Lots of people claim to have the answer to perfect preparation strategies for bodybuilding, fitness and figure events. I’ve consulted with some of the best in the world, supposedly, in both the States and UK. My summary to those of you thinking of spending a tonne of cash, even more effort and all your eggs with one of these so called “experts”, forget it. Common sense and science, coupled with biochemical individuality, will give you all the answers you need. And a large dose of discipline, hard work and focus.

Myth 1 – “I have all the answers”.

There are self-proclaimed “gurus” who claim their way is the only way. Some will have you follow a keto plan, some will give a carb cycling plan. Forget it. Remember, we are all different, and in a pre-contest phase, those individualities, such as responses to stress, are what need to be managed to ensure best results, not what worked for someone else at one time or another. Pathetic.

The best pre contest approach is to work closely with a real experienced coach who knows your body, knows you, and can help you adapt what you do each week to make that little bit of progress each week. If you get someone who gives you a sheet of paper and says “follow this it works” then ask for your money back fast.

Myth 2 – LSD Cardio.

You can waste hours every day doing LSD cardio, or you can wise up. The body is an adaptive organism, meaning it is designed to adapt to whatever stimulus you present it with. IF you want to get a body like a marathon runner then do tonnes of LSD cardio. If you want to be lean and in shape, then consider the effects of your training on your hormonal system, your thyroid gland and your metabolic rate. LSD cardio will slow your metabolic rate, increase cortisol (cortisol is that stress hormone that shuttles excess fat to the abdominal area, just what you want pre contest!!!!!!) and slow the production of T3 from the thyroid gland. Plus, the more you do, the less effective it gets, meaning you have to do even more, and thus make even more cortisol etc etc. A marathon runner does about 8-10 hours training a week. Some pre-contest bodybuilders do about 16 hours LSD cardio a week. You want to look like a marathon runner on stage? Those chemically enhanced of course are another kettle of fish. I dont work with anyone using steroids, that is their choice and up to them, but I would never coach an athlete using steroids.

Some “gurus” preach lots of LSD, some preach none at all. In my opinion, it is effective when cycled with other forms of cardio, like intervals, and when used at the right times, such as after weight training, when your body will naturally “bleed” more fat into the mitochondria for fuel. I see people banging out hours of LSD without any consideration to what fuel they are actually using to do it. And the wonder why they lose muscle, hence slow the metabolic rate even further. Incredible really.

Your cardio in a pre-contest diet, especially for natural athletes, must not lower your metabolic rate, must not change type 2b fibres to type 2a, must not increase cortisol, must not use proteins for fuel to get through it, and most not slow down T3 production.

Myth 3 – The Keto Diet

Let’s get this cleared up. The Keto diet, where you essentially don’t eat carbs, will work in terms of fat loss, but only for extreme protein types, as it is basically, eating for their type. But, use keto on a mixed type, or autonomic dominant, and you will just ruin their body, I’ve seen it happen. For a mixed type or autonomic, cutting their carbs, which most “gurus” do, will just slow their rate of fat loss. For those types, you should be looking at protein and fat cuts, not carbs.

Also, people run keto for 12 weeks then try to carb load!!! Are you kidding me. IF you have taught your body to use proteins and fats for fuel, in effect for the body to convert them to glucose, then how on earth do you think you can carb deplete and carb load? Your body makes the carbs it wants from proteins (gluconeogenesis) so when you start chucking in carbs the night before a show, it doesn’t really know what to do with them. Most people will just smooth out and look bloated.

Your pre-contest diet should be in line with your metabolic type.

More myths to come, pre-contest dieting is an area I have witnessed so many people make huge mistakes with, saddens me to see people spend so much time and effort and get nowhere near where they thought they would be.

Any questions on your prep, drop me a line.

Simon