COMP PREP & REVERSE DIETING

There are many different methods out there that coaches like to use to get their athletes in tiptop condition whether that be bikini, sports model, fitness, figure or bodybuilding for a fitness show. As the sport grows and gains popularity, the competition gets more and more fierce and athletes are looking for that edge!!!

When it comes to prepping for a show, firstly you need to be organised and consistent. This refers to training, nutrition, rest and mindset.

Planning out your food and following a structured plan is vital to your success and bringing a competitive physique to stage. Understanding how much protein, carbs and fat you should be consuming, meal timing and total calories for the day should all be calculated and measured to the gram.

Consistent training to build muscle and progressive overload (either increasing the weight or reps of an exercise week to week). To burn fat and build a lean muscular physique you need to lift heavy weight!! There’s no easy way around it, that’s the truth and 100% intensity needs to be put into every training session you complete. Follow a structured training program that works off your one rep max lifts, so you know what weight and the amount of reps you need to complete each set to hit your goal. This keeps you motivated and on track to increase strength frequently.

When your body rests, it recuperates and repairs. Rest is always undervalued and is crucial to amplify recovery and lean muscle tissue growth. Aim for 6-8 hours of deep sleep every night and you’ll feel refreshed and keep hitting heavier lifts every training session.

You need a positive mindset if you’re wanting to compete in a bodybuilding/fitness show. It’s an extremely mental challenge trying to change your body, and requires extensive willpower and desire to succeed. If this sport was easy then everyone would be walking around with a 6 pack and bulging muscles, but this just isn’t the case.

Coming out of comp can be challenging if you’ve crashed dieted. You’ve run very low calories and still want to maintain a lean physique. You need to find a happy medium where you gradually introduce more food into your food plan and keep measuring your body fat to see how your progressing. It’s very hard to maintain our body fat % at comp day, so it’s always expected to put on a few kg’s after. If you don’t reverse diet you can completely send your hormones off track and stack on the weight fast!

Aim to increase your food anywhere from 200-300 calories a day for the first week, then just keep re assessing how your body is responding and if your not putting on much fat, keep bumping the calories up. It goes by the name reverse dieting, just reverse exactly what you did coming into comp when lowering your calories except this time you’ll be introducing more calories.

In summary, be consistent with your training and nutrition, measure your food and understand your total day's calories and breakdown of the macronutrients get your body fat tested fortnightly to ensure that you’re on track with your goals and go into it with a positive mind frame. Actually seeing your body change week to week and enjoying the whole process (not just the day of the comp) is what bodybuilding and fitness should be about. Sharing the journey with your close friends and competitors and making lifelong friends whilst still maintaining balance is the key.