Are you ramping up preparation for your first bodybuilding show? You’re probably been reading up on diet, cardiovascular movements, and pre-contest supplements and drugs, preparing for what will no doubt be twelve weeks of misery as you work to reach the greatest shape of your life. Here are a few factors which may also contribute to your success, which you may not have considered.

Cardio Time Usually Doesn’t Matter
Yes, those at the very top of the sport achieving a 3 percent body fat level for a bodybuilding show will always tell you that completing your cardiovascular exercise at 6 A.M. upon waking is the only way to go. However, in terms of the bigger picture, there isn’t going to be that much of a difference in overall results if you complete your cardio at the start of the day, before bed, following your workout, or any other time when it fits into your schedule. It’s true that your body is more likely to burn stored body fat than sugar stores in your body when your stomach is empty. However, this may end up shaving off perhaps a week of preparation time. If cardio on an empty stomach makes you nauseous or requires a complete redesign of your schedule, simply place the cardio wherever you are comfortable!

Rest Time Reduction
Your schedule in the pre-contest is going to be pretty cramped. Consider your already busy life. Then, add in the amount of time it will require for additional daily cooking, tanning, posing practice, and cardio. Suddenly things are way more crowded! Luckily, most pre-contest weight training protocols call for reduced rest times between sets. This helps to etch out some definition in the muscle groups, and also gets you out of the gym faster while completing more sets. Instead of spending 2 minutes resting between sets, you may spend 30 to 45 seconds resting. Your workouts will be both aerobic and anaerobic, and you’ll look better as a result. Additionally, you’re going to lose strength as the show nears. Using a routine which emphasizes shorter rest times will require you to use less weight. This will keep you significantly safer from injury. Lighten the weight you’re using, complete more reps, take shorter breaks, and you’ll naturally complete more sets, which will bring you closer to achieving your goals.

Body Fat Analysis
Keeping a close eye on your body fat level through weekly analysis is a great way to ensure you are making progress in the right direction and aren’t burning too much muscle as you lose fat. Skin calipers, bioimpedance, or hydrostatic testing all provide solid estimations of your body fat levels. You can track these numbers using an Excel spreadsheet or plain old paper and pencil, to estimate your peak “in shape” date and see if you’re behind schedule at all. Remember that the mirror is the ultimate decider in determining if you are looking better or worse – but that our eyes can play tricks on us as our mental capacities are limited by the lack of food or sleep that accompany pre-contest preparation.

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