TJ
New Brunswick, NJ
Male, 33
As an avid lifter, I decided to compete in an amateur bodybuilding competition to showcase my hard work and appreciation for the sport.
Some might do it for aesthetic reasons, while others do it for the sport. People asked me why I was doing this and my response was, "Do you ask a marathon runner why he trains for marathons?"
I began lifting in college as a hobby to stay fit. I was overweight as an adolescent and decided to change my habits so I was not an overweight unhealthy adult.
Yes, it’s important to utilize supplements to gain maximum results. Protein shakes are commonly used, as well as different amino acids (such as Branch Chain Amino Acids BCAA's), fish oils, glutamine and fat burners.
My bodyweight fluctuated over 50 lbs between off-season and actual competition day.
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Why is movie theater food so overpriced?Days before the competition is usually when you’re feeling your worst physically. The joke is that the worse you feel, the better you look. The day before the competition you do not work out. Your diet is strict to deplete your body of water. It is necessary to dehydrate your muscles to create the striations and definition for your muscles. Usually you carbohydrate-load this day so your muscles fill out. However, you do not eat rice because it is made with water or drink any liquids. Some competitors will go to steam rooms or saunas to sweat out as much water as possible. Others might use diuretics.
Everyone has their own motivation to compete in the sport. I would imagine it is the same reasons a male would. Simply because a woman bodybuilds doesn't necessarily de-feminize them. There are, however, other categories that females can participate besides bodybuilding at most shows that might be considered more 'lady like'. These are the figure, as well as, bikini competitions. The figure competitions are classed by height, not by weight.
The diets are very strict. Balancing carbs, fats and proteins spaced out over 6 meals a day, usually eating every 2-3 hours. I hired a trainer who had experience in contest prep diets. He wrote my diets for me, and changed it according to how I looked on a week-by-week basis.
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