Through years of competing, judging and assisting other athletes, I have come up with a few basic tips that have proved to be beneficial in helping to record progress, stay on track and maintain sanity while going through the rigors of contest preparation. These tips help debunk some of the myths of contest prep and reinforce the ideology that planning, time, persistence and good old-fashioned hard work are a winning formula for continued success.

KEEP A DIARY

Write down meals, supplements, cardio and weight training. It is also a good idea to write down feeling. Denoting days feeling energized or sluggish may help identify the contributing factors for those feeling. Taking note of appearance can make it easier to tweak diet and training to maximize their effectiveness. This information can be invaluable in the future when looking back on what worked and what didn’t. Fitday.com is an online tool that can be handy for tracking progress, weight goals and daily food intake.

STICK TO THE DIET! Dieting for competition is about 80% of the process. Diet will determine level of leanness achieved, energy levels and degree of muscle retention. Try to only eat foods self-prepared and to not deviate from the game plan. Often times when sticking to a diet is the hardest, the body is undergoing its greatest transformation. HANG IN THERE! Don’t let one day or cheat meal take away what you worked so hard for.

Do not overdo cardio! Some people think the answer to getting leaner is doing more and more cardio. This is rarely the case. Too much cardio can make the body take on a flat, stringy look. It can also work against efforts by causing you to lose muscle instead of fat. Take a smart approach to cardio by performing a routine that will maximize cardiovascular work and target fat stores, not muscle.

Preparing for competition can be a strain physically as well as emotionally. It often involves pushing to levels never thought possible. It is important to develop a support structure to help pull through tough times. Some people get a “diet” buddy. This is a person they call when having cravings and wanting to cheat. This person should remind them to stay focused and continue to reach for excellence!

It is also a good idea to talk to other people who are going through the same thing. Consider joining a discussion board with people who share the same interests and goals, like the one found at www.FPmagOnline.com. Much can be learned from others  expertise, past mistakes and general advice. Developing new friendships and sharing in the experience makes competition more fun too.

Many overlook posing as a key element to contest prep. Why would someone spend months in the off-season building a physique, another two to four months dieting and doing cardio only to throw it all away in 15-20 min? Strong attributes must be effectively displayed and weak points masked when on stage. More posing practice leads to more confidence on stage. Practicing also helps create a harder, more polished physique and helps refine posing form! Bodybuilding. com hosts a series of articles, complete with photos that can be referenced for more tips with posing.

People are led to believe that resistance training builds muscle. In actuality, it is more of a mechanism for breaking down muscle tissue and splitting fibers, which in turn can lead to new muscle growth. Food and water intake along with proper rest determines how a body will build and repair itself.  Therefore, it is imperative to take in high quality nutrients to achieve optimal training results.