Dieting Nutrition Plan For A Bodybuilding Competition by Fitness Atlantic
Training for the Big Contest – It’s ShowTime!
The
Pre-Contest routine has the most interplay of exercise and nutrition.
Aside
from the more aggressive stages of fat loss, only the pre-contest routine
involves substantially altering caloric intake.
If
you’re competing in bodybuilding, you want to be as ripped as possible on the
day of the competition. That means you have to get down to lower then six
percent if you are a male and less than 12 percent if you are female.
The
reality is, that be in absolute peak form for a competition, you start your
preparation 14 weeks out or more. Except where indicated, keep your calories
around 50% carbs, 40 percent protein, and 10 percent fat.
Here
is an example of a 14-week Pre-Contest routine. Let’s say you have a
competition Saturday, October 11th. Here are the precise steps to
follow:
A
word of caution. If the amount of fat you’re trying to lose is equal to 10% or
more of your body weight, you should probably wait until the next competition.
That would mean you would have to loose over 20 pounds in weight to loose 10
percent.
NOTE:
Cardio is vital if you want to get your bodyfat down to single digits. During
pre-contest training, begin doing cardio, even if it has not been a part of your
workout routine up until now.
Food
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat
Calories
9
Egg whites
30
4
0
135
1
Cup Oatmeal
6
25
2
146
1
Banana
1
27
1
116
1
Large Potato
4
33
0
149
1
Apple
0
21
0
89
9
oz Chicken
61
0
4
283
9
oz Chicken
61
0
4
283
1
Potato
4
33
0
149
1
Cup Broccoli
3
5
0
32
1
C. Brown Rice
5
51
1
236
1
Can Tuna
49
0
1
203
1
Cup Broccoli
3
5
0
32
1
C. brown Rice
5
51
1
236
6
oz Chicken
41
0
3
189
1
Cup broccoli
3
5
0
32
2
Cups Romaine
2
3
0
20
1
Tomato
1
5
0
28
6oz
Chicken
41
0
3
189
1
Tsp. Flaxseed
0
0
7
61
3
TBS Vinegar
0
3
0
11
Daily
Totals
319
269
30
2,618
14-Week
Calendar: July 6, 2003 – October 11, 2003
JULY
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
AUGUST
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
SEPTEMBER
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
OCTOBER
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Step
1. Swap Carb Types
Saturday,
July 6
Eliminate
all high-glycemic carbs (sugars). Cut out pasta, bread, and dairy products. Eat
only low and medium-glycemic carbs. Especially the ones high in fiber. Fiber
will help you burn fat and speed up your metabolic rate.
Step
2. Reduce Calories
At
the same time you’re swapping carbs, begin to lower your caloric intake by 100
calories a day. The goal is to reach 67% of your mass-building caloric
intake.
For
example, if you were eating 3,000 calories a day before July 6th, the
goal would be to get to 2,010. That should take you about 8 weeks. If you’re
dropping more than 2 pounds a week, add back 50 calories a day and continue
dropping calories the rate of 50 a day.
Do
this until you reach the 2,010 mark. When you hit 2010, switch your nutrient
ratio from 50-40-10 to 40-60-10 with 2 days off starchy carbs – only
vegetables - and 2 days on. Remember that you’re involved in a delicate
balancing act between maintaining muscle and stripping off so keep your water
intake high, about a gallon a day.
Very
Important:
Continue to train at maximum intensity. That means taking every set to failure.
You’ll end up doing fewer sets because of the reduced caloric intake, but you
must keep your muscles under load with maximum intensity so you can keep every
ounce of muscle.
After
slowly lowering calories by 100 – 50 a day continue this 2,010-calorie a
day/low-medium glycemic routine until you reach 7 days before the competition.
Food
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat
Calories
6
Egg whites
20
2
0
90
1
Cup Oatmeal
6
25
2
146
1
Large Potato
4
33
0
149
1
Cup Broccoli
3
5
0
32
6
oz Chicken
41
0
3
189
9
oz Chicken
61
0
4
283
1
Potato
4
33
0
149
1
Cup Broccoli
3
5
0
32
1
C. Brown Rice
5
51
1
236
1
Can Tuna
49
0
1
203
Half
Cup B. Rice
2
26
1
118
6
oz Chicken
41
0
3
189
2
Cups Romaine
2
3
0
20
1
Tomato
1
5
0
28
6oz
Chicken
41
0
3
189
1
Tsp. Flaxseed
0
0
7
61
3
TBS Vinegar
0
3
0
11
Daily
Totals
280
189
27
2,010
Step
3: Carb Deplete & Cut Cardio
From
Sunday morning, October 5th until Wednesday afternoon ditch the
50-40-10 ratio. About 99% of your 2010 calories should be in the form of lean
protein like skinless chicken breasts and non-fatty fish. Keep your fat to
almost zero, and limit your carbs to 20 – 50 grams a day. It is okay to eat
lettuce salads. What you are doing is wringing out your body. That means
depleting all of your glycogen and glucose. It sounds the opposite of what you
want. But just wait. Because, as you will see, the next following days you’ll
carb load. And because your muscles are starving for glycogen and glucose, they
will suck them up harder and faster. And that is good because it is the glucose
and glycogen that help your muscles appear big and full. During this period,
your water intake should be very high.
Also,
during step 3, cut out all cardio.
Begin
Sunday, October 5th
Food
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat
Calories
12
Egg whites
40
5
0
180
1
Cup Broccoli
3
5
0
32
1
Cup broccoli
0
21
0
89
9
oz Chicken
61
0
4
283
9
oz Chicken
61
0
4
283
1
Cup Broccoli
3
5
0
32
9oz
Chicken
61
0
4
283
1
Cup Broccoli
3
5
0
32
9
oz Chicken
61
0
4
283
1
Cup broccoli
3
5
0
32
2
Cups Romaine
2
3
0
20
1
Tomato
1
5
0
28
12oz
Chicken
82
0
5
378
2
TBS Vinegar
0
2
0
7
Daily
Totals
382
38
23
1,900
Step
4: Carb Overloading – Stop Training
At
this point bump your calories up to 87% of your mass building caloric intake.
That would mean 87% of 3,000, which comes to 2610. For simplicity, I round up to
2600. So you would eat 7 small meals. Change your nutrient ratio to 80-20-0.
That is 80 percent carbs, 20 percent protein, and no fat. Some good choices for
carbs are brown rice, oatmeal, and white or sweet potatoes. The rice and oatmeal
naturally contain water, so the amount of water you drink should be equal to the
water you lose in urination.
In
addition, stop all training. Do not go into the gym. Do not lift weights. This
is a good time to practice your posing.
Step
5: Cut Protein
Begin
Wednesday Afternoon
Food
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat
Calories
1.50
C. Oatmeal
9
38
4
220
1.50
Cup B. Rice
7
77
2
354
6oz
Chicken
41
0
3
189
3
oz Chicken
20
0
1
94
1.50
Cup B. Rice
7
77
2
354
1.5
Cup B. Rice
7
77
2
354
3oz
Chicken
20
0
1
94
1.5
C. B. Rice
7
77
2
354
3
oz Chicken
20
0
1
94
6oz
Chicken
41
0
3
189
1.5
C. B. Rice
7
77
2
354
Daily
Totals
168
423
21
2,556
I
know this may sound controversial, but it works. Beginning Wednesday afternoon,
90% of your caloric intake should be carbs (low glycemic). Take in very little
protein and almost no fat. Drink as little water as possible but don’t cut it
out.
Step
6: Cut Water Intake
By
Friday night, your water should be limited to just sips. At this point I
wouldn’t force food at all. Eat enough small high-fiber, low-glycemic index
meals to starve off hunger. The truth is, the night before a competition; you
don’t want a lot of food in your gut anyway.
If
you have followed everything your muscles are now full and your skin is thin –
exactly what you want.
Step
7: Pre-Judging Meal
Saturday
– have a small cup of tea or black coffee and a light meal in the morning like
oatmeal with two tablespoons of honey. Keep sipping little distilled water.Enter the pre-judging of the competition.
Now,
you are ready. After the pre-judging you could theoretically have anything you
want to eat. But I wouldn’t. Your body is not ready for “regular people”
food like hamburger or pizza now. Chances are you could become bloated or
gaseous. My advice is to get a muffin or some fruit. Good luck in the show!
Conclusion
This
plan is only an example of what some athletes have followed prior to a
bodybuilding competition. The calories may have to be adjusted to fit your
calorie requirements. These sample diet plans are more for the average male
bodybuilder that weights about 190 pounds. If you're interested in doing a great natural bodybuilding competition visit FitnessAtlantic.com
