Saboteur!

Getting ready for a contest involves a lot of dedication, it's true: There's training, posing practice, choreographing a routine, hours of cooking and meal prep, days of cardio, and of course, dieting.  But sticking to a diet, that’s really just willpower right?  Wrong.  Here are a couple hidden factors that can sabotage even the most determined among us.

Having a Great Off-Season

So I've been more or less in off-season mode for the past year, my last prep was for the 2011 Tahoe Show last August.  But for a lot of people, summer is contest mode every year, so as we start heading into another bulking cycle, let's go over a few thoughts for having the most successful off-season possible.  How do we define success?  Lean muscle growth with a lean starting point for the next prep.  Credit to John Meadows, aka mountaindog1 on professionalmuscle.com, for formulating the four thoughts which were a basis for this post.  I've re-worded to improve flow and inserted my own comments where appropriate, as well as noting which comments are purely his.

Drink Your Protein-Infused Cocoa, Peter!

As you might expect, all calories are not created equal--it really does matter which of your favorite neverfoods you're eating--yams, mamee apples, banana squash?  In the same way, protein is not protein "no matter where it comes from."  The "trace" proteins in starches, nuts and dairy are not exactly the same as the proteins from chicken, eggs, beef, pork, and seafood.  While avoiding these proteins is not necessary, or even advisable, it should still be noted that they are not direct substitutes for "real" protein. So while some attention to detail is necessary in ensuring that inordinate amounts of trace proteins are not consumed, thereby altering the total daily intake value, trace proteins can still be a balancing force in the diet and help maintain a positive nitrogen balance, when not relied on for protein alone.

Muscular Hypertrophy Basics

There are a few basic, mandatory components to muscular hypertrophy.  If you want to get big(ger), you need to at least be aware of them--ideally you should be using them too.  Ever wonder how the people you see at the gym can lift and lift and lift but never really get much bigger?  It's not rocket science or magic--they are simply not employing proper hypertrophy principles.  First we'll go into training principles, then some systemic stuff.

Eat to Shrink III

Part I can be read here, Part II is over here..  Now on to the exercise portion.

No one can diet for long and keep losing weight without exercising as well.  What you do to burn calories is up to you; however, I highly advocate at least a three day per week weight lifting regimen in addition to your regular cardio.  I recommend this for two reasons: muscle burns energy more efficiently than fatty tissue, and weight training strengthens bones and connective tissue--vital for longevity and long-term health.  Adding some muscle to your frame will definitely help you look more toned as well.  BUT the body is a SYSTEMIC organism—spot reduction, i.e. burning fat off a particular area by training the muscles in that area DOES NOT WORK!  You can build muscle in a certain area and the muscles will push through the fat layer more, creating the look of more definition, but the fat will remain the same unless you lose it systemically.   

Eat to Shrink II

Part I of this series can be viewed here.

Now we have a general idea of how much to eat, but what do we eat?  I advocate simple foods such as chicken breast, brown rice, whole grain bread, sweet potatoes and fruit as staples that can be prepared ahead of time and act as a framework for clean eating.  Using food exchanges and “common meals,” as well as having food that is already prepared, will not only make the transition easier but also head off “desperation cheat meals”—why cheat when there’s diet-approved food in the fridge and all you have to do is assemble the meal?

Eat to Shrink

The next few posts are made up of selected portions of a dieting guide I originally wrote two years ago for a fatty friend of mine who never ended up reading it.  Do yourself a favor and don't repeat her mistake.  The guide itself has been edited and altered as necessary over the years to reflect more accurate information as it comes to my attention.  I've broken it into a few posts so you don't succumb to information overload.

Thank You, Chris Aceto

One of the biggest mistakes I made with my diet early on, and even somewhat recently, is eating too much protein.  Sounds weird coming from a bodybuilder, right?  In fact, many high level bodybuilders advocate(d) low protein too: Dorian Yates ate "low protein" during his reign as Mr. Olympia (6 yrs in a row, plus he's arguably the best of all time), and Chris Aceto, nutritionist and prep guru to athletes such as Ronnie Coleman, Kim Chivesky (I can't wait to look like her! :D), Jay Cutler, Mike Francois and others, also advocates low protein.  Chris is fairly well known in the bodybuilding community, and he's considered one of the major "diet gurus," along with Charles Glass, Hany Rambod, George Farah, etc.  His approach is particularly interesting because of the intense focus on low protein diet compositions.

State of Nature

You may be able to see in color, hear in stereo and solve long division in your head, but your body is as unaware of its surroundings as that house plant you can't quite kill or keep alive.  Do you think that because you wear shoes your feet know they aren't touching the ground?  You think because you sit down at a table to eat with a fork and knife your body digests meat any differently than it did 10,000 years ago when you killed it yourself?  You think your muscles know they're lifting steel plates off a stack instead of repairing your shelter or killing prey? You think that's air you're breathing?