I am competing in my first figure competition on Sept 29th. I am also signed up for another one on Dec 1st. I'm not sure how to go about dieting/training for the Dec 1st show since there is only an 8week gap in between the two. Should I continue with the same diet and training regimen (fat loss diet with 2 day carb ups and fit figure workout)? I wanted to have at least one post comp cheat meal (not going over board of course) to keep my sanity, but not sure if I should.

Any advice?

I competed in a show two weeks later and still had a huge cheat meal the night my show was over, including dessert and I definitely got leaner, went from 2nd to 1st in my class.

With 2 mos apart you can have the cheat meal and probably a cheat breakfast. I dont think you will need to stay on the carb up plan. Id think you could incorporate 1/3 cup of oatmeal at breakfast and a 5-6 oz sweet potato for lunch for 3-4 weeks and see how you do. Then at 4 weeks out jump back on the carb up approach.

Id bet with you already being lean you will maintain your condition and add a little muscle, then you cut hard for those 4 weeks.

See what others think.

Wow dessert? And you're not talking about a stick of orbit surgarfree gum are you ? =) *G*
Awesome- so looking forward to a couple of cheat meals. The lean muscle gain diet does make sense up until 4 weeks out. Thank you so much for your advice, Jason!

Kelly

LOL! Yep real dessert, if I remember correctly it was a whole bag of raisinets (my all time favorite) as I sat in the auditorium for the completion of the show then had two pieces of chocolate cake after my medium pizza hut pizza. Your body is a sponge and flying so high that day you will burn that off, just get back on the next day.

KellyKel, I agree with Jtheo. I competed in a show on July 28th and again on August 11th. I also had my usual aftershow feast after the first contest, and a couple more for a few days days after, and then got back on my plan. I came in leaner, fuller, and harder in the second contest and felt a whole lot better. Loo king at the photos of the two contests the difference is obvious. A few "bad" meals will not hurt, and will probably actually help as long as you are as lean as you can get.

Best of luck,
Mark

Hey thanks, Mark and Jason. This is my first figure contest so all the advice I can get helps extremely!

Much appreciated,

Kelly

I agree...2 months apart is ideal. I gtried to do a show 1 week apart and it really didn't work as well. 2 months gives you plenty of time to recuperate and replensiah your body.

What diet you should do after your first show really depends on if you achieved your desired condition for the first show. Most people are trying to continue to improve and get better from show to show. If you still need to lose more fat, you may want to add in some cals for a week or two like JTheo suggested, but then go back to the twice a week carb meal after that.

I would do a cheat after your show that night and a cheat breakfast the next day, you could maybe even do a cheat lunch the next day, but then get back to it. Once you start cheating after being on a contest diet it can cause the flood gates to open - so be careful. When your body is at a state of deprivation like a contest diet, your body wants to store fat more than ever. If you binge for too long the fat can add up fast, especially for we ladies.

It may also be a time to add some supps. If you need to lose more fat, you can add fat loss specific supps like Lean Out, Keto, ER and/or GH. If your main concern is strength and retention look to add some more BCAA’s like Glutamine Select, Muscle Mass and/or Muscularity…if you aren’t taking these already.

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you for your advice! Well I did have a (small) cheat meal the night after the show and the following day I had 2 more cheat meals. I started back on the clean eating on Monday. I am pretty lean already and just want to add some more size (especially in my legs) for my next show (see pic from my show). So I am thinking that the plan Jason advised is best- saving the carb up diet for 4 weeks out. I think I need the carbs now for more muscle mass. As far as supps, I am taking ALL the ones you mentioned, Rachel. They really do make a difference!

Thanks everyone!

Kelly


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c357/kellybaz/KellyComp1.jpg

Looking at your photo, I think it would be a good idea to do a lean gain type diet for 3-4 weeks like Jason suggested and then go back on your contest specific diet (2 carb meals a week) if you need to. It sounds like you are taking a lot of great supps. For more of a muscle gain focus you might want to add some Ultra 40 with meals, try some Muscle Synergy and/or add some Creatine Select for a bit.

Good luck. Stay focused and this can be a great time to make gains.

Hello everyone.. This question might be directed more to Rachel (but please all comments/advice are appreciated) in regards to the "lean gain type diet" she recommended for Kelly.. Rachel can you please provide me with a breakdown of this "lean gain diet" plus supplements I should be using. I feel like I’m on a titter toddler; where as, I’m right at the point where I’m trying to get rid of a little more fat (mostly in the love handle area) but feel if I cut anything out of my diet I’ll be running on fumes. I would like to start taking Lean Out, Keto, ER, GH and Muscularity but I’m not sure if I would be going overboard – not competing but would love to get dang near close. In the past, whenever I’ve taking a fat burner I shrink down to nothing or lose muscle tone). Below is my current diet and supplements (I’ve only stated this diet last week but want to make sure I’m on the right track) Thank you and everyone so much!! (lower back – any recommended exercises for toning problem area?)

My Stats: Gender: Male Age: 32 Weight: 186.6 BF % 9.8 (Goal is to cut body fat in half while preserving as much muscle as possible)

Meal #1
2 whole eggs + 4 egg whites
8 oz very lean meat
1 cup oatmeal - before cooking

Meal #2
Protein Drink with two scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein

Meal #3
10 oz lean meat (lean protein source)
8 oz sweet potato or 1 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups vegetables (broccoli etc or green salad)

Meal #4 (same as meal #2)

Post Workout Shake
2 scoops of Mass Protein with 1 scoop of Ultimate Muscle Protein

Meal #5
12 oz. very lean meat (chicken breast)
2 cups vegetables
or
8 oz of chicken mixed with 2 cups of salad w/balsamic dressing


Meal #6
Protein Shake or Pudding: 2 Scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein

Supplement Program:
1 Super Pak with meal #1
4 Ultra 40 tablets and 4 Mass Aminos with each meal
3 EFA Gold capsules with meal #1 and meal #5.
10 Muscle Synergy capsules throughout the day and an additional 6 Muscle Synergy right before working out – sometimes I’ll add 3 Keto with the Muscle Synergy as a pre workout stack.
Glutamine Select plus BCAAs scoops during working out

The breakdown of a lean gain diet is generally 50% protein, 20% starchy carbs and 30% healthy fats. The calorie range will depend on several things…age, current condition, metabolism, calories in diet leading up to an updated plan, time frame in which you want to achieve goals, etc. If you just started the diet above a week ago, it’s too soon to make any changes. Once you hit a plateau than it will be time to make some cuts. Or, if you don’t start making some movement within about 4 weeks, make some reductions.

You are taking in a good amount of calories on this plan. The first thing you will do when you hit a plateau is reduce starchy carb portions by 25-50%, cut a yolk and switch to the leanest meats, only beef on occasion. This should help you move forward for 4 weeks or so.

The targeted supplements you mentioned for fat loss are a great idea. I recommend starting with Lean Out and 7-Keto (if you can handle stimulants). You may switch out Muscularity for Mass for added muscle retention and fat loss benefits. I don’t recommend the Energy Reserve and GH until you are a bit closer to your goal (about 6 weeks from goal).

Good luck!