Saturday, August 18, 2012

Dieting Tips for Contest Prep

  Hey guys! I'm writing this today because I know I'm not going to be able to post tomorrow. This post is going to be on the topic of contest preparation and carb cycling. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, failure to prepare means preparing to fail. I think of this saying every time the thought of cheating on my diet crosses my mind. I would say that dieting makes up about 70% of bodybuilding. That might seem like an exaggeration but honestly, if your diet is not on point, your gains and fat loss will be infinitesimal as compared to eating properly.

  I've noticed that people regard the word "diet" with a negative connotation. All it means is the way you eat on a day to day basis. If you put good in, you're going to get good out; plain and simple. I like to start off with calculating how many calories I should eat in a day. For me to maintain my weight I need between 1500 and 1600 calories a day. If I wanted to gain weight, I'd add 200-300 extra calories. I also split my consumption of calories into 3 categories: protein, fat, and carbs. 60% of calories from protein, 20% from fat, and another 20% from carbs. My body responds well to those numbers but if I ever stopped seeing gains and fat loss from those numbers it's as simple as changing up the fat and carb percentages to rectify any problem that comes up. Stay true to you diet and your body will do the rest.

  Next up is carb cycling and trust me, it's way less complicated than it sounds. What I am about to present is not a new paradigm, or a revolutionary approach to diet. Nor is it the end-all, be-all to dieting; there are many viable approaches. This diet is, on the other hand, an easy (relatively speaking) approach to dieting that is physiologically and psychologically rewarding. Moreover, it is rather flexible and also forgiving, yet effective. For these reasons, I am astounded that it has not caught on to a greater extent (in some form or another), and played a bigger role in the dieting revolution. 

There are four types of days while on this diet:
  • High carb
  • Medium carb
  • Low carb
  • No carb Days
  Generally, the 4 days are rotated, or cycled, equally. Again, I will stress that this can, and should, be tweaked, based on the individual's goals, samatotype, and dieting history. Here is the basic plan, which is designed for rapid fat loss for most individuals and the one that got me into contest ready condition, twice.


  Thanks guys and lift strong!

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