Many bodybuilders, particularly those of the skinnier, ectomorphic build, avoid cardiovascular exercise like the plague. They’re very well aware of the fact that it took them many years to add the 25 or 35 pounds of muscle to their body that they have. And they know how dangerous pre-contest phases can be for losing hard earned muscle. Here are some tips to keeping your muscle as you burn the body fat.
Run early
Complete your cardio first thing in the morning. You should have an empty stomach, with the exception of possibly black coffee, Crystal Lite, or some cold water. Zero calories are allowed at this point. The reasoning is simple. Training on an empty stomach uses fat stores for energy, not the food in your stomach. Train upon waking, 4 to 5 days per week.
Keep the ECA use to a minimum
ECA, or a stack of ephedrine (25 mg), caffeine (200 mg) and aspirin (250 mg) is very popular with athletes seeking weight loss leading up to a show. Unfortunately, it can also lead to the athlete entering a catabolic state in which muscle is burned very easily. To avoid this, use ECA in a 2-on, 1-off day schedule. This will also keep you from becoming addicted to the drug, and keep it effective in your fat loss goals.
Keep the sessions shorts
Two small sessions of 25 to 30 minutes per day are the absolute most any bodybuilder should be completing each day for cardio. If you need to do more, then it means your contest is arriving too soon, and you should curb your plans and push back your competition date another month. Dropping too much weight in a short period of time means you’re losing muscle, not fat.
Don’t arrive early
Being behind on your pre-contest fat loss can be a big problem. Another problem, which may actually be even worse, occurs when bodybuilders arrive in competition shape a full 4 or 5 weeks before the big show. This means they have to work to maintain that conditioning without losing muscle, which is very hard to do. Now, it should be noted that many professional bodybuilders will engage in this process, and they somehow get away with it for the most part. Guys will peak for a show, and then compete in the Grand Prix of events for the next 8 weeks, held every other week. These men are built from another mold, and are likely using androgens at a level your wallet cannot afford and your heath cannot sustain.
Be realistic
You can train hard, live on the elliptical machine, diet religiously, and use all the ECA under the sun, but you’re not going to achieve the contest conditioning of a guy like Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson. The level of conditioning displayed by athletes in magazines is out of this world. You’re not going to get there for your own show. Keep your expectations realistic and your options open. If you arrive at a peak early, then do an earlier show. If you mis-time your fat loss, then hold off on competing for another month. You’re not competing for a living, so you can afford to push back a show date, rather than make a disappointing showing and discourage yourself from any later competition.