Goodbye my friend! That's what I am thinking at this point. On Friday my preparation coach informed me that for the next 4 weeks we will have me on extremely low carbs. This means I get 1/2 a cup of brown rice early in the morning and no more starches the rest of the day. I will exist on nothing but vegetables and protein for 4 more weeks. That's why I am saying goodbye my friend.
Another decision we made with great caution was a major increase in my cardio. I am now doing an hour of cardio daily (fasted in the morning). I will then add 30 minutes of HIIT cardio after every weight training session. We need to burn of the final little bit of fat around my midsection.
I say that the cardio change was made with caution because we are concerned about the bounce back effect after my show. We will have to slowly back down my cardio after the show and really watch my nutrition in order to avoid weight and fat gain. This bounce back effect can either be used to your benefit or it can cause massive issues. It is all about being aware of the issue and handling it accordingly. Rather than just accept that there will be post-contest weight gain, my trainer and I are planning to use the anabolic state my body will be in to gain some muscle.
At this point I am very focused on getting my body into the best shape it can possibly be. My pecs are going to be disappointing, but the rest of my body will be looking awesome. I am aiming for a body fat percentage of 6% to 8% on contest day. That number will make me very happy.
I will now simply focus on getting the cardio in so that I can burn the fat. I will practice my posing daily until I perfect it. I will hit the weights hard and will maintain perfect nutrition. It is only 4 weeks, so it isn't a huge sacrifice right now.
If you have experience with contest preparation, leave me a comment about how you handle the final four weeks.
