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Pre-competition training

    A decision to try competition in bodybuilding it means above all doubt a big and unknown change in the everyday procedures of each bodybuilder. The pre-competition training has two parts - organization+material and training+nutrition. In this part, I am going to focus on the second part. If you are interested in bodybuilding, you quickly find out that each bodybuilder has his/her guaranteed way and recommended procedures. I will try to summarize the theoretical basics, which must be adjusted to individual needs and knowledge. The psychical training is very important for this unknown period - all problems that occur can be managed easier. Both the diet and the competition begin in your head. The diet must be accepted as a way to overall improvement and show of musculature. The period of losing fat must not be considered as a torture but as a positive change in the year-long routine.

When to start

   Approximately 5 to 10 weeks before the competition, you must exclude fat from your food. The time cannot be specified exactly - it depends on the metabolism of the individual and on the ability of using fat as a source of energy, as well as on the quantity of under skin fat. Generally everybody needs sufficient time especially for the first diet so that there is enough time to get to know once body and its reactions to the diet. A good pre-competition diet will make the bodybuilder ready in the competition form at least a week before the start of the competition.

Food

   One must be ready to accept a very simple and boring menu, consisting of poultry of fish fillets, rice and potatoes and a little vegetable. It is important to know and monitor the content of fat in the food. You cannot avoid animal proteins, it is impossible to eat no fat at all. The only way of preparing meat I recommend cooking it in water with absolutely no ingredients. Amount of necessary carbohydrates is highly individual, depending on the metabolism of the bodybuilder and the intensity of the training. The opinions recommended daily intakes of carbohydrates are varied from 1 to 5 grams per kilogram of weight. Amount of proteins is from 2-4 grams per kilogram. Do not forget the basic principles when you create your menu:

• Take 60-70 % of carbohydrates in the morning
• Divide the food - the time between the foods is no longer than 3 hours
• Do not forget fiber in your food
• Keep the drinking routine

Supplements and vitamins

   Of course, you have to supply your body with the sufficient amount of vitamins (C vitamin, complex of B vitamins). I also recommend some available antioxidants (coenzyme Q10, gingko) to reduce the stress from the diet combined with training and to support the immunity system. During the diet, it is important to take quality amino acids and not to forget to fill the used resources immediately after training by glutamine or amino acids called BCAA (a good combination of amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine). To support the loss of fat, you can also use the available supplements, such as carnitine, HCA (extract from the garcinia cambogia plant), or the combinations of several fat burners available on the market.

Training

   In the pre-competition training is most recommend reducing weights and increasing the number of repeats. After discussing it with several competitive bodybuilders, I joined the opinion that for the quality of muscles, it is better not to decrease weights and not to increase the number of repeats but maintain the training at the same level while reducing intake of food and if it is possible, keep the number of repeats and weights unchanged. The best you can do is to try and see which process works better for you.

For inspiration, my pre-competition nutrition principles:

   Approximately 7 weeks before a competition, I exclude fats from my food. I keep the calories at the same (approximately 3500 calories). Once a week I reduce calories by reducing carbohydrates, but keep the proteins at the same level of approximately 3 grams per kilogram of weight until the competition. Of course, everybody must know his/her weight daily (from the same time to obtain comparable results). If my weight decreases, I keep the same level of the carbohydrates, if it is unchanged; I reduce the carbohydrates by additional 0.2 grams per kilogram of weight. 3 weeks before the competition, I add fat burners in my supplements. My favorite one is HCA, since it is a natural plant extract. Part the year I do not use salt with my food, but about 2 weeks before the competition I start using it. The sodium effect changes the quality of muscles and removes water from muscles. The last 36 hours before the competition are dedicated to the depleting of water and storing carbohydrates into muscles. (This is the final part concerning the muscles and here you can see the purity of the diet.) As depleting, I prefer drinking distilled water to not drinking at all. One has no spasms and feels no thirst. It is good to add a small amount of potassium, which is secreted from the body during the depleting of watering. In order to accumulate carbohydrates in muscles, I use rice bread and children nutrition (also rice, canned fruits).