1. Track your daily caloric intake for 3 days, find out what it is and this should give you a good idea of what calories are maintaining your current bodyweight. Take 1.5 g of protein per pound of bodyweight, this will be your protein intake. Multiply this number by 4 which will give you your calories from protein. Now take your cals which you are currently taking and decrease them by 300-400, figuring in your carbs at the remaining caloric intake divided by 4. (hope you can follow this) Fat will take care of itself through protein sources, but make sure you include these calories by multiplying each g of fat by 9.
2. My opinion of cardio differs from other competitive bodybuilders, as I do none, but my metabolism is through the roof. Everyone is different and most people require a little so here's what I think for the average individual. I recommend starting with 30-35 2-3 times a week starting at 12-13 weeks out, at an intensity of 65% maximum heart rate. As the show closens, moniter your progress. If need be bump it up to 3-4 days a week at 45 min., but any more than that I believe to be catabolic.
3. Glutamine 5 g 3 times daily. Upon waking, post workout, and before bed on an empty stomach has been proven to raise GH levels while sleeping. A fat burner will help too, preferrebly something with the eca stack, but don't overdue them at the first. You want to be able to build up and add some in at the end , so don't start with mega dosages. Always good to have that extra something in the last 4-5 weeks to dial you in.
4. As for carbing up once weekly, I believe in controlled cheat meals. I guess its the same thing, basically I change my protein source to something with a little more fat, such as a chicken to lean steak, and have a potatoe or pasta with some extra stuff on there. Find it great for the metabolism as it will slow down if you do the same thing week in week out. Make sure you calculate the meal, so you are not over 400 cals more than you'd usually be having at this meal time anyway. Carbs should not be ridiculously low all the way through anyway. A lot of people will argue this point, but I think excessively low carbs causes muscle carbolism in pre contest caloric deficit. Think about it, if you are in a caloric deficit anyway, why would your body be apt to store anything as fat, be it protein or carbs. Make sure your muscles have glycogen for training.
5. Sodium and carb depleting are again, is highly subjective to opinion, so here's what I think. Sodium should be kept at about 2000 mg per litre of water all throughout dieting(8000mg for the standard 4-5 litres). On Monday before the show double water and sodium levels till thursday. Then on Wednesday, return to normal. Thursday, cut these both in half again followed by another cut in half on friday. This will trick your hormones into excreting the water from the higher sodium levels the days earlier, but you also will be cutting water intake, so you'll be dry as a bone. As for carbs, Cut them in half sunday before the show, again in half on monday, again in half on tuesday. Wednesday return to 1 and half times your normal carb intake. Repeat this on Thursday, Friday return to normal carb level. Take in simple sugars here as they will be immediately transformed into glycogen in your carb depleted state. Insulin would help here but thats a whole new discussion.
6. As I said, simple sugars such as jam, preserves, pie filling would be better in the last day, but keep with your normal carbs on Wednesday and thursday. Hard to tell how your body will react the first time, so remember this is just my opinion and what I've done.
7. As for tanning, make sure your tanning 3 days a week minimum leading up to the show. Looks stupid if your tan runs a bit and you're white as fuck underneath. Start 2 coats of protan on wednesday, 3 coats on thursday, and 3 more on friday. On competition day, use jan tana competition tan to give you that finishing dark look.
8. I just shave, but I heard waxing is better
9. Just don't cook the chicken too long. I bake mine at about 400 f for 20 min. sprinkled with a little bit of garlic and onion powder, mix it in a bowl with a tbls. of flax seed oil and brown rice. Doesn't taste too bad. Have been eating it 3 times a day now for the last 9 weeks of contest dieting and I'm still not tired of it.
Hope this is of some help, let me know what you think
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