UNIVERSITY Contest Prep The Set Up Lesson Overview • • • • • • • • Are you ready for contest prep? How long to prep for? How to pick the right coach or self coach? Initial Nutrition Set Up Initial Cardio and Training Set Up Initial PED Set Up Initial Posing Set up and waist training Lifestyle Set up Are You Ready for Contest Prep? Mentally Know you why? Self Confidence and Positive Outlook (outcome vs process focused) Work ethic and motivation Coping Strategies Core beliefs and faith Physical Division Optimization Body Composition Health Status Recovery Capacity Extrinsic Lifestyle Relationship Status Job/finance Leisure Time Picking a Timeline for Prep Division choice (how lean, how muscular) • Essential fat 3-4% men; F 10-12% Starting and End points for Body Composition • Van Der Ploeg 2001 12-week prep: 5F BBer, Dexa 18% to 12%; skinfold 25.5mm site • Rossow 2013 6-month contest prep natural males 14.8 to 4.5% (10% body fat change (3% fat free mass loss) • Hulmi 2016 20 +/- weeks females 27 Female, training, hormones 20 +/-4 weeks 23% to 12% body fat, more body fat loss = more muscle loss Rate of Loss • Garthe 2011 0.7% vs 1.4% (resistance trained females, 0.7% no change in lean body mass, 1.4% decreased muscle mass) • Mero 2010 0.5kg vs 1kg (1kg decrement in bench press strength) Extra factors • Byrne 2017 30wk vs 15wk fat loss diet (30week had 2-week diet, breaks) 50% more fat in 30week diet, same diet period, decreased drop in RMR) • Ready weeks out • Diet style (calorie cycling and days in a deficit) • Level of competitor (muscle mass level and experience) • Drugs enhanced fat loss rate Picking a Timeline for Prep Putting it all together: • 20-30 weeks of contest prep (10% body fat total) • 0.5-1.5% weight loss rate • Faster fat loss initially, slower at end EXAMPLE: • 220lbs M 12% body fat • 9% fat loss= 20lbs of fat (~25lb) • First 10 weeks 0.8% 17lbs • week diet break + deload • weeks 0.5%- 8lbs • week ready early • 21 weeks for contest prep • Potential 1–2-week buffer added TOTAL FAT MASS (LBS Fat loss Change Over Weeks of Contest Prep 30 20 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 WEEK TO SHOW Selecting a Coach Coaching Components: • Track record of experience • They have done it themselves • Applicable education background • Communication and Personability • Passion • Do they truly care? Self Coaching: • Self development • Self educating • Finding mentors and consultants The Contest Prep Phase Overview Contest Prep: Like a fat loss phase, but taken to extremely low body fat levels and peaking for stage look Goal: drop body fat and hold muscle tissue • Nutrition is progressively decreased, interspersed with cyclic increases • Training Stimulus must be held high to maintain tissue, but will be manipulated based on recovery • Cardio/NEAT will increase from offseason baseline or step count increased • If Enhanced, PED usage is elevated and progressively increased in prep, along with addition of phase dependent drugs • Posing practice is progressively increased • Sleep, stress, relaxation time and Routine is highly consistnet The Fat Loss Phase and Contest Prep Phase Physique expectations and assessment • Holding new muscle or recomp if using PEDS early in Prep • Decreased body fat down to division appropriate leanness • Initial weight loss can be from GI weight (food volume decrease, Muscle glycogen decrease) Rate first week can be >1.5% body weight • If PEDs increasing may see no change or increase in weight from water retention • Plan will be adjusted based on subjective and objective data • Optimally progress or at minimum maintain gym performance • In a contest prep phase, we likely will reach a point of metabolic adaption and need for hard fat loss digging causing many negative physical and mental alterations (sleep disturbance, libido change, performance drops, menstrual changes, digestion changes, food focus) Fat loss rate Goals: • From a high body fat a high rate of fat loss is possible and preserving muscle tissue is much easier than in a lean state • This should be “easy” fat loss before hard stalls happen • We don’t want to take too much time away from offseason Rate: 0.5-1.5% weight loss per week Starting Prep From a Holding Phase • Need to not have dieted for weeks prior, holding phase and weight stable • 5-10% above stage weight, no more than 10% body weight loss ideally • Prep not started from low calorie level and/or high cardio level • Health markers in a good spot Have all your tracking tools ready Weekly Pictures Waist Circumference largest caliper sites Body weight Fasting Blood Glucose Weekly Blood Pressure Daily Step Count Gym Performance Biofeedback Let's look at each variable set up… (Nutrition, cardio, training, PEDs) Nutrition Contest Prep Set Up Coming off a holding phase • Food intake has been close to maintenance level or slight surplus • Should have adequate protein, carbs and fat to initiate • Training volume will be brought up to hold lean tissue, this will drive a slight increase in expenditure • Food will need to be reduced 20-30% in calories • This reduction initially should be a removal of offseason “non tracked meals” “cheat meals” “junk food” • Calorie reduction should come from carbs and/or fats from non periworkout meals • Some of this can come from cardio increase • PED introduction can enhance the fat loss effect on a smaller deficit • Pull calories from meals that are not around training as a starting point • Carbs and fats can be reduced individual or together depending on starting point and preference Weekly weight Weekly Nutrition Recommendations Contest Prep Energy Protein Fat 20-30% below maintenance 1.2-1.5 g/lb/day 0.30.7g/lb /day Carbohydrate change novice/interme diate 1.0-3.0+ g/lb/day 0.5-1.5% per week weight change advanced 0.5-1.5% per week Training and Cardio/NEAT Contest Prep Set Up Resistance Training: • Train within your recovery capacity PED introduction can allow for higher training volume, volume should be higher than a holding phase to hold tissue in a deficit, but less than peak push phase • Feeling fresh in beginning of prep is not a justification to train more • Only straight sets, remove (drop sets, rest pause sets, beyond failure sets) manage fatigue • Add back in the training day removed during the holding phase: EX: Pull Push Off Legs Off then to Pull Push Legs Off • Continue normal load rep progressions like any other phase Cardio/NEAT: Increase in cardio if needing to keep food high Ideally manipulate one variable first (decrease food or increase cardio, then monitor response Step count can be a focus at the start of prep, we are simply trying to increase energy output and get more active I would try not to let direct cardio workouts exceed the number of resistance training sessions you have per week in this phase We want some cardio to have adaptation in place before deep in prep when tools to learn new skills and recover is poot PEDs Fat Loss Phase Set Up AAS: Move from TRT into a Blast Can set up based on minimal needed for tissue holding Can set up more aggressive to grow as well, base on previous cycle and rate of progress Can I grow into the show? GH: Can hold GH 2-3 IU or move upwards to 4-8IU Time one dosage of 2IU pre fasted cardio Insulin: Not used during this phase SERMS/Aromatase Inhibitors Use as needed based on response Save for final weeks of contest prep for water control Health Support Compounds: Metformin ARB/Telmisartan Fat Loss Agents Clenbuterol and T3 reserved for later stages of contest prep Clen can be used cycle in prep, early on, break, then reintroduced Posing and Waist Training Posing Start of prep should be started at onset of Prep Minimum 1-2 session per week 5-10 second hold each pose rounds This can be done when taking your progress pictures End of prep session posing daily 5-10 second hold each pose rounds continuous Waist training Every morning Start: 10 abdominal vacuum holds for as long as possible End: 15-20 abdominal vacuum holds for as long as possible Lifestyle Set Up Routine: Organization in all things Time management Plan ahead Set your eating, training, and sleep times Plan your work schedule and time off for prep Mentality: Prioritize your prep Stay within your support network Head down and get to work Embrace the suck Stay thankful in all things Don’t need to be a lone wolf, but manage social time appropriately Remove distractions Summary • Contest prep is rewarding, and grueling process and we want to come to stage ready • Proper initial planning for readiness and giving the right timeline will allow successful prep occur • The initial phase of prep should be smooth and easy fat loss before we get into stall outs and making the decisions to dig hard and scrap off the last bit of fat References Mero AA, Huovinen H, Matintupa O, Hulmi JJ, Puurtinen R, Hohtari H, Karila T: Moderate energy restriction with high protein diet results in healthier outcome in women J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2010, 7: 4-10.1186/1550-2783-7-4 van der Ploeg GE, Brooks AG, Withers RT, Dollman J, Leaney F, Chatterton BE: Body composition changes in female bodybuilders during preparation for competition Eur J Clin Nutr 2001, 55: 268-277 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601154 Rossow LM, Fukuda DH, Fahs CA, Loenneke JP, Stout JR: Natural bodybuilding competition preparation and recovery: a 12-month case study Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2013, 8: 582-592 Hulmi JJ, Isola V, Suonpää M, Järvinen NJ, Kokkonen M, Wennerström A, Nyman K, Perola M, Ahtiainen JP, Häkkinen K The Effects of Intensive Weight Reduction on Body Composition and Serum Hormones in Female Fitness Competitors Front Physiol 2017 Jan 10;7:689 doi: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00689 PMID: 28119632; PMCID: PMC5222856 Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2011 Apr;21(2):97-104 doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.21.2.97 PMID: 21558571  ... ready for contest prep? How long to prep for? How to pick the right coach or self coach? Initial Nutrition Set Up Initial Cardio and Training Set Up Initial PED Set Up Initial Posing Set up and... mentors and consultants The Contest Prep Phase Overview Contest Prep: Like a fat loss phase, but taken to extremely low body fat levels and peaking for stage look Goal: drop body fat and hold muscle... beginning of prep is not a justification to train more • Only straight sets, remove (drop sets, rest pause sets, beyond failure sets) manage fatigue • Add back in the training day removed during the holding