Advice on contest prep and cardio

[Dutchy]

undefined Hallo everyone, I am new to this chat forum and need some advice or tips on some competition prep. My trainer upped my cardio to as much as possible, which is about 30 minutes after my wt. training and 45 minutes each day in the weekend. Since then my body fat, or water weight, has increased. I can see it! It's very frustrating because I only have 4 weeks until my first show and 5 weeks til the National championships here in Holland. My legs aren't cut at all! My carbs were taken out of my diet and I had a cheat day once a week up to last weekend. Which I definately used, eating mainly bread and dark chocolate and dutch cheese. I have decided to stop my cheat day and do a 3 day no carb and 1 day up in good carbs like rice or sweet potatoes on the 4th day. I plan to do this up to the show, if it works. Does anyone of you have any tips or experience in my situation? oh yeah, I am a woman.
Dutchy

 

[*Bunny*]

I'd start here http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=394340

A few other threads have been made with suggestions as well ... look around a bit, lot of competitors here.

Welcome & good luck to you

 

[Dutchy]

Thanks for the welcome note! I will have to look around the site to get acquainted with how this whole thing works. I read that article on competing, nothing new in therw for me, but thanks anyway.
Dutchy

I'd start here http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=394340

A few other threads have been made with suggestions as well ... look around a bit, lot of competitors here.

Welcome & good luck to you

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Since then my body fat, or water weight, has increased.

Well, which one is it? They are two TOTALLY different things.

You need to figure out if it is water or fat. Water weight is easy to get rid of .... fat weight a little harder. Increase your water intake, drop salt intake ..... you should shed some water weight, and see if that helps.

I know you have a trainer, but if you list EXACTLY what you eat everyday, we can probably give some advice. Include amounts, measurements, time of meal, size, condiments, etc etc.

Also, peruse this thread for some great info:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=363631

 

[Dutchy]

WEll, I think it's both! My diet ranges, one week no carbs, drink isopure whey proteine shake directly after awakening, 2-3 hours later meat or fish with broccoli, and then I repeat that meal 4 more times that day. The only difference is that directly after my workout I have another isopure whey proteine shake with vitargo and l-glutamine. I am allowed to have a little pesto on my meat for the fats. The other week my carbs go up a little. Breakfast includes oatmeal or bran with whey proteine, then 2 light crackers with 1 whole egg and 4 whites, lunch is 200 grams of meat or fish with 2 tablespoons rice, after training a whey proteine shake with vitargo, then I have another meal (3 hours later) with rice and meat or fish (same amount as before) and last meal is just meat or fish. We don't mess with salt intake until the week before competition. The water intake is about 2 liters a day. So I know this needs to go up a bit. I am allowed to have 1 cheat day a week. Which I decided myself to throw out because of the water retention after. Although because I am on such a low-carb diet, the cheat day is important for my thyroid and metabolism so now I think I will just up my carbs considerably with rice on that day. Maybe have a little something yummy to curve my cravings. My body doesn't respond well to alot of cardio either. It stresses out, this I have noticed because since I have been doing more cardio my legs have swelled up and my body ( stomach and legs) are mushy.

Well, which one is it? They are two TOTALLY different things.

You need to figure out if it is water or fat. Water weight is easy to get rid of .... fat weight a little harder. Increase your water intake, drop salt intake ..... you should shed some water weight, and see if that helps.

I know you have a trainer, but if you list EXACTLY what you eat everyday, we can probably give some advice. Include amounts, measurements, time of meal, size, condiments, etc etc.

Also, peruse this thread for some great info:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=363631

 

[Sassy69]

I hate to make you repeat this stuff but its very hard to read your exact diet in paragraph form. Can you write it up as :

Meal 1: *time* (e.g. Meal 1: 6 am)
4 egg whites
1/2 c oatmeal

Meal 2: 9 am
whatever you eat

Meal 3: time
whatever you eat

Etc.


Generally speaking if you go all week very low carb, i think that is going to screw you because you have no energy - I much prefer a carb cycle of 3-4 days instead ofa whole week low carb. I can't believe you would have cheat days allowed at all at 4 weeks out - I have cheat meals on off-season but during contest prep from 12-16 weeks out, no such thing as a cheat meal for me.

Also why are you using Vitargo? Just curious, because that stuff will really beef you up - and not necessarily in a good way - I've really only seen it work for guys who tend to be very lean and need to build more mass. Any chance you added that to your diet around the same time you noticed that you aren't losing bodyfat & retaining water? If you are int he last 4 weeks of prep, I would think you wouldn't want to put in extra calories on things like vitargo...

If you can't do cardio (which seems weird to me also - but whatever..) - as far as doing a lot - its all relative - I've done 2 months of 2 hrs of cardio (in 2 1 hr sessions) so whatever you think is "alot of cardio" - I"ve probably done more -so just trying to keep what you think as extremes in perspective.

so if you have a problem doing enough cardio to enable better fat loss, how do you train? DO you do more aerobic training - very short intervals between your sets, etc. I.e lots of super sets & giant sets so that you have some cardio burning from the training itself?

 

[Daisy_Girl]

The water intake is about 2 liters a day. So I know this needs to go up a bit. I am allowed to have 1 cheat day a week. Which I decided myself to throw out because of the water retention after. Although because I am on such a low-carb diet, the cheat day is important for my thyroid and metabolism so now I think I will just up my carbs considerably with rice on that day.

A cheat day is nothing but a "re-feed". People choose to "cheat" with foods they don't normally eat (i.e., sweets, fats, alcohol). A re-feed is necessary on a low-carb diet because it increases lepetin levels. Low carb dieting (or any serious diet) will reduce lepetin levels, and lower metabolism.

You need to keep re-feeds in, but the idea of using more rice is a good one. You CAN do "clean cheats" - re-feeding on rice, potato, pasta. The water retention will likely STILL happen - the extra carbs bring on more water retention.

DO NOT BE AFRAID OF WATER RETENTION. AT least, not at 4 weeks out - the day OF the comp is different! LOL. Water retention is easy to combat - increase your water intake! I think your water intake is WAY WAY too low. 2 liters? That is half a gallon ... you need to double that, at least. Once you raise your water intake, you will likely notice a reduction in water retention.

Your body getting mushy from cardio cna also be due to this - you are retaining water, since your body is holding onto it because it is not getting enough.


Please, list your diet like Sassy's example. Include EXACT AMOUNTS - don't say "meal 1 is oatmeal" - how much? how is it made? what time do you eat it? ALl of those things are VITALLY important.

 

[Dutchy]

Hi Daisy Girl, thanks so much for your tips! I really appreciate the good advice. I know my water is way too low. I hate water! But I will start that tomorrow, sunday. My diet is like this:
breakfast: around 8 am. 1 scoop isopure protein shake with l-glutamine.
2nd meal: around 11.00 a.m. 200 gr grilled meat/fish or chicken with broccoli
3rd meal: 2.30 p.m.after training: 1 scoop isopure protein shake w/ 1 scoop vitargo
4th meal: 5.30 p.m.200 gr grilled meat/fish or chicken with broccoli
5th meal: 8.00 p.m.dito
6th meal: 10 or 11 p.m.dito

I did my cheat day today with chicken and rice, except for breakfast, this was about 50 gr of cream of wheat (before I cook it) with 1 scoop isopure whey protein and sweetener. I also had a little bit , about 100 gr of fried potatoes in vegetable oil and 1 veal sausage. And a piece of french bread, very small piece.
Thanks again for your feedback!

A cheat day is nothing but a "re-feed". People choose to "cheat" with foods they don't normally eat (i.e., sweets, fats, alcohol). A re-feed is necessary on a low-carb diet because it increases lepetin levels. Low carb dieting (or any serious diet) will reduce lepetin levels, and lower metabolism.

You need to keep re-feeds in, but the idea of using more rice is a good one. You CAN do "clean cheats" - re-feeding on rice, potato, pasta. The water retention will likely STILL happen - the extra carbs bring on more water retention.

DO NOT BE AFRAID OF WATER RETENTION. AT least, not at 4 weeks out - the day OF the comp is different! LOL. Water retention is easy to combat - increase your water intake! I think your water intake is WAY WAY too low. 2 liters? That is half a gallon ... you need to double that, at least. Once you raise your water intake, you will likely notice a reduction in water retention.

Your body getting mushy from cardio cna also be due to this - you are retaining water, since your body is holding onto it because it is not getting enough.


Please, list your diet like Sassy's example. Include EXACT AMOUNTS - don't say "meal 1 is oatmeal" - how much? how is it made? what time do you eat it? ALl of those things are VITALLY important.