WARNING: LONG POST... ARTICLE WORTHY... This weekend I have been speaking to multiple contest prep clients who are feeling the mental stress of being super food focused and low on energy. I also have other contest prep clients who are reporting good progress and are feeling quite fine, some who are on less food than those who are “really feeling it”. I also have some contest prep clients who are now in a position where they are increasing their food intake and feeling great, because they are pretty much ready for their respective category. Regardless of your age, weight, gender, or experience; dieting down to competition levels will always be challenging. Not for an entire 8/10/12/16/20 week period, but within different phases of prep. Obviously if you are naturally leaner entering something like a bikini or mens physique division is going to be the easiest most stress-free task. However the goal is almost never simply to reach the easiest most stress-free result, and most people are not naturally lean. We for the most part have goals that are far more extreme. Not to say bikini or physique divisions are any less impressive than fitness/figure/bodybuilding, they are simply just considered the “entry-level” of mental & physical stress as body fat levels do not need to be as low. Understand that regardless of all personal factors; whether you are eating clean, or doing IIFYM, tracking macros, eating every 3 hours, doing minimal cardio, or enjoying weekly cheat meals etc, if you are in a calorie deficit (which is necessary to drop body fat), you will at some point be completely food focused, low on energy, have poor social skills, a lack of interest in all things outside of food and/or training and competition related tasks/conversations. Your performance might suffer, your desire to go off your diet or go over your macros increases, you begin to feel sorry for yourself and expect people to understand how you feel, etc. Someone eating 300g of carbs per day but is accustomed to 400-450g per day will feel just as terrible as someone who is eating 100g of carbs but is accustomed to 180g+. It is all relative. No one is ever forced to put themselves in this position. It is a personal choice. It is a personal challenge. It is definitely not for everyone. Some people start a prep and then quit. Some people see the whole thing through, do well, and decide to never do it again. Some people feel like crap but keep pushing, do well, and continue to compete over the years. Some people do it just to impress others. We are all different. It comes down to purpose. Why are you putting yourself in this position? What are you trying to prove? Who are you doing it for? Is it worth giving up life balance for? Is it something that will make you a better person. If you quit will it haunt you forever. If you push through, look your best ever, but don’t win, will it upset you? Will it be the best thing you’ve ever done? Find clarity in your purpose. When you know why you are doing something you push past obstacles, mental stress, lack of energy, and take on the challenge with clear purpose. You find the “enjoyment” in the struggle. Myself personally, since last year I have decided to stay lean year round. This doesn’t mean bodybuilding competition standards but it does put me in a position to make the process as easy as possible. Regardless, I still face the same challenges. Like everyone else, I have a specific goal in terms of how I would like to look on stage, and it comes with sacrifice. However if I wake up tomorrow and decide I would rather focus on family, or business, or building more strength/size etc, I’m not fussed. I have a clear goal but have not put pressure on myself; because I have clarity of what is most important to me in the grand scheme of life. At the end of the day, a calorie deficit is a calorie deficit and adding weight training, cardio, family, work, and other commitments to the process doesn’t make it easier. This is why having a coach to lean on can be so beneficial to assist in the hardest phases of contest prep, and why you don’t see the general population walking around at 4-10% body fat. Find clarity and keep pushing...
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 09:56:34 +0000
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