POST-
CONTEST
M.E NUTRITION
REBOUND
Ensure your post-contest
rebound builds muscle not fat
with a reverse dieting protocol
E
VERY COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDER IS FACED WITH
A CHOICE THE DAY AFTER A SHOW, ONE THAT WILL
MATERIALLY IMPACT THEIR PHYSIQUE AND THEIR ABILITY
TO ACHIEVE PEAK CONDITIONING IN FUTURE.
While most post-comp rituals will
include a celebratory cheat meal, some
tend to take it too far with a week of
freedom; seven days when anything
and everything can, and generally is,
eaten. This often leaves athletes feeling
lethargic, flat and demotivated, and the
physical manifestation of this approach is
a bloated belly, 'soft' muscles, and water
retention, as well as the dreaded weight
and fat gain.
On the other hand, athletes who
ramp up their intake of 'good' calories
immediately after a restricted contest
84
Muscle Evolution
diet, in a misguided attempt to take
advantage of their heightened anabolic
state after a successful prep phase can
also do more harm than good.
Sarah Hall, an online trainer and contest
prep coach at www.sherifftraining.co.za
explains that many athletes invest a lot of
time and money in meticulously planning
their approach in the lead up to a contest.
“However, very few have a plan for what
they should do after a contest. This
inevitably leads to crash weight gain and
a rapid loss of conditioning in the days
that follow.”