Preparing for a contest

Simon Gama

All my champions started the same way as you. They were once underdeveloped and wanted to improve their bodies just like you do. Many of my students develop so well that they want to enter bodybuilding competition.

I hope you, too, improve such that you could enter competition. If you do, there are some very special things you need to know about competition and I want to tell you about them now.

The first thing you must realise is that not everyone can be a bodybuilding champion. The most important ingredient is dedication, and that means paying close attention to nutrition and working out consistently and very, very hard.

However, you do need a certain amount of potential to win physique contests.

If you want to enter a competition, you should stand back and assess yourself.

Do you have wide shoulders and fairly narrow hips, or is it the other way around? Do you have small joints and a narrow waist or are you blocky and wide-waisted? Do you have a natural calf development or are your lower legs spindly? Do you tend to be naturally muscular?

All these things can help or hurt in your quest for championship status. If you are weak in these areas, you may want to wait a little longer before preparing for a contest. If however, you want to start getting ready for a contest now, here’s how.

If you have followed me diligently and have come through my little day, a week basic programmes, my spilt system of training and power and bulk training and have successfully constructed your own workouts with the Cycle Principle as their base, you may now want to consider beginning competition at a local level.

If you have been working out hard and following all tenets of good nutrition, you would already have constructed a solid base for a great physique. If you desire to enter competition and have attended a couple of contests to see how they are run, then you will want to plan for a show about six months in advance.

The first thing you need is to assess your structure and muscularity. Are you weak in any areas?

Are you muscular and fairly defined right now? Are you carrying more than 10 pounds of extra fat? Are your muscles separated and visible right now? You need to accurately assess your body to know whether you need to diet hard, to lose fat or to eat more to gain muscle size.

Even in beginning competition today, while you need good sized muscles, you need to be very muscular, shaped and defined to win, too.

Most of you will want to follow a special low fat, moderate carbohydrate and high protein diet now.

You should be drinking a lot of fresh water (12-16 oz) 8 glasses every day up to three four days before your show. You will try to gradually cut back on your calories while maintaining enough protein for growth and carbohydrates for energy to still work out super hard. Supplements will be important, too.

If you are significantly overweight (about 15 pounds above what you feel is your ideal contest weight). You should only lose 1-2 pounds per week through your dieting and training. Anything more than that and you will lose muscle along with your fat. The last week before competition, you will also drop off 2-3 pounds of water.

Here is a good diet to follow for the six months before your contest
Breakfast: 6-10 Life Essence capsules on an empty stomach (with fresh water), Bowl of dry cereal with skim milk, 2 pieces of rye toast with minimal butter, 3 egg whites (one yolk), 1/4lb of skinned chicken or turkey, 1 glass of fresh, unsweetened orange juice supplements (Megabolic Mega Pak, 1 oz of Dynamic Muscle Builder).

Lunch or midday meal: Large raw salad, limited dressing glass of skim milk, One or two pieces of fresh fruit.
30 minutes prior to training: Pre-stress with Anabolic Mega Pak small piece of fruit.
After workout: Carbo-Energizer.

Dinner: Baked potato (no garnish, lean meats, fish, roast, chicken, turkey), Aminobolic Mega Pak.
30-45 minutes before bedtime: 2nd part of aminobolic Mega pak, Drink 12-16 big glasses of water daily.

About a month before the contest you will want to cut back on your portions depending upon how much fat you’re carrying.

The last week before your show will eliminate anything with salt in it and also start cutting back on water retaining foods. You want enough carbohydrates in your body for energy to train and pose, but not so much that you retain a lot of fluid.