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My nutrition is consistent all year round, with the odd cheat meals included each week while I am not too focused on monitoring the status of abdominals. I follow a fairly high protein intake, while my carb intake has increased considerably this last year (over previous years) in the aim of gaining more mass to compete successfully in the heavier classes. I still favour whole food over powder proteins, however I still need a fair amount of powder protein these days to maintain my weight over 100kg offseason.
My water intake is always high, taking in around 6-8 lts daily before protein shakes etc. in the off season and during pre contest. Food preparation is always a hassle, as I eat significantly greater amounts of whole foods than many other athletes. I consume approximately 1kg a day of whole food protein (steak, chicken, ostrich – I reserve the use of tuna only for my last few weeks of diet…). Over time my metabolism has steadily increased so I am always hungry, so I battle to travel because I always have to find food!! Going low carbs really affects my productivity at work so the last few weeks where carb manipulation becomes crucial I really do require Ignite to help me maintain concentration and dillgence at work, and still find the drive to focus on training.
Most of my exercises are performed in the 6-8 rep range no matter what exercise I am performing. I strive for maximum intensity through the weights that I use, and I find that this helps me build dense and thick muscle mass. The heavier the weights you push, the bigger your muscles will grow! I have been following the minimum number of sets, but maximum overload principle for about 2 ½ years now and my physique is now showing muscle maturity as a result thereof My weights do not reduce until maybe a week or two from the contest, as stimulating the muscle with the same maximal weights used to build the muscle, ensures that you maintain all the hard earned mass you gained during the off season training. A reduction in the weights you are able to lift going into a contest is indicative of a loss of muscle mass, so one needs to pay very close attention to your pre/post-workout nutrition to safeguard the muscle waste and damage caused through the intense training that you exert yourself to during the final countdown. I increase my cardio frequency as I get closer to the contest to try and burn as much fat as possible, doing morning and evening from around 4-5 weeks out. If I am still not ready I will increase the frequency to 3 times daily for the last two weeks pre-contest to eliminate the last fat reserves!
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