Why do people train MORE pre-contest?

[SteelWeaver]

Lots of people seem to start doing a 3 on, 1 off schedule, or a double split, or at least increase the number of weight training sessions per week pre-contest. Why? Just to burn more calories? Keep the metabolism up?

It seems counter-intuitive, in terms of overtraining. Any comments?

 

[BrickGirl]

I don't change the workout at all.

 

[wilson6]

To accelerate the loss of muscle mass.

W6

 

[JJFigure]

I don't increase my weight training; just cardio. And even that's just splitting what someone else would normally do in one session - 40 to 60 minutes - into two separate sessions, morning and evening. I'm still lifting on the weight training schedule I plan to use post comp.

 

[MS]

Many of them are on decent doses of AAS and/or would rather train more than eat less (I'm definitely in the train more/eat more category of dieter!). Neurologically it also may seem 'easier' to split your training load into two sessions, or smaller but more frequent sessions, but this doesn't it make it better.

Other than that, it's theoretically better to eat a little less and start your diet a little earlier so you are on target without having to crash diet or kill yourself with extra sessions just to burn more calories because you're not lean enough. In this situation I would recommend the potential competitor to reconsider their commitment to a particular competition.

 

[JJFigure]

MS - your reply leads me to a question - the only reason I started doing two small cardio sessions (20-30 min0 was to keep my metabolism going. I'm lean enough for the contest, but I figured by staying at such a low kcal level for 8 (or was it 10) weeks had to be screwing up my metabolism. So, to keep it moving, I'm trying to keep my body active in both the am and pm - in the off chance I could actually get leaner. Is this a bad conclusion?

 

[MS]

" I'm lean enough for the contest"............"in the off chance I could actually get leaner"................You've possibly already answered your own question. Overdieting is so common and so easy to do that I would be wary. The last time I had to "hold my condition" for 6 weeks I actually ate high carb/high calorie and eased off the cardio for the first two weeks then swapped back to contest prep for the final four weeks. This worked great, but everyone is different. For instance, I really don't do well on low carbs and have no problem losing the fat with carbs at ~50% of my cals. Same goes for just about all the clients I have worked with who managed to stick with the program. When I've tried to do what you're doing (but with higher % carbs), I've noticed a lot of muscle loss while trying to maintain contest condition. So I guess I'm saying I dunno. This will be a test for you to see if it works or not. If not, then there's always the next competition. But personally I would get an experienced BB coach to keep an eye on you over the next 8 weeks because it's pretty hard to be objective when you're looking at yourself in the mirror!

Totally anecdotally, I have also noticed that the increased CNS activity that seems to be an inevitable part of a contest diet allows a lot of folks to train harder an more frequently for at least part of a contest diet. Lean and mean as the saying goes. I have a suspiscion that this increase in dopaminergic/noradrenergic activity helps to delay or eliminate symptoms of overtraining that you might experience if you were on a higher carb diet. But I'm sure you're aware that you walk a very fine line when your bodyfat drops too low.......

 

[The Shadow]

To accelerate the loss of muscle mass.

W6

my 2 cc's - I would rather a client eat a touch more and do a little more cardio than to sacrifice cals and not do the cardio.

We are talking LOW intensity cardio

 

[HardIron]

nothing changes here....I change sources of protein as i get closer..add some low intensity cardio..im w/ corn...i will keep cals up and add low intensity cardio...i have to have fuel!!!!!!!! Training more is not more beneficial..maybe in your mind.

 

[JJFigure]

Thanks MS. Luckily, my comp is on the 14th, so it's almost over. The date of the comp got moved on me, so I would have timed it just right but got stuck with 2 more weeks of prep time. I'm just trying to ride it out, now.

 

[SteelWeaver]

To accelerate the loss of muscle mass.

W6

lol.

So it IS counter-intuitive.

Ta.

 

[Intenceman]

This way of doing things goes way back to bodybuilders in the 60's and earlier. This traditional of doing thing was to 'bulk up" usign heavy weights and eating a lot of food, then befroe a contest, reversing thing using lighter weights for more reps and cutting food intake drastically. "cardio" or aerobic training was not really part of the equation back then. Later, under the influence of Mentzer and others, bodybuilders started training heavier all the time and doing aerobics- or cardio to help burn fat. Even then though, Mentzer's brother Ray and Casey Viator, along with Frank Zane amoung others would deliberatly train more- therir theory was you want to be a little overtrained before a contest to help break down fat and so that when you stopped the body would supercompensate and "fill out" more.
so its a matter of training for mass off season which usually requires heavier and less frequent workouts and then precontest, focusing on just maintaining muscle mass while losing as much bodyfat as possible.

 

[SteelWeaver]

"therir theory was you want to be a little overtrained before a contest to help break down fat and so that when you stopped the body would supercompensate and "fill out" more. "

So is it just a theory, or is it actually for real? What about gender, age, AAS use or lack of use, etc?

"focusing on just maintaining muscle mass while losing as much bodyfat as possible."

That's why it seem so counter-intuitive. cf W6's comment above.

 

[The Shadow]

Again....more is NOT better...that applies to training frequency and duration and cardio....


For my money - Dorian Yates was the most intelligent pro bber ever - he lifted buildings to get big - to lose fat precontest he WALKED in his neighborhood......

....a caveat to this is Kevin Levrone who in recent years does not train at all for 9 months out of the year...he drops to 210 and 12 weeks out trains twice per day and hits the stage at 250....BUT he can do this b/c he is not perpetually overtrained year round.....


If you:

1 - have trouble sleeping

2 - have no desire to workout

3 - ...weights are dropping

4 - low grade fever

5 - poor appetite

6 - aren't recovering like you usually do





YOU ARE OVERTRAINED

 

[The Shadow]

btw - IMO overtraining will not accelerate fat loss......quite the contrary

 

[vinylgroover]

The only thing that will allow you to lose maximum fat and retain muscle is to start your pre-contest dieting early, otherwise you're playing catchup.

If you intentionally overtrain, your muscles will look flat and stringy.......that approach doesn't make sense at all. More so if you're natural, you will lose alot of muscle.

To stay full, train as heavy as you can up to the contest.....maybe try cutting down on rest intervals between sets as a way of increasing intensity and hyping the 'cutting' process.

Overtraining may lose you more bodyfat......but it will also lose you more muscle...........where's the benefit in that?

 

[w84me]

to not think about eating ?? I know it helps me keep my mind off the dieting ... and its good to hear the people around you giving support so you know you aren't the only crazy one out there.

 

[The Shadow]

....I think that bumping up the actual training is more palitable than doing cardio as well