Could somebody PLEEASE tell me the difference between training for hypertrophy and ..

[Nelson Montana]

.

Steel, You are WAY over thinking! Which is stressing you (catabolic) and the stress is making you cry. Ya know, your performance is not going to alter the outcome of the world peace process. Lighten up.

I know people want answers and bodybuilding lately has become so (psuedo) scientific. The bottom line is this; The body is a constant state of flux and there's no way of knowing how it's going to react to any given stimuli. This is why pros even come in looking off. There are simply too many variables (bio rhythms, etc), and trying to figure them all out... it'll...well, it'll make you cry.

Don't get me started on traiers and certification courses. They're clueless -- even the "big shot" celebrity tainers. In fact, they're the most full of shit of them all in some ways.

You see, the body is a primitive mechanism designed for adaptation and there's no way of knowing exactly how it will respond. Besides, if another competitor took more drugs or has better genetics they will beat you, no matter how crazy you drive yourself. Now I know this isn't what you want to hear, but that's the truth.

Just go and have some fun with it. If you aren't perfect, everyone will live. Get on with your life. There's a lot more to it, than a 90 second posing routine.

 

[Intenceman]

Significant hypetrophy takes time, it took me 10 years to gain 85 lbs of muscle- and I'm a male. I would focus on retaining what muscle you have and cutting up- if getting defined is your goal. Good luck.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Of course you guys are right - I should relax a little. It's just that I totally fucked up the timing, and simply can't back out now, so I have a shit-load of fat to lose in a very short time.

I don't understand why everyone is misunderstanding the question. RIGHT NOW - I am NOT interested in hypertrophy - if I managed to make gains on the diet I am on right now, you would have to take me to a special research centre and keep me there for a lot of tests, because I would have broken every conceivable physiological rule in the book. RIGHT NOW, I am interested in maintaining as much muscle as I can, but if, as everyone is suggesting, what I was doing before is way overtraining, THAT will not help me maintain muscle - it will help me catabolise whatever I have left at a rapid rate.

MS said there is a difference between between training for hypertrophy and pre-contest training - I want to know what that difference is, so that I can apply the appropriate training now in order to maintain a bit of muscle and not end up looking like a scarecrow on stage.

And naturally , I AM interested in what is appropriate training for HYPERTROPHY, since that is exactly what I will be switching to as soon as I walk off stage. I would like to have a plan in place.

As for crying during workouts, it's more the pain of forcing myself through them on low calories, low carbs and lots of exercise that makes it happen - I wanna know if anyone else gets this, because if they do, fine, I'm working hard enough, if they don't, then am I working too hard?