TOP 10 Offseason and Pre-contest Rules

Please Note: These are only MY opinions, and I am not the know-it-all when it comes to this sport. These are just thoughts and opinions I am stating, that have helped me get to where I am.

10 Rules in the Offseason
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1. Don’t listen to the idiot that gives you the advise to “eat everything you come across”. Get ready to gain fat for the majority of your offseason. Start off with a moderate caloric intake (as a base), and go from there. Increase calories slowly, every 2-4 weeks, and try to find your sweet spot. You’ll know you’ve found that sweet spot when the workouts are great, you don’t feel drained all day long, you’re gaining a stable weight amount, holding still a solid conditioning, and your fat gain in minimal.

2. Fruit should be involved within your daily nutrition plan. Veggies are optional (don’t really have much stomach room for these “fillers” here and there).

3. Healthy Fats are a must when trying to grow. To add more calories to your daily diet, adding more healthy fats can be your best friend.

4. You should NOT avoid cardio. Keeping some cardio within your training routine will help keep the metabolism strong, and most importantly, keep your cardiovascular system optimal. Just don’t do too much cardio. Also cardio will help keep you somewhat lean in the offseason (very important still).

5. Use this time to see what works well with your system when it comes to training and diet especially. Like for me, I found out that pasta is just too much for me. I feel puffed up, and it doesn’t benefit me as well as would potatoes, white rice or oatmeal does. Use this offseason time to experiment on what works well for your body.

6. Train heavier, but there is no need to push for those 1RM lifts to set new personal records; we aren’t weightlifters, we are bodybuilders.

7. Enjoy things outside your clean diet. Eating foods/treats that you usually wouldn’t during a prep is fine. Just don’t overdue it when you do; still have self-control.

8. If you’re not hungry, and it’s a meal time, tough shit…eat. Shovel it in. Growth doesn’t come from being comfortable at times.

9. Do not go above the 12-14% bodyfat MAX (men), and for females 17-19%. This will ensure you’re still in somewhat good lean shape. I tend to try and stay in the 10-12% when bulking. If you don’t see your abs in the offseason, then you need to readjust a few things. That is a good visual guide; we need to see some representation of your abdominal muscles in the offseason. If you can’t see them, then you’re gaining more fat then muscle.

10. Sleep! get a good amount of sleep. With all the high amounts of calories you are now consuming, getting more rest is highly beneficial.

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10 Rules in the Pre-Contest
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1. Cardio, it is a must! Do not put it aside…even if you’re an enhanced competitor. It can make or break you in the end. Make cardio a big priority, no matter how tired, exhausted or sick it might make you feel. Tough it out, don’t whistle through it, just get it done.

2. Sugar-free treats…might as well toss those to the kids next door. If it ain’t Crystal Lite, or stevia, toss it. Many artificial sweetened treats are filled with items that can bloat your system, and slow “shit” down real quick.

3. Keep the diet simple. You had all that time in the offseason to find the proper carbs, proteins, and fats that work well with your system.

4. Try to stick to whole foods as much as you can. I know early on in the prep diet, a few shakes can be ingested within the program, but try to have as much whole foods as possible.

5. My protein shake rule of thumb getting close to contest date is, 2-4 weeks out they are completely GONE from the diet program.

6. Have sodium in the diet, just don’t overkill yourself with it. Sodium and water manipulation doesn’t need to take place until the last week or so of the prep.

7. Keep drinking tons of water. Water will help flush toxins out of your system, keep you hydrated, but help keep you fuller throughout the day.

8. If you don’t like fish, tough. Get ready to eat it, and TONS of it.

9. When it comes to weight training, train as heavy as you can, for as long as you can, but keeping your form and control solid. No point in training heavy when it’s going to be sloppy, and might get you injured. Breaking records should be thrown out the door right when the prep starts. It’s all about maintaining muscle at this point. We are NOT building any muscle during prep. The body needs to be in a caloric surplus to grow.

10. If you ain’t tired, sick of it, wanting to quit, pissed off, can’t sleep, sweating all night, then you’re not dieting or working hard enough.