Figure Contest Prep - RANT!!!!
Disclaimer - apologies (only small ones) if this offends you.
It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon (yes surgeon :lol:) - or a smart contest prep coach for that matter - to get fat off someone if they starve them enough and get them to do enough cardio. How does that make a trainer … awesome? 14 hours of cardio a week? 21 hours of cardio a week? 1200 calories while doing that amount of cardio? This isn’t the program recommendations of a great trainer, IMO - it’s the program directions of someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing - who has one tool in his or her toolbox. Eventually everyone will get in shape if they eat few enough calories and do enough exercise for long enough. And people pay for this?
What? You’re not losing fat? Hmm, we’ll we’re already doing an hour of cardio a day. Let’s double it. Two hours a day now. We’ll also drop your calories to 9x BW too.
Two weeks later
Nothing? Alright then - 8x BW in calories and you get no carbs but vegetables and you get no fat either. And you only get nearly fat-free protein sources - egg whites and orange roughy for you. Wait, make it two-and-a-half hours of cardio a day. I also want you to do walking lunges - no weights - every day for 20 minutes - to spot reduce the fat off your glutes and legs of course.
Weight starts falling.
What? You’re hair is falling out? Suck it up, you’re a competitor. Hardcore!
Brilliant!
I’m sorry but you have to diet extremely hard and do hours upon hours upon more hours of cardio per week to lose what? You better be getting Biggest Loser results and dropping pounds of it each week. I mean, a pound of fat has a whopping 3500 calories. Unless you’re crawling on the treadmill and you have the math skills of a 2-year old (subsequently adding up your 2500 calories and thinking it’s 1000), then it’s NOT working very well now is it? A pound a week? (Because you know you’re not dropping 3lbs per week and you’re not even dropping 2/week if you’re pretty lean), then that’s not success. You have to do ALL THAT for a pound of fat? Come on now. Your body is broken if that’s what it takes. Actually let me correct that - that’s not what it takes. For anyone. Do you really consider that a winning formula? Because you might have “won”?
And another thing - those that don’t do their prep this way? Those that get in shape with sane dieting and sane amounts of cardio? They aren’t just genetically lucky. They work just as hard as you do. They just work smarter. There’s nothing special about you that deems it absolutely mandatory to do 7, 14, 21 hours of cardio per week to drop a small amount of fat per week. I mean, if a pound of fat is 3500 calories and you’re doing all that cardio and you’re dieting hard, don’t you think something might be a tad wrong there?
Get ready for your rebound. I have been saying this for quite a while now - those who do the most cardio in their preps are invariably always the ones with the most horrendous post-contest rebounds. And I think this is separate from the psychologically influenced rebound triggered by retardedly restrictive contest diets where you get only 5 foods. Of course, you’re going to start eating after that. Sheesh.
But the cardio? It’s almost as if it’s programming you for fat storage when the calories become available again. Whether it has to do with an efficiency phenomenon or something else entirely, the bottom line is that cardio junkies rebound terribly, more often than not. I don’t really care why it happens – just that it’s happening. There is far too much empirical evidence in contest circles to deny this.
Why do you think 30 minutes of cardio stops working and becomes 45 minutes? And 45 minutes per day becomes 60 minutes? And 60 minutes becomes 90 minutes? Something is happening there for you to have to be continuously adding more and more cardio. So what happens the next time you diet? Do you have to do even more? I know of competitors who return a previously successful contest prep program (successful meaning they got in shape) and it doesn’t work for them - nothing happens. Hmmm
The prep methods of many competitors are in my mind, nothing short of downright silly. It’s sad really - to see what some people believe they have to do in order to compete. And it’s not even the competitor’s fault - it’s the people they entrust themselves to. I can’t believe some of the stuff I’ve read. Boiling chicken breast in distilled water? What? People still do that? Cutting sodium a full week out? I’m sorry, but what the heck? Fish and vegetables 6x a day? 3 hours of cardio? A day? And it’s not like competitors are coming up with this stuff on their own - they’re being instructed to do this and they’re paying for it!!
And never mind how silly and just beyond explanation it is; it’s downright damaging. I can’t tell you how many competitors I’ve worked with now that have come from the above and my first order of business is getting their bodies responsive to diet and training again and correcting the damage done by their previous trainer. Many times over now.
Listen, being a hamster on a treadmill is not the only way to get in contest shape. Hamsters aren’t even cute.
There IS an easier way. No, not easy – as getting in contest shape will never be easy, but it’s easiER. And it can be a far more enjoyable experience. Man, there’s some troopers out there. Girls who go through this every single contest season. You have to hand it to them – that’s seriously some hardcore dedication. Hey, if you like it - more power to you. But …
There IS another way.
Comments? Agree? Disagree?
Related posts:
- Figure Contest Prep - What the?
- Contest Prep - When It’s All Said & Done, Was It A Good Experience?
- More Figure Competitor Nonsense
Tags: cardio for contest prep, contest preparation, Figure competition, figure competitors, figure contest prep
October 30th, 2008 at 9:31 am
well you know how I feel about this!
well put Erik. Hopefully people will begin to see that there is a better way.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I’ve never known another way to do this, but I’ve heard the horror stories and am thankful my first go-round was done the smart way. Sure, it’s difficult no matter how you do it, but I can’t imagine putting my body through such an unhealthy approach to weight loss/fitness. I’m very thankful for your and Noel’s expertise/support.
Yes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, but why take an even harder, and often unhealthier, way?
October 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
i am going to get hammered by saying this…at least by a few people….but again, like i have said before, i think girls and their trainers take the easy way out!!! it is harder at first to figure out how to prep the healthy way! in the long run however, it is easier and smarter! but many want it NOW NOW NOW and will go to extremes to get it! i also think that many figure girls feel that they are not training hard if they are not hating what they eat and spending endless hours doing boring ass cardio!!!
and the cutting out of certain foods without any reasoning behind it…blows my frickin mind!!! could go on….
good one erik!
October 30th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
above is bree BTW!
October 30th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
My first contest prep was just like you describe above. I did get in shape but my hair was falling out, I lost my TOM for 3 months and the only way I avoided a rebound was by digging down deep and slowly backing out of my contest diet and insane cardio levels.
I knew there was no way I could go through that again though (and that it was obviously very unhealthy).
That is when I found Lean Bodies. Thank you for an awesome, much more enjoyable and HEALTHY contest prep!
October 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
i have thankfully never seen the likes of that above idiotic training/dieting and cardio.
No trophy is worth the damage those gals are putting their bodies thru!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 30th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Well said. The more the word gets out the better. I’ve done it before and didn’t know any different. The rebound indeed sucks as does the prep! Bree has a point– people are brainwashed with the thought that if it isn’t painfully hard, it must not work for them.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:52 am
Halleluja! for this post.
I’m so happy to have found Erik for my current prep after prepping like a hamster on my own for my first prep. There was a lot of damage done after that first prep, say no more, and the worst rebound.
During this prep with Erik however I’m full of energy every day, I love my eating plan and don’t feel like I’m dieting at all, I can sabotage the weights like a human being and I’m not chained to the stepmill for hours like for my first prep.
I actually have a life outside the gym now. THANK YOU ERIK!!!
October 31st, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Can we start naming names now.. because I know a whole group of girls that swear by this one trainer that runs them into the ground.. and keeps them competing without a proper off-season. He just kills them, and they don’t even know it… when they do compete all of their hard work has melted away…
It’s like trying to rescue somebody from a cult.
November 1st, 2008 at 8:50 am
Go for it.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:19 pm
The only thing i have an issue with is that if that is what you are told to do to get rid of the fat before your show and you are supposed to trust your trainer, how are you supposed to know what is right and what is wrong?
You put your trust into your trainer and what he believes is going to get you the best body….that is the problem…..
i would love to know what is right and what is wrong…..i mean, i haven’t had a piece of fruit in almost 2 years!!!!
November 1st, 2008 at 10:38 pm
You bring up a good point - and I agree with you. Given you’re charging your trainer with the responsibility to design you a plan to help you reach your goals (and he’s charging you with the responsibility to follow it), then you owe it to both of you to do what he says.
I think that’s also just the problem and is my point for the most part - it’s not the competitors - it’s the trainers who are leading people to believe this is the only way. Sure, it works. That’s clear enough. But at what cost?
It is often the trainers themselves leading people down this unfortunate path. What’s a new competitor to do? They don’t know any better. And that’s my point - it’s unfortunate and sad that competitors have been fed the lie that says this is the only way. It’s NOT true. Maybe it’s their trainer’s only way …
My goal is to get the message out that there IS a smarter, healthier, saner and just as effective (in the context of end goal results), way. The proof is in the results.
That you haven’t had fruit in 2 years? That should be a red flag that something might be amiss.
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
HEY ERIK!
Thanks so much for the comment on my blog! I was STOKED!
So, here’s my idea: I think competitors get into panic mode and think: holy crap, if I’m not doing X amount of hours of cardio (some per day) then no WAY will they be ready to step on stage. I know I felt that way at times, that if I’m not working out at LEAST this much, then I’m not going to be ready; don’t mind what the repercussion may be……..
I think the more testimonials from trainers like you, compeitors like Noel & Lisa P (yes, I follow MANY blogs!!!) the better the fitness & figure world will be. It’s PROVEN that killing yourself for 3+months is NOT NECESSARY!!!!!! I’d venture to say that your clients enjoy the process!!
Thanks again for the comment, and thanks for voicing the truth.
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Erik,
I am SOOOO on board with you and thank you so much for posting this. I think it is absolutely ridiculous and absolutely unnecessary. I got so PISSED after the Olympia when Jenn Hendershott said she was eating 900 calories and doing 4 hours of cardio a day to win the Olympia. WTF???????????? WHY as a role model would you send this RIDICULOUS message??? So sad. There are competitors out there reading that crap that think they need to do that to get a win. Seriously. Thank you for bringing a refreshing and healthy view to this competitive landscape.
Jess
November 13th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
How are you supposed to know what’s right or wrong? Great question! I had a horrid contest prep the first time through and did a lot of stupid stuff and i am old enough to know better but I still did everything I was told and I paid for it too - LOL! not just money but ended up having a horrid rebound. That was when I finally listened to myself - you have common sense girl so why aren’t you using it!!!?? And so I quit and changed coaches! Best move I ever made! Here I am about 2 weeks out from my second show and no rebound! Why? I got to eat whatever I wanted within my macros for my diet up to contest day, never did any stupid stuff like eating protein only or decreasing my salt or water or doing stupid depletion workouts. I built muscle, lost fat, and brought a far better package to the stage this time and actually enjoyed my experience. So, listen to yourself. If you think you are doing things that don’t make sense then maybe it’s time you listened to your internal compass and tried a different approach.