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 ...

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For bodybuilders, dieting is one of the most unpredictable aspects of the iron game.  When you first start cutting, you drop a lot of water and fat quickly.  Then, you stabilize and move along at a consistent pace.  As you close in a contest, it becomes very difficult to shed body far during those last few weeks of dieting.  This leads to situations where bodybuilders run behind on their preparation, and come into those closing weeks before a show with poor conditioning, behind in their preparation.  Drastic changes need to take place at this point! If you want to get shredded fast, you need to examine your current cutting phase and take things up a notch across the board.  Let’s examine the four most important areas of cutting – cardio, training, diet, and supplementation – and see what ...

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Are we sure the phrases ‘Sportsmanship’ and ‘Bodybuilding’ even belong in the same sentence? Let’s face it, the sport of bodybuilding, whether it be of amateur or professional ranks, is nothing more than a glorified beauty contest. Men spend an entire year devoting their diet, training, sleeping, and posing to become the single best individual specimen of muscle possible. Sure, they have their support staff, their nutritionists and gurus, and gym training buddies – but in the end it all comes down to them standing alone onstage, nearly naked, posing down against other bodybuilders. However, even in what is often described as the catty world of fashion modeling, there is still a high level of companionship and camaraderie between the competitors. After all, nobody except your fellow competitors can know what all you go through, right? ...

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If you are looking to achieve a lifetime best conditioning for an onstage bodybuilding show, or just your own personal physical achievement, cardiovascular exercise is going to play a large role in the process. Obviously you are going to have to limit your calories, particularly in the form of carbohydrates. Your training will become more intense, with shorter breaks to compensate for the higher number of both sets and repetitions per set. Choosing which cardiovascular movements to employ might seem like a secondary concern to you. However, it is highly important that you use the right movements if you wish to preserve muscle, burn body fat, and boost the metabolism in the most meaningful manner. Here are some guidelines to follow when planning your cardio approach to show preparation. Never use these movements All-out sprinting is ...

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In most sports, being tall is quite an advantage. In football, you can see over your competitors and make plays nobody else can. In basketball, it means you’re first to the rebound and your shot isn’t blocked. Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world and one of the tallest sprinters in history. Tall tennis players have a reach that leaves others with twisted ankles trying to reach the ball. In other sports, height can be a curse. Tall soccer players aren’t able to cut and move as quickly on the field. In bodybuilding, having a great deal of height can be a curse or a blessing, depending on where you are in your overall development. In the beginning, it will be a curse. However, if you overcome years of being ...

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A lot has been written about the benefits of using a low-carbohydrate diet for shedding body fat while retaining or even gaining muscle. In the last few years, a few high-profile gurus have made solid names (and bank account balances) for themselves by selling the idea that fewer carbs can help the bodybuilder get leaner than ever, while keeping the muscle. At the same time, a counter-effort, fueled partly by the politics of a split bodybuilding empire and by emerging research showing some of the dangers of low-carb eating, has emerged. So, the bodybuilding field is basically split down the middle. Let’s look at both the advantages and disadvantages of low-carb dieting, and see which is right for you! Advantages of a low-carbohydrate diet You’re going to get lean – and probably leaner than by using a low-fat, higher ...

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Let’s pretend you never plan to step foot upon a competitive bodybuilding stage. You train for the purposes of looking and feeling good and performing well (IE: getting stronger). You aren’t all that concerned with symmetry, but you do understand the importance of full body development. You aren’t concerned with getting diced or dropping water, but wearing a decently low body fat level would be nice. Finally, you aren’t going to be covering your body in multiple layers of pro-tan, but you also don’t want to be pasty white. In order to meet these goals outside of the bodybuilding arena, you’re going to have to do a few things each day – after the weightlifting session. Immediately following your workout, there are several steps you should take to ensure your muscles recover, your body fat levels ...

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Every bodybuilder desires a six pack which is well defined and probably the envy of your fellow athletes. Many bodybuilders have the six pack, it is only that the fat in the abdominal region tends to make it less visible along a host of other reasons. So what do you need to do in order to bring out the best six pack ever? The following are a few tips which will offer one the guidance needed in this quest: Consuming The Right Foods There is no option B when it comes to a proper diet. Every bodybuilder knows the basics of a good diet but there is need to recap on this topic. Protein intake should be high say the ratio of 1 gram to 1 pound of the bodymass. Sources of good protein are chicken, lean meats, turkey, eggs, fish, ...

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Cardio training when incorporated in the body building program can do wonders for the individual. It an important way of complementing weight lifting exercises especially in maximizing body fitness and loosing accumulated body fat deposits. We have several types of cardio training strategies that cab be used to help you achieve your fat loss or fitness goals, alongside muscle mass and strength gains accumulated through weight lifting exercises. Each of these strategies has some key advantages and also some disadvantages. Besides that, some types of these cardio training strategies are specifically suitable for advanced body builders while some of them are appropriate for body building beginners. The following three types of cardio training strategies are very relevant for beginners, intermediate and advanced body builders in that order. The first type of cardiovascular training strategy relevant and appropriate to beginner body builders ...

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Bringing out the definition below the waist is much harder than above the waist. For most guys, making the veins pop out of the arms and chest comes with just a few weeks of dieting and a high rep workout. The abs come out a few weeks later as the fat disappears and cardio can last 30 to 45 minutes per day. The legs, however, often take much longer to develop those cuts and rivets that are so sought after by bodybuilders. In a show where most body parts are equal and conditioning is similar, it will be the man with the most thigh cuts that is the most impressive to fans, and often to the judges as well. Bringing your legs to the point where the cuts are highly visible is imperative for winning. ...

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