Do you change your training during contest prep

[Gunsmith]

How many of you guys change your training around during a contest prep.??

What do you change it to and why??

I've heard alit of guys change to a bit more volume with less rest to give a more cardiovascular function as well. Then I've heard some back off the intensity some to help combat Fatigue from less rest and lower calories plus adding Stimulants.

 

[b-boy]

Basically the same until a few weeks out then its short and sweet. Heavy as I can for 12-15 reps, in and out of gym quickly. Low calories, high cardio, short heavy training.

 

[DarrenG29]

Like b-boy when cutting training will be heavy instead of 2 working sets it will be 1 working set low volume

why do I change it ? Energy is less recovery is less calories are less

therefore I just get in tax the muscle and it’s enough at that time to recover more sets volume would be overworking me and I wouldn’t recover

 

[TheOtherOne55]

"Dance with the one who brung ya" - Dr. Scott

I never change my training other than dropping a work set here and there to help with recovery.
Exactly what Bboy and Darren do.

 

[Dugbet]

When you are on a diet, specially close to the contest, you will be weaker, yu have worse recuperation and and your body is more exposed to injury and pains, so it makes sense to loosen the loads, intensity or the total volume. But I believe that the program should be 80% the same as what you do in the off season.

 

[brocksamson]

no

 

[juggy38]

"Dance with the one who brung ya" - Dr. Scott

I never change my training other than dropping a work set here and there to help with recovery.
Exactly what Bboy and Darren do.

man you beat me to that quote.

only thing I change is maybe drop a set or two of the really taxing lifts. A little less SLDL, less barbell squats, etc.

 

[Unvme2]

I go from training body parts once a week to twice a week. Also lower rest period to 1 minute for compound movements and 30 seconds for isolation movements

 

[hawkmoon]

In the 80s I did...more volume, etc as we thought that was the way to go...

Recently though, when I came back in 2018/19 I only trained a bit more carefully, and perhaps backed off on ultimate poundages to be safe. Otherwise, no changes.

 

[caps83]

At the start of a prep, volume intensity goes up from calories still being high enough and added gear. Towards the end I have to be much more strategic with energy in the gym but also being safe about it as i can.

 

[Pheedno]

take out the drops and clusters at some point but the EL-B's stay top to form

 

[qbkilla]

Basically the same until a few weeks out then its short and sweet. Heavy as I can for 12-15 reps, in and out of gym quickly. Low calories, high cardio, short heavy training.

I don't compete but agree with this when I diet hard. Low volume to accommodate more cardio which allows for more food. Worst enemy is having to drop calories super low, kills my energy. Never understood why guys try to do more volume thinking it burns a ton of calories. Lifting doesn't burn nearly as many calories as cardio and aas and heavy training help spare muscle more than tons of pump sets.

 

[N.L....M.....]

I don't compete but agree with this when I diet hard. Low volume to accommodate more cardio which allows for more food. Worst enemy is having to drop calories super low, kills my energy. Never understood why guys try to do more volume thinking it burns a ton of calories. Lifting doesn't burn nearly as many calories as cardio and aas and heavy training help spare muscle more than tons of pump sets.

Lifting weights burns more calories than cardio. Running or walking for 30minutes to an hour doesn’t burn as many calories as a good training session. I look at cardio more health reasons than fat loss. Cardio isn’t really all that necessary otherwise in my opinion for fat loss or body composition. My little brother won his first show in 2019 and did not a minute of cardio and he was shredded.

 

[qbkilla]

Lifting weights burns more calories than cardio. Running or walking for 30minutes to an hour doesn’t burn as many calories as a good training session. I look at cardio more health reasons than fat loss. Cardio isn’t really all that necessary otherwise in my opinion for fat loss or body composition. My little brother won his first show in 2019 and did not a minute of cardio and he was shredded.

Im not a science guy at all so I don't have links to studies, but everything I have read on other forums from those types (science guys who post studies) shows that training burns very little calories, especially compared to cardio. Are you talking about normal bodybuilding training? Any links? Not saying your wrong but would definitely be interested in seeing if you have any, ive always been told the opposite (on forums).

 

[Dugbet]

An hour of cardio burns more calories than an hour of weights, but ... an hour of weights builds muscle that speeds up metabolism in the hours and days afterward, which burns more calories. LISS cardio doesn't do this, HIIT cardio does.

That said, all of us are already lifting weights so we can't accelerate fat burning that way. So we have to eat less, use drugs, or do cardio. And most or us will have to do all 3 things to reach contest condition.

 

[N.L....M.....]

Im not a science guy at all so I don't have links to studies, but everything I have read on other forums from those types (science guys who post studies) shows that training burns very little calories, especially compared to cardio. Are you talking about normal bodybuilding training? Any links? Not saying your wrong but would definitely be interested in seeing if you have any, ive always been told the opposite (on forums).

I always question those studies people cite because they’re not training or lifting how most here people do. Not with the weight nor the intensity or length. In most of these studies theres minimal effort on the weight lifting. These studies don’t apply to even the average gym rat. One study I read was one set on 8 different exercises. They didn’t factor in intensity or anything else really. They’re badly designed.
Even in these studies though, it shows that cardio is burning calories while doing cardio, but with even their planet fitness style weight lifting(not training) people are burning calories much longer up to days after.
There’s nothing wrong with cardio for a boost but in my opinion it’s more for health or appetite boost than weight loss.

 

[LoweRider]

I add an extra exercise for 3 sets. Instead of doing 4 exercises of 3 sets each, I'll do 5 of 3.

 

[qbkilla]

I always question those studies people cite because they’re not training or lifting how most here people do. Not with the weight nor the intensity or length. In most of these studies theres minimal effort on the weight lifting. These studies don’t apply to even the average gym rat. One study I read was one set on 8 different exercises. They didn’t factor in intensity or anything else really. They’re badly designed.
Even in these studies though, it shows that cardio is burning calories while doing cardio, but with even their planet fitness style weight lifting(not training) people are burning calories much longer up to days after.
There’s nothing wrong with cardio for a boost but in my opinion it’s more for health or appetite boost than weight loss.

Fair points about the training intensity just imo they are the best we have to go by. Hiit type training definitely burns slot but I know with my training sessions outside of an intense set I want to relax and take my time before the next intense set so I personally don't burn many calories training I assume. I guess it depends on how someone trains I just try to take out the guessing and design a cut do training is used to preserve muscle and use the cardio to create the defecit.

 

[SlickNYC]

In the 80s I did...more volume, etc as we thought that was the way to go...

Recently though, when I came back in 2018/19 I only trained a bit more carefully, and perhaps backed off on ultimate poundages to be safe. Otherwise, no changes.

Your body could handle it 30 years ago. Volume goes down with age

 

[undertow333]

can higher volume be more effective at that pre contest stage,

when the diet begins, thats when guys get bad tears in biceps and chest

i recently fucked up with low test high nandro. didnt work till i got the test above the npp.