What To Expect When You Start Your Bodybuilding Contest Prep
What you are getting yourself in for -
Reading Time - 10 Minutes
Word Count - 1200 Words
Topic - Bodybuilding Contest Prep
A lot of people will be starting a Bodybuilding Contest Prep in the New Year, and it’s daunting!!
People can definitely get overwhelmed by the idea, or even put off by the ‘side effects’ of contest prep, however what most fail to realise is that these negative effects only take place at certain stages, and being aware of this is super important. I’ve competed in 7 Shows in my short career so far, 2014 & 2015 being competitive years, with 2017 being my next.
I hope this blog post can help other competitors that may be entering their first year of competing - to give them more of an idea of what they can expect! ~ 1 - Are you READY?
A lot of people will start a contest prep in a poor situation.
I really do believe that the most successful bodybuilding prep’s happen when everything is in the right place, and you have control over your situation.
What you need to consider before starting -
Relationships - Are you in a relationship? Is there a good support network? Is your partner happy with you competing? Do they understand what you are going to put yourself through? Are you happy with your current partner? Is there a lot of stress? Do they understand your training NOW?
The Gym - Do you love your training? Are you consistent with all your sessions? Have you been consistent for a while? Have you had experience with programming your training? - If you don’t love the gym now, contest prep won’t make you fall in love with it and you need to have the existing passion before starting.
Your Work Life - Are you currently in a secure job? Do you like it? Are you financially stable? Is there a lot of work stress? Do you think you will have a very busy year ahead? Have you got plans to move job? - Your job will have a massive impact on your day to day life and you need to be sure that this is not going to cause any excess stress.
Your Reasoning Behind Competing - What is the true reason you want to compete? - If it is for Instagram likes, PT clients or for a bit of fun, I’d probably leave it, competing is a serious thing and I’d make sure that you are fully aware of this before starting, otherwise you may well give up.
Your Social & Home Life - Is everything stable at home? Is your social life revolving around drinking and partying? Are any of these going to take a hit by contest prepping? - These are all things you need to consider before deciding to compete.
Consider all of the above - make sure you are either acceptant of the issues, or wait until you are in a good situation with everything prior to beginning your first contest prep to avoid disappointment.
2 - You aren’t getting SMALLER you are getting FLATTER.
When you start dieting, you have to dip into a calorie deficit, this will mean usually a reduction in the amount of carbohydrates that you eat per day.
Carbohydrates play a HUGE role in keeping the muscle full, as soon as carbohydrates are dropped, intra-cellular water is lost from the drop of glycogen and therefore the muscles will feel AND look flatter, smaller a