Thread: Preparing for a Contest in One Month

Originally Posted by jgold24

IronMag Forums,

I'm a first-time poster on here, so please go easy (haha).

I searched, but I couldn't find the specific thing that I'm looking for...

In short, my fraternity on campus is participating in a sorority's "Big Man On Campus" competition. I volunteered to help research and help train our contestant (Matt).

There's many pre-contest articles on here, but they're long plans (starting from 12-15 weeks out). Matt needs to be ready in a month from now. He's extremely dedicated, knows how to lift, etc.

Stats are 5'9, 176, probably ~11% BF. The guy is extremely big for his frame if you see him. He's probably classified as an Endomorph; has only been working out for a year, but has made great gains. Diet is clean, with probably decent macros.

What should his macros look like 4 weeks out, then 3 weeks, then 2 weeks, then 1? What about water, sodium intake, and other little tricks?

Thanks,
Jared

Okay, our man is carrying about 156 lbs lean mass, and he'll need to drop about 12-13 lbs of fat in a very short period of time. The only safe way to do this is PSMF - Lyle McDonald's unholy plan for the otherwise screwed. He'll do this for three weeks, then move directly into peak week.

Are you familiar with either protocol and is our man assisted or natural?

Originally Posted by Built

Okay, our man is carrying about 156 lbs lean mass, and he'll need to drop about 12-13 lbs of fat in a very short period of time. The only safe way to do this is PSMF - Lyle McDonald's unholy plan for the otherwise screwed. He'll do this for three weeks, then move directly into peak week.

Are you familiar with either protocol and is our man assisted or natural?

Ah, sorry for forgetting that essential detail! He is natural...and I don't want to even force him to use even something like Clen.

Once again, the BF % is JUST an estimate...he may be holding onto more water than fat (he's got a flat stomach though lacks good ab definition). I think my goal would be to get him to ~7% BF in a month to make him look as aesthetically-pleasing...after all, girls will be judging this, not bodybuilding judges haha. I guess I need to know how to maximize fat loss and tips to dropping water (especially in the last two weeks).

No way hes gonna drop to 7% bf in 4 weeks naturally.

Hardcore diet + weights + cardio and hope for the best.

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

No way hes gonna drop to 7% bf in 4 weeks naturally.

Hardcore diet + weights + cardio and hope for the best.

That's what I was thinking...but he should only start drastically carb-cutting in the last week or two right? Otherwise I'm under the impression that the body goes into a sort of "survival mode" with homeostasis.

What are the best ways to drop water the week of? Would it be like no sodium like 4 days leading up to contest and maybe some sort of light diuretic?

Originally Posted by jgold24

That's what I was thinking...but he should only start drastically carb-cutting in the last week or two right? Otherwise I'm under the impression that the body goes into a sort of "survival mode" with homeostasis.

What are the best ways to drop water the week of? Would it be like no sodium like 4 days leading up to contest and maybe some sort of light diuretic?

I did that pre comp stuff last year, but can't remember the exact routine, is kinda complicated, someone else chime in here.

As for diuretics, dandelion root is cool and maybe some supplement like SAN Shredded.

I can guarantee you'll win this if you guys want this enough. If you count macros religiously, stick to a diet plan, incorporate/exclude certain things, and train hard 4-5x a week, you'll easily smoke the competition.

One month might be too short for keto I think. The PSMF idea seems interesting, let's wait for Built to chime in with more. You're going to have to watch his nutrition religiously though. One cheat meal a week, and not a major one. Diet is key here. Every meal should be planned in advance.

3x a week weights, 2x a week cardio (maybe the other way around if you feel more definition is needed). Remember that girls are judging, so the leaner the better. Remember that losing 5 lbs of fat and gaining 2lbs of muscle looks a lot better to a girl than gaining 5lbs of muscle and 2lbs of fat. Focus on specific muscle groups - things like traps won't matter. Abs will - the v-lines and abs will probably count for a lot. Broader shoulders and chest also make the waist look smaller, and they're important muscle groups.

20-year-old women prefer

to this



(sorry Dorian)

Other stuff - it's not a pure bodybuilding competition so make sure he's confident and knows how to speak/walk in front of a crowd/make good eye contact with the judges. Body language matters.
Also - go to a really good barber/hairdresser 1-2 weeks before and have them give him the best haircut they think for him. Mention that he is competing. Make sure his teeth are clean and white, he applies a good moisturizer after shaving (even if you're going for the stubble look on competition day, start using it for the next few weeks), has a light tan (no Jersey Shore here) and you have a good light oil or something to apply on competition day.

The reason you see pre-contest programs scheduling for 12-16 weeks is that that is how long it takes to make a good and maintainable transformation, including the cut all the way down to water manipulation.

Built's approach is probably the only one that will produce results in 4 weeks. If you consider it takes 3 weeks for most changes in response to a diet to start showing, or equivalently, that long for your body to respond to changes in your lifestyle (i.e. a diet), and general guidance says 2-3 lb of total bodywt per week is a good rate (and within this 1/2 lb of all fat per week). And water manipulation is not going to make up for fat you haven't lost yet.

That said - if your boy sticks 1000% to the diet (no cheats), drinks a lot of water, does a lot of cardio, he's got a chance. If he's really serious, I'd also suggest at 2-3 weeks out, do 1 hr of whatever cardio he's doing as walking / steadystate cardio (e.g. treadmill) in a sauna suit (those plastic sweat suits that boxers use to make weight). Its an art form to wear them and not leave a small flood where you were doing your cardio - I've perfected this because I use this as my go-to trick for competition cutting prior to a show.

- tuck the sauna suit top into the pants and then get some really big plastic baggies (gallon baggies work for me but probably not big enough for a guy), put 'em on over your socks and tuck the pants into the baggies, rubberband around the baggie to keep the pants tucked in, put your tennis shoes on over the baggies and go do cardio.

You'll have to keep your arms raised, e.g. holding onto the treadmill / stairmaster to keep the sweat from dripping out the sleeves. Do your cardio (doesn't have to be fast - just do it). You'll sweat like a pig, but the suit catches all of it. THen walk straight into the shower and peel it all off. I'm sure I've dumped 1/2 gal of water every time I finish a session. This will dump water but also goes towards your goal date. Do this up until the last week (7-10 days duration of sauna suit cardio) and then stop the last week.

THen the last week --- I'm not sure about the carb manipulation if you're doing PSMF but generally for water manipulation - drop carbs Mon - Thurs before the show (if its on a Saturday). Similar to keto diets - this will cause a lot of water to dump and you look sorta flat. Then 36 hrs before, start carb loading on clean starchy carbs like potatos, rice cakes, etc. Also include some fats (e.g. Peanut butter). At the same time reduce water intake from e.g. 1 gal on Thurs, 1/2 gal on Friday and sips on Saturday. This helps to dry out the skin and get a crisper look while filling out muscle.

Or just see how he looks by that last week, drop carbs and salt to see how he looks dumping water. He'll look flat as well, but then the day before start eating more clean carbs and see how he responds. Carbs take 24-36 hrs to fill you out. Don't shit load and go hog wild w/ the carb up.

Originally Posted by jgold24

Ah, sorry for forgetting that essential detail! He is natural...and I don't want to even force him to use even something like Clen.

Once again, the BF % is JUST an estimate...he may be holding onto more water than fat (he's got a flat stomach though lacks good ab definition). I think my goal would be to get him to ~7% BF in a month to make him look as aesthetically-pleasing...after all, girls will be judging this, not bodybuilding judges haha. I guess I need to know how to maximize fat loss and tips to dropping water (especially in the last two weeks).

I've told you the best hope you have: PSMF for three weeks followed by peak-week precontest prep.

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

No way hes gonna drop to 7% bf in 4 weeks naturally.

Hardcore diet + weights + cardio and hope for the best.

Emphasis on the diet. The rest are almost trivial at this late date.

Originally Posted by jgold24

That's what I was thinking...but he should only start drastically carb-cutting in the last week or two right? Otherwise I'm under the impression that the body goes into a sort of "survival mode" with homeostasis.

No. Not a shred of truth to this, and it's not relevant to the whirlwind you're aiming for.

Originally Posted by jgold24

What are the best ways to drop water the week of? Would it be like no sodium like 4 days leading up to contest and maybe some sort of light diuretic?

No. We'll tackle that one next week, after we get our boy's diet sorted out. Peak week is mostly just a matter of carb depletion (low carb diet plus depletion workouts) and drinking a ton of water. Salt will only be cut at the very end. More on this after we get some of his fat off, okay?

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

I did that pre comp stuff last year, but can't remember the exact routine, is kinda complicated, someone else chime in here.

As for diuretics, dandelion root is cool and maybe some supplement like SAN Shredded.

Originally Posted by squigader

I can guarantee you'll win this if you guys want this enough. If you count macros religiously, stick to a diet plan, incorporate/exclude certain things, and train hard 4-5x a week, you'll easily smoke the competition.

One month might be too short for keto I think.

??

Originally Posted by squigader

The PSMF idea seems interesting, let's wait for Built to chime in with more. You're going to have to watch his nutrition religiously though. One cheat meal a week, and not a major one. Diet is key here. Every meal should be planned in advance.

He can't cheat. His timeline is too short, he doesn't get a cheat until it's over.

Originally Posted by squigader

Remember that losing 5 lbs of fat and gaining 2lbs of muscle looks a lot better to a girl than gaining 5lbs of muscle and 2lbs of fat.

He's not gaining any muscle while starving this hard. His best hope is to hang on to whatever he has.

Originally Posted by squigader

Focus on specific muscle groups - things like traps won't matter. Abs will - the v-lines and abs will probably count for a lot. Broader shoulders and chest also make the waist look smaller, and they're important muscle groups.

Again, all moot. Nothing can be done to build up anything in a month with no food.

Originally Posted by squigader

20-year-old women prefer

to this



(sorry Dorian)

There is exactly a 0% chance of Yates' physique happening to a natural on a bulk, much less on an extreme cut.

Originally Posted by squigader

Other stuff - it's not a pure bodybuilding competition so make sure he's confident and knows how to speak/walk in front of a crowd/make good eye contact with the judges. Body language matters.

^^This is money.

Originally Posted by squigader

Also - go to a really good barber/hairdresser 1-2 weeks before and have them give him the best haircut they think for him. Mention that he is competing. Make sure his teeth are clean and white, he applies a good moisturizer after shaving (even if you're going for the stubble look on competition day, start using it for the next few weeks), has a light tan (no Jersey Shore here) and you have a good light oil or something to apply on competition day.

Dreamtan/Protan/Jantana pick your paint, you'll need to look beyond brown to look like anything on stage. Be sure to have someone help, and don't paint the face like you paint the body or he'll look like he's in blackface.

Thank you all for the advice! It seems that until the week of, everything is pretty standard (high protein, lots of water, very low carb, and lots of running)! I'll do my best to get pics up asap of what he looks like at the start. Hopefully this will be a fun little log that people can follow and help encourage him on.

No, not lots of running. Do you know what a PSMF looks like?

Naw, what's a PSMF? Couldn't find exact routine- just some e-book ads for it and whatnot.

Here are before pics; you can't tell here, but some decent ab definition. Feel free to estimate bf%.

Lyle McDonald's e-book "Rapid Fat Loss". Are you familiar at all with the program?

(11% looks about right.)

Originally Posted by Built

Lyle McDonald's e-book "Rapid Fat Loss". Are you familiar at all with the program?

(11% looks about right.)

Naw, please explain the program briefly.

Haha, I was confused for a second Built, because when you were replying to my quotes, it says "Originally Posted by jgold24." You're completely right about muscle gain, I wasn't thinking it through in regards to the time frame and the amount of fat loss, he's probably best off trying to maintain what he has while dropping weight. Seeing the pics, some fat loss is all he'd need.
I haven't read "Rapid Fat Loss," but I've heard about it - I thought it was simply low-carb and not keto? I guess it is keto then. I do know there are re-feeds however. Although I don't know too much about the specifics, I've seen and heard about enough results to know this is probably what our man is looking for.

Dreamtan/Protan/Jantana pick your paint, you'll need to look beyond brown to look like anything on stage. Be sure to have someone help, and don't paint the face like you paint the body or he'll look like he's in blackface.

I really disagree with this one. He definitely doesn't want to look "beyond brown". A deep, yet natural looking tan, is what he should be aiming for. A good weekend or three all at the beach, or 3 weeks religiously at the tanning salon or a not-too-dark spray would do. The "beyond brown" competition look does significantly help show off muscles (which is a plus), but you gotta admit that it's one of the first and most common things people not knowledged about bodybuilding are repulsed by. Natural-looking and deep is the way to go, a clear step or two before the pro bb Jantana/Dreamtan look, but enough to help show off muscle definition.

Built is extremely knowledgeable about the diet aspect, definitely follow all the recommendations coming from her. Remember the other 50% is

Other stuff - it's not a pure bodybuilding competition so make sure he's confident and knows how to speak/walk in front of a crowd/make good eye contact with the judges. Body language matters.

Sorry squig - I fixed the quotes. Thanks for clarifying your posts regarding the likes of Pitt and Yates.

Interesting about the paint - I was under the impression this was going to be a competition on a stage. Is this judged some other way? I've not seen one of these types of comps before.

Re PSMF and keto - yep, this is a keto diet. A very low-calorie, low-carb diet. With refeeds. Our man will get his refeed in the form of a depletion/water load/carbup-shitload, in that order.

To the OP - buddy has about 160 lbs lean mass right? His diet and training for three weeks are as follow:

Diet:
1450 calories a day is the lowest he will go. 312g protein, the rest of the calories from any green leaves you wish to consume, 10g fish oil and a tablespoon of olive oil daily.

Supplements : (Note: salt your food normally): 1g potassium, 1g calcium, 500mg magnesium, 10g fish oil, a multivitamin, and 1g vitamin C

Training: twice a week, do a full-body workout consisting of the following:
squats
deads
chins
shoulder press
rows
bench
3x8 for each movement, do the workout in any order you wish.

Cardio:
AM fasted walking for up to an hour daily
Post workout walking for up to an other hour daily

That's it. Happy starving. Five days out, we'll prep him AKA "peak week".

Thanks to everyone for the great advice! Will pass it along to him.

To be more specific about the competition, it's a sorority's BMOC (Big Man on Campus). It's like a beauty pageant for males with a swimsuit, talent,and question sections. The key is to keep his size while cutting to (what I was thinking would be ideal) like 7%/8%. It's not intense as intense as a bodybuilding competition, but I think using bodybuilding knowledge to help maximize physique is wise. I know he may not be able to get to 7%/8% in a month (naturally), but this is just a goal.

Just a question- when you say fast walking as cardio in the AM and PM...why not running? Is that just because the low-carb diet should kick in enough, as well as avoiding catabolism?

Originally Posted by jgold24

Just a question- when you say fast walking as cardio in the AM and PM...why not running? Is that just because the low-carb diet should kick in enough, as well as avoiding catabolism?

I'm not an expert on this - but it is most likely because his muscle glycogen will be extremely depleted as it already is.

Follow all the advice in this thread from the diet and nutrition (to the last detail of course) to the haircut and crowd advice part and I guarantee you have this in the bag. Keep us updated, a log would actually be kinda cool to follow

Originally Posted by hunter121

No way hes gonna drop to 7% bf in 4 weeks naturally.

He can get close to 5% I'm confident if he follows the recommendations.

Originally Posted by hunter121

Originally Posted by squigader

No way hes gonna drop to 7% bf in 4 weeks naturally.

He can get close to 5% I'm confident if he follows the recommendations.

He'd have to drop at least 12 lbs of fat in less than three weeks, while dropping no muscle whatsoever. There is an exactly zero probability of this happening naturally - but the protocol above will get him leaner than anything else.

Re running - our boy will be operating on approximately half his normal daily intake for weeks on end. Training during this type of diet must be minimal - short, heavy workouts no more than twice a week, and walking. That's it. Anything more and he'll fry through muscle - while feeling ravenously hungry as an added perq.

What is the date of this event? We need to set up a "five days out" plan for him and I need to know the date of that five-day mark.

Originally Posted by Built

He'd have to drop at least 12 lbs of fat in less than three weeks, while dropping no muscle whatsoever. There is an exactly zero probability of this happening naturally - but the protocol above will get him leaner than anything else.

Re running - our boy will be operating on approximately half his normal daily intake for weeks on end. Training during this type of diet must be minimal - short, heavy workouts no more than twice a week, and walking. That's it. Anything more and he'll fry through muscle - while feeling ravenously hungry as an added perq.

What is the date of this event? We need to set up a "five days out" plan for him and I need to know the date of that five-day mark.

I meant dropping 4-5% (assuming he's at about 13%, looking at the pictures), not getting down to 5% body fat lol

Ah - gotcha.

Listen to Built! She's telling you to do what she told me to do! She helped me with my first show. I went from 230 to weigh in the morning of at 198! Four weeks prep time. Second place, probably shoulda had first but was a tad flatter than the the guy who got first, though my physique whipped his. Pics are in the signature. I was definitely in keto but I cheated a tad bit still with the carbs. All natural.

Built I think you should remind him of the possibility of shooting himself in the foot with too much sauna, like i might have....???? I've heard of guys drinking a beer at some point to keep dehydration based hormones at bay....??

The competition will be on October 28th. I'll be posting progress pictures probably once a week, so check back here.

Yeah, for this level of contest, I wouldn't bother with sauna or anything weird.

Normally for PSMF you'd do a two-day refeed after 12 days. Since we've established our boy won't be going for his IFBB pro card, let's give him the refeed for Oct 13 and Oct 14, then back to PSMF starvation for another two weeks.

Contest day is October 28 - a Friday - so we begin prep-week on October 23. I'll post more info as we get through this next first round of PSMF.

Did you start him on the diet today? He'd do well to do a depletion workout today and tomorrow, to get into ketosis faster.

Built,

For some reason, I didn't talk to him today. I will make sure to talk to him tomorrow; I sent him the email with verbatim instructions provided in this threat. The grind will begin!!

Originally Posted by Built

Yeah, for this level of contest, I wouldn't bother with sauna or anything weird.

Normally for PSMF you'd do a two-day refeed after 12 days. Since we've established our boy won't be going for his IFBB pro card, let's give him the refeed for Oct 13 and Oct 14, then back to PSMF starvation for another two weeks.

Contest day is October 28 - a Friday - so we begin prep-week on October 23. I'll post more info as we get through this next first round of PSMF.

Did you start him on the diet today? He'd do well to do a depletion workout today and tomorrow, to get into ketosis faster.

Depletion workout starting for me in the morning! I'm not preparing for anything just cutting weight. I can't make it much more than a week without eating some bullshit!

Update? I'm really interested to see how this turns out. Especially since this is what I will probably be doing in a couple of weeks. haha

Originally Posted by Hubauer

Update? I'm really interested to see how this turns out. Especially since this is what I will probably be doing in a couple of weeks. haha

Yeah I want to hear i too!

Btw, you got a contest or? What kind?