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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Many people love high-volume training – but many people hate it. At some time or another, most bodybuilders give it a shot. After all, it worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wouldn’t that be enough of an endorsement? However, for many reasons, high-volume training doesn’t work. We’ll look at these reasons now! Am I eating enough food? If you are spending 75 to 90 minutes per day in the gym training each body part, you’re going to be burning up a lot of calories. Throw in some cardiovascular training and you’re suddenly looking at a situation where you may need 800 to 1200 more calories each day, just to maintain your existing muscle base. This involves way more additional calories than an extra chicken breast and potato can add. We’re talking about a major adjustment to 2 ...

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In the off-season, the goal of the bodybuilder is to add muscle - at all costs. Bodybuilders will train like madmen, consume thousand of calories, sleep for hours, and consume every supplement and steroid under the sun to add muscle to their frame. When it’s time to begin the pre-contest phase, they’re probably feeling as big as a house, and ready to get sliced and diced to show off all this new muscle on stage. Unfortunately, this is not always what happens when the dieting begins. Very often, the bodybuilder will lose much of his valuable muscle during this dieting phase, and show little to no improvement when he finally takes the stage after a year off of competition. This can be a highly disappointing process, one which may cause the bodybuilder to become frustrated and ...

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Dieting down for a show is probably the toughest task a competitive bodybuilder will ever endure. The off-season is tough, because you are completing a lot of sets and using heavy weight. However, you are able to consume a lot of food, and you get a lot of rest. You are growing, and your body is enjoying an overflow of resources. Another common strenuous task includes posing, which can become easier with experience and training. There are others, but the fact of the matter is, only one task involves 3 to 4 months of deprivation and physical demand – pre-contest dieting. Dieting can be made easy if you ask yourself a series of questions, and you are able to find the right answers. Let’s get started! Are you consuming enough grams of protein? Many ...

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Great athletes are often born, not built. Usain Bolt was without a doubt, the fastest 3rd grader, 8th grader, and 10th grader at his school. Of course there were people in his class who probably trained harder and ran the track more often. They might have even had cleaner diets, and wanted it more than Bolt did. However, thanks to genetics and circumstances, Bolt reached the apex of his sport, winning multiple gold medals and shattering world records, while we’ll never hear of those schoolmates who outworked him a decade ago. In track, as with most sports, the tools you are both with will dictate your success. Bodybuilding is different in that you really do wear your work. There will always be genetic freaks such as Ronnie Coleman who will dwarf most lifetime trainers without even ...

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Q:  I’m confused about ab training. I’ve heard some guys say they never train them and that dieting and cardio will bring them out. Others seem to tag them on as an after-thought at the end of their workout. When’s the best time to train them, how often should they be trained and, also, is it beneficial to train different portions of the abs separately? A: I know how you feel. In fact, I remember attending a seminar once where  Mr. Olympia legend Lee Haney claimed that he never trained his abs. Dieting and cardio were all he needed. We should all be so lucky (read genetically gifted). Unfortunately, few of us are and that means that we definitely need to work our abs to bring out our six-packs, not to mention the obliques and intercostal striations. So when and how should ...

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