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2004/02/24, 12:38 PM
Sharon - look through fit buddy, or i will and bump some stuff for you. There is some info you are looking for way back in the past posts.
Cardio will depend on how you are leaning out - you accelerate fat loss with it, but you also risk losing muscle mass. Lower intensity two-a-days really worked for me, I did half an hour in the morning, keeping my heart rate around 130, and half an hour in the evening, same thing. This works two-fold, you aren't going so intensly that you will revert to burning muscle (you hope) and you will boost your metabolism twice each day. Save two-a-days for closer to the comp, as a hat trick. Try first to dial it in with your diet and heavy lifting and 30 minutes-45 minutes of cardio either every other or every day (again, this depends on where you are at with your body composition).
There are many different opinions on what to do pre-comp, you have to keep in mind that many of the opinions come from people who are not natural, so take it with a grain of salt.
As you get closer to competition, fat is a much needed fuel and energy source. take either a mixed blend like Udo's choice, MCTs or Coconut oil to power you thorugh your workouts and replace caloiries lost from depleting carbs in your diet. Are you currently carb cycling? Your diet is probably the biggest factor/tool in getting lean, and as you get leaner you will have to constantly switch it up for continued results. if you don't already, take polaroids every two weeks and compare - are you leaner, at all any new definition means your diet is still working, no change means you need to switch it up. A 40/40/20 is opften a good starting diet, but as you get closer you will increase protein and fat and decrease carbs, or rotate them depending on how your body is responding.
Tanning is hard on your skin - you can get a decent look with pro-tan. My trainig partner and i used about a bottle and a half for both of us. Exfoliate before you start painting, and try to paint in a well-ventilated area. The bottle says you can shower inbetween caots, but i don't know anyone who does. buy two bottles, the second one will keep if you don't use it, then you have it for next time.
Don't forget posing oil - almond oil works nicely - not tooo greasy, it soaks in a little and doesn't create an oil-slick on your skin. Or some people use cooking spray. It is up to you.
i hope bbfit will add to this and clarify what I have missed and correct what i may be wrong about.
Good luck! It is so exciting!
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"To be able to go to the gym and train hard is a joy and a privelege, even though the hard work necessitates driving yourself through considerable discomfort. Savor this privelege and blessing, and revel in it."
Stuart McRobert, Beyond Brawn
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2004/02/23, 03:11 PM
Greetings, I am training for my first Natural Bodybuilding competition and would like clarification on a few issues. Maybe you can save me from making a mistake or at least helping me be better prepared.
CARDIO:
*How much cardio? How many days per week, how many minutes, long slow distance or HIIT or a combo. What's best. Will I change my cardio as the weeks go by and I get closer to the show?
NUTRITION:
*Clarify the fat consumption in pre-contest diet. Consume less to lose fat or eat fat to lose fat. I read things all of the time that debate this issue. 40-30-30 concept or 10% fat intake for this phase? Which is better?
TAN:
*Do I have to do the booth as a base? How many bottles of tanner do I need? I know that I should be painting at least three days prior to show but how many bottles is that? Can I use any moisturizer after applying paint? What about tanning pills, is this an option?
~Sharon
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2004/02/24, 12:51 PM
Ok, lots of info there. Thanks! Right now, 12 weeks out; I am doing 4X35min cardio sessions. I'll do about 5 intervals in that time while staying in my fat burning zone the rest. Is this too much? Too often, too early at this point? At what point will I increase? Maybe 4 wks out??
So you're not a believer of low fat diets....I'm taking in between 15 to 27. I try to zigzag my diet. I do the same with my cals too. I consume about 1200 to 1500 right now. I'm 5ft tall.
So Pro-tan is ALL I need huh? Good, I didn't want to booth for a base. Thanks for the tip on Almond oil.
BTW, I'm currently 112lbs, and measured 14%bf a month ago. I go in again next week. I was spacing the tests monthly. I take photo's monthly too. DH does see good definition coming out so I think my cardio is paying off. I have pics in a gallary on another forum if you want to critique...
Thanks again for the info.
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2004/02/24, 09:02 PM
Do your photos every two weeks now, that way you waste less time if your diet isn't working, or even once a week.
as long as you are seeing changes, keep with what you are doing, if you aren't loosing mass on your comps and you are leaning out, you are on track. If you aren't paying everytime, get your comp done the same time, every week.
Wait to change things until you plateau in your fat loss, and then just change one variable (so you know what is working and still have other tricks to pull out of your hat)
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