should Have 3 Main Goals:
Spare as much muscle mass as possible.
Lose as much fat as possible.
Not cause the person to lose intensity in the weight room.
Unfortunately, these goals all seem to contradict each other. When the body is in a starved (calorie deficit) state, muscle loss can occur although a calorie deficit is required to lose fat. This calorie deficit will also cause one to feel less energetic. To get around the negatives, there are small adjustments and little tricks to aid in the accomplishment of the positives. Before discussing the diet, it is important to discuss the three macronutrients and their roles.
Bodybuilder. The word seems more like a question than a simple word to me. What defines a bodybuilder? Is a bodybuilder someone who merely lifts hard? Is a bodybuilder someone who lifts hard and watches what they eat? Is a bodybuilder someone who competes in physique competitions? There will probably never be a good definition of the word "bodybuilder," since everyone has their own.
Why Aren't There More Competitive Bodybuilders?
I believe everyone can agree upon the fact that those who choose to compete are a different breed than all other people who call themselves "bodybuilders." Anyone who has ever attended a bodybuilding competition may wonder why there are so few competitors. Some classes only have 2-3 competitors!
The simplest answer I can come up with is that not many people want to do what it takes to get onstage. Dieting 12-20 weeks, never missing a meal, cardio everyday, and energy levels so low you don't feel like getting off of the couch, because you are constantly hungry. Waiting for your next meal does not appeal to the masses.
View Contests In Your Area Here.
I can personally attest to the physical and mental strain that contest preparation can put one through. However, I think another competitor at the gym I trained at summed it all up best when he told me, "I was in the Marines. I did boot camp for 6 weeks and it didn't hold a candle to how hard preparing for a contest was."
Truly, competitive bodybuilders are a different breed. Lack of information about how to properly prepare for a contest also hinders many competitors. More information is easily available for non-competitors than for those that take the plunge to compete. This article will provide competitors information on diet, training, tanning, posing, and other competition related topics.
Pre-Contest Dieting
Obviously the most pertinent issue regarding pre-contest preparation is the diet aspect of preparation. It is not enough to just clean up what you eat, it must be far more drastic than that. When you see the winner of a bodybuilding competition onstage, rest assured they tracked their calories, carbs, proteins, fats, and never missed meals. If you want to do well in a bodybuilding competition, you should expect to do nothing less.
When you see the winner of a bodybuilding competition onstage, rest assured they tracked their calories.
Before I begin talking about a proper pre-contest diet, we need to examine exactly how long a person should diet for a contest. The first thing that should be done is an "assessment" of your body. Look yourself over and be honest about your faults, strengths, and about how long you think it will take for you to get into stage shape.
Keep in mind that if you think you have around 25 pounds of fat to lose, you are not going to be able to lose it all in 10 weeks and keep all of your lean body mass. Aim to diet as slowly as possible. The severity of your calorie deficit will, to a large extent, determine how much muscle you retain/lose. Short periods of high severity dieting (more than 1000 kcals per day below maintenance level) are not too muscle wasting, but prolonging them for more than a few days will certainly cause one to lose a good deal of muscle.
As a general rule of thumb, losing 1 pound of bodyweight per week will allow one to retain most of their muscle mass. One can probably lose up to 1.5 pounds per week and retain most, if not all of their muscle mass (provided their training and nutrition are optimized).
If one tries to push their body to lose more than 2 pounds per week for any length of time, then they will begin to experience quite a bit of muscle loss. It is for this reason that I usually try to give myself enough time so I only need to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week at most.
If one is naturally ectomorphic (has an easy time losing weight) however, they may want to diet for a shorter period of time, and I would recommend a time period of 11-15 weeks. If one is naturally endomorphic (has a hard time losing weight), then they may want to lengthen their dieting time to 16-22 weeks. If this is the first time that you have ever done a contest then you would want to also give yourself an extra week as you will probably experience a hitch at some point along the way.
diet Information
The diet one follows for the contest will be the single most important determining factor of how well they will place in the competition. A person can have all the mass in the world, but if they do not come in razor sharp on contest day, then the mass will mean little.
Judges almost always go for conditioning over size. To design a proper diet one should give themselves adequate time to lose the necessary body fat to achieve that aforementioned shredded look. Being said, what kind of diet is optimal for a person to follow?
The Diet Should Have 3 Main Goals:
Spare as much muscle mass as possible.
Lose as much fat as possible.
Not cause the person to lose intensity in the weight room.
Unfortunately, these goals all seem to contradict each other. When the body is in a starved (calorie deficit) state, muscle loss can occur although a calorie deficit is required to lose fat. This calorie deficit will also cause one to feel less energetic. To get around the negatives, there are small adjustments and little tricks to aid in the accomplishment of the positives. Before discussing the diet, it is important to discuss the three macronutrients and their roles.
