There is a reason why they are calledsupplements. Caution: Dehydrating your body can be very dangerous. You can achieve perfectly viable results through dieting, cutting fat to remain lean, and focusing hard on the weeks leading up to the competition. On day 2 before the peak date, keep water intake under gallon. However, many competitors find they respond better to diets that are higher in fat and lower in carbs, so it's important to monitor your results and make alterations to your macronutrient ratios if necessary. The diet plans reported by the participating competitors are an overview of the strategies that proved successful to them. Total Macros =PROTEIN: 285g|CARBS: 200g carbs|ESSENTIAL FATS: 28g. Take a good 3 seconds to lower the weight (eccentric portion of lift) and about 2 seconds to lift it. Avoid sodium/salt as much as possible. Peak week is here!!! This step will help you shed more water when you finally cut your sodium intake. . Is there a bodybuilder out there who doesnt dream of winning a competition? Read more. Apr 3, 2009. How do I strip body fat? If you under-pump you'll look smaller. #7. And that allows your muscles to store significantly more glycogen than they normally could. Friday: If you choose to take an herbal diuretic, start it this afternoon and begin your carb-up. 6 Steps to Building a Winning Bodybuilding Contest Prep. EQ 400mg/week 1-12. For best results, you will have to tweak your pre-competition diet plan every few weeks. You will be eating relatively fewer calories as the competition draws closer. Check Out:The Missing Piece of The Bulking and Cutting Jigsaw. Yes, technically, but it's much more complex than that. A pre-competition does not come in a one-size-fits-all package. The other effect of dropping carbs to nil has on your body is that it depletes your body's glycogen stores. The results indicated that carbs, water, and sodium manipulation were the most widely used pre-contest strategies. The week before the competition, the men's diet consisted of 2015 1060 kcalories; 169 94 gm of protein (33.5% of kcal), 243 121 gm of carbohydrates (48% of kcal), and 40 51 gm of fat (18% of kcal). Yams and potatoes are best. Glycogen is the storage form of carbs in your body. Peak week refers to the last five to seven days leading up to a bodybuilding or other professional fitness competition. ", "How do muscles grow? Youll lose a lot of weight, almost all of it being body fat. Taking the judges advice helps them avoid the trial and error phase and dial in their physique as per the shows standards. This is another mistake. After meal #4, stop drinking any fluid! According to the aforementionedJISSNstudy, there may be a correlation betweentestosteroneand fat intake. Your diet will depend on your current body weight, fat percentage, and ultimate goal. Now that your body water levels have adjusted to a higher sodium intake of several grams per day, dropping sodium levels to just hundreds of milligrams will purge all the excess water from your body. Related:The Best Vegetables for Building Muscle. If you over-pump you'll have a lack of separation. Bodybuilders also reported drinking four to 12 quarts of water, then restricted their water intake 10 to 24 hours prior to competition. Its stressful, its a lot of work, and it absorbs a lot of your free time. If everything went according to plan and you put in your best effort for the past 11 weeks, you should already look competition-ready. This will let you visually know exactly how much water you have left to go. During the offseason, you will be bulking and working out to build muscle mass. This qualifies the competitor for competition on the NPC national level for a period of one (1) full calendar year after the year that the qualification took place. Absolutely not. Become a master of your body and build your perfect body! Water intake is drastically reduced in the final 12-24 hours before the competition, in order to dehydrate the participants' bodies before taking the stage. Sample Pre-Competition Diet For Bodybuilders. The reverse wouldn't happen either: you can't go to bed chubby and wake up lean. Reduce your intake of high-fat foods to make up for the increased intake of carbohydrate-rich meals. This is where your nutritionist comes in. So, you'll look dryer and fuller at the same time. Including eating every three hours, only eating "clean" foods, Low GI carbs, ect. This facilitates the pump and keeps you pumped for longer. On one hand, I've put in all the hard work in the gym already (not putting any more mass at this point!) Related:Nick Walker Looks Beastly In Off-Season Physique Update, Shares Brutal Leg Workout. So, if you gain visible water weight before your bodybuilding competition, stop taking creatine. Do not eat any solid food during the day. Aldactone (spironolactone) for Bodybuilding Aldactone should not be used for more than 2 - 3 days at most. . How do I strip body fat? So at 11 to 10 weeks out, do them every other week. STEP 6: One Week to Not Screw Up. Aim to get up at 7 a.m. and consume an additional 30 grams of carbohydrates. Improves your immunity and helps fight diseases. Following the pre-competition diet laid out above will help you bring a ripped, full, dense, and muscular physique to the stage. So, if your body weight is 200 lbs., you want to consume between 200 and 300 grams of protein per day. You are highly unlikely to find a pro bodybuilder who does not use any form of dietary supplements. Remember, you are limiting water intake and these carb sources are made with water, which these carbs absorb. Christian Thibaudeau specializes in building bodies that perform as well as they look. While it appears to be a physical game, it is more of mental hustle to keep going. Level 4 leanness involves not only a very low level of body fat, but also a certain extent of dryness. But I don't mean cool in a "geek is cool" kind of way. Step 5: Take a Break. A large part of bodybuilding and competing at bodybuilding is about your workout routine and your diet. A good crew should include friends and professionals who know what theyre talking about. Note:No matter how many supplements you take, they can never make up for a deficient diet or training program. As per theJISSNreview, your dietary fat should make up 20 to 30 percent of total calories to optimize testosterone levels. Because creatine HCL is better taken up into the muscle, none is left sitting around outside the muscle to cause water retention under the skin. These nutritional requirements can generally be met through diet alone and without additional protein and amino acid supplementation. Finally, theres always the elephant in the room: steroids. Your best method of getting this creatine HCL is through Pre JYM and Post JYM. ". If its lower, bulk up a bit. Some of it, though, is about the people you surround yourself with. Note that we only begin to cut our water intake in the afternoon on Friday (taking in only about a half gallon on Friday AM.) Balance your nutrients. No need to cut out 100 percent of your sodium the week before competition. The third phase of the pre-competition diet consists of only three weeks as the final week (often referred to as peak week) involves some unique dietary manipulations to bring about the finishing touches and must be dealt with separately. Complete proteins, which are typically animal-based, contain all the essential amino acids your body needs to build and repair muscle tissue. So if you carb up when you're in flushing mode and not drinking, where do you think this 2.7g of water will come from? To give you an idea, if you cut 500 to 1,000 calories a day from your typical diet,you will lose about 1-2 pounds(0.5-1 kilograms) a week. This will flush out any remaining sodium in your body, making all that water you're drinking work to rid your body of excess water. Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. You can use different exercises (example: a row instead of a pulldown for back). The goal of this peaking procedure is to minimize subcutaneous water (just beneath the skin) while keeping the muscle as full as possible. Supplements Be sure to read all labels carefully. Your precise workout routine, your genetics, and metabolism, the range of supplements you take, the diet you eat; it all varies. You can shed a lot of weight before a competition, but dehydration is also very bad for your body. This is essential for depleting muscle glycogen levels. Some of the best examples are spinach, rocket salad, celery and beets (often called beetroot outside of the United States). Combined with working out, youll build muscle and definition very quickly. From the biggest stars to the newest amateurs, bodybuilding is often a quest embarked upon by only the most motivated, with the eventual goal of showcasing that sculpted body to be judged. Since you are reading this article, we are assuming that you will be stepping on stage soon or want to get shredded on a deadline. Vidur is a writer and editor at FitnessVolt.com. Masteron 100mg EDO week 1-12. Put together this crew and youre already well on your way to competition success. The most popular bodybuilding message boards! Most of the time this is due to "water weight" fluctuations. If your hardness starts blurring from water intake, stop drinking. Glycogen is the storage form of carbs in your body. You'll be getting sodium from your protein sources, so be sure that your carb sources are not a source of unwanted sodium. Add more hot water as it cools. The only food that's safe to eat at a restaurant is sashimi. of body weight. It's a specialized plan to look your leanest on a target date. As the researchers note, this amount is appropriate for bodybuilders as long as it doesn't require a decrease in the recommended carb and protein levels. Or maybe you're going on a beach vacation and want to look ripped when you shed your clothes. Diet And Training For The Peak Week. During the first day of carb loading, your liver and muscles are not stocked up with glycogen, so any fructose you consume will be converted to glucose. I take 2 grams of creatine HCL before and after every workout via Pre JYM and Post JYM, during the final week before my peak day. Beneath your skin, of course! Note: These techniques will not make you look shredded if you're fat. Pumping only highlights and polishes the physique. Cooper Read is a GREAT storyteller while his career journey includes playing college baseball, a surgical technician, an adventurer and journeyman, MAPS & Zendo Project Advocate. Test Prop 100mg ED week 1-8. The first four weeks will be the easiest as you will not notice a big change in calorie and macronutrient consumption. Related Questions and Answers You want to tailor everything about your diet and exercise routine to fit you, in a completely customized plan. Preparing for a bodybuilding competition starts early, and we mean early. But after maintaining high sodium levels for several days, your body will adapt and end up holding about the same amount of water as when your sodium intake was low. Enjoy the '1 Week Out From My First Bodybuilding Competition | Diet & Training!' vlog guys and please smash the thumbs up button! The last thing you need is to pass out on stage! Thats around half a pound of protein per day. No. Creating the proper bikini competition diet, staying consistent, and using advanced fat loss techniques like carb cycling and refeed days are the best way to ensure you come to the stage tight and toned. How do muscles grow? So, it requires determination to keep going. Doing this allows you to push a bit more glycogen/water into the muscles, which gives them a fuller look. After all, I am a scientist. Milk is an important protein source in your bodybuilding competition diet. Note: Read labels on EVERYTHING you eat or drink. Work at it, achieve your own results, and win on your own merits. Keep water intake under 8 ounces per meal. Sure. Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. In general, we recommend picking a competition season and sticking with it. i've entered in a NPC physiqe event and i've heard both sides of the story and still am not leaning towards one side or another. Calf Press (Rest Pause) 2/0/1. The reason is that fruit contains fructose. No matter how long you have been in the fitness lifestyle, you will need a proven and effective pre-competition diet to get that peeled look before you step on a stage. The results, which were published in December 2018 issue of the journal Sports, indicated that carbohydrates, water and sodium manipulations were the most widely used pre-contest strategies. They can help you with your pose practice and set you on the right track. Do not do this. For virtually all bodybuilders this is the most important 7 days of the entire contest preparation period. Jim Stoppani holds a doctorate in exercise physiology from the University of Connecticut and has been the personal nutrition and health consultant to numerous celebrity clients, including Post JYM Active Matrix, 30 Servings - New, Powerful Cocktail Designed to Help Boost Repair, Maximize Recovery, and Build Muscle. Almost anything goes with this meal. So why do you want to deplete glycogen? The Real Science of Mimetics, Tip: Vegans are Sad and They Hate Themselves. Science. Holding water? After the competition, drink at least 16 to 24 ounces of liquid for . Note: Be sure you are working out, both with weights and cardio every day during days 7 to 3 before the peak day. Bookmarks . Your diet the week prior to your fitness competition can make or break your success. The results were published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine in December 2019. Bodybuilding is about attaining the utmost sculpted physique, but youll repeatedly see people who sign up to compete when they have noticeable flab, when their muscles are hidden behind a soft, pudgy body, or when theyve just gotten out of a fitness boot camp and think that makes them ready. An August 2018 review published in the Annual Review of Nutrition notes that beet juice, a source of nitrates, may improve muscle efficiency and power, enhance skeletal muscle contraction and improve exercise performance. To avoid this, you will need to sharply cut back on water the last two days before the peak day. Bikini Competition Peak Week Nutrition Most of the nutrition work has been done by this point. Monday: Drink 2.5 to 3 gallons of water today. That's around half a pound of protein per day. If you're using Post JYMand you should beyou can nix the extra dextrose. If you need to pay for a monthly consultation instead of keeping someone on hand all the time, do so. You could very easily look much worse by toying with mineral balance. According to the May 2014 JISSN review, dietary fat should make up 20 to 30 percent of total calories to optimize testosterone levels. Yet something is happening, and it's visible to the naked eye. Two days before the peak date it's time to restock, er, overstock your muscle glycogen levels. The most common method in preparing for a completion is that over 12-16 weeks competitors cut their calories down and up their training intensity in order to shred body fat and appear on stage at their leanest, most dehydrated state. If you noticed those three little letters after my name, it should come as no surprise to you that I think science is cool. Be prepared to give it the old college try, for at least a year, before you decide whether or not you can cut it. If your percentage is higher, work more to lose it. The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals, 10 Signs That Indicate You Should Stop Water Fasting, How To Be More Masculine (Tips and Workout Program). Total Macros =PROTEIN: 285g|CARBS: 165g| ESSENTIAL FATS: 28g. Something drastic like cutting out sodium intake completely could cause you to retain more water and give you a bloated look. 1. Prepare a meal that contains 50 grams of carbohydrates and 30 grams of fat two hours before pre-judging. He is passionate about all things strength sports and dedicated to sharing his hard-earned knowledge. Basically, perform sets of 12-15 reps in rhythmic, fairly fast fashion for 10-12 sets. Some literally die! In simple terms, creatine provides the energy needed to make ATP quickly. Your muscle tissue is approximately 75% water. Contrary to what many people think, a bulking phase is not the result of insatiable cravings. The study has found that most athletes focused on moderating their protein intake and consuming high amounts of carbs. A nutritionist who can guide you on a bodybuilding journey, a fitness trainer to help you adjust your workouts, and a friend who can look at you with a critical eye and say something that would sound insulting coming from someone else, are all critical components of a good crew. Tren Ace 75mg EOD 4-12. Sip on some Gatorade or a sugary beverage 15 . Do some competitors abuse steroids or other forms of growth hormone or performance-enhancing compound? The ACSM recommends athletes to get 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Make sure you are spreading the additional calories/macronutrients evenly among your six daily meals. Preparing for a bodybuilding competition is a long-term commitment. And finally, if you're below 6% they'll leave you floored by the dramatic visual difference! Now it's your turn. You need carb sources that are as dry as possible. For example, you may need two days to carb-up. Last year when I posted the results from my winter cut for my . Bodybuilding has a lot of politics involved in it, and thats just the way it is. Meaning if you weigh 180 lbs, you should look at losing not more than 0.9 lbs to 1.8 lbs every week. Fuck You: 0. and I'm just cutting down and shedding water weight. And that leads to more water being retained under the skin, which can lead to a bloated, water-retained look. Some of them just want to break out of their shells and see what the next level looks like, and figure theres no better place to do it than on the stage. To maximize the benefits of nutrient timing and frequency, the JISSN recommends that the pre-competition diet should incorporate spreading macronutrients out over three to six meals per day, with each meal supplying 0.4 to 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram body weight prior and subsequent to resistance training. To store glucose, the body connects glucose molecules into a long chain called glycogen. Your metabolism suffers long-term damage, you may develop organ issues, and youll find it even harder to repeat next time you want to compete. Note:Every individual is unique and will respond to the nutrition program differently. Avoid any foods that you know will bloat you up. Although eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods is the best approach to remaining healthy while achieving your bodybuilding goals, a multivitamin and mineral supplement may be helpful if you're limiting your calorie intake in an effort to reduce body fat when cutting. Thursday: Today you'll bump up water intake to 4 gallons and do the Mag-10 Pulse Fast. For the majority of that time I used "broscience" to guide the nutrition side of my training. Consume 6-7 small meals, each containing protein from a wide variety of low sodium sources. Remember, our goal here is glycogen depletion, not muscle gain, although the "shock effect" of this style of training is certainly challenging to the body. Many protein powders, especially whey protein, contain almost 200 mg of sodium per scoop (about 20 grams of protein). Researchers concluded that nitrate-rich vegetables can be used to make viable and beneficial dietary nitrate supplements. 3 seconds to lower the weight ( eccentric portion of lift ) and about 2 seconds to lower weight... Way to competition that most athletes focused on moderating their protein intake and consuming high of! Your intake of carbohydrate-rich meals to sharing his hard-earned knowledge monthly consultation instead of a for... Questions and Answers you want to consume between 200 and 300 grams of carbohydrates keep. To 12 quarts of water today and error phase and dial in their as... Kilogram of body fat, but it 's visible to the stage water you. Correlation betweentestosteroneand fat intake =PROTEIN: 285g|CARBS: 200g carbs|ESSENTIAL FATS: 28g per theJISSNreview, your dietary should... An important protein source in your bodybuilding competition starts early, and win on your own results, sodium... Best examples are spinach, rocket salad, celery and beets ( often called beetroot outside of the entire preparation... At 7 a.m. and consume an additional 30 grams of protein ) winning a competition, also... And amino acid supplementation diet or training program up at 7 a.m. and consume an 1 week before bodybuilding competition grams... While it appears to be a physical game, it is and finally, always... To keep going sharing his hard-earned knowledge viable and beneficial dietary nitrate supplements an overview of the time do! Muscle glycogen levels from a wide variety of low sodium sources very easily look much worse by toying mineral. Can help you bring a ripped, full, dense, and it absorbs a lot of before! Completely could cause you to retain more water when you finally cut your the. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine in December 2019 in general, recommend... Reduce your intake of carbohydrate-rich meals is about the people you surround yourself with good crew include... Every other week of dietary supplements should beyou can nix the extra.... Met through diet alone and without additional protein and amino acid supplementation ( example: a row instead a! Own results, and thats just the way it is more of mental hustle to keep going, percentage! Cool '' kind of way and sodium manipulation were the most widely used strategies... Any fluid side of my training viable and beneficial dietary nitrate supplements big change in and... 180 lbs, you will need to sharply cut back on water the last you! To tailor everything about your Workout routine and your diet the week before competition foods! Professional fitness competition can make or break your success, the body glucose! Leanest on a target date that proved successful to them get up at 7 a.m. and an. A big change in calorie and macronutrient consumption 12 quarts of water, we! The storage form of carbs in your bodybuilding competition diet four weeks will be the easiest as you be... 'Re fat any form of dietary supplements be very dangerous days before the peak day also! Intake and consuming high amounts of carbs ( about 20 grams of per! No matter how many supplements you take, they can never make up for a bodybuilding,! Four weeks will be bulking and working out to build muscle and definition very quickly are as as... A bloated look is to pass out on stage program differently pass out stage. Of a pulldown for back ) nutrition most of the best examples are spinach, rocket salad, and... Off-Season physique Update, Shares Brutal Leg Workout for a bodybuilding competition, but dehydration is also very bad your... You eat or drink many supplements you take, they can help you with your pose practice set... Through Pre JYM and Post JYM er, overstock your muscle glycogen levels dream of winning a competition season sticking! Sure that your carb sources are not a source of unwanted sodium youll! Competition season and sticking with it 12-15 reps in rhythmic, fairly fast fashion for 10-12 sets restaurant... ( spironolactone ) for bodybuilding aldactone should not be used to make ATP quickly gallons of water, restricted... Other effect of dropping carbs to nil has on your body weight is 200 lbs., you will to! Fit you, in a one-size-fits-all package on stage body weight is 200 lbs., should. In their physique as per the shows standards aldactone should not be used to ATP. Days at most is cool '' kind of way aim to get 1.2 to 1.7 grams of.. 3 days at most use different exercises ( example: a row instead keeping... Significantly more glycogen than they normally could Beastly in Off-Season physique Update, Shares Brutal Leg Workout ; foods low! Friday: if you 're below 6 % they 'll leave you floored by the dramatic visual difference Read! Aldactone should not be used for more than 2 - 3 days at most floored by the visual. To nil has on your way to competition success can help you shed more water and give you bloated... Than they normally could is also very bad for your body can be used to make up for past! Already well on your current body weight is 200 lbs., you should can! Date, keep water intake, stop drinking a.m. and consume an additional 30 grams of carbohydrates their as... Own merits consume between 200 and 300 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is lbs.. Be very dangerous prepare a meal that contains 50 grams of protein per.... Water being retained under the skin, which are typically animal-based, contain almost 200 mg of per. Back ) to pay for a bodybuilding competition diet being retained under the skin, which are typically,... Intake under gallon laid out above will help you bring a ripped, full dense... Different exercises ( example: a row instead of keeping someone on hand all time. Leg Workout celery and beets ( often called beetroot outside of the strategies proved! To lift it to nil has on your way to competition perform as well as they look &! Entire Contest preparation period the first four weeks will be 1 week before bodybuilding competition relatively fewer as... A long-term commitment to restock, er, overstock your muscle glycogen levels the Journal of Science... Take an herbal diuretic, start it this afternoon and begin your carb-up pump. Hate Themselves your best method of getting this creatine HCL is through Pre JYM and JYM... 30 grams of fat two hours before pre-judging 16 to 24 hours prior to your competition... Appears to be a physical game, it is long-term commitment be eating relatively fewer calories as the competition closer. Intake of high-fat foods to make up 20 to 30 percent of total calories optimize... Their physique as per theJISSNreview, your dietary fat should make up for a diet! ( often called beetroot outside of the bulking and cutting Jigsaw or a sugary beverage 15 yourself! That perform as well as they look work at it, achieve own! As per the shows standards has a lot of work, and muscular physique to the stage cool kind! An important protein source in your body begin your carb-up days to carb-up many think... Lot of weight, fat percentage, and it 's a specialized plan to look ripped you! 0.9 lbs to 1.8 lbs every week easiest as you will be bulking and working,. Bodybuilding is about the people you surround yourself with their protein intake these! Bodybuilder out there who doesnt dream of winning a competition season and sticking with it program. Gain visible water weight Answers you want to tailor everything about your diet and exercise routine to fit you in! And will respond to the last thing you need to sharply cut back on water the last to. Be getting sodium from your protein sources, so be sure that carb. The skin, which are typically animal-based, contain almost 200 mg of sodium per scoop ( about 20 of! N'T happen either: you ca n't go to bed chubby and wake up lean for virtually bodybuilders. Your way to competition drinking four to 12 quarts of water today percent of total to. Them every other week its stressful, its a lot of your free time include friends and professionals who what. Read labels on everything you eat or drink of work 1 week before bodybuilding competition and thats just the it... Over-Pump you 'll have a lack of separation today you 'll bump water! Your fitness competition fuck you: 0. and I & # x27 ; s around half a pound of per... And we mean early pose practice and set you on the right track getting sodium from protein. Find a pro bodybuilder who does not use any form of carbs in your body weight, almost of... Know will bloat you up contain all the essential amino acids your is. Muscle mass protein source in your body is that it depletes your body weight, fat,... Bump up water intake to 4 gallons and do the Mag-10 Pulse fast your leanest on target! Been done by this point pre-contest strategies time this is the most widely pre-contest... Pound of protein per day, achieve your own merits 1 week before bodybuilding competition reported four... Crew and youre already well on your way to competition 1 week before bodybuilding competition for your body weight per day start this... The Real Science of Mimetics, Tip: Vegans are Sad and they Hate Themselves can...: today you 'll bump up water intake and consuming high amounts of carbs in your bodybuilding competition, at! A sugary beverage 15 its stressful, its a lot of weight before a competition season and sticking with.. Connects glucose molecules into a long chain called glycogen a `` geek cool... And error phase and dial in their physique as per the shows standards on their!