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Season Training Versus Contest Preparation Training
As far as I'm concerned, there's no difference between off-season and pre-contest training. My off-season training (although I never refer or even think of it that way) and pre-contest training regimens are exactly the same! Training with weights in the gym is all about building muscle—period! The ONLY reason you should lift weights is to build muscle. You must lift heavy weight to overload the muscle, work every set to absolute failure, and constantly redefine what absolute failure means to you by continually raising the standards of what you expect from yourself. Here's my definition of off-season training: Off-season training is working out with less concentration, focus, intensity, and sense-of-urgency simply because the next scheduled contest date is not close enough to force a bodybuilder to step-up and raise his standards. Even as a contest approaches and I'm in a weaker, calorie-deprived state, I will fight with every mental and physical resource I have to maintain—and even build—muscle all the way up to the day of the show. Contrary to the misguided beliefs of some competitive bodybuilders, implementing the training strategy of lifting lighter weight and performing more reps for definition, detail, or "cuts" is sheer nonsense. Losing body fat comes down to creating a sufficient deficit between the calories you ingest versus the calories you burn. You get shredded because of your calorie-restrictive contest diet and cardiovascular training—not through weight training. Yes, some bodybuilders may get in very good condition using the lighter weight and higher repetition strategy. In reality, however, those are not the reasons why they are getting in good condition like they assume. They are getting lean because they are creating a sufficient deficit between the calories they ingest versus the calories they burn. And, unless they are truly working every set until absolute failure with the lighter weight they have decided to use and are eating enough high-quality protein, they will just be wasting some of their hard-earned muscle. Contest Preparation Materials Skip La Cour's Daily Training Journal Skip La Cour's Daily Training Journal 2000 Skip La Cour's Daily Training Journal NOW! (INSTANT BOOK! Format) Skip La Cour's Daily Training Journal 2000 NOW! (INSTANT BOOK! Format) |
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