Extreme dieting is where a bodybuilder tries to get in shape as fast as possible, in the shortest time frame possible. There is no instance where I recommend extreme dieting. For maximum muscle retention, it's always best to take a patient and longer approach to dieting. It is for this reason that I advocate the 12-14 week contest prep. The longer you take to drop weight, the more body fat you will lose and the more muscle mass you will retain. However, for many reasons, bodybuilders occasionally have to get in shape in a very short period of time
Ripped to the bone, peeled, cut up and shredded. These are all different labels to describe the ultimate goal in bodybuilding; to discard unwanted body fat while maintaining the most muscle mass possible. The foundation upon which contests are won is the mantra of the caloric deficit. Of course, this deficit is caused by training, cardio and eating less calories. Every bodybuilder has figured that out. However, the caveat that most bodybuilders miss is that just watching calories or following the same diet all the time eventually fails. Plateaus are stubborn roadblocks where body fat seems to cling no matter how hard you train, diet or restrict calories/carbs. It is not if, but when a plateau will occur and this is undoubtedly one of the most frustrating parts of contest prep. Speaking from experience, when people hit a plateau, fat loss stalls and people usually freak out and abandon the plan
MUA is a safe, proven treatment that has worked for thousands of patients over the last 50 years. Many people are not familiar with MUA, including doctors. MUA is not new and it is non-surgical. I have been certified in MUA since 2006, and have been the Lead MUA Physician at our Georgia Center for 3 years. We have treated over 350 patients in that time period. Those patients include several bodybuilders, rugby players, professional MMA fighters, professional football players, and a professional boxer. High level athletes respond well because a lot of their chronic, recurrent problems are from trauma from their sport/activity that results in scar tissue/adhesion within tendons/ligaments/muscles thereby restricting movement and function.
“He looked incredible the week before the show, but awful on stage.” That’s what happens to a lot of bodybuilders who poorly time their peak, only to look better a week before competition or a week after competition! Getting ready for a show, primarily, requires one to systematically strip away as much body fat as possible without shedding valuable muscle mass. When you’re lean, extremely lean, you can do a lot of things that final week and actually see changes. That is, you can manipulate your water and carb intake to produce a fuller or harder look.
Q) In terms of getting lean, how important is counting calories?
A) I'll get right to the point. A lot of nutritionists still stick exclusively with calories as the one and only factor that determines a person's ability to gain fat or lose fat. They conceptualize or water-down the fat burning process to a simple math equation. I like to kid and say "That's why a lot of math teachers are fat." In other words, while mathematics are clean and concise measuring tools, when it comes to fat loss, they don't always work. Let me explain a bit more.
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