Post Competition Syndrome - COMPETITORS SHOULD READ THIS!

[Sassy69]

http://www.mindandmuscle.net/mindandmuscle/magpage.php?issueID=40&artID=49


Anyone new to competition will probably hear about this but not believe it until they live it once..... THEN you'll believe it. It exists, its not "mind over matter" -- it's' your body trying to recover from the wildest thing its ever been thru.

 

[promet1]

THANK YOU....did my first compitition last Sat May 27
Loved it and I'm 44 yrs old...
Very helpful, good read

 

[Sassy69]

THANK YOU....did my first compitition last Sat May 27
Loved it and I'm 44 yrs old...
Very helpful, good read

Congrats! I did my first at age 35! Its great if you want to do the Open AND the Masters categories -- esp in women's BB -- fewer competitors, more trophies!

How did it come out! Do you have any more planned this year? I find for all the work that goes into prep, its sort of nice to have another show close by so you can get the most out of all that work!

 

[Lifterforlife]

When you diet to that extreme, it is a trauma you put your body through. We all react differently, it is hard to state as fact that this or this will happen to you.

I for instance have developed a post competition "strategy" just as I do pre comp.

I allow myself 3 days of eating whatever I want, then tone it down to solid diet again. I make my apologies to my wife, and move on. The thing I have the most "disorder" with is when going back to the gym, the strength along with adrenaline let down.

I have actually attained record highs while dieting for a contest(adrenaline of the event I believe), only to feel like when I go back I will be much stronger with additional calories, and find quite the opposite. This is the hardest thing on me.

 

[Sassy69]

Of course its going to be on an individual basis. But remember that most people are not experienced competitors - they go in focused on this nebulous thing called "competition" somewhere 4 months in the future, and then have to go thru the weekly phases of denial you pass thru when you realize you have to give up this or that food that you just can't imagine living w/o. THen you start to see what it REALLY means to do competitoin prep. Then you start to fantasize about your first meal after the show. Pretty soon that becomes what you live for. Then you get thru the show. Your expectations may or may not have been met. Especially for women it sucks because they are never clear on what they are judging on women just tend to be more emotional anyway --- ugh -- broad generalizations -- but there's such a mental / emotional / self-perception aspect to competition prep, that the post show crash is usually more than people ever imagined.

Me - my first competition had a couple really bad moments associated w/ it where my bf at the time couldn't drive me out to the show (4 hrs away) because he had a family member pass away a few days before my show - he couldn't even make it, and we broke up a week later. I had a really sloppy falling-out w/ my trainer as well. I lost a lot of friends while I was prepping because they were the "go out" crowd and got bored w/ my always talking about the show, the prep, the diet, etc. So I came home - I actually did pretty decently in the show - but the anti-climax was so monstrous that I just dove straight into a pile of shit food and blew up 18 lb in 6 days.

Since then, as you, I've learned to adjust my expectations and my focus on the show. I make "post show" the "last phase" of my prep and I've also learned to reduce the weight I put on the importance of the show in terms of MUST DO / LIFE OR DEATH sort of thing.

But even for your best efforts - it is your body trying to rebound from an extreme set of circumstances and sometimes it might not work quite like how you planned. Its just better to be aware of it and have some control over your "dismount" from competitoin day.

 

[Lifterforlife]

Wonderful points you make! I tell folks all the time, you have no clue what a competition diet is if you have not done it. Very much different than a "cutting" diet. Some just do not understand, and never will without doing it.

Sounds like you had a rough go with your contest prep. Just completing the "journey" in what you went through made you a winner! Congratulations.

 

[promet1]

Congrats! I did my first at age 35! Its great if you want to do the Open AND the Masters categories -- esp in women's BB -- fewer competitors, more trophies!

How did it come out! Do you have any more planned this year? I find for all the work that goes into prep, its sort of nice to have another show close by so you can get the most out of all that work!

Well first of all I loved the whole experiance, I did two group the masters was filed with seasoned vets, dam, but I felt I looked like I blonged so that was my goal, then I did the middle wt group weight in at 162 # could have been fuller, looked better in the evening and on sunday ? finished 5th.

I'm planning an end of month show March 2007, give me some time to work on my weak areas, Add some quad size, back definition and traps.

so the plan is to stay fairly lean for the summer (I have a boat and like haven abs on the boat..lol) then uppen the cals for the fall and then contest diet Jan 2 2007, winter is a good time to diet for me.

All and All I learned a lot, it was a great experiance.. yep got to do an other one. I have never been that ripped... I'm an endo\meso if 5 years ago someone would have told me I could look like this I would have told them they were nuts.

Still having a hard time fallen a sleep and if I cheat on the weekend,
I have a 10lb water swing. I take me untill Wed to level out.
No More Chinese

 

[Lifterforlife]

.. yep got to do an other one.

LOL...when I was prepping for my first contest, I remember a seasoned vet telling me I would either love it and keep doing them or hate it so much I would never dream of doing another.

Well, 12 contests later I am thinking of doing another soon the middle of next year. Wanted to another this year, but we just moved out of state and I promised my wife we would get "settled in" for a year first. (you now know from doing one how all consuming they are).

Congrats on your first one...you sound like you will improve and knock em dead!

 

[Sassy69]

That's how it goes - u either love it & get hooked or want to get your head examined for even getting involved....

But its an experience you will have some of the greatest horror stories to tell people!

 

[promet1]

LOL...when I was prepping for my first contest, I remember a seasoned vet telling me I would either love it and keep doing them or hate it so much I would never dream of doing another.

Well, 12 contests later I am thinking of doing another soon the middle of next year. Wanted to another this year, but we just moved out of state and I promised my wife we would get "settled in" for a year first. (you now know from doing one how all consuming they are).

Congrats on your first one...you sound like you will improve and knock em dead![/QUOTE

Thanks lifter !