I’m very proud to announce our latest Next Level success story!  Jennifer Bock was just crowned Miss Swimsuit USA International, beating out 55 other high level contestants from all over the world!  We’re working on an interview which we hope to have up this week, but I thought I’d post a few photos from her contest in the meantime.  Congratulations Jennifer!

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Okay I think I’m probably about 2-3 weeks late writing part 2 of Carb Cycling for Bikini Competitors, but I re-checked and google still has little to offer on the subject.  Not that its google’s fault.  I love google.

So I realized after re-reading part 1 that I never really bothered to explain what Carb Cycling is, or what most people think it is at least.  Apparently its not common knowledge (who knew?).  So I’m going to back up a little and get that out of the way.

Then I’ll get into what I think its uses are, why I like it, and how/when I like to use it.  And of course I’ll teach you how I think a carb cycle should be set up.

What carb cycling claims to be: So carb cycling has basically been pitched as a method of ensuring that the body has the fuel it needs to support training on training days, and enough of a deficit to cause a net fat loss on non-training (or cardio only) days.  This I agree with.

Some have gone a step further and claimed that its superior to linear dieting (aka same calories/macros each day) in allowing one to efficiently burn fat and gain muscle at the same time.

And some have gone further yet in claiming that the high carb days are enough to “boost the metabolism” by upregulating certain key hormones that affect thyroid output.  I touched on this a little in part 1, so I won’t go into why that’s probably not true.  I’ll just say that if you value your hormones/metabolism, you might not want to look at carb cycling as something that lets you get away with a more extreme caloric deficit/more training than a linear diet.

Okay, back to typical approaches.  Most common carb cycling approaches implement 2-4 high carb days per week, with a large percentage of the carbs being ingested around the weight training workouts.  The rest are either all low carb days or a combination of low carb and medium carb days (medium days usually falling on upper body lifting days, since they’re at least marginally less depleting than lower body days).

Every approach I’ve seen has kept protein the same (usually 1.5-2 grams per pound of bodyweight) each day.  Most of them have fat fairly low on low carb days, and extremely low on high carb days.

So a typical High/Medium/Low carb cycle schedule might look something like this:

This setup is basically fine, although as I mentioned in part 1, most of the formulas I found for calculating macros for each day were severely flawed.  But the way most approaches have you coordinate high/low (and medium if applicable) days with training days is basically fine.

There are dozens of different routes you could go with this, and as long as it averages out to the proper deficit/macros over the course of the week, and supplies adequate protein and carbs around the more intense workouts, it should work well.

Actual Benefits of Carb Cycling

So basically, the areas where I disagree with most carb cycling approaches are rationale, aka what it does that linear dieting doesn’t, and general setup/calculation of calories and macros.  I touched on all of that already, so now I’m going to tell you what I think carb cycling does, why I like it and how/when I use it.

High days support training intensity while dieting: You’ve probably heard/read that you need a good amount of protein and carbs around at least your more intense and/or glycogen depleting workouts…this is no secret.

However, when fat loss becomes more of a priority as your bikini competition date approaches, there is generally a shift of priorities from muscle gain (or at least recovery from the previous pre-contest dieting period) while minimizing fat gain, over to fat loss while minimizing muscle loss.

To do this, training intensity (aka weight on the bar) needs to be maintained, but fuel needs to be cut to create the appropriate caloric deficit.   Anyone who has tried training hard while dieting can attest to how difficult this is.

By cycling carbs, you can maintain training intensity by putting more carbs around your intense workouts, and still average out to a deficit (and low carbs) by keeping carbs and calories low on non training or cardio only days.

Now this doesn’t mean that carb cycling is the answer for those who want to optimize both muscle gain and fat loss (simultaneously), because there is a tradeoff with carb cycling while in a deficit:  You don’t get the carbs and calories you need on off days to prevent/minimize catabolism (muscle breakdown) or refill muscle glycogen, among other things.

So its ideal for those needing to go pretty low calorie and low carb towards the end of their bikini competition prep, but not ideal or necessary for those between competitions who need to either build muscle or let their bodies/metabolisms recover from the dieting they did during their last contest prep.

If I use carb cycling at all, its not until the last 6 weeks or so before competition, and I still implement structured refeeds as I normally would, depending on how a given client responds to dieting.

High days promote improved nutrient partitioning by putting more carbs/calories where they will be best utilized rather than stored: Nutrient partitioning refers to what the body does with incoming calories, aka whether they get stored or oxidized.  Intense training improves nutrient partitioning by temporarily making the muscles more sensitive to the hormone insulin.

So when carbs are ingested after an intense workout, more of the glucose they’re broken down to is shuttled into the muscles to refill muscle glycogen.  This is part of the “post-workout window” so many refer to.

But did you know that the muscles maintain this heightened insulin sensitivity beyond the immediate post-workout period?  This is where the high days can be beneficial.  On an iso-caloric (meaning same amount of calories) linear diet where you’d be averaging the same amount of carbs per week as your cyclical diet, the amount of carbs you take in on training days may not be enough to take full advantage of this heightened insulin sensitivity.  So muscle glycogen may not be re-filled to the extent it could be.

The significance of this probably depends on how low your weekly average is for calories and carbs however.  If calories/carbs (weekly average) aren’t set all that low to begin with, I don’t think glycogen replenishment would be much of an issue, and a linear diet would work just fine.  If calories/carbs (weekly average) are set low, and you plan to exercise quite a bit, you might want to consider carb cycling.

Low days create a deficit and increase catecholamine release to help burn stubborn bodyfat: Low days provide carb cyclers with the same benefits of low carb dieting: big caloric deficits and good fatty acid mobilization via catecholamine release/blunted insulin.

If you’re lean enough to be using carb cycling when I think it should be used (pre-contest), then you’re likely lean enough that you’re down to just “stubborn” bodyfat.  I won’t go into detail as to how the process works, but basically to get stubborn fat out of the fat cell (so it can be burned), we need insulin levels to be very low and catecholamine levels to be high.  This is exactly what happens when one trains fasted first thing in the morning, but it also happens (albeit to a lesser degree) when eating low  calorie and low carb.

The tradeoff is that you’re putting yourself into a highly catabolic (muscle breakdown) state, which is why I wait until just the last few weeks pre-contest to cycle carbs.  And I think being well fed on high/training days so that training can be more productive more than makes up for this tradeoff.

I should add that protein needs on low days tend to be higher than on high days…another thing I see other approaches getting wrong.  Generally, as carb/calories decrease, protein needs increase in order to maintain a positive nitrogen balance.  Ever heard that carbs are “protein sparing”?  This is what that phrase refers to.  I’ll get more into this in Part 3 (yes, you have to wait even longer before I tell you what to do). 

Psychological/Adherence Benefits: Any way you look at it, your carbs are never going to be as high as you would like them to be when dieting.  Whether you’re taking a linear or a cyclical approach to dieting, protein needs are going to be so high that carbs will have to be low in order to stay in a caloric deficit and still have room for your essential fats.  So you WILL crave carbs.

But with carb cycling, many people find they can suffer through the low days knowing that a high day is right around the corner.  Granted, these high days probably won’t afford them the KINDS of carbs they’re craving, but they’ll be a welcome relief nonetheless.

So cyclical dieting is probably the ONLY diet for competitors that actually addresses the psychological challenges of dieting.  That might actually be the most important benefit, if you ask me.  Coming from a coach who looks at food logs/reads client emails all day…competitors slip up too.  A diet that improves compliance needs not have a single additional benefit over other equally sound diets.

Okay, so I’ve rambled on enough in Part 2 that I’ve given myself even more homework, and forced you to wait even longer to learn how to actually put carb cycling into play.  I have other blog posts I’m itching to get to, so I might actually come through this time with my promise to have the next (and final) installment posted next week.  Well that and my clients apparently all call each other and plan their vacations on the same weeks…so I have no excuse not to get it done.  See you in a few days.

Click here to read Carb Cycling for Bikini Competitors Part 1

Okay, looks like I’m finally fired up enough about something that I may have to write my first blog post in 5 months.  Every once in a while I like to pretend I’m a bikini competitor (this isn’t going where you think it is…get your head out of the gutter) looking for relevant contest prep info, and I google all the things I think a bikini competitor would want to know about.

I then go back to being Joe the coach and read/analyze what I find on the first couple pages of results.  If I don’t find what I consider quality information on the topic(s), I get mad and tell myself I’m going to write my own article on said topic(s).  Then I get busy training clients and never get around to doing it.

Well not this time!  Most of the information I found using the term “Carb Cycling” was so bad that there was no way I was going to procrastinate.  One popular site said to keep total fat intake to no more than 20% of total calories, but never bothered to explain how to determine total calories.

Another VERY popular bodybuilding site said eat as much protein, fat and carbs as you want on high carb days, yet low day was still as high as 1g of carbs per pound of total bodyweight!

The worst one I found used a formula where no matter what bodyweight you plugged in, the high carb days had literally zero grams of fat!  How do you eat 150g of protein and zero fat???  And why would you want to?

The rationale for carb cycling, when to use it, and how to adjust the diet are also areas where I’m finding WAY too much misinformation, and basically, guessing.  So I’m going to tell you what I think about carb cycling for fat loss and how I think it should be done.  Or at least how I tend to do it most of the time.

I’ll keep explaining why I don’t like other common views on the topic throughout this article by the way…in case you were thinking I was going to switch 100% over to the more positive “here’s what to do” mode.  I need to help some of you unlearn some things, so I have to stay negative a while longer.  Sorry

Lets start with Carb Cycling myths!

Carb Cycling Myth #1: “Carb cycling keeps your metabolic rate up higher than linear (aka calories/macros the same each day) dieting by upregulating the hormone Leptin”. This one bugs me the most out of all of them because its giving competitors/dieters a false sense of security, making them think its okay to go with a larger than normal caloric deficit because “carb cycling revs the metabolism”.

The idea of short term high carbohydrate overfeeds boosting metabolic rate has been thrown around a lot over the years.  While it is true that Leptin levels rise a little after a single high carb day, it doesn’t affect metabolic rate.  This is because there is a significant delay between leptin rising and thyroid output/metabolic rate rising.  I think this is yet another example of the body being very efficient at maintaining bodyfat levels to avoid starvation.

Regardless, you have to be in a caloric surplus for any of this to begin to facilitate, and most of the carb cycling for fat loss approaches I’ve seen don’t have the high days high enough to put you in a surplus.  The truth is, the only way to boost your basal metabolic rate while dieting (thyroid injections aside) is to stop dieting for at least a week or two, and make sure you eat a reasonable amount of carbs and fat.  Not exactly an option for someone nearing a bikini competition.

Carb Cycling Myth #2: “You can eat all the protein you want while carb cycling”. This may be true on low carb days, assuming you’re still in a deficit (I’d still want to know how much I’m eating so I can know how to adjust later).  But eat more protein than you need on high carb days, and your body will begin a process called gluconeogenesis, whereby it begins oxidizing excess protein for fuel.

Guess what happens when you overfeed carbs and allow protein to become a fuel source?  Your body burns off less of those carbs, which can lead to fat storage.  So your overly high protein intake is now sparing your carbs instead of the other way around.  Not what we want.

Carb Cycling Myth #3: “Fat intake needs to be kept extremely low on high carb days because eating high carbs and fat at the same time makes you store fat”. If we were talking about a large, more concentrated refeed after a few days or more of going very low carb, I would agree that fat should be kept relatively low.  But no properly set up carb cycle for fat loss (“for fat loss” meaning it all averages out to a deficit) is going to have you eating such massive amounts of carbs that you would need to keep fat intake to the ridiculously low 20g/day I see advised on some of these sites I’ve been examining.  And if you go too low with fat intake, your body starts what’s called de novo lipogenesis, whereby it starts converting carbohydrates directly to bodyfat.

How do you even go this low fat with some of the ultra high protein intakes being advised?  Do you live off of egg whites and whey protein all day?  Don’t answer that.  I will say that going too high on fat post workout would be a mistake, so do make sure to keep fat low in that meal.  But otherwise, a moderate intake is fine.

Carb Cycling Myth #4: “Carb Cycling prevents muscle loss while dieting”. I don’t necessarily consider this as much a myth as I do a HUGE assumption to make, especially considering how much harder it is to precisely adjust a cyclical diet (since water weight is usually up and down, making it harder to gauge fat loss).  I’d say carb cycling for sure does a better job maintaining muscle while dieting than a steady low carb diet.  But those low carb/calorie days on a cyclical diet are not keeping you anywhere near an anabolic state, yet your body is still trying to recover from previous workouts.    It is still those recovery periods where gains are made or lost…that hasn’t changed with the advent of the internet to my knowledge.

Okay, so we’ve more or less examined most of the flawed approaches and misconceptions regarding carb cycling for fat loss.  In part 2 (coming in a few days), I’ll get into what I actually like about carb cycling, and how I think you should set up a carb cycle.

Click here to read Carb Cycling for Bikini Competitors Part 2

I should really name this post “How to break typical bikini competition dieting rules and win first place”, but I’ll keep the focus on my client instead.  Well, that and our collective awesomeness.

The latest success story is Dr. Val Eckard, a 41 year old radiologist who came to me already in very good shape.  She was pretty sure she wanted to do bikini competitions, but only under certain specific conditions:

1) The look had to be sustainable year round (which meant the approach had to be sustainable).

2) It had to be a healthy approach, and one that fit into her hectic work (and vacation) schedule.

3) There couldn’t be any big bulking phase where she wouldn’t be happy with how she looked (San Diego has a beach if you haven’t heard)

4) I had to know more about sports nutrition (namely contest prep) than the nutritionists she’d previously been to.  You know…the ones who are pedaling useless products, still prescribing the RDA for protein, and making people’s lives revolve around food (aka latest breed of eating disorder)?

I said, “No problem, how about we do all of that and you get a tootsie roll per day, the occasional binge drinking day, a 5 oz. glass of dry red wine up to 4 times per week and the option of going out to eat somewhat routinely?  Oh, and we’ll significantly reduce your cardio as well”.

We began training the following Monday.

Now before I go any further into the approach we took (you’d exit my site if I told you right now), I want you to see the transformation.  This is what working hard, consistently nailing down the fundamental principles and not hyper-focusing on typical contest prep minutia can do for you:

Front View:

6 months out (Click on Photo for Larger View)

Overall Winner at First Competition- Age 41!

Rear View:

6 months out (Click on Photo for Larger View)

Overall Winner at First Competition Age 41!

…and the whole progression (click for larger images):

6 months out

10 weeks out

8 days out

Duh, winning!

6 months out

10 weeks out

8 days out

Overall Winner!

Oh, let’s not forget about numeric, performance and health improvements…while dieting.  After 6 months of light to moderate caloric deficit dieting (re-comp), Val dropped from 129 lbs @ 19% bodyfat (via DEXA and my 14 years experience using skinfold calipers) to 118lbs @ 12% bodyfat!

Mind you, this is without doing any sort of pre-contest depletion (low-carb, sodium/water manipulation, diuretics, etc), so if the numbers don’t sound like much for 6 months…its because none of the weight lost was water/glycogen/muscle.  In fact, I’d guess her muscles hold more water and glycogen now than they did when we started…they’re definitely stronger.

Performance Improvements: After 3 months of training, Val did her first ever unassisted chin up.  Now at 6 months, she’s consistently doing 5 (did 6 the other day!) on her first set and around 3-4 on the few sets following!  Her strength has improved overall, enough that I estimate a net muscle gain, again…while dieting and getting very lean.

Health improvements: After just a few months, Val’s resting heart rate dropped from 74 beats per minute to 50!  She had her HDLs tested which have always been high (a good thing), but are now through the roof!  Her knees stopped clicking for the first time in her life, and no longer hurt after training.   And due to some intelligent mobility/stability training both pre workout and on her own between workouts, her scapular winging/posture is slightly improved.

So what was our dietary approach? The same one I always use: Whichever one meets the fundamental requirements from a physiological standpoint, and is the most practical for the client, so that she can adhere to it 99% of the time. That one works better than the “perfect” one that only the most obsessive compulsive (or unemployed with lots of time to cook/eat) dieters can follow.  Basically, we fit the diet to the person rather than the person to the diet.

This time, it was a Leangains.com based intermittent fasting approach using the same calories and macros I would have prescribed with a more traditional approach.  I’ll admit, this is not one I had used before and I wouldn’t necessarily propose the idea of using it unless the situation absolutely called for it.  This one did (and she asked about it a couple weeks into the more traditional diet we originally started with).

Val and her husband work from a home office well into the middle of the night.  They get up the same time I do: Late.  So they have just enough time to workout and run errands before everything closes.

Trying to eat like most bikini competitors eat during this time of the day would have been very impractical…and she was adamant about the approach/results being sustainable right from the start.  She also likes to go out to eat prior to starting her shift, and we all know how easy it is to go over on your daily calorie and macro targets when your last meal of the night is at a restaurant.

So we went with a 14 hour fast (with BCAAs before and after morning workouts) starting shortly before bedtime, and ending at about 4pm the next day.  This 14 hours includes 8 hours of sleeping mind you, so its not as bad as it sounds.  Its roughly the equivalent of skipping breakfast and not eating until lunch.  This leaves a 10 hour feeding window where she was free to fit all of her carefully measured food, and estimated portions while eating out.

We used the same calorie and macro intakes as we would have for a more traditional approach, but they were just consumed over a 10 hour period vs. the 14-16 hour period most people eat in.  In Val’s case, this meant more food when she had the most time to eat and actually enjoy her food, and none during the time of day where she didn’t.

In case you needed a reminder that it WORKED!

So what about all the dieting rules this approach breaks?

The “don’t skip breakfast, and eat every 3 hours or you’ll go into starvation mode”?

Or…

“your body can only utilize so much _______ at once, and the rest gets stored as fat…so you have to eat small, frequent meals”?

Or…

“you need carbs and protein before you train so you remain in an anabolic state”?

…”and after you train so you maximize glycogen replenishment, halt protein breakdown and resume protein synthesis”?

Well, most of this is irrelevant at least within the context of a properly set up calorie controlled diet (endurance/extreme sport diet programs excluded), as long as there is sufficient energy/strength for the workouts…which there clearly was.  But I’ll briefly address these items one by one:

1) The starvation mode stuff is a bunch of nonsense. It takes several days of fasting to even begin to slow the metabolism…I don’t think we would have survived as a species had we been as sensitive as many of us like to think we are.  The starvation mode/frequent meal myth sells protein powder and meal replacements extremely well…that’s why its a myth that won’t go away.

2) The “you can only utilize so much of a nutrient at once” talk: We have these things called stomachs.  They store food until its fully digested and absorbed.  A larger meal just sits in the stomach longer than a smaller one but it doesn’t get converted to bodyfat unless you’re eating in a caloric surplus for the day.  And those large meals were offset by the fasting period where she was in the post-absorptive state (ie burning vs storing).  Checks and balances…just like any calorie controlled diet.

3) We took care of the pre-workout protein part of the equation via BCAA supplementation. Pre-workout carbs were not necessary because we were not doing any particularly glycogen depleting workouts, and we kept her carbs up all throughout her prep.  She had plenty of stored glycogen for the kind of workouts we did.

4) Post workout protein/carbs: Again, the workouts were not particularly glycogen depleting, since the idea was to train with heavy weights while dieting in order to maintain and possibly build muscle, so no need to replenish.  Carbs post workout do help to halt protein breakdown, so we may add some at some point, but so far she’s still successfully getting stronger (even 1 week out from her show!) and building muscle, so no need.  Post workout protein was taken care of via BCAA supplementation, which seems to be fueling enough protein synthesis to keep her in a net anabolic state.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

So what does all of this prove?  To me it proves two things: 1) Bikini Competition is not such an extreme sport that you need to have your life revolve around getting your next meal in, or develop an eating disorder to do well.  And 2) If you work as consistently hard as Val did and your program meets the fundamental requirements, the minor details will be irrelevant, and you’ll do awesome!

Thanks for making it so easy Val!  Now lets get ready for the NPC Tournament of Champions!

So the guy who was just blogging about how silly/cliche all the before and afters/testimonials have become…and how actual substance seems to take a backseat to marketing is going to break his own rule.  But instead of just throwing up a testimonial and letting you wonder if the client really exists, or if they were paid for their words, I’m just going to do all the bragging myself.  I don’t really mind…its not me doing all the work.  I just give the client the tools and they decide whether or not to use them.

The client I’m about to brag about used all of them and made extremely good progress in just 3 weeks time!  Her name is Kayla Kowalski and she just entered her first bikini competition a couple weekends ago.    We began working together just 3 weeks prior and the results have been outstanding!

So here is Kayla 6 weeks out from her first ever bikini competition:

And 6 weeks later, after about 3 weeks of training with me…just like magic (or hard work and sticking to your plan):

Kayla took 5th place at her first ever bikini competition, which happened to be an NPC National Qualifier with 20 girls in her class!  She’s now training hard for the USA’s in Las Vegas this July.  Great job Kayla…now lets see what we can do with 20 weeks prep time!

Q: I just switched to lifting heavier weights a few days ago. Why am I a pound heavier?

A:This is a question many figure and bikini competitors have asked after beginning a traditional strength training (i.e. lift a relatively heavy weight for several reps, rest 60 seconds, repeat until muscle group is toast) program either for the first time ever, after a significant layoff, or after having previously “confused” their muscles into doing absolutely nothing via a trendy P90X type program.

I typically use my official short answer: “It’s just intramuscular water (a good thing) which will soon be offset by fat loss”, and I then instruct the client to not use the scale for the first month or so. Ok, so this advice is lost on most Type A personalities (physique competitors).  Guess I got some ‘splainin to do.

Being the easy going, patient trainer I am, my next step is to bombard the client with so much technical information on why they gained a pound or two that they’ll never want to ask me another question of this sort again. That usually holds me over for the few weeks it takes for the scale to drop back down via fat loss, so its worth it.

What I thought I would do with this post is present all of the mechanisms for this short term weight gain, and explain why its a necessary part of developing those nice, feminine muscles that look so good on stage. Here are the 5 main things that are happening during those first few weeks:

Increased Muscle Glycogen Stores. Traditional strength training generally is not as glycogen depleting as a more “endurance” style P90X/Crossfit program (or cardio). Couple this with the fact that your trainer has (hopefully) addressed glycogen replenishment via adequate carbohydrate intake, and not created a counter-productive caloric (and glycogen) “sink” by prescribing excessive cardio, and you have a situation where your muscle glycogen stores are likely higher than they were with your previous program.

Why does this matter? Because water accompanies glycogen at roughly a 3:1 ratio (on average).  More muscle glycogen=more water=short term net weight gain.  Again, this is intracellular (more specifically intramuscular) water, which is a necessary part of building muscle. This is not to be confused with extracellular water, which is what gives you the dreaded “bloated” look. Intramuscular water actually produces a nice, full feminine look in the muscles, and is actually something savvy figure and bikini competitors look to increase just prior to stepping on stage.

Short-term muscle/water gain is outpacing fat loss. Another factor is the small amount of muscle a “newbie” is capable of building within the first few weeks of a good strength training program. While the additional muscle itself is not likely to amount to anything measurable, the increased glycogen and water that comes with it could be.

This is more likely to be an explanation for weight gained after the first few weeks than it is the for the first few days, but it is a piece of the puzzle nonetheless. If it happens at a faster rate than fat loss (which is likely if training in a caloric surplus or even a slight deficit for beginners), the scale moves in the “wrong” direction for a while and you get mad at your trainer for no reason.

It is important not to let this discourage you, as the rate of muscle gain will quickly slow and fat loss will “catch up”. This is especially true for women, as they don’t have near the potential for muscle gain as men do.

Increased presence of GLUT-4 proteins. Exercise has been consistently shown to increase the amount of GLUT-4 proteins, which are responsible for shuttling glucose into the cells. More GLUT4=more glycogen=more water.

Granted, this has generally been shown to be true with (strenuous) endurance activity more so than strength training, so it would not necessarily apply to someone who has moved to traditional strength training from a more endurance focused program.

It would however, apply to an untrained individual or someone who has switched over from an endurance focused program that is no longer a challenge (improved neuromuscular efficiency from familiar training=less caloric output/glycogen depletion, which is basically what “muscle confusion” attempts to avoid).

This is very often the case with women who have been convinced to make the leap to (relatively) heavier resistance training, so I feel its worth mentioning.

Typical moderate-high repetition ranges cause sarcoplasmic hypertrophy: Most women just beginning a traditional strength training program will likely (and hopefully) not begin with heavy weights and low repetitions right off the bat.

Even those who have moved on from a P90X/Crossfit type program using exercises similar to those in their new program will likely need to be retrained on technique, which has a tendency to slip a bit during the type of high volume/short rest period program they’ve graduated from.  This is best, and most safely done in a light-moderate weight, moderate-high repetition range.

So what’s the significance of this? Moderate/high repetition training leads mainly to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (as opposed to the myofibril hypertrophy associated with heavier/lower rep training). In English, this means that the fluid-containing sarcoplasm enlarges and…well…holds more fluid.

While this is much less significant than the previously mentioned increase in muscle glycogen/water, it can definitely contribute to that initial weight gain you’re no doubt sick of reading about by now (see, my plan to bombard clients with TMI works!).

This effect will generally subside once repetition range is decreased as weights are increased, although the capacity of the muscle’s sarcoplasm to hypertrophy scales with the myofibril hypertrophy triggered by heavy/low rep training. This is why varying repetition ranges is a good idea for competitors needing to either build or at least maintain muscle (which is virtually all of them).

Your Scale is Broken. Bring it to me and I will fix it.  With my sledgehammer.

These are just the 5 most likely causes of immediate weight gain from a traditional strength training program. Other factors such as exercise induced food reward (see Lyle McDonald’s research review on this…great read), cortisol release (if overtraining), and post-workout uptake of fluid by the muscles for repair can contribute as well. However, these are all either minor, or a result of a piss-poor approach to training/diet, which makes them completely irrelevant for anyone working under my supervision. Yeah, I’m cocky, so what.

While I think most figure competitors and contest prep coaches have come a long way with regard to pre-contest depleting or “drying out” practices, there still seems to be a lot of confusion regarding sodium manipulation.

I’ve intentionally left bikini competition out of this post, since depleting is completely pointless, and actually a bad idea for bikini competitors…and I’m not far from feeling the same way about figure prep.

Now I understand the concern in bodybuilding about peaking too early. When your sport calls for you to diet down to unhealthy bodyfat levels…you kinda need to time everything right. It’s not like you can get down to single digit bodyfat on Monday and just hang out for 5 days.

But what’s wrong with a figure competitor planning to be ready a few days to a week early…and just staying the course for the remainder of the time?

The answer, in my opinion, is nothing. If you’ve been focusing on your diet and conditioning, there is absolutely no reason to use any last minute tricks, and you will do just fine keeping sodium intake up (but steady) throughout your prep.

If you haven’t prepared yourself, no amount of sodium loading/cutting, diuretics, (extreme) water depletion or any other last minute trick is going to save you. You’re going to have what optimists call a “learning experience”.

So why am I so big on sodium? Well, I have dozens of reasons, 5 of which I’ll share with you in this post. Some of the reasons relate more to offseason training/prep, and others pertain to peak weak and contest day. Here they are:

The idea of controlling where your water goes is a compelling one...but unfortunately not so simple.

Your body is smarter than you (and me). Your body is very good at regulating it’s sodium/potassium balance. You can try and trick it…and if you succeed, you may end up slightly harder than if you had kept things steady. If you fail…you’ll end up with some serious bloat during your show that you will NOT be able to do anything about. Don’t let anyone tell you they have the secret to sodium/potassium manipulation. Everyone responds differently, and the risk/reward is just not worth it.

You can get some serious cramps onstage, and they WILL prevent you from continuing. Cutting sodium (and water) can lead to an electrolyte imbalance that can very easily cause serious cramping. This is probably more of a concern to those who have gone low sodium consistently, and not so much for people who’ve kept it up and simply cut it on Friday…but it’s a big one. Many competitors have experienced some very embarrassing incidents of cramping onstage due to dehydration and low sodium levels. If you feel you must cut sodium, it is absolutely critical that you add it back in a couple hours prior to pre-judging. This will prevent cramping, and can often times lead to intramuscular water retention (the good kind).

Gremlins are bad. So is Ghrelin.

Cutting sodium releases the hormone Ghrelin, which is bad. Low sodium intake causes release of a very nasty hormone called Ghrelin. Ghrelin is considered the “hunger” hormone, as it causes a significant increase in appetite. Doesn’t sound so bad for those of you trying to add muscle during the offseason…right? Not that simple unfortunately, as it also slows your metabolism. Not a very nice hormone at all.

Sodium transports Amino Acids into the muscle cells. Some of the more important amino acids to physique competitors rely on sodium in order to be transported to the muscle cells. Like your glutamine and alanine, do you? Well they’re both sodium dependent.

Sodium regulates Acid/Alkaline balance. Sodium, along with potassium and chloride, regulates the body’s acid/alkaline balance. Competitors need to be very concerned with maintaining this balance, as their high protein diets can very easily put them in an acidic state. Problems associated with an acidic diet are weight gain, free radical damage, fatigue, mineral/bone loss, sore muscles and lactic acid buildup, stress, and cramps, to name a few. So if you’re already increasing your fruit and veggie intake, and limiting your intake of acidic foods, it would behoove you to keep your sodium intake up to ensure healthy ph levels.

You don't need to go to extremes to regulate acid/alkaline balance...but you do need sodium!

These are just a few of the most relevant benefits of sodium intake for figure competitors. I’ll likely come back to this subject in the near future with a post on pre-contest (namely peak week) depleting strategies that actually are a good idea for figure competition.  Feel free to leave me any comments below on topics you’d like me to cover.

As a San Diego Personal Trainer to figure and bikini competitors, models, athletes and women wanting to get into peak shape, I’m constantly asked variations of one specific question:  What are the secrets to bikini and figure competition prep?  Given the understanding we currently have of how the body responds to diet and exercise, combined with the internet’s ability to share that knowledge, it’s hard for me to believe that there are any secrets.  The information is out there.  However, it is buried in a pile of complete training and prep nonsense.  In this post, I’ll touch on a few items where I feel people are getting confused.

Cardio is not the best way for competitors to get lean. The general population who probably will not adhere to the kind of diet necessary to singlehandedly produce results is well served to rely somewhat heavily on cardio to produce the caloric deficit needed to lose weight.  However, this is not nearly as effective an approach as letting the diet do its job, and is not at all effective for competitors or anyone looking to reach their peak aesthetic.  Unless there is a significant amount of weight to lose in a short period of time, competitors will be best served to rely on their diet to get and/or stay lean, particularly in the offseason when building/rebuilding muscle is a priority.

Are you a Cardio Bunny?

A common mistake by competitors trying to stay lean in the offseason is doing tons of cardio.  This is usually out of fear that their increased caloric intake (necessary for building) is going to add more fat than they would like, and also as a buffer for their tendency to indulge in “extra” cheat meals.  There are three problems with this approach: a) it conflicts with the need to keep calories above maintenance to support muscle growth, b) it can lead to endurance adaptations to muscle fibers that need to instead be adapted for strength, and c) it may increase your body’s need for cardio when the time comes to diet for a show.  Ever try eating in a (significant) deficit while doing tons of cardio while trying to lift heavy (on fumes) to get lean and preserve muscle?  Not a good idea (can you say rebounding?).  Take my word for it: If you want to set yourself up for a good prep, don’t overdo the cardio at any point.  Keep it to 3 days a week @ no more than 30-40 minutes when building (offseason) and rely more on diet for fat loss when prepping.

Recovery becomes a HUGE factor when you're this lean!

HIIT is great, but can be tough to recover from when prepping. I can’t and won’t argue that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the best form of cardio for rapid fat loss.  It’s been proven time and time again, both scientifically and anecdotally.  I just want to say that as you start to lean out, recovery from your workouts will become a major factor.  What do you think a depleted body would have an easier time recovering from: HIIT Sprints and Plyos or a low intensity walk on the treadmill?  Sure, the sprints are better for developing your lower body, but not nearly as good as what you’d get from your weight training if you were positioned to fully recover from it.  My experience is that many competitors can do just fine with HIIT once or maybe even twice a week, but others need to consider eliminating it and opting for Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) when lean and calories are low.  Listen to your body and always remember that diet and lifting heavy are the two most important parts of your prep.  Unless you’re going into your prep still carrying significant bodyfat, cardio is supplementary.

There is no need to take frequent eating to the extreme. The frequent meal myth is one that will probably not go away anytime soon.  This is likely because of how convincing its supposed benefits are to those who’ve tried it.  Common sense: If suddenly you’re commited enough to make sure you eat every 2 to 3 hours, don’t you think you’re probably doing your body more good than you were two weeks ago when you ate gigantic portions of unhealthy foods twice a day…and topped it off with ice cream at night?  These are the extremes I usually see from people who’ve made the switch to frequent meals (and swear by it’s magic metabolism boosting powers).  They never seem to appreciate the likelihood that a dozen other factors in their change of habits had more influence on their fat loss than simply obsessing over when their next meal would be, and whether they had enough food prepared.

You may want to reconsider frequent meals when dieting. Just sayin'.

My experience is that competitors can do very well with 4 meals per day, as long as the pre-workout meal is timed right (about 60-90 minutes prior).  The main benefit of not eating ridiculously often is that your meals are bigger and more satisfying…which means you will be less likely to “graze” between meals.  This is particularly important when calories are low, since more frequent eating would make for some very small, non-satisfying portion sizes.

Further, the “metabolism boosting” effect of frequent eating is and always has been known (albeit, not by many) as a myth, as human metabolism is not changeable over a 24 hour period (it actually takes a few days of severe undereating, irregardless of meal frequency).  Take home message:  If you prefer smaller more frequent meals, go for it…but don’t feel as though you have to.  There is something to be said about your life not revolving around your next meal, and being able to eat with friends and family without finishing 15 minutes before they do.  Don’t worry though, there will be plenty of other major inconveniences in your prep that you won’t miss this one

Conclusion: So did I make your day, or are you wondering how on earth a prep coach could give 3 pieces of advice that actually makes your prep easier while enhancing effectiveness?  I hope it made your day, because there really is a lot of fat to be cut out of typical figure and bikini competition prep (pun intended).  My mission as a coach is to educate people on how to eliminate the typical “shotgun approach” to contest prep and create an environment conducive to long term, healthy, AND successful competition.

Last month’s guest post with Elise Firestone was so popular, I’ve decided to make interviews a regular part of my blog from now on. One thing I haven’t covered much is the Fitness Division, likely because I know absolutely nothing about (sober) dancing, gymnastics, or anything that requires coordination or rhythm.

To help make up for my lack of expertise on the topic, I’ve invited to the studio (via broadband wireless) a very accomplished Fitness Competitor, dancer, performer, model, actress…well you get the point…competitors can do everything!

Her name is Tara LaValley and she is based out of New York. I know, I know…both of my interviews have been with NY’ers. Being an East Coast transplant, it is my obligation to make up for Katy Perry’s wretched (yet catchy) ‘California Gurls’ song.  I’ll introduce you to some of the local talent after I’m done bringing everyone back to reality.

I suppose I can get to the point now.  I can’t really do much better than the bio already on her site, so here it is verbatim, with the exclusive Next Level Personal Training interview immediately following:

Tara LaValley was born on April 25, 1981 in Chicago.  She started dancing in ballet, jazz & tap at age three.  She began performing in ballets professionally at the age of eight.  Tara then branched out into professional musical theatre around Chicago and continued her acting and dancing training while studying classical piano.  She was accepted to DePaul University’s conservatory for music in piano performance, however, decided to continue pursuing her career in entertainment.  Since then, Tara has performed in numerous professional shows including musicals, plays, dance performances, television, film, commercials and print.  Highlights include: December Cover of Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Cover of Racquet Sports Industry Magazine, Host for KNOCKOUT ABS! including 6 DVDs, Ultimate Nutrition Photoshoot,Feature Film: The Rebound (with Catherine Zeta-Jones), Law and Order: CI, As the World Turns, All My Children, Guiding Light, Host for Skoal’s Ultimate Playboy Contest, Reenactment actress for Maury, Miller Beer commercial, Choreographer & Dancer for Napster, Coordinator and Host for Polaroid in Las Vegas, Host for RockMe TV, Lucille Roberts fitness commercial, WABC news, Video Music Awards in Miami for P.Diddy (backup dancer), Toby Keith’s “Stays in Mexico” Video, leading aerobics with the Foo Fighters on MTV, SpikeTV, Commercial Print (Verizon Wireless, US Tennis Association, Babies R Us, Jockey: Yoga, Men’s Health) and dancer for the Viacom (CMT) Network Upfronts at Madison Square Garden.

And the interview:

Joe: Tell us about your background as a dancer and performer?

Tara as Lara Croft

Tara: I started dancing at age 3. I was trained in ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop. When I was eight I started performing in ballets and theatre in Chicago. By thirteen I was performing professionally in musical theatre around the Chicagoland area.

Joe: What made you decide to try your hand at Fitness Competition?

Tara: I had already been training at the gym 5-6 days a week using weights, cardio and dancing. My fiance, Rob Youells was talking about going back to competing as a bodybuilder. We went to one of the local shows to watch and when I saw the fitness routines I thought, “I can do this!” I loved the idea of choreographing my own routine and bringing my own style to the stage. I also liked that I could incorporate my dancing and performance skills. Because I love action films so much, I wanted to do a Lara Croft/Matrix theme for my routine and chose the music accordingly. Warren Hibbert created my music and is amazing to work with: wh3music@earthlink.net

Tara crosses over from fitness to figure!

Joe: What are the main differences in prepping for a fitness competition as compared to figure?

Tara: While I have competed in both figure and fitness, I’ve always trained for fitness and crossed over when I was at the show. I know that my trainer, Maz Ali at Bodyworx Hardcore Gym allowed me to have a few more carbs and apples here and there so I would have energy for my routine, which I was thankful to have!

Joe: Tell us about your latest events and projects? (videos, performances, competitions, etc)

Tara: I recently did a photoshoot for Ultimate Nutrition where I was an MMA fighter, even though the only “fighting” I do is from Tae-boe! Also, I was the host for the international fitness product “Knockout ABs”, which also included instructing the six DVDs.

Joe: What kind of doors has fitness competition opened up for you that dancing, modeling and performing would not have?

Learning how to properly diet has helped Tara in her modeling pursuits!

Tara: I would say that doing the competition was more of a learning process that helped me in my business. I was already with the top fitness agency, Silver Models, but learning the proper way to diet and prepare for a show or shoot is something that helps me perform better when I’m hired for a job.

Joe: Tell us a little about your businesses?

Tara: I am with multiple agencies in NYC for fitness, modeling, dance, commercials and tv/film. I am an event coordinator and public speaker for various companies that need talent to present their latest product each year. I also work as a national educator for ProTan and as a demo rep for Gaspari Nutrition. On the side, I am a makeup artist, working both for large companies as well as for brides and competitors, also doing the spray tan for shows and special occasions. Being self-employed allows me to do so many jobs at the same time, based on my schedule!

Joe: It’s hard enough for many girls to find a good local figure or bikini prep coach.  How would one go about finding one who can prep for fitness?  Or do most girls hire a separate coach for choreography?

Tara: If you are on the East Coast, my trainer and diet coach, Maz Ali at Bodyworx is the only one I would recommend.
*Bodyworx Hardcore gym in Paterson, NJ  973-523-2707
I choreographed my own routine because of my background in dance, chose the music and created the costume. I also choreograph routines for girls, just contact me via email: Taralavalley@yahoo.com

You'll want to check your flexibility before trying Fitness Competition.

Joe: What advice would you give to girls wanting to get started in fitness competition?

Tara: First, go see a show to decide if it’s something you can do. Then, find your coach and get the diet and training schedule together. You will know within the first two weeks of dieting if you can handle it! It’s a difficult process but if you are driven, you will learn valuable lessons that will help you get to new levels not only physically, but spiritually.

For full portfolio, bio and resume, please visit my website: www.taralavalley.com

I believe the lady told you to visit her website.

As much as I hate some of the recommendations the “eat this, not that” books make, the concept itself is great.

The average person with average fitness goals could probably make some measurable improvements in their overall health and appearance by simply referring to these guides whenever they’re thinking about a double bacon cheeseburger (or Carne Asada Fries where I live).

They’ll never get anywhere near their peak using this approach, but they just might find the balance they’re looking for.

Unfortunately, this sort of quick reference guide does not exist for those of us with more lofty goals of getting into peak shape and competing, without ingesting unnecessary (and expensive) pills or putting our long term health at risk.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how many foods and supplements the average female fitness competitor is consuming that are simply not the absolute best choice given the job they’re expected to do in the body.

Without even really trying, I came up with enough that I could probably make this a 3 or 4 part series, and that’s not even counting food and exercise categories.

Let’s see if Part 1 doesn’t get me sued by the “eat this, not that” people first.

Supplement Fish Oil, Not Flax: I would assume that most figure and bikini competitors are taking at least one of these supplements for their high Omega 3 content. There are literally dozens of reasons to do so, and there is no shortage of resources describing these reasons.

I won’t bore you with the same old stuff. What I want to tell you is that the human body tends to have a hard time converting the fats from Flax into EPA and DHA (the essential fats we take these supplements for) in the body.

Look for a MEG-3 Stamp on your Fish Oil Bottle

This is true particularly for those of us who eat meat. Fish oil is the better choice here because it already contains usable EPA and DHA, with the exact amounts of each printed right on the bottle.

Supplement Yohimbine, Not Yohimbe: Many bikini and figure competitors have sworn off products containing Yohimbe due to some pretty strong side effects, including severe dizziness, anxiety and nausea. Yohimbine is the alkaloid contained in Yohimbe that is sort of the “active ingredient”, if you will.

Taken on a completely empty stomach (as in first thing in the morning or several hours after a meal), Yohimbine can be very effective at mobilizing stubborn lower body fat, which can then be burned through low intensity cardio (never do high intensity work when on Yohimbine).

Yohimbine tends to not produce the nasty side effects that Yohimbe does, however, care should still be taken when consuming this or any stimulant. Always read the warning labels and do your homework first!

Supplement Creatine Monohydrate, Not Kre-Alkalyn (or other “designer” brands): Creatine is still one of the best overall supplements available. Unfortunately, many bikini and figure competitors shy away from it due to the “bloating” effect it can have in some people (which by the way is a necessary part of how it works).

So of course, the supplement companies have insisted that they have the solution. And they do: It’s called taking hardly any Creatine. That’s essentially what you’re doing when you take their “no bloat”, “female friendly” designer Creatine blends.

They’ve basically added some useless ingredients to mask the fact that they’ve taken out most of what actually works: the Creatine!

If you’re one of the few who’ve tried these designer creatine supplements and are convinced that they are actually helping you, it may be worth considering going back to good ol’ Creatine Monohydrate (preferably Micronized) and simply cutting back your dosage until you’ve found the magic amount.

Otherwise, you’re basically just paying a supplement company to do so for you, and probably being fooled by the placebo effect.