The Competitive Bodybuilding Prep Guide- Training Tips + Diet

The right tips can take your preparation for a bodybuilding competition to a whole new level!

A highly ripped and toned body is the key to winning a bodybuilding competition. However, the show of one day takes months of effort.

Knowing how professionals prepare for bodybuilding competitions can level up your game. Preparing for competition requires attention to every small detail. In fact, every muscle tissue matters.

The abs need to pop out and be visible. It isn’t just about hitting the gym and stuffing a protein-full meal.

Keep reading to know how to prepare for a bodybuilding competition that can help give the edge to your efforts. Firstly, pay attention to specific areas of your training program.

How to Prepare For Bodybuilding Competition?

The real workout starts when you want to stop.

– Ronnie Coleman, 8-time Mr. Olympia.

When preparing for competition, training isn’t just about how heavier weight you lift.

There are various factors that can impart a big difference. Certainly, the tips are applicable even in bodybuilding competitions for beginners.

Be attentive to these aspects of the workout plan for a kickass performance in the bodybuilding competition.

1. Right Coach

Whether the plan or its execution, the coach plays a crucial part.

A bodybuilder spends maximum time with the coach to get everything right for his competition. Indeed, it is a serious commitment and only a professional person can provide proper guidance.

Be sure when choosing the coach, because, at the same time, the investment of time and effort is determined by his supervision.

A right coach can lead to impressive differences, whereas a wrong guide can lead to unwanted dilemmas.

2. No Secret Training

For instance, people think training for bodybuilding is complicated, but it isn’t fancy.

There is no secret training program that provides the ultimate bang on muscle gain. Though the internet is flooded with the right workout plan for a bodybuilding competition, it hardly makes a difference.

At the end of the day, your determination, perseverance, consistency, and efforts matter. As long as you continue putting your best efforts into the basics, it is enough.

A healthy diet for maintaining quality muscle along with consistent training is good to go with.

3. Know the Timeline

Procrastination can take a toll on anyone. Fitness competitions are all about strict deadlines. Thus, a highly planned bodybuilding contest prep program can make a difference.

The starting point, i.e., the initial body differs for everyone.

Bulking and cutting cycles one by one or simultaneously is your call, but planning and executing it as per schedule keeps it around the timeline.

Having a specified duration for jacking muscle and reducing fat reserves helps achieve the target as per the plan. Thus, getting ready before a professional bodybuilding competition becomes easier.

4. Smart Workout to Minimize Risk

The biggest tip for bodybuilding competition for beginners is to stay pain and injury free during preparation.

To get the best body, following a plan is mandatory. Injuries, muscle strain, or damage can extend recovery timing.

Staying out of the gym for even a small duration can delay the fitness objective. At the time of competition, your body may not adopt the best version.

So, don’t get overboard with things, stick to an active and efficient bodybuilding competition workout program with minimum risks.

5. Be Attentive to Rest and Recovery

Just because the bodybuilding competition is around the corner, working on rest days isn’t justified.

Rest days are crucial for muscle recovery and releasing strain.

Continuous working can extend the pressure for an extended duration. Indeed, it can exaggerate the existing muscle soreness, limiting blood flow, and causing multiple problems.

So, it is important to have proper rest days and sleep for 8 hours daily. Moreover, stretching and other muscle-relaxing methods can further speed up the recovery period.

6. Importance of Support Network

A solid support group can be great. Not only it helps track down your progress and be on track but makes you accountable to them as well as you.

Whether lifting weights, discussing nutrition, or requiring a shot of motivation, it would be game-changing.

Apart from the coach, it is the support network from your sport, that can play a part in achievement by providing guidance and a moral boost. Share struggle, progress, and low feeling to stay on the right path.

The bodybuilding competition workout plan doesn’t involve fancy exercises. Instead, it is about consistency, determination, and hard work. 

Of course, following the above pointers can provide the maximum output from the training program to enhance your preparation for a bodybuilding competition.

Apart from the training program, dietary intake is equally imperative.

How to Diet For Bodybuilding Contest Prep?

Diet is the key to an intensely muscular and defined body.

What you eat directly reflects on your physique. Undoubtedly, knowing how professionals eat for bodybuilding competitions can give an advantage to your preparation.

Here are some tips that can take your efforts to a whole new level.

1: Clean Bulking

Bodybuilding competition leaves small room to alter your physical attributes. A consecutive bulking and cutting cycle isn’t possible.

On top of that, fast bulking or dirty bulking can lead to huge fat accumulation making it tough to get rid of it before the competition. Certainly, the situation leaves us with one possibility- clean bulking.

The process involves jacking up lean muscle with minimum fat accumulation. Thus, it is easier to get the perfect cut and prepare perfectly for a bodybuilding competition.

2: Food Prep Worth the Fuss

Packed food is an easy on-the-go solution, but it can be deceiving in terms of nutrition and calories. On the contrary, food prep introduces you to the ingredients involved.

So, you get a slight idea of nutrition, calories, nourishment, and where your efforts in terms of bodybuilding show preparation diet are heading.

Try preparing meals with an optimal ratio of carbs, fat, and protein. Evidently, the focus is to stick to a bodybuilding contest prep diet high in proteins, low to moderate in carbs, and modest in fat.

3: Opt for Nutritious and Healthy Food

A high protein surplus diet is the beginning step, but every meal matters. Be consistent with your food choices.

Undoubtedly, it should be healthy with an impressive nutritional profile. Moreover, emphasize protein-dense meals with low carbs.

For carbohydrates, opt for foods high in healthy carbs to facilitate active workout sessions. Not only focus on bodybuilding show prep diet but calories and nutritional intake.

Being attentive to the minor details helps stick to the bodybuilding competition timeline in terms of diet plans.

4: Supplementation and Nutrition

Feeding with the right nutrition can directly reflect on your physique.

Just relying on the specific bodybuilding contest prep diet won’t quickly transform the body. On the contrary, supplementation can introduce drastic changes in a short duration.

BCAA, whey protein, casein, pre-workouts, muscle boosters, and cutting supplements, are some of the top options.

Add them to the routine, but stick to the dosages for maximum benefits. 

The 12-week contest prep cycle depends majorly on the diet and workout. In terms of diet, the above-shared facts can play a determining role.

Even professional competitor knows how tips help them prepare for a bodybuilding competition. However, they are more helpful when sufficient time is left for the contest.

Indeed, 2 weeks out of contest prep or preparation 1 week before bodybuilding competitions are entirely different.

How to Prepare 1-Week Before Bodybuilding Competition?

Wake up determined. Go to bed satisfied.

– Dwayne Johnson, 10-time WWF/E Champion

For women or men in bodybuilding competitions, the last week is pivotal.

A slight mistake can hamper months of effort while steady preparation can strengthen the chance of winning.

Whether complete beginner or professional, the last week requires special attention. Your success and failure entirely depend.

Here’s what to do 1 week before the bodybuilding contest. 

1. Lessen Training Volume

Last week’s bodybuilding preparation determine results, this shouldn’t get you overboard with a workout program.

Undoubtedly, one week won’t add humungous muscle or cut down remarkable body fat. It would only enhance muscle tissues while minutely popping abs.

So, reduce workout sets to lessen body fatigue and muscle damage. Evidently, you don’t want inflamed muscle tissue when flaunting your physique on the stage.

2. Release Stress and Sleep Properly

The peak week of the bodybuilding contests can take a toll on you.

Excessive stress can trigger appetite and cravings resulting in unhealthy food consumption. On the other hand, insufficient sleep can lead to consistent body fatigue.

Both situations can hamper bodybuilding contest prep so, managing stress and sleeping for 8 hours daily becomes highly important.

3. Skip Drastic Dietary Modification

Often bodybuilding contestants misguide during the initial week. In general, it involves a high surplus diet triggering the temptation to rely on different food sources. Of course, some such food can fill out macros but can backfire.

Instead, the last week, the diet should be like the last 3/4 weeks. Sudden dietary modifications can rebound, and the body might not adapt to the abrupt disruption. Eventually, digestive problems can be around the corner.

No one would want such a problem during the peak week. So, avoid going over the top.

4. Don’t Interfere With Water, Potassium & Sodium

The final week isn’t about experimentation. It is about the final touch-up to get the final edge during the competition on the stage.

Interfering with water, sodium, or potassium consumption during peak week can destroy the efforts of the month.

In the last week, the body won’t be able to adapt gradually, it would go wrong.

5. Get Leaner

The peak week of the bodybuilding competition is about defining muscle tissue.

It is better to continue a diet to reduce body fat to get leaner. Certainly, the extra fat loss in the last week can be distinguishing.

It can sculpt the body to further improve muscle definition. Indeed, it can increase your chances of winning.

The last week’s bodybuilding content preparation is crucial to winning.

Whether getting into bodybuilding competitions as a beginner or professional, the tips can make a remarkable difference. For the best outcome, a pre-determined preparation timeline can help.

So, what’s the ideal duration to get ready for a bodybuilding contest?

How Long Do Bodybuilders Train Before Competition?

Usually, it takes 8 – 22 + weeks to prepare for a bodybuilding contest. This involves both diet and workout programs.

Modifying eating habits and exercises during the off-season to eliminate body fat and gain lean muscle is the key.

The entire preparation time looks the same, but the initial week differs.

It is about recovery and focuses on the final muscle condition. Completely rock-hard-defined muscle without water retention. Moreover, the final week emphasizes more on fat elimination.

During the final contest week, participants increase their water intake. They tend to drink almost 10-12 liters of water daily. However, a day before, they cut down water intake to dehydrate the body. This helps pop out the muscle effectively. 

The win entirely depends on how you prepare for the bodybuilding competition.

The above-shared details are highly helpful in achieving your target. 

As discussed, diet and workout regime plays a significant role in overall getting the physique of your desire.

Even most fitness freaks or bodybuilders follow up the same routine to get the photoshopped physique. Certainly, you too get influenced by the physique of Chris Bumstead, the one and only!

Wanna know what routine he followed to get that amazing physique??

How C. Bum Achieved 4 Times Mr. Olympia?

Christopher Adam Bumstead or CBum doesn’t need much more introduction as the bodybuilder has already achieved a lot in just 27 years of his career.

With consistency and an active routine, Chris Bumstead has redefined the golden era of bodybuilding by holding the position of Mr. Olympia for the last four years.

Also, few people claim that Chris Bumstead uses steroids to get an incredible physique. Get a reality check to know what workout routine and diet the bodybuilder followed to get prepared for the competition.

Let’s check out what routine he followed to prepare for a bodybuilding competition. 

• Chris Bumstead Diet Plan

C. Bum follows a high-protein diet and maintains muscle.  He focuses on lean protein sources like chicken, Turkey, fish, and lean beef. 

In his diet, he also includes complex carbohydrates like brown rice, sweet potatoes, and quinoa. In an interview, he also mentioned that you should not forget to include plenty of veggies to keep yourself hydrated.

Here is the diet plan Chris Bumested follows to achieve a marvelous and amazingly fit physique.

• First up,  he follows balanced nutrition and portion control for weight management.  However, he also followed up a contemporary regular exercise routine to balance out his calorie intake.
• Usually,   Chris Bumstead starts his day with a protein-rich breakfast that includes eggs and whole-grain toast. 
• The bodybuilder takes lean meat veggies and brown rice for lunch and finishes up his snack with nuts and fruit.
• For dinner, Mr. Olympia prefers fish or Tofu accompanied by salad.  Maintaining or keeping yourself hydrated is foremost CBum addressed. 

Overall,  Chris Bumstead mentioned that prioritizing your health is the key to getting successful in maintaining a healthy physique.  Let’s move further to check out what workout plan Chris Bumsted follows to get this incredibly fit photoshopped physique 

• Chris Bumstead Workout Plan

Chris Bumstead’s workout plan focuses on building muscle and sculpting a symmetrical physique.

He incorporates a combination of weight-lifting exercises targeting different muscle groups including chest, back, shoulder, arms, and legs. 

However, it’s important to have a balanced routine and gradually increase weight and intensity over time.

Chris Bumstead added that it’s vital to remember that you should warm up before each workout and listen to your body to prevent injuries. Here is the workout routine the popular bodybuilder followed up to achieve the position of Mr. Olympia 2023. 

The bodybuilder starts with a dynamic warm-up that includes a leg swing and hip circles.

• Squats: 3 sets, increasing weights and reps gradually
• Lunges: 3 sets, increasing weights and reps gradually
• Glute bridges: 3 sets, increasing weights and reps gradually
• Core exercises: Planks, Russian twists, leg raises

After that, he followed up high-intensity interval training that includes burpees and mountain climbers.  However, he also gets himself indoors in steady-state cardio like running or cycling for one or two days a week

To get active recovery, he keeps rest days between workouts and necessarily follows up with static stretches to cool down with flexible exercises and relax muscles.

The Final Words

Preparing for bodybuilding competitions is entirely different from getting muscular.

Diet, workouts, lifestyle habits, and nutrition need undivided attention. Only working on every aspect can result in success.

However, just a specified training program or bodybuilding contest diet won’t work. The above-listed tips can help transform your physique accordingly.

Certainly, the emphasis is on muscle growth initially while eliminating the maximum amount of body fat to get the shredded look for the stage show.

Do let us know which of these tips for bodybuilding competition prep worked out for you.