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Steven Thompson is a Personal Trainer, Professional
Motocross Racer, Competitive Bodybuilder, and owner of a
Health & Nutrition store in Colorado Springs.
In
this first part of a 2 part series, Steve discusses a
diet plan to reduce fat while increasing lean muscle
mass in preparation for a bodybuilding competition in
what he calls, "The Art of Nutrition". |
There are a million theories about how to prepare for a
bodybuilding competition, some are tried and true (such as
the Beverly international plan) - used successfully by many, many
individuals and then there are some off the wall ideas that have
also worked for a select few. Just as there are a million ideas on
diet, there are also tons and tons of different people out there
who's bodies will react differently to each type of macronutrient
breakdown, you also have to consider the starting point of the
individual (how in shape or out of shape they start) and also that
everyone will react slightly different to various foods, some people
do well will oatmeal and potatoes while others feel bloated with
those foods and will be better suited with rice and beans.
I have always believed it is easier to get ahead of the game and
coast the final few weeks as opposed to playing catch up at the end,
for one if you get ahead you will feel good about your self which
will eliminate any extra stress that doesn’t need to added to the
mix the final few weeks. For that reason I have always chose to
start my contest prep at 16 weeks prior to the show.
-- Weeks 16-12: I use this time frame to ease into the change
of foods and the reduced calorie intake, I like to follow a rotation
of 3 low carb days - followed by a medium carb and high carb day. As
my carb intake drops my protein increases and vise-versa, I never
add any additional fat to my diet (flaxseed, fish oil etc.) - the
only fat that I consume is what comes from the foods that I eat.
During this initial 4 weeks I usually don’t do any type of cardio,
as I like to see how my body is responding to the change in foods.
A typical cycle in the first 4 weeks looks like this:
Days 1-2-3: Low carb, less than 150g High Protein- usually
375-400g
Day 4: carbs @250g - protein @300-325g
Day 5: carbs @400g - protein 150-200g
My food staples during this first 4 weeks are:
Proteins - Chicken Breast, egg whites, Flank Steak,
protein powder post-workout and before bed
Carbohydrates - Steel cut oatmeal, white and brown
rice, yams and Vitargo (powdered carbohydrate that comes from waxy
maize)
Greens - lots of Broccoli and asparagus
The second phase of my plan last for 6 weeks during this time
frame I add in cardio for about 45 minutes only on my low carb days.
I do this because I am trying to completely eliminate my carb stores
on these days so my body will tap into the stored fat for energy.
During this time I will slightly alter the breakdown of nutrients
based on how I look, in addition I pull out all red meat and switch
to white fish and egg whites as my only source of protein while at
the same time switching to red potatoes instead of yams.
The third phase of my plan last 4 weeks which takes me to 2 weeks
out.
During this time frame my metabolism is usually starting to get
really high due to the cardio and the change in proteins. Due to the
ramped up metabolic rate I will actually increase my calories quite
a bit (400+ per day) while at the same time increasing the amount of
cardio slightly as well. During this time frame I will again add in
red meat in the form of 96% lean ground buffalo, my body responds
real well to buffalo for some reason - I feel an increase in the
pumps I get while training and also in the way of decreased recovery
times. Other than those minor changes, I keep everything the same.
The final two weeks.
This is the part that I love to hate! I love it because every
morning I wake up and see striations and veins that I haven’t seen
before, While at the same time my daily diet looks like this
- 1 total cup of oatmeal all day (1/2 cup before training & 1/2 cup
after)
- the rest of my nutrition comes from Orange roughly, tilapia and
asparagus!
- 4 pounds of fish per day & Asparagus - Yummy 
From personal experience I am a big believer in cycling the amount
of carbs that you give your body, the yo-yo keeps your body guessing
while at the same time allows you to effectively burn fat with out
starving. Then when you eat an abundance of quality carbs you
 have
good energy to get you through intense workouts for a couple of days
without losing any strength or endurance, before depleting again.
I also believe it is important to cycle the protein along with it,
this is where some people disagree! My thought is that you don’t
have time to become catabolic in a single day if you are consuming
at least .75g of protein per pound of lean body mass. The yo-yo with
protein works the same way as it does with carbs, keeps the body
guessing!
I would like to express that by no means do I consider myself an
expert and the information that I am about to share comes from
personal experience.
Steve Thompson
To "The Art of
Nutrition Part II"
Natural
Bodybuilding at its Finest - Lift for Life.com |
