The answer is to figure out where you are at now (bf level) and where you want to end up. That percentage drop will equate to "x" lbs of bf that you need to lose. Ideally your pre-contest diet would have you losing between 1/2 and 1&1/2 lbs a week. More than that and you risk a catabolic environment (also using muscle for energy) plus the rigors of a seriously restricted diet that would allow for a 2+lb a week loss.
So for example Ii you weigh 200 lbs and are at 12% body fat now and you want to get to 5% for a competition, you need to lose 7% of 200 lbs or 14 lbs of bf. If you aim for a 1 lb a week drop, that means starting 14 weeks out. Allowing a couple of extra weeks is always a good idea as you are much better off being contest ready two weeks out than you are struggleing to drop 4 or 5 lbs in the last two weeks.
Hope that answers your question.
VA MadDog
Posts: 961 | Location: Commonwealth of Virginia | Registered: Sun August 17 2003
That makes sense, but from reading various posts and articles on the Beverly site, some people seem to start with very high BF levels and can get into great shape in 12 weeks. Others start their 12 weeks in a condition that, in my opinion, would probably win a novice class as is.
My past experience was pretty much a starvation diet for 14 weeks that dropped 43 pounds (a large portion of which was hard-earned muscle), so I don't have a good grasp of what level of BF/weight to be at when starting on a Beverly precontest diet. Theoretically, I'm right at the 1 lbs./week to come in at 5% at the end of my 12 weeks.
Go into the past articles written by JeremiahF and MarkR and read about they keep lean(BF) all year around and they add muscle to their frames every competition because they never have to diet extremely long. The rollercoaster yo-yo diet doesnt seem to produce very good results with natural athletes.
lifter
Posts: 329 | Location: temple PA usa | Registered: Sun November 09 2003
Beverly Nutrition 
