Shredding For A Bodybuilding Or Physique Competition

By Author: Vince DelMonte
Total Articles: 14
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If I had a nickel for every time someone asks me how to train in order to get that perfect shredded appearance for a bodybuilding or physique competition (often their first).
Trust me, I'd have a lot of nickels.

If I had a nickel...

for every time someone asks me how to train in order to get that perfect shredded appearance for a bodybuilding or physique competition (often their first).

Trust me... I'd have a lot of nickels.

Of course, in order to answer that question, I'd have to have a lot of answers first. Basically, I'd have to crawl inside their body for a few weeks. So the best I can do is share some guidelines they can use to find the right combination for themselves.

First of all, getting shredded is a combination of science and art. The science part is just understanding how your body works. How and why does it store and burn fat? What makes your insulin and cortisol levels jump? What makes you retain or excrete water?

Then, there's the art side of it. How exactly does your body, in its present state, respond to various aspects of your diet and activities? This one can ...
... be a little more time consuming to answer, as it involves a little bit of trial and error in order to finally find the right combination.
Getting shredded involves addressing three main dietary considerations and fine-tuning your program to take best advantage of your findings: your caloric deficiency and your carbohydrate and water intakes.

Important note: I said nothing about ramping up your weight training prior to your event. That's because it would be counterproductive.

Why is it counterproductive? Because when you're in a shredding mode, your system doesn't have enough nutrition to be building any new muscle tissue. You're going to be in a calorie deficient mode, because you'll be trying to shed that surface fat that's hiding the lines of your muscles.

That doesn't mean you stop your workouts entirely, or even cut back. You still need to maintain what you already accomplished, so you should continue with your normal exercise program .

Setting your goal

I know you get tired of hearing me say it, but it's still true... you won't get what you want, if you don't know what it is. You have to set a goal! And a goal without a deadline is just a dream, and not likely to come true.

In order to set a goal, though, you first need to know where you're starting from. Determine your present body fat percentage, then decide what percentage you want by the event date.
The date of the event will be your deadline, and the percentage points of body fat you need to drop by then will determine how many weeks you'll need. Here are a few rules of thumb that I use, that have worked well for me:

- Figure on losing about 1% per week, and add an extra week, just in case. If you need to lose 4%, allow at least 5 weeks.
- 3500 calories, burned or cut, equates to about one pound of fat
- It's a LOT easier to cut calories than it is to burn them!

So, as an example, if you weigh 250 pounds and presently have 12% body fat, that equates to roughly 30 pounds of fat on your body. If you're targeting 6% and plan to shed just 1 pound of fat per week, you need to allow 16 weeks. That means 3500 calories per week to burn or cut.

- Get on the cardio ball

Start with some HIIT, so your system is in a deficiency mode. But remember that burning calories is a lot tougher than cutting them - split it up. Reduce your caloric intake by 250 calories per day, and burn an extra 250 per day with exercise. That's 3500 calories a week you'll be going after.

- Lower your carbohydrate intake

One easy way I've found to do this is to substitute all your morning carb intake with a high-protein, no-carb breakfast. Try the meat and nut rotation breakfast - that's how I hit my record low of 4% body fat.

Six days before the event, cut back even more on the carbs. Zero to 150 grams per day is a good range for most people, depending upon their body and workouts. Stay like that for two days, then go back to your normal carb intake. The last two days leading up to the event, you should increase your carbs again.

- Manage your water intake

Since water bloat can mask muscle lines, you'll want to shed as much retained water as possible to accentuate your muscles. I normally drink about four liters per day, so I increase that by 50% about eight days before my event. That puts my body in the mode of excreting water.

Then, two days before the event, I reduce that six liters per day to half my normal amount, or two liters. Finally, I cut it in half again, to one liter, the day of the event.

The combination of well developed muscles, lower fat level and less retained water should give you some outstanding definition that'll get the attention of the judges.

Fine-tuning the process

These rules of thumb won't fit anyone perfectly, so you'll need to make some adjustments to zero-in on what works best for you. It's also important to note that what worked great six months ago may need to be adjusted for use today, as your body will be changing over time.
Experiment a bit, massage it as needed and find your sweet spot. Then hit the competition totally shredded, ready to make a lasting impression!
Resource: http://vincedelmontefitness.com