To sculpt chiseled, competition-ready physiques, bodybuilders do more than adhere to a grueling workout schedule: They also follow special diet protocols while preparing for a contest. Also known as "cutting" diets or pre-contest diets, competition diets allow bodybuilders to reduce their body fat and achieve maximum muscle definition. Food selection, meal timing and calorie intake all play a role in helping bodybuilders achieve winning physiques for competitions.
Function
For bodybuilders, the main function of a competition diet is to reduce body fat while preserving muscle. As FitnessAtlantic.com explains, a competition diet helps eliminate subcutaneous fat, making the skin appear thinner and allowing muscle striations to emerge. Unlike "bulking" diets, where bodybuilders attempt to rapidly gain muscle and body mass, competition diets focus on creating a lean physique.
Features
Along with reducing overall calories, competition diets eschew most processed, refined foods and emphasize low-fat, high-protein fare. In an article published on the East Coast Muscle website, bodybuilder Peter Marino explains that pre-contest meals should include a mixture of protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber. Protein foods for a competition diet include turkey breast, protein powders, chicken breast, perch, halibut, egg whites, tuna, flounder and red snapper. Carbohydrate sources include oatmeal, rice, whole wheat bread, pasta, grits, rice cakes and baked potatoes. Fiber sources include broccoli, kale, spinach, collard greens, romaine lettuce, cauliflower, bell peppers and other vegetables. Marino recommends consuming six small meals per day on a competition diet and aiming for a caloric ratio of 40 to 45 percent protein, 45 to 50 percent carbohydrate and 10 to 15 percent fat.
Time Frame
Justin Leonard, professional bodybuilder and owner of BodybuildingCompetition.com, recommends that bodybuilders being their competition diets six to 12 weeks before the contest date. Bodybuilders with particularly fast metabolisms may need as little as five weeks to shed enough body fat for a competition, while bodybuilders with slow metabolisms may need a full 12 weeks. Unless a bodybuilder is attending another contest soon, a competition diet ends immediately after the contest.
Effects
Competition diets trim away fat the same way other weight-loss diets do: by creating a calorie deficit and forcing the body to burn fat for fuel. However, the frequent meal times and high protein content of competition diets help preserve lean mass, allowing bodybuilders to reach body fat percentages of 6 to 8 percent for women or 2 to 4 percent for men without losing significant muscle, according to Marino.
Warning
Because competition diets focus on short-term fat loss rather than long-term health, this eating plan should be temporary. As Marino explains, competition diets are highly restrictive and potentially unhealthy, eliminating nutritious foods such as fruit, nuts and healthy oils. Marino advises bodybuilders to maintain year-round leanness rather than gaining and losing large amounts of weight, and he suggests following a competition diet for as short a time period as possible when shedding fat.
Member Comments