WEEK SIXTY-FOUR :: How Can A Bodybuilder Stay Lean In Their Off Season?

[the_fake_webmaster]

* Note: How can I win? Answer all questions in the order that they are asked.
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TOPIC: How Can A Bodybuilder Stay Lean In Their Off Season?

For the week of: Feb 16th - Feb 22th
Wednesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Bodybuilders tend to gain a lot of weight, both fat and muscle in the off-season. How can a bodybuilder stay lean during their off season?

What should their cardiovascular routine consist of?

What supplements are essential for the off season bodybuilder?

How should your diet differentiate?

Bonus Question: How much fat do you gain in your off season? What action do you take to reduce the fat you gain in your off season?

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[Iron7]

This is a good topic for everyone!

[younggun_101]

Staying Lean during the offseason.

The off season is the time of year when you want to pack on the weight and work on your weak point. Then soon enough you will have to get lean again for competition. But wait, what if you could pack on lean muscle without all that bodyfat?

Well its impossible to gain zero fat while trying to gain muscle. But one of the most common mistakes among bodybuilding is that you need to add fat the gain muscle. Actually to tell you the truth it’s the other way around. Causes when your cutting stage comes around you have to loss all that fat. When you must drop many pounds of body fat, your body falls into a catabolic state, meaning you don't only lose fat but also muscle tissue. By staying lean in the off-season you have a better chance to preserve your new muscle gains once you start your contest prep.


Keep Doing Cardio!

Many people avoid cardio since it's believed to prevent muscle gains. I disagree! When your heart is well conditioned you will endure harder and more intense workouts in the gym. You also keep your body fluent at burning fat. To assure your muscles don't shrink, take care of your pre-workout and post-workout supplementation. Just like you down a whey protein shake with some simple sugar, creatine, and glutamine around your weight training workouts, you should use the same principles around your cardio training workouts. This strategy allows your body to keep your blood sugar at a steady state and that helps protects your muscles from shrinking. As long as you keep your cardio short but intense you have no reason to fear muscle loss.


Don't Spread Your Calories Through Out The Day

This is something you must have heard many times. It's being told the best way to lose fat and gain more muscle mass is to have many smaller meals each day with equal amounts of calories in each and one of them. I believe you get a better effect by making sure you decrease your servings of food when you're inactive and make your meals bigger before and after your workouts. When you've finished training, your muscles are starving and there's little risk your body will store extra calories as fat. The take home message is to supply your body with more calories when you need them and fewer calories when you're lying on your couch doing nothing.


Add Quality Calories

To build lean mass you need to take in more calories than your body uses for staying at the same body composition. Are you not gaining any on the scale but you look bigger in the mirror? Well congratulations! You are adding lean mass while melting fat away from your physique!

If you're having a hard time getting into shape you need to pay attention to your diet. Eat clean six days a week and enjoy your favorite junk food one day per week.

How many calories you need to gain muscle depends on many things, but the best way to find out is by keeping a diet journal where you take notes about how many calories you take in along with the ratio of protein, carbs, and fat. If you gain weight and it looks like the weight is muscle and not merely body fat, you know you're on to something good. If you feel puffy you might need to make some adjustments and make a slight decrease in your calories.


Don't Get Out Of Shape!

When the season is over all you want to do is to eat, eat, and eat. Don't worry, you can do that for a day or two, but after those initial days your body will notice the change in your diet and start to store fat. Do yourself a favor and follow a healthy diet with minimum amounts of fast food.

Add Quality Calories

To build lean mass you need to take in more calories than your body uses for staying at the same body composition. Are you not gaining any on the scale but you look bigger in the mirror? Well congratulations! You are adding lean mass while melting fat away from your physique!

If you're having a hard time getting into shape you need to pay attention to your diet. Eat clean six days a week and enjoy your favorite junk food one day per week.

How many calories you need to gain muscle depends on many things, but the best way to find out is by keeping a diet journal where you take notes about how many calories you take in along with the ratio of protein, carbs, and fat. If you gain weight and it looks like the weight is muscle and not merely body fat, you know you're on to something good. If you feel puffy you might need to make some adjustments and make a slight decrease in your calories.

Don't Overtrain!

You don't need to be in the gym five or six times a week to grow big. As a matter of fact it can be counterproductive since you never give your body some rest. Maybe you've been training almost every day of the week for a long time and your results have been good. Then you might feel you have no reason to mix up your routine. I suggest you do, take a leap of faith and work out with weights every other day and not more! You will experience a big increase in strength, motivation, and energy. You know what that tends to lead to? Muscle gain!

[Jsorb8997]

I disagree with the order of the questions...diet should undoubtedly be first.

Can I state my answer to proper diet first?

[Gripper]

cardio and no junk/fast food...so simple, its stupid to make a topic about this.

[ferrous]

Contrary to the popular myth offseason is the time when a serious fitness freak needs to condition his body and to train it for the hardships ahead. We all must admit after a couple of thousand miles even simple machinery like cars need servicing and lavish treatment. The human body is far more complex than a car, most of us hinder the body’s ability to keep everything balanced by means of over training or eating absolute junk. Offseason is the time when most people are laidback on the diet front, which is absolutely wrong the whole point of the offseason mania is to let the body recuperate not deteriorate.

The Diet Dilemma

Offseason diet should not differ too much from normal diet in terms of essential nutrition intake. However eating anything and everything like a hog should be avoided, since it is only going to make the future harder for you. More fats you gain means more fats you will have to lose. Obviously most of us do not live on a different plane of existence as our beloved Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler do; there is a very thin line between definition and nothingness. So be smart increase your protein intake with minimal and systematic increases in fats etc. Fats are a rich source of energy that can prove useful in going that extra mile and adding size to your arsenal. Apart from the essential nutrients the intake of creatine etc. is up to you, for me they do not vary much from my normal season.
It’s a popular perception that one is supposed to bulk up in offseason, but most off us push it a bit too far and end up doing ridiculous amounts of cardio later on. So I will repeat myself “offseason bulking up should be a systematic and gradual process, drastic measures will lead to dramatic consequences”.
Last but certainly not the least is cardiovascular routines. For me it has always been somewhat of a controversy while most people have a set level of cardio which they decrease during offseason. I like to put it this way I follow a regular cardio routine that I increase at a steady pace as I approach the regular season. For example from three days of regular cardio I make a gradual transition into a five day but shorter and more intense cardio routines.

Bonus Question—should have been the focal point here!!
Well as stated above I make a gradual transition from regular three day 30 minute cardio to a 5 day 15-20 minute intense cardio. There is only one way to lose weight, fat burners may facilitate the process but unless you do not get yourself into the Rocky Balboa spirit and run (or whatever you do) your heart out you maybe disappointed every time the someone starts talking about abs. Weight-160, offseason- 165-170ish. My goal is not to turn pro but be the best I can be.

[bigcalves]

How Can A Bodybuilder Stay Lean In Their Off Season?






Off season is a part of bodybuilding. It's the time where your main concern is muscle gains. All the pro's and amateurs bulk up and then cut down for a competition. Without bulking up, your progress would come to a snail's pace. When 'bulking' you should focus on gaining as much muscle as you can, while keeping fat gain at a minimum. Your best judge is you. And your friend is the mirror. Do not base your resutls on weight, charts and logs. Sure those are necessary, but are not the prime factor on determining your progress. Before you start keep a log of all your lifts, and measurements. Record your progress every 2 weeks and that way you can determine if you are heading down the right path.


When bulking up you should keep body fat at a minimum. Gaining more than 2lbs per week is bad, and it means you are over eating and you should cut your calories by 200 or 400 calories to ease off the fat gains. Our goal is to gain muscle and not fat. Let's be realistic, fat will come but you shouldn't gain more than 4-7% fat on your whole bulk. If your gianing 10%+ you are surely overeating, or consuming junk food. Again, the mirror is your best friend. When bulking i monitor my fat gains and when i gain too much fat i can usually tell why it is. Learn to listen to your body and not the scale. Do not overbulk, because if you do, you will have a hard time loosing it all off. Plus with all the cutting you will do, you will loose more muscle which will lead you to no where. Like i said, it's not wise to base it on the scale or a program, always determine your progress through looking in the mirror.


Although weight training is necessary to gain muscle, the right diet is needed. Nutrition is about 80 percent of bodybuilding. So no matter how much you train, and how many sets you do, if you don't feed and rebuild your body, it simply won't grow. I see tons of people in the gym with perfect routines, going day by day, always the same. I know that their diet sucks, but again i see them editing their routines and following the next best workout program. The other factor that seems to be over looked is rest. You need 8 hours of good quality sleep. Don't expect to grow while you watch TV until midnight and then wake up at 6 for work or school. Your body needs to repair. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) kicks in within 2 hours of your sleep and repairs broken down tissue, or you muscle. That way you get bigger and stronger. When you cut down your sleep, you are taking away 2-4 hours of the main building process, and that is no good in trying to get more muscle. You need training, diet and rest to get big. Once you begin to master these components your gains should be comming in quite nicely.






The best type of diet for bulking up




When bulking up, you need an organized eating plan. Also you have to educate yourself about carbs, protein and fats. You need to know how calories work, and how to calculate your meals. First off your going to need to form a ratio. Through years of experience, i've found that 50/30/20 (carbs,protein,fat) works best for gainign quality weight. Now since the body get's used to the amount of food your giving it, you will have to UP the calories by 300 every 2 weeks. The first week that you start bulking you will go +500 calories, and then 300 calories every 2 weeks from then on. The 300 calories will be the same ratio as your diet. You will bulk up for 14-16 weeks, or until you decide to cut down. Let's say you were eating 2000 calories before you started. Thats your maintenence. First you will add 500 for the first 2 weeks, and then 300 for every other week. So it will look something like this. This is only a model, so add 500 calories to your maintenance calories.




Starting at 3000

Weeks 1-2 = 3,500 cal

Weeks 3-4 = 3,800 cal

Weeks 5-6 = 4,100 cal

Weeks 7-8 = 4,400 cal

Weeks 9-10= 4,700 cal

Weeks 11-12= 5,000 cal

Weeks 13-14= 5,300 cal

Week 15-16 = 5,500 cal




You can stop at anytime if you feel you reached your goal, or are gaining too much fat. Let the mirror be your judge. Don't follow the scale or a program. It would be fooish if you are happy at week 13 and you continue to week 16 and gain 5 or more lbs of fat. Always look in the mirror. Having logs and looking at the scale is fine too, it's actually necessary, but always let the mirror be your main source for judging your progress. Now since you know how many calories you have to eat, it's time to see what you will be eating. Carbs, protein and fats are what your diet is made out of. You know the ratio you need, now we need to figure out what of each you will be having and what foods are great sources of each macronutrient.





Carbohydrates



Carbs are needed for energy. You need alot of carbs, since they make 50% of your diet. Going too high on carbs will result in fat gain. Too little carbs will results in using other macronutrients as enegry which is also bad. You need to balance it out, and 50% is exactly what will do the trick. In the world of carbs, there are simple and complex carbs. Eat simple carbs consisting of dextrose for after workout only, otherwise avoid these carbs as they result in insulin spike and fat again. Feel free to eat alot of fruits though. Next are complex carbs which are great for bulking. They are slowly released into the body not greating a spike, and perfect for your diet. Now here are some great sources of carbohydrates.





SIMPLE CARBS- Dextrose, Fruits, Sugar, High fructose corn syrup, Sports drinks, Candies, etc..



COMPLEX CARBS- Brown rice, 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Oats, Pasta, Spaghetti, Beans, Veggies, etc..





Protein



Protein is very important. Protein builds lean muscle tissue, and that's how you get big. Without protein, it's like trying to drive a car without gas, or on the fumes. You need 1-2grams per lb of bodyweight, and 30% of your diet will be just enough to get you big. With a diet rich of protein, you will grow and feel better. Protein is found in meats and poultry. Be careful and avoid meat with the white stuff on it. That is saturated fat, and no good for your body or health. Red meat is perfect for getting big, but also contains saturated fats. Eat beef only 2-3 times per week and becareful and cut off all the visable saturated fat. Tuna and other fish are great for lean protein. Since not all of us can eat meat all the time, whey protein is perfect for supplementation. Whey saved my diet when i started my job. It was 8 hours and i had a 1 hour break in between and i was able to eat a big meal. But i also needed two smaller ones in between. So i got my cantiene and put 2-3 scoops of whey and i also had a banana or something to fullfill my diet requirements. I strongly suggest that you pick up a tub of Whey Protein.



Protein Foods- Tuna, Salmon, Chicken Breast, Beef, Pork Chops, Turkey, Egg Whites





Fats




Fats are often overlooked in todays 'athlete' diets. Since the 90's fats got a bad reputation. So in everyone's mind, fat equals fat around your belly. In reality, fat from food and stored fat on a body are two different things. Everyone needs fat in their diet. From active to non active people, fat is needed. Since we are trying to get bigger, fat is 20% of our total intake. Don't worry it will not magically stick to your belly. There's different kinds of fat. There is Saturated, and Unsaturated fat. The saturated fat has a sub category of Trans fats, while the Unstaturated fats have Poly and Mono. You should avoid Saturated fats.


Poly and Mono are helpful and help the body and are also prooven to raise natural testosterone. Something that every lifter can appriciate. These 'good fats' belong to the Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) which are needed for your body and are quite good for you, with little to no bad benefits. Salmon and fish are excellent sources of protein and the fat that we want. There's virtually no Saturated fat in fish and that is good to keep your bulk diet clean. Be sure to consume alot of nuts and cook with olive oil. These will give you pure EFA's and will be very good for your body and healthy for your system. Please don't overlook fat, because it plays an important role in any diet, bulking or cutting.





Good Fats- Nuts, Olive oil, Fish, Seeds







What should their cardiovascular routine consist of?




If your bulking up doesn't mean that you should develop heart and cardiovascular problems. Always peform cardio so you can stay healthy and maintain healthy blood pressure. Something alot of pro bodybuilders need to do. I like all sorts of cardio. The problem with me is that I get bored easilly and that might not be such a bad thing. Since your body can get adjusted too, it's good to switch things up. Now when I do HIIT, I like the feeling of the intense cardio, but sometimes i'm so tired that I prefer the 40 minute monotonous jog. But whatever floats your boat. I personally recommend doing both so you can get the same benefits. Maybe make a routine that has 2 days HIIT and the other 2 days long jogs. It's your choice, and for some people their body responds best to HII so why change it if it works. Try and and see which method works for you and if neither is the best, switch them up from time to time.






THE ROUTINE

MON- HIIT 25 minutes
TUE- OFF
WED- 45 minute jog
THUR- OFF
FRI- HIIT 25 minutes
SAT- OFF (unless your metabolism is very slow then you can add HIIT)
SUN- OFF








CONTINUED...

[bigcalves]

CONTINUED








How should your diet differentiate?




Sure we are bulking. But i strongly suggest do not go out and load up on fast food thinking that you loaded up on calories and will get big. Well you are right on one thing, you will get big, but the only measurement that will change will be your waist. We don't want that. So even though we are consuming a high amounts of calories, that doesn't give us the right to pig out. It's ok to have a cheat day once every 1 or 2 weeks, but don't overdo it or you will gain extra fat which when cutting time comes around is no fun. It means you will cut longer, loose more muscle and have a bussy schedule.



So take it nice and slow, stick to basic foods from each group, nothing too extreme and remember to listen to your body. Even if it's time to chage the calories a bit, if you still feel that you are making gains, then don't change it. It's about looking in the mirror and determining how you've progressed. If you gain fat a little faster, then have fewer cheat meals. Do not hesitate to tweak your calories, or do a carb load depending on how you feel. After all it's your body and everyone reacts differently.



There are some bad carbs.Ok now it's time to seperate the bad from the good. When eating carbs becareful not to over eat on the simple carbs. Simple carbs are excellent for after a workout because they will go in your system for energy or muscle rebuilding fast. But when you are not doing anything and have large amounts of simple carbs (High GI) you are asking for fat loss. Since it all goes in your system and your body doesn't need it. Avoid foods like candy, pure sugar and foods containing alot of sugar. Ice cream, pizza, potato chips and twislers are all bad for you and won't give you the gains you are looking for.



As for protein, you can't really mess up that bad. Just make sure you are eating clean, lean protein. Don't eat fatty steak everyday and wonder why you are gaining fat fast. Avoid the white stuff (Saturated Fats) and be sure to eat alot of fish and chicken breast. Be sure to avoid mixed beef that is full of Sat. fat and other bad stuff. Also avoid meats that are generally high in fat and feel greasy when eating. Chicken is good, but don't buy fried chicken or chicken strips that have 20% real chicken in them. Also avoid pork. Sure pork chops are good for red meat, but other than that pork is bad and pretty fattening. Meats like lamb and duck are greasy and don't have good protein in them. Besides from chicken breast, tuna and the occaisional red meat fix, all other meats have too much Sat. fat for large consumption.



Fats are always overlooked and to people they are the same. Wrong. There are bad and good fats. I already explained the benefit and what and where good fats come from. Now it's time for the bad fats. They are found in red meat. Beef, pork, lamb. You name it, and it's there. Saturated fats are usually found looking white at room temperature and if you taste them they feel very greasy. Avoid them at all cost since they are no good for you. They clog up arteries, and the leading causes of heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, high cholesterol and death. Cheese and eggs also contain this type of fat, like the red meat it come's from an animal. Aside from red meat and diary, Saturated fats are found on artificial products such as potato chips, fast food and junk candy. The Saturated fat from these products comes from low quality, cheap oils that companies use to lessen the cost, increase the greasy taste and cause major problems to today's society. Avoid these bad fats.






What supplements are essential for the off season bodybuilder?




Our key is to minimize fat while bulking. Although diet, training and rest are key, supplements can play an important role in bulking. They will give you the extra boost you need. By taking supplements you can increase your gains. Not anything dramatic, but still it's well worth it to invest in supplements. They can give you a extra boost when you need it in the weightroom or shorten your recovery time. No matter what, i strongly suggest supplements, and the best place to get them for an affordable price and excellent quality is Bodybuilding.com's store. There you will find everything you need, filled with tons of articles and places that can give you a very close look in the world of supplements. Although famous, these few supplements are very effective and not that expensive.





Whey Protein
No matter how hard you try, nothing replaces good old whey. It has a fast digestion rate, and comes in very pure form. By taking whey, you can increase your protein uptake by 50-150 grams per day which is very time saving and efficient. Whey is a must for after a workout since your muscles are tired and need to be replenished. Also when you wake yup, whey is the best choice for protein in my opinion.




Creatine
Creatine is used by tons of people world wide. It is safe, 100% natural and effective. From Olympians to gym rats, people use creatine. It gives an extra boost when working out. It can also help you gain more muscle and better your lifts. It boosts up the ATP energy which is responsible for short, drastic muscle movements. Perfect for weightlifters all around, creatine is a must for bulking up.



L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is an amino acid. It is a 100% natural and safe supplement. It is used mainly for recovery. It can help you recover faster from the hard leg or back workout that you had. That way intensity and recovery for your workouts is at an all time high. L-Glutamine also helps maintain a positive Nitrogen balance which is very healthy for your body.



Multi-Vitamins
These days everyone takes Multi-Vitamins. That is a very smart choice. Since we all need vitamins, and we can't always eat every fruit out there, so Multi-Vitamins are a very wise choice for any diet. Since you are bulking, you need vitamins to maintain your body healthy. From all the workouts and stress that you put on it, it's a must that you have vitamins to replenish and rebuild. Always a must for every bodybuilder.



*I don't recommend using any thermogenics as those can raise your blood pressure and if it's already raised it can cause problems. Also it can speed up the metabolism too fast and that can be counter productive. Although you can try caffiene before workout, but don't use it everyday and follow directions.




Bonus Question: How much fat do you gain in your off season? What action do you take to reduce the fat you gain in your off season?



I gain anywhere from 2%-6% more body fat in the offseason. My waist goes from a lean 30/31 inches to an all time high of 38 inches max. At that point I felt bloated, but I still had good gains and looked good, overbulked but good. I usually do about 2 cardio sessions a week to keep fat down when bulking. It's a problem that cannot be avoided, but it can be slowed down. The more you gain during bulking up, the more you gotta cut down. Once you have a long season of cutting you will remember and won't allow yourself the luxury of gaining that extra 1-2% at the end of your bulk. Better do it smart and right, than bloat up like a beach whale. Make sure to enjoy the process, record it and have fun.





Good Luck!

[LJ57]

Bodybuilders tend to gain a lot of weight, both fat and muscle in the off-season. How can a bodybuilder stay lean during their off season?

By following some or all of the suggestions below, bodybuilders can maximize muscle gain while minimizing fat gain. While some amount of fat is sure to be deposited on the body, there are ways bodybuilders can stay relatively lean without sacrificing their muscle gains. And there are good reasons to believe that bodybuilders should stay lean even in the off-season. Considering that many experts believe that body fat of around ten percent is optimal for adding muscle, it is shocking to discover that many bodybuilders put on upwards of fifty pounds in the off-season.


What should their cardiovascular routine consist of?

I am of the school of thought that cardio should be used only minimally, whether one is trying to cut, clean bulk, or outright dirty bulk. Cardio is great for overall health as it can improve heart health, digestive health, and help reduce stress among many other things. However, I believe cardio should not be relied on for getting lean or staying lean. Heavy weight training can be far superior to cardio in that it increases resting metabolic rate and can burn more calories over a twenty-four hour period than an hour of aerobic exercise such as walking.

Cardio should be done no more than 3-4 times per week for no more than forty-five minutes per session. This should help to burn some excess calories and improve general health while minimizing any catabolic effect.


What supplements are essential for the off season bodybuilder?

There are several supplements that should be consumed during the off-season. First, it goes without saying that one should always take a high quality multiple vitamin/mineral. This is a foundational supplement that should never be omitted from any serious trainer’s supplement cabinet. Even if you’re diet is as close to perfect as it could possibly be, it is a very wise idea to include this supplement.

Second, unless you are able to consume at least two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight from whole foods alone then you should be taking whey protein. Even if you do consume enough protein from the food you eat, it is still a very good idea to consume whey protein immediately after a workout. (along with fast acting carbs)

Third, a creatine product should be used in the off-season. If you don’t respond to creatine monohydrate or cannot tolerate the gastrointestinal side effects that some people experience from it, you can opt for other forms such as creatine ethyl ester or tricreatine maleate. Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements and should be a mainstay for bodybuilders.

Finally, the off-season bodybuilder should be sure to consume a sufficient amount of Omega 3 fatty acids. You can opt for fish oil or flaxseed oil as both are high in these healthy fats.

Although not generally considered essential, Sesamin, especially when combined with fish oil, can assist the off-season bodybuilder in staying lean while consuming a surplus of calories. One of the most effective stacks I have found for minimizing fat gain while bulking consists of Sesamin (500mg), Alpha Lipoic Acid (200mg), L-Carnitine (1000mg) and Fish Oil (2400mg) taken three times per day with meals. Sesamin has received an enormous amount of praise from those attempting to bulk while remaining lean. Although it is a relatively new supplement, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

How should your diet differentiate?

During the off-season you should definitely be more concerned with packing on mass than staying lean. However, there are ways that you can maintain leanness while packing on muscle. Some pro bodybuilders such as Darrem Charles and Dexter Jackson allegedly stay under ten percent body fat year round. The trick is to implement dietary strategies that will help you achieve this goal.

The first thing you should do is consume an excess of calories. This may seem like common sense but many people will consciously or unconsciously skimp on eating a sufficient amount of quality food if they are too obsessed with maintaining leanness in the off season. Eat clean and keep a food dairy showing exactly how many calories you are taking in as well as a breakdown of where those calories are coming from. (i.e. fat, carbs, protein) Make sure you are consuming an adequate amount each and every day.

Second, pick one day out of the week to absolutely gorge yourself with food. Eat as much as you possibly can within reason. (don’t make yourself sick) Not only will this increase your metabolism but it will also help you put on muscle. If done only once per week, your body will not overreact and store all these calories as fat. The key is in the infrequency of this kind of eating. It’s only one day out of seven and it can make a big difference in keeping your metabolism up and helping you pack on new muscle. It is preferable to keep your diet clean on this day despite the major increase in food quantity and caloric amount. However, if you feel the need to eat some of the foods that you crave then go ahead and have some pizza, pie, or whatever it is you are wanting so badly. This may ease your mind and keep you from consuming these foods on a regular basis. It’s better to willfully fall off the bandwagon once per week than to give in to your cravings as a result of a lack of self-control. Think of it as a reward for six days of proper eating.

Third, don’t go overboard with fat consumption. Many bodybuilders try to eat a lot of fat with the belief that it will keep their testosterone high. Fat certainly helps with this but there is no reason to eat an abundance of unhealthy fats. In addition to taking Omega 3’s as a supplement, you should get the rest of your fat by eating healthy fatty foods like fish and cheese. Use olive oil on your foods to add even more healthy fat. Red meat, one of the favorite staples of many bodybuilders’ diets, can be consumed in moderation, but a steady of steaks and hamburgers is unhealthy and will not help you stay lean.

There is one time of the day when you should let your guard down and not worry about eating too clean : post-workout (PWO). This is the only time you should allow yourself to consume simple sugars such as dextrose. Add some form of simple sugar to your PWO shake and have no fear of it interfering with your quest to stay lean. Your body needs these simple sugars and will not store them as body fat. Many people who are trying to stay or get lean make the mistake of eliminating carbs altogether PWO or consuming slow-digesting carbs such as oatmeal. Save the oatmeal for breakfast and use simple sugars after a grueling workout.


Bonus Question: How much fat do you gain in your off season? What action do you take to reduce the fat you gain in your off season?


I used to gain a lot of fat when I was trying to bulk up but that was because I had no strategy at the time for adding muscle while keeping the fat gain at a minimum. I was simply “eating big” and with reckless abandon.

It was not until I heard the term “clean bulking” that I decided to try a new approach. Last year I gained nearly twenty pounds of fat in less than two months using my old approach. However, I have been clean bulking for the last two and a half months and have gained no more than five pounds of fat while eating 3,500-4,000 calories per day.

[philipj]

My most successful method has been early morning aerobics. I start with a set of dumbells for a circuit of ten exercises(calf raise, squat w/ over head press, dead lift, bent over row curls, tricep ext, pull over, scoop flye, press) and 20 minutes on a ski machine. Each meal of the day includes a half+ of fresh peeled grapefruit.

[bobio257]

When it's Off-Season, it's Bulking season. Most bodybuilders are finished competing, and are very excited to get out of the cutting phase. They've seen how their body has done in the past season, and are ready to start making gains to do even better next season. Of course, by making gains their main intentions are to gain muscle mass, as opposed to adipose. Changes will obviously be made in cardio, diet, and supplementing. Let's first start with the cardio.

CARDIO
The change in cardio really depends on body type. Most ectopmorphs don't have to do cardio at all (lucky bastards). However, for those of us who lack the godly "I don't have to do cardio" genes, it is a necessity.
Now there's many different ways we can do our cardio. Most studies are telling us to do some for of HIIT, but to be honest, if you don't like it, you're not going to do it. Consistency is key, and if days go by where you can't drag yourself to do it, then it's not accomplishing anything. I'd recommend that you find something that you like to do. It could be running an HIIT routine on the treadmill, but it doesn't have to be. A good one-on-one game of baseketball is a lot more fun, and if it'll get you to do cardio, it's definitely worth it. Cardio can be done 2-4 days per week depending on body-type, intensity, and willingness to actually do it. Another thing to keep in mind is that cardio doesn't have to be some sort of rigorous thing that leaves you gasping for breathe when your finished. Ronnie Coleman has been known to go for an hour-long walk to achieve a good cardiovascular workout. It takes a BIG man, to go for a brisk morning walk.
After establishing an activity, the next thing you'll have to determine, of course, is duration. Duration ultimately depends on the intensity. Personally I prefer a higher intensity cardio because it gets me in and out; however, higher intensity cardio (i.e. running) can lead to the catabolic release of cortisol. There's a price to pay for everything we do. If you're not all about muscle depletion, as I'm sure you're not, you could try something with a little less intensity, or something the good ol' HIIT. Anyhow, here's a little chart of intensities and durations of a few activities you can do.
activity intensity duration
Running High 20-30mins
Jumping Rope High 20-30mins
Swimming Med 30-40 mins
Cycling Med 30-40 mins
Inline Skating Med 30-40 mins
Backyard BBall Med/High 20-40 mins
Backyard Football Med/High 20-40 mins
Hiking Med/Low 40-50 mins
Walking Low 60-80 mins

SUPPLEMENTS
The main purpose of supplements is to supply (hence the name) the body with nutrients which it cannot get through normal diet. There's a lot of supplements out there on the market. Some of them are proven to work, others don't have as much data to back them up. You're success in bodybuilding is based on trial and error. The off season is a great time to experiment without as much worry. However, if results are your main focus, stick with what works: stick with the 3 essentials.


3 essentials:
1. Protein: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/proteinfinder.htm
Protein is pretty self-explanatory. Building muscles without protein is like building a house without bricks.

2. MultiVitamin: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/multi.html
Although often overlooked, getting you're micronutrients is just as important as macronutrients (i.e. protein, carbs, fat). They are essential for not only maximizing muscle, but minimizing fat as well. From digesting the proteins, to making the hormones we produce, and burning fat, multivitamins serve hundreds of metabolic purposes. If you're not taking a multivitamin supplement, why not?

3. Creatine: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/creatine.html
Last on my list of the essentials is creatine. Up until recently, I wouldn't have even bothered to put it here. Some people say that they are non-responders to creatine monohydrate. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/pollresults.php I was one of those people. For some reason, it just wasn't making it's way into my sarcoplasm. The sarcoplasm is the fluid part of the muscle, outside of the myofibril, where creatine hangs out, and cell-volumization occurs.
Lucky for us, there are plenty of new forms of creatine to enhance abosorbtion into the muscle such as CEE, Creatine AKG, and Kre-Alkalyn. Creatine is not only a potent cell volumizer, but it is also great for enhancing muscular performance as well as recovery. And after over 200 clinical studies, I'd have to say that it's pretty safe and effective. One thing is for certain, creatine works, and that's a lot to say when it comes to the supplement industry.


continued...

[bobio257]

DIET

Here it is folks. By far the most important aspect of not only staying lean during the off season, but in the sport of bodybuilding as a whole is diet. You can train great, you can take all kinds of supplements, but if you're not eating right, you're not going to see the results you want.
The first thing to examine is what you are eating. If you put garbage into your body, you're gonna look like garbage. Staying fit comes from eating clean. Yeah, it sucks but that's life. Chicken breasts, Low-fat cottage cheese,tuna fish, egg whites, lean beef, green vegetables, fruit,and oats should all be staples to your diet. Yum.
Now that we've established what sorts of foods you'll be eating, the next thing is fitting them into your diet, and seeing how much protein, fat and carbs you'll be getting from it. A good muscle building/ fat sparing diet usually will consist of a fat/carbs/protein percentage between 10/45/45. Splitting it up 10/50/40 or 20/50/30 also work well. Next it's time to split up those calories into meals. It's important to eat several meals throughout the day, to keep up metabolism, and maintian positive nitrogen retention. The actual Calories, however, won't be split up so nice and evenly. To maximize anabolic hormones (in this case it's insulin) and minimize fat many of the pro's practice carb compensation. Carb compensation works by taking carbs from meals at times of the day with low anabolic potential, and putting them into meals at times with high potential. Here's a sample mealplan (* signifies high potential times):

*Breakfast: 1 scoop whey protein, 6 egg whites, 1/2 cup whole oats,
2bananas

Mid Morning: 1.5 cans of chunk light tuna, and a handful of almonds

Lunch: 1 large Chicken breast, salad with light vinegraite dressing

Mid afternoon (hour before workout): 1/2 cup of oats, 1.5 cans of tuna

*Post-Workout: 2 scoops Whey protein, 1 quart of gatorade

Dinner: 1 Chicken breast, Baked potato, Salad with light vinegraite dressing

Evening Snack: 4 egg whites, 1 cup 1% lowfat cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Whole oats.


As you can see, the fat and protein calories stay pretty much constant, but the carbs are almost completely removed from the second and third meals. This primes your body for the insulin spike you'll be receiving post workout.



BONUS:
During the off season, I tried to make a net gain of 30 lbs. I had success with it, but also tried a little too hard when I got near the end of my bulking phase (eating 9 meals per day regardless if I was hungry). I made about 50% muscle gains because near the end things got alittle crazy, and I stopped doing my clean bulking in order to accomplish my 30 lbs goal.
Now I'm currently cutting for a competition in April. I've increased my cardio to 4 days per week from the typical 2-3 during the off-season, and started taking green tea for fat loss. I've lost all the fat, and then some. Hopefully I'll find success this coming competition.

[ho_124]

How Can A Bodybuilder Stay Lean In Their Off Season?

Intro
Almost every sport has an off season where athletes train extremely hard to get ready for the competitions and tournaments that are months down the road. Even though these competitions may seem far off, it doesn’t mean it’s time to slack, as a matter of fact it’s probably the time where you have to work the hardest, especially in bodybuilding. During the off season in bodybuilding you have to work your hardest and there’s no time for slacking or screw ups, or else your whole in season will be screwed over. Unlike some other sports where you can start picking up the slack later on, bodybuilding is way different from that. The off season is the one and only time to put on as much muscle as possible to compete. Competitions in bodybuilding judge mainly on how much muscle mass a competitor has, so therefore it is essential that everything is planned and done right so that muscular gain is maximized. If you wait too long to pick up slack, then you will only have a few months before a competition or the summer to put on muscle. This is the worst situation because you might be spending some of your in season which is competition time to bulk up and you might not have enough time to cut down your fat, or you just won’t put on as much muscle and therefore not look as good. However considering you have all this down and planned out, it is important to know how to stay as lean as possible during your off season, because as you know, muscular gains come along with fat too. If you don’t try to stay as lean as possible then you might be spending too long cutting down fat which could be time used to bulk up even more. So therefore keeping fat levels low ensures you won’t have to work too hard at cutting to get ready for the competition you want to be going to or the beach or whatever. It’s also great because if you for any reason need more time to cut down maybe because of your body type, you can afford to do that because you’ve kept your fat levels as low as possible. Now when people hear this they often think doing godly amounts of cardio will keep the fat levels down. This is a huge and common mistake, because doing that much cardio will probably burn all the muscle they try to gain, increase the amount of calories they need so therefore they don’t reach the amount or they just end up overtraining the legs which is horrible. I’ve seen it before and I’ve done it and I’m sure a lot of people have done it, but you never want to overtrain on cardio. If you do way too much cardio and your not prepared for it then you probably will end up doing more than your body can handle for a few months and that’s when you realize you’ve overtrained on cardio for a few months. Then the bad news is you probably won’t be able to train for 6 months to maybe even a year because your legs are fried. So before getting into all this, GO EASY on the cardio, you won’t be losing that much fat by doing it anyway because during the off season the main focus is gaining muscle and not cutting, so therefore fat loss won’t be significant. So the main thing to remember is don’t overdo anything especially cardio or your training.



Bodybuilders tend to gain a lot of weight, both fat and muscle in the off-season. How can a bodybuilder stay lean during their off season?
There are many ways to stay lean during the off season, some are significant ways but others are small ways. The thing is to keep everything in mind because if you do all the small things right rather than ignoring them, then it will pay off in the end since all the small things make a difference. One thing I want to say here is what is done during the off season that requires bodybuilders to be so careful about watching their fat levels. While on the off season basically the only thing that changes is the diet and this is where fat levels have to be watched closely. During the off season the bodybuilder takes on a bulking diet which is used to try to put on muscle and basically they try to get more calories than their maintenance level to put on muscle (Excess calories are required to build muscle effectively). But also when they do this they put on fat because of the excess calories, that’s the main reason why bodybuilders have to find ways to minimize fat gain or to keep it at bay. So the following are things to do to minimize your fat gains.

1. It’s all about calories
– The biggest change you will be making in the off season is the calories. Everything depends on calories and it can be the difference between gaining muscle and minimal fat or gaining muscle and more fat than you want. The rule of thumb everyone goes by is getting 500 calories above your maintenance level to gain muscle, but this isn’t true for everyone. So if your taking too much calories then you might be putting on unnecessary fat, and this scares some people so they don’t get enough calories and they end up not gaining enough muscle. This is where you have to determine how many calories you need, it’s not that hard at all. The main thing that you should take into consideration is what body type you have, this is essential. I won’t get into all of it in detail, but basically there’s the mesomorph, ectomorph, and endomorph, and calorie consumption should vary between these body types. Remember there are combinations, not everyone is purely ectomorph, someone might be a mix between an ectomorph and a mesomorph.
– Basically the ectomorph is the kind of bodytype that doesn’t gain muscle or fat very easily. These people can probably go above the 500 calorie limit without gaining significant amounts of fat. Depending on how much of an ectomorph you are, you want to up your calorie intake according to what degree your body is an ectomorph. Some people would probably be safe with 1000 calories over their maintenance level. The endomorph is a body type that gains muscle and fat easier. Because fat gains come with the increased calorie level, endomorphs might want to go lower than 500 calories depending on how much they are an endomorph. The ectomorph is where everyone wants to be. They gain muscle easily or easier and can keep fat levels lower. Because of this they usually stick with the 500 calorie over the maintenance level rule, because they might gain unnecessary fat if they go too high. So remember, the main thing is to alter your calorie intake depending on what body type you are and what mixes of body types you have.

2. Bulk on healthy foods.
– Bulking on healthy foods is super important to staying lean. If someone cheats all the time when they bulk, meaning they eat unhealthy foods such as things loaded with sugar and fat, then they not only will limit their muscular gains, but accelerate their fat gains. Eating foods loaded with fat, sugar, and unhealthy ingredients has many negative effects on the body. First of all as you know it affects your health, and if you have poor health it will affect your performance in the gym. Also eating those kinds of foods will result in unwanted fat gain, for example sugar spikes insulin resulting in fat gain. So stay away from the foods loaded with simple sugars and fat, that will be a huge factor in staying lean, especially if you susceptible to gaining fat.

3. Eat 6 meals a day
– Eating six meals a day ensures that not only will you get a constant flow of nutrients for your body to build muscle, but also so you won’t gain fat. That’s right, eating that many meals a day keeps your body from storing fat as a defense against starvation. So if you only eat three meals a day, your body might store fat because it’s afraid it will stave, that’s why anorexic people initially store fat when they start not eating. Also eating more meals a day speeds up your metabolism so you won’t likely store other meals as fat, which is good if you have a slow metabolism which results in fat gain.

4. Drink enough water
– Drinking water is believe it or not a way to keep lean. If you don’t drink enough water your liver will have to come into play to help your kidneys pick up slack. When this happens, you can’t metabolize food as fast and your body will likely store some as fat. So drink lots of water but not so much so your bloated all the time.

[ho_124]

5. Do cardio and timing it
– Doing cardio will help you keep fat at bay, plain and simple. Everyone knows that. But the thing is how much to do and when to do it. The thing with cardio during bulking is that you don’t want to do too much, because it’s not like you will be losing tons of fat by doing it, because your body is currently building muscle, and it’s hard for it to drop fat. Rarely are there cases where someone gains lots of muscle and loses quite a bit of fat at the same time. So don’t go crazy on the cardio and do godly amounts of it because you will just end up overtraining your legs or burning muscle. So you only want to do cardio about 3 times a week during bulking, I wouldn’t do any more than that because if you do too much you might end up breaking down the muscle you build in the gym. There are different kinds of cardio that can be done which I will cover later but now the question is when to do it. One thing that burns fat quite effectively is doing cardio in the morning. I used to think this was bad for the system, but the point here isn’t to become cardiovascularly fit, the point is to gain muscle. Doing cardio in the morning is good because your carb levels are low, so your body will use fat for energy which is good. However your body might also use muscle for energy which is bad. So that’s why you might want to drink a protein shake before going for a run to minimize muscle breakdown for energy. If you don’t want to do this then fit it into your own schedule, just make sure not to do it before a workout or else you won’t maximize your results in the gym because your glycogen levels are depleted and you’ve already started muscle breakdown in your cardio session.

6. Use a fat burner
– I don’t like using fat burners but a lot of people like using to burn off some fat and speed up metabolism. It also provides energy for people which might be a good thing to boost performance in the gym. However some fat burners suppresses the appetite which you don’t want because your going to need to eat a lot of food.


What should their cardiovascular routine consist of?
There are many different ways of doing cardio. Some have weak and strong points and some kinds of cardio people choose because they like that kind the best. You don’t have to be all worried about when to do cardio or what kind to do because the goal here isn’t cardio, it’s gaining muscle and keeping fat away. So all that really matters is that your doing cardio decently correct. Basically like I said above three cardio sessions is good enough a week. As a matter of fact doing cardio for three sessions a week for 30 minutes each time will result in near 0 muscle loss, so for those guys who are afraid to even walk to the store because they think cardio is bad, your wrong. Basically I will list two kinds of cardio that are good enough for the needs of bodybuilders while on the off season. One thing you should always remember is to put cardio as far away from legs as possible and not to do cardio on a leg day.

1. HIIT – High intensity interval training
– This is kind of a new thing that a lot of bodybuilders like to do for cardio. It basically consists of high intensity intervals followed by low intensity ones. The whole session last for about 20-30 minutes which is great because it saves time. There are great benefits from it
– A sample routine would look like this. Keep it simple, that’s the best thing. You don’t need a super complicated schedule for great results that’s a common mistake that will just confuse you.
Monday – HIIT in the morning or whenever possible
Tuesday
Wednesday - HIIT in the morning or whenever possible
Thursday
Friday - HIIT in the morning or whenever possible
Saturday
Sunday

2. Regular cardio 3x a week for 30 minutes
– Remember like I said above doing cardio three times a week for thirty minutes will result in virtually no muscle loss so don’t be afraid. You shouldn’t be going all out in these runs just enough so that your decently tired in the end, not dead tired. So go at about 75% of your max heart rate and that will be good enough. You can do running, rowing, cycling, skipping or even play a sport. Just don’t run on the treadmill for thirty minutes because it tends to get boring.
– Here’s a sample schedule, and again keeping it simple, no need to get complicated. That’s for people who get tricked into paying lots of money for some personal trainer to make them an ultra complicated schedule that works the same as a simple one.

Monday – Run for 30 minutes
Tuesday
Wednesday – Cycle for 30 minutes
Thursday
Friday – Swim for 30 minutes
Saturday
Sunday


What supplements are essential for the off season bodybuilder?
1. Whey protein (Add simple sugars into your shake after a workout)
– Whey protein is probably the number one supplement for gaining muscle. Not only does it stop muscle breakdown but it also helps repair muscle right after a workout and starts recovery practically right when you drink it since it’s fast absorbing. That means your body will start building muscle back faster than if you ate a slow absorbing protein or if you just didn’t eat anything. Also it works with simple sugars to boost insulin which helps build muscle and stop muscle breakdown. Simple sugars not only help recovery by replacing glycogen stores, but also spikes insulin which stops muscle breakdown and builds muscle.

2. Creatine
– Creatine is a great supplement for gaining muscle since some people can gain up to 10 pounds within the first few weeks of using it. It’s also great for post workout and good to boost ATP which is good for short bursts of energy. You also have to cycle on and off it so you don’t get too used to it. So you might want to try 3 weeks on and 1 week off. It won’t do too much if you go off it for a week.

3. Multi-vitamin
– Multivitamins are important to provide nutrients for your body to be in an anabolic state. Trying to get all the vitamins and minerals just from diet is super hard, that’s why multivitamins is great. Any lack of a certain vitamin can cause some trouble but with a multivitamin you don’t have to worry about that. There are also great things such as anti-oxidants in them and also things like vitamin c which helps in reducing muscle stress.

4. Seseamin
– This is kind of a new product that helps people burn fat and is suppose to be very good at doing that. I don’t really know much about it but it is something to consider while on the off season especially if you tend to gain a lot of fat. This isn’t really a must have but rather something to try out if your interested.

5. EFA supplements
– EFA supplements are great for loads of benefits and two which are really good for the off season which are hormonal maintenance and keeping fat levels low. You need hormonal maintenance because if your testosterone levels were low, you wouldn’t be able to build that much muscle, and also keeping the fat low is a good benefit. You need the essential fats omega 3-6-9 because those are the ones your body can’t synthesize, so it’s important to get all of those.

6. Fat burner
– Fat burners again aren’t a must have but something someone might want to consider if they tend to gain too much fat in the off season. Someone shouldn’t rely on a fat burner and also you should stay away from ones that suppress appetite.


How should your diet differentiate?
Compared to the in season the diet is way different. There are a number of things that are different such as
1. Calories
– Calories are way different. During the off season you want to get an excess of calories so that your body uses the extra energy to build muscle. This isn’t true in the in season. While in this stage you have to cut fat so then your calories drop below your maintenance level which results in fat loss.
2. Carb intake
– Carb intake during the off season should be more than the in season. Carb intake is essential for the off season to provide enough carbs to refuel your body for the next workout. But during the in season the main goal is dropping fat which can be accelerated if you lower carbs. Lowering carbs which doesn’t mean atkins style, helps your body burn more fat because once carb levels are low, your body uses fat to burn as energy.
3. Protein intake
– Protein intake is also different and is opposite from carbs. During the off season about you need at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. But during the in season you need more because for people that lower their carbs they need protein or else their body might burn muscle for energy because carb levels are low.
4. Different kinds of foods
– During the in season bodybuilders have to carefully watch what kinds of foods they eat, not only because it’s near a competition and they don’t want to gain fat, but also because certain foods can have adverse effects on their appearance. For example too much salt even from healthy foods might result in water retention resulting in less definition. Also bodybuilders cut dairy products before the competition and also other foods to look their best.

[ho_124]

Bonus Question: How much fat do you gain in your off season? What action do you take to reduce the fat you gain in your off season?
Since I’m sort of a mix between an ectomorph and a mesomorph I tend not to gain a lot of fat in the off season. This is great but also my muscle gains tend to come slower also. I tend to gain about 2-4% body fat. Because of this I don’t really have to worry about getting the exact amount of calories and I can afford to go over what I’m suppose to eat. Also because I don’t gain fat as much I don’t usually do cardio because that isn’t really my focus. And also fitting in cardio jumbles up your training split because you don’t want it near leg days and not before weight lifting sessions, so I just cut it out all together. However in some cases I might do cardio for example when it’s nearing the in season to get a little bit of a start, or maybe if I’m gaining more fat than expected.

[acespade21]

Intro

Many bodybuilders "bulk up" in their off season, often gaining up to 50 lbs of muscle, fat, and excess water weight. However, staying lean during the off season is often more beneficial than bulking up because you don't need to lose as much weight come competition time. By not losing as much weight, you preserve more muscle, and in turn, look more shredded. So how can a bodybuilder stay lean during the offseason? For starters, keeping an intense cardio routine will cause you to burn fat and preserve muscle. Another huge part of the battle is a proper diet. Without a proper diet, all the exercise in the world can't keep you from looking fat. As for weight training, overload a muscle group by using progressively heavier weights. Although it's the offseason, staying in the gym is essential. If worse comes to worse, get in the gym atleast once a week as research has shown that lifting only once a week can stop muscle loss. When in the gym, keep sessions at about 1 hour long and keep reps lower (about 2-10). All in all, a bodybuilder needs to be motivated to stay lean and needs to work hard to do it.

What Should a Bodybuilder's Cardiovascular Routine Consist Of?

A bodybuilder has to make cardiovascular exercise a part of his everyday life. By that I mean you can't skip scheduled workouts. By not skipping cardio, you keep your metabolism high so you can eat more and preserve more muscle, keeping you leaner. I would recommend cardiovascular exercise of any type 4-5 times a week for 30-45 minutes. Get creative with your routine, don't just run on the treadmill every day of the week. Swimming, volleyball, running outdoors, roller skating, soccer, basketball, raquetball, yoga, pilates, spinning, biking, hiking, tennis, martial arts, football, etc. are all forms of exercise that can make a boring routine more fun, so you're more likely to stick with it. However, no matter what you're doing, keep the intensity level high so you burn more calories and can ultimately eat more, making you more lean.

What Supplements are essential for the off season bodybuilder?

*HMB

HMB is a metabolite of leucine, an essential amino acid. It has the ability to burn fat and build muscle consistently in response to exercise! Recent studies have credited it to enhanced strength, greater endurance, and increased fat loss. Taking about 3 grams per day is enough to produce huge benefits.

*ZMA

ZMA contains Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate plus Magnesium Aspartate and vitamin B-6, and has been proven to significantly increase anabolic hormone levels and muscle strength. It increases free testosterone levels, allowing for gains in muscle strength and size. Taking it about 1 hour before bed is best.

*Whey Protein

Whey protein is one of the most widely used supplements today for one reason: because it works. Taking whey protein with simple carbohydrates after working out helps build muscle and replace your glycogen stores, making you bigger and more ripped.

*Creatine Ethyl Ester

Creatine Ethyl Ester is one of the most effective forms of creatine. After working out, creatine replenishes your muscles ATP stores, helping them recover. It significantly increases lean muscle mass and size by bringing more water into muscle cells. Taking creatine immediately after working out is best.

*Fat Burners

Fat Burners work because they increase your metabolism, allowing your body to burn more calories and ultimately, fat. Burning more calories allows you to eat more in a day, which preserves your muscle tissue. Many fat burners also contain appetite suppressors, which can help bodybuilders who are constantly hungry. Taking fat burners is only a suggestion and isn't necessary if you're metabolism is already high enough, but they can produce rapid results if taken properly.

How Should Your Diet Differentiate?

A strong diet is about 85% of the battle when it comes to staying lean, so having the right diet is crucial. Eating smaller meals every 2.5-3 hours is a good idea because it keeps the metabolism up. This also prevents the muscle catabolism that occurs after 3 hours of not eating. Each meal should contain a lean protein source such as chicken, lean beef, fish, or turkey, a complex carbohydrate source such as whole grains, and a fibrous fruit or vegetable source such as apples, oranges, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc. I suggest carrying bottled water with you at all times because water keeps you full without adding calories, and it also increases your metabolism because your body has to heat up extra water. Keeping a nutrition log can be a lot of work, but it definately pays off in the end. A nutrition log allows you to keep track of your ratios, fiber, protein, calories, etc. Knowing this may not sound important, but the extra work can really make a difference.

Bonus: How much fat do you gain in your off season? What action do you take to reduce the fat you gain in your off season?

Knowing the benefits of staying lean in the off season, I usually keep my weight gain to 20 lbs or less. During the season I weigh about 182, but in the off season my weight gets up to around 200. During my off season, I stay as active as possible. I run 5k races, bike, swim, anything I can to keep my metabolism up and burning fat. I also keep a nutrition log to help me stay on track. By doing this, I've seen great success and can honestly say that saying lean during the offseason is more beneficial than "bulking up."

[Aussie LTD]

How can a bodybuilder stay lean in their off-season?

[Eggwhites]

Here it is. I hope it's on time. Good Luck to all.

[Eggwhites]

Whew! Barely on time. And my 900th post!