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After Bodybuilding Competition
What to do After Bodybuilding Competition
Most competitors look for answers about what to do before or at a bodybuilding show, but what happens the day after, the week after? I can tell you from experience that the week after a show is just as mentally and physically draining as the week before.
Mentally you build up to this major event, and once over you seem to almost feel a let down. Even when you win the overall there is a anti-climatic feeling in the days after the show. Its mostly because the event is over so quickly, and you get caught up in the moment. One second your on stage, the next your eating pizza. Don't get lost after the show. Remember you did something great and had fun. It took allot to get there and you did it. You will feel a little let down, but concentrate on your photo's and call some of the new friends you made. Also post your experiences on the board. By reliving it you can prevent the let down.
Another thing is watching that physique you worked so hard for disappear. Yes, you will eat...and eat... and eat after the show. You will also blow up like a balloon after if your not careful. That is alos hard on your mind. Its depressing to look in the mirror a week later and see a fat slob. Take it easy after the show and eat back up slowly. By all means cheat the night after, but regain some control the next day. Nothing is worse for the body and mind then to gain 20 lbs in a week. Adding all that crappy food back in so quickly makes you feel like crap. Take the week off from the gym, rest and add the carbs a fats back in slowly, like over rthe course of a week or two. This also allows you to be seen in public after the show in good shape. The average gym trainer does not recognize 3% b/f from 8% b/f, but they will tell you how great you look anyway. If you balloon up to 14% they will be thinking, how did this fat slob win anything.
Water! Keep drinking. I see so many competitors go from multiple gallons a day to 16 oz. Drink as much as you did the the weeks before and taper down slowly. I recommend cutting back 20 oz a day until you get to where you were at the start of your diet.
Potassium, again if you load, taper off over three days. Each day cut your amount in half until your off.
Thermogenic's. I use a ton, and have gone cold turkey after a show. I have also stayed on after in a effort to keep from gaining the weight back. I ended up on for almost two years and my adrenal system was out of whack for months after. Again taper off over the following two weeks, but get off them! You fry your adrenals over time, this is a fact, no matter what your read in some mags.
Cardio. Yep I have gone up to one hour per day, and as little as one hour per week. Point is dont drop it like a hot potato. Take your week off but play some sports, ride a bike, hike and take a walk. When you return to the gym add a few 15 min. sessions per week. Do not go back to hour per day marathon sessions because you gained 40 lbs. in a week. After a few weeks adjust back to your off season levels, be it 30 min 7 days a week or none at all.
The gym. I highly recommend a low volume whole body workout two or three days a week for a 4 week cycle post contest. H.S.T. is great for this. For info on H.S.T. go to www.t-mag.com and type in hypertrophy specific training, or just type in hypertrophy specific training in the search engine of your web server and it should bring you to the web site. The point is to gradually increase weight, intensity and volume in your workouts.