You’ve always thought about competing.
You’ve even been asked by your fellow gym members if you already compete. Maybe if you’re even a trainer yourself.
But you’ve always been on the fence. And you’re still there, letting doubt and fear win because you felt overwhelmed by the whole process.
Until now.
You’ve decided to embrace the challenge and take that next step to begin the journey you’ve always wanted. You have finally risen to the challenge because you think the journey can help you find out what you’re made of.
Sometimes what you have to do can seem counterintuitive, like actually gaining weight. That’s what my client Casey found while prepping for an NPC Bikini competition.
She says: “Gaining weight can be scary and psychologically tough, but it was a crucial part of attaining my goal. Garrett was phenomenal every step of the way. He coached me through counting macros when I had no idea what I was doing. He was there as I gained weight (I didn’t love the process,) lost weight, hit plateaus, and reversed out of my competition prep diet.”
“Garrett met me wherever I was at mentally/emotionally and is really great at reading into those things. If I was frustrated, he was understanding; discouraged, he was motivating; excited, he was 10x more excited.”
Another client, Lisa, after placed second in her first ever Women’s Figure show.
“Garrett has changed my life! He is so knowledgeable and I have been so successful since I met him! He is amazing!”
But just like you, she still had doubts:
“I had been working out 5 times a week faithfully. Only I was stuck. I had been trying to lose weight but this time I couldn’t. I was to the point of giving up.”
But that didn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams, hiring a contest prep coach (me), experiencing her breakthrough and eventually stepping on stage to place second and fourth in her first two physique shows.
And if Casey and Lisa did it, so can you.
But there are five fatal mistakes you must avoid to prevent sabotaging your first bodybuilding or physique show.
Ready to learn the secrets from the successful?
Here they are so pay close attention.
Mistake 1 – Underestimating The Time Needed To Be Stage-Ready
What’s a surefire way to sabotage your first bodybuilding or physique show causing you to sacrifice your placing potential and return home empty-handed?
Easy.
Underestimating the time needed to achieve true stage conditioning.
Chances are, you’ve heard that traditional contest preps take 16 weeks.
Where’d that come from? We don’t know. Probably somebody just made it up and it stuck around because people kept repeating it.
But what DO we know?
That you need much longer.
How much longer? There isn’t an exact answer, but there’s one thing we do know. It’s longer than you think.
Weight loss is never linear and it’s highly unpredictable, especially during contest prep.
To make matters more complicated, the level of stage conditioning required will depend on which division you compete in. For example, Women’s Figure Competitors need to get leaner than Women’s Bikini Competitors, thus needing more time to diet. Same thing with men competing in Bodybuilding and Men’s Physique. Competing in bodybuilding requires a leaner, more striated level of conditioning.
A general rule of thumb? The more body fat you have, the more time you’ll need.
Contest prep is never a one-size fits all proposition, though.
That’s what you need to know. Here’s what you need to do:
Extend Your Thinking:Take the number of weeks you think you need and add at least 4-6 weeks to that.
Get Expert Advice: Reach out to an expert, contest prep coach you trust and ask if they can give you a more precise idea of how many weeks you need. My inbox awaits you -> Garrett@TandemNutrition.com
Pick a Season, NOT a Show: Never diet for any one particular show. Diet for a timeframe in which there are a few shows just in case you’re ready early or if you need more time.
Mistake 2 – Cutting Calories Too Quickly
Preparing for a bodybuilding or physique show is going to be as much of a psychological battle as it will be a physical one.
You’re going to second guess yourself, wonder if what you’re doing is enough,and always want to make changes.
What’s the one sabotaging change you shouldn’t make?
>>> Cutting calories too quickly.
Why?
Unless you enjoy eating the caloric equivalent of a ten year old for weeks on end, you will sabotage your physique, and ultimately, your health.
Very low-calorie diets for extended periods of time have been shown to eat away hard-earned muscle and strength, wreak havoc on your hormonal systems, skyrocket hunger and place you in a state vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies and illness.
No one wants that, especially you.
That’s what you need to know. Here’s what you need to do:
Start High and Adjust: Start at the highest amount of calories you can that still allows you to lose weight and adjust accordingly. Want an easy way to calculate your initial calorie needs? Multiply your body weight by 9-to-14.
Note: Depending on a few factors your calorie needs will vary:
- Sedentary females (think office job) training 3-5x/week should start at the lower end and multiply their body weight by 9-10
- Fairly active females working an active job whilst training 3-5x/week should start in the mid-range and multiply their bodyweight by 10-12
- Sedentary males (office job) training 3-5x/week should start in the low-to-mid range and multiply their body weight by 10-12
- Fairy active males working active job whilst training 3-5x/week should start at the higher end and their multiply body weight by 12-14
Set And Stick To A Weekly Weight Loss Goal: To best preserve precious muscle and to keep your hormones from hitting a hiatus, set a weekly goal to lose between 0.5% and 1.0% of your body weight and don’t exceed it. During the initial weeks shoot for the top end of that range and as you get leaner (and have less body fat to lose) aim for the lower end.
Assess Progress with Multiple Metrics:Is your weight not dropping and you’re unsure as to whether you should make another adjustment? Assess your progress using multiple meastrics. What’s the sabotaging effect of this? Keep reading…
Mistake 3 – Failing To Measure Progress
Peter Drucker said it best, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” And this also holds true for preparing for your first (or fifteenth) bodybuilding or physique show.
Why is this important?
There are a TON of factors that will affect how your weight changes on a daily basis. These include monthly hormonal changes, irregular bowel patterns, a recent increase in carbohydrate or sodium intake, extreme levels of stress or lack of sleep, even participation in a tough workout causing a lot of inflammation/soreness. If you’re solely using the scale to determine if a change needs to be made, you will FAIL. Period.
If you’re serious about wanting to bring home hardware, you need to be serious about tracking EVERYTHING.
That’s what you need to know. Here’s what you need to do:
Assess and Evaluate Multiple Metrics
- Body Weight: Track your body weight at least five days a week. Review and compare weekly averages in weight not just daily changes.
- Girth Measurements: Assess circumference of chest, thigh, arm, hips, and waist on a weekly basis using the same side of the body, at the same time of day, and in a flexed state. Record and review weekly.
- Progress Photos:Take progress photos every two weeks in the same lighting, wearing the same clothes and at the same time.
- Body Fat Percentages: The accuracy of the number doesn’t matter, what’s important is the weekly trend of that number. There are multiple ways to assess body fat. I recommend finding a person at your gym who is trained in giving the 7-site skinfold test using body calipers and asking him or her to assess your body fat every 7-to-14 days at the same time under the same conditions.
Mistake 4 – Overlooking Social Sacrifices
Think you’re going to be able to maintain your normal weekly social routine and still go out for drinks each weekend?
Think again… Unless you’re OK with sabotaging your first bodybuilding or physique show, that is.
Truth is, recovery will take a front seat during prep, and what takes time away from that increases the time needed for you to get to your best.
Want to extend your prep 2-4 weeks because you couldn’t give up your weekend treats? Go for it.
And… sabotage your best and settle for less.
Your call.
Additionally, the time required to plan, shop, and prepare meals and the hours needed to complete your weekly training and cardio sessions will be at an all-time high. Every meal you eat and every workout you do takes you closer or further away from your goals.
If you only needed 4 hours a week for training and cardio before? Expect to do more.
If you rarely used a food scale and never tracked a macro before? Expect to do more.
Seldom plan out meals to ensure your diet is perfect? Expect to be perfect.
To be your best, expect to sacrifice the rest.
That’s what you need to know. Here’s what you need to do:
Treat it Like a Job: Getting ready for a bodybuilding or physique show is like taking on a full-time second job. Make time for what’s important and not just training and sticking to your diet. There are going to be times you have to say “no” to your normal social events or to other invitations to get the recovery you need to be at your best. Say “yes” and you sacrifice your best. Not willing to take that step? Be willing to extend your prep. It’s that simple.
Mistake 5 – Doing Too Much, Too Soon
With bow and arrow in hand and quiver on your back, you face a circle target with alternating red and white lines that surround a red bullseye. You want to make the most damage, but you also be the most precise. You want that bullseye.
Do you take out all the arrows from you quiver and shoot them all at once being unsure of where each will go or do you take out one at a time and know exactly where it will go?
The same holds true with dieting for a contest.
Don’t start by doing as much cardio and training as you can hoping to drop as much fat as possible risking burnout. Instead, implement and adjust each strategically and precisely based on the progress you make.
The biggest mistake I hear over and over again is doing too much too soon. It’s almost like going into battle and shooting all your ammo off in the first 10-minutes hoping to win the war.
It doesn’t work that way.
Avoiding total sabotage of your physique means knowing exactly when and how aggressively to make the changes in your diet to stay on track. Fat loss happens at a limited rate each day and each week. Exceed that and you’re only taking steps back.
Should you cut 250 calories or 500? Where should you cut from? Carbs? Fats? Or Both?
Also, should you only be doing low-intensity cardio each week? How much high-intensity interval training should you do?
Getting the right answers to these and the other questions you have is critical to avoid making the mistakes many first-time bodybuilding and physique athletes do when preparing for their first show.
Not sure where to go? Here’s what you need to know:
Hire a coach. Hire someone who’s been exactly where you want to go. And not only has BEEN there but has DONE THAT successfully for hundreds of clients as well.
Not only will you save time and frustration, but you’ll also avoid making these mistakes along with the other hundreds of mistakes that can be possibly made throughout the journey to the stage.
You’ve wanted to compete as long as you can remember. It’s something you’ve always wanted to do and you know your journey to the stage, doing it the right way, will be an inspiration to so many others.
Unfortunately, these mistakes and many more are easy to make but almost impossible to reverse.
If you’re thinking about competing in your first bodying or physique show or have competed 100-times, click the link below to avoid these mistakes and to compete at your best in your next bodybuilding or physique contest.
Why wait. Your best is just one click away.
See you then!
Coach g
