There is no secret that competitive bodybuilders are among those with the most successful diet in the world to lose pure body fat and get “ripped”. Bodybuilders do things differently than the 95% of dieters who fail. And in this article, I will introduce the basics of a good bodybuilding pre-contest diet plan. This information will really help you if you plan on competition in the future. And even if you are not really interested in going on stage as competitive bodybuilder, but you want to look like one, then the info covered here will help you get that lean “beach body” look.
I’ve been in bodybuilding competitions since 1995 so I picked up a few tricks over the years and I’ll share them with you here …
personally I start a competition regime for at least 6 months in advance. I want to have a lot of time to prepare. For the first month I simply cut out all junk food and nothing but clean foods eaten. Such as beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, milk, protein shakes, rice, potatoes, pasta, fruit, vegetables, etc. I eat about 5-6 small meals a day. I drink a lot of water at least 1 gallon per day. I will also do 30 minutes of cardio exercise 4-6 times a week before breakfast. I will continue my regular weight training workout.
The second month of preparation is very similar to the first. I always eat the same thing mentioned above. But I will increase my cardio exercise for at least 45 minutes, 5-7 times a week before breakfast. The idea of doing cardio before breakfast is to help burn body fat stored up more. At this moment there is no food in your system to be used as fuel so you’ll burn more fat your cardio. It also helps boost your metabolism for the day. After exercise your metabolism is elevated and remains for
several hours.
The third month I get stricter with my diet. I will begin to cut back on my portions of starchy foods while keeping my protein intake high (between 250-300 grams of protein per day). I also eat more vegetables. My diet is now mainly foods such as very lean meat, poultry, fish, protein supplements, vegetables, rice, potatoes, oatmeal, etc. I will increase my cardio to about 60 minutes every morning before breakfast.
I ‘ll also start taking a fat burner. For my last show I used “Palo Alto Labs Leviathan.” I think it worked very well, I would take 2 capsules twice daily on an empty stomach. Once before cardio and again before my weight training weight because it allows me to give an energy boost, curb my appetite, and increase my metabolism enabling me to burn more body fat.
The fourth month is pretty much like the third month with dieting and doing cardio every morning before breakfast. I will also start practicing my mandatory poses 3-4 days per week. At this point I am getting lean and can start viewing the performance definition in my abs, legs, back, chest, etc …
The fifth month before the contest, I get stricter with my diet food. I will eat approx. 1 gram of carbohydrates and 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. Normally I do not count the grams of fat, but they are kept as low as possible. But I will include essential fatty acids through flaxseed, fish oil, etc.
A typical day will go like this:
Cardio
– take fat burner and black coffee
– 1 hour of cardio
Meal 1
– bowl of oatmeal mixed with protein powder
– egg whites
Meal 2
– Chicken Breast
– garden salad
Meal 3
– tuna
– garden salad
Workout
– take fat burner and black coffee
– workout weight training
– practice poses
– protein drink
Meal 4
– steak
– steamed vegetables
– sweet potatoes
Meal 5
– protein drink
Salt I also my food and even add a few handfuls of salt to my protein shakes. This may seem off the wall to most people. But I find that if I do not add salt to my diet I get bad muscle cramps during training. Do not worry, you will not hold water, your body will adjust to a higher salt intake within a few days and as long as you drink plenty of fluids your body will flush out any excess water. I will continue to do that two days of the show.
I am looking to be fit a month before the competition and then just continue with the diet, cardio, training, etc. to let my conditioning just harden. I will not lose a whole lot more bodyweight, but my skin will get tighter and thinner.
I do not attempt to lift too heavy in the gym at this stage because I know I will not win any new muscle during the last month before a contest, I’m just trying to keep my weight muscle and get leaner. I basically my posing routine down pat. I just keep plugging away consistently. The temptation to cheat on my diet is very strong today. It is very important not too cheat. I keep my eye on the finish line and I know that the regime will soon be over.
Carb loading and water intake …
I do not carb deplete or carb load during the last week. I tried all kinds of crazy stuff like this in the past and I find it’s best to just diet until the day of the show. Carb depleting and carb loading is too “hit and miss” you risk screwing your conditioning, it can make you look a little better, or it could make you look much worse. You are better to play it safe stick to your diet and then just slightly increase your carbohydrate intake slightly for a few days before the show (ie instead of eating a potato at a meal, eat 2 potatoes, etc. .).
During the last week, I will increase my consumption of water at about 2 liters per day. I will stop all weight training and cardio a few days before the contest to let my body rest and recover.
Friday night before the contest I will cut back on my water intake and just have a small glass of water with each meal. I also take based diuretic herbs capsules Thursday, Friday and Saturday to help get rid of excess water under my skin. I do not cut my water intake entirely, just cut back. Cut the water can leave you completely flat and smooth. You need some water in your system to pump and place correctly.
tan …
I will go to the tanning salon about 4 times a week over the last 6 weeks before the competition. This will give me a base tan. Then on Friday, before the show, I’ll put on about 3-4 layers of ProTan. This is a spray tan that you paint with a sponge brush. Saturday morning before the show, I will also put on a dreamy layer Tan. This is a dark tanning cream that you rub on your skin. I’ll put a layer of Saturday morning, another coat before pre-judgment, and again before the evening show. Dream Tan works great and it has oil in the tan so you do not have to use much if any additional posing oils.
Back Stage …
When I go to the contest I take a MP3 player with my music installation. I try to find a place by myself back stage so I can practice my posing. By doing this, my routine is fresh in my mind before going on stage before the audience and judges.
When pumping before going on stage, I’ll do a little light, the High Representative, the upper body exercises such as push ups, bent over rows, bicep curls, etc. ., with a rubber fitness band. Never inflate the legs or the abs, these muscles always look and flex better when they are not pumped. Do not pump too much because it will make you shake when you ask. Just warm up and get the blood flowing to the muscles.
And the last thing I recommend is to go there and have a good time. Be confident and proud of your accomplishments and put on a good show for the crowd. At this point, you’ve done all you can do, now it is up to judges to decide the rest.
