Preparing for contest and/or cutting down. opinions? and any help wanted. Thanks

[crystellful]

hi im 19 years old. and possibly thinking about doing a comp in less than 10 weeks.

here is some info
age 19
bf 18%
height 5'2

I feel like i have a good amount of muscle on me I just need to cut down. I started my diet today and my workout. Before i was working out at the gym 4-5 times a week doing cardio for 30 min. then i would do random things....legs. push ups. sit ups. i would spend an 1 hr and 1/2 to 2 hours at the gym. my diet was ok. i would eat healthy but at the same time i ate whatever i felt like (just not a lot of it) Then on sundays i would eat whatever. i live with my bf and his cheat days are sundays so we would usually go out.
anyways i started eating cleaner today. this is what i ate:

woke up- half a banana, half a cup of oatmeal
3 1/2 hours later- protein shake w/ water
couple hours later-a cup of rice, with cup of veggies, with maybe 3 ounces of chicken,and some tomatoes
couple hours later- half a slice of wheat bread, then the gym.
after the gym- had another protein shake mixed w/ water
45 min later- dinner i had low sodium chicken broth mixed with chicken and veggies---it was a soup.

now i have no idea if i am doing this right. im pretty new to this. that is why i am very hesitate to compete. so here is my new workout:

monday-chest/ abs
tuesday- hit training 20 min. bis/tris
wed-light cardio 30 min. shoulders/traps
thurs-hit training 20 min. legs
fri-back

PLEASE any information or what you do would help. is it ok with what im doing? am i eating enough? im really new to this and whether i compete or not..i want a tight body and abs!! so thanks in advance.

oh i am also thinking about doing carb cycling...but i dont have a set guideline. so if you know anything about it. feel free to let me know and how you did.

[discdoggie]

Hi! What kind of competition is this? Unless it's just a "Hot Bod in Bikini" contest or something like that, I really don't think you have enough muscle to place or win in any figure-type show. And you're not gonna get it in 10 weeks, either.


Go to the gym, lift hard and heavy, and come back in 6 months with more muscle.

Just so you know, I've never competed before, so you cn take my opinion with a grain of salt. I think you have a cute body, just lacking in muscle for the stage.

[jabisk]

I agree with discdoggie. I have been tossing around the idea of possible competing although I know it is a long way off. I have been lifting and feel like I have a good amount of muscle but know it is nowhere near what I need to compete. Keep working hard in the gym and keep your diet in check. Make sure you are eating enough to support your muscle growth. I am finally (after two years) starting to notice a different in my abs now that I have really started paying more attention to my diet. It really helps to track it with something like fitday.com.

Good luck!

[dvsness]

Post pics.

How many calories is that? How many grams per macro? Looks like nothing (and I'm not calculating it for you, lol).

What show is it? What division of the show?

Are you performing cardio in a separate session, pre-WO or post-WO?

[crystellful]

Hi! What kind of competition is this? Unless it's just a "Hot Bod in Bikini" contest or something like that, I really don't think you have enough muscle to place or win in any figure-type show. And you're not gonna get it in 10 weeks, either.


Go to the gym, lift hard and heavy, and come back in 6 months with more muscle.

Just so you know, I've never competed before, so you cn take my opinion with a grain of salt. I think you have a cute body, just lacking in muscle for the stage.

yes it is a fitness. just toned and tight not bodybuilding. i dont plan on getting big just losing bf. im trying lol thanks so much for input! i will be working hard

[l_fazio]

Post pics.

How many calories is that? How many grams per macro? Looks like nothing (and I'm not calculating it for you, lol).

What show is it? What division of the show?

Are you performing cardio in a separate session, pre-WO or post-WO?

^^I agree with this

more info is needed from you hun...

I've been training heavily and into bodybuilding for 4 years now. I'm doing my first show in November- competing in OPA (which is the Ontario, Canada equivalent to NPC) Bikini regional show. I bulked from Jan1-Jun1 of this year and have been cutting since Jun 15 (took 2 weeks off)... so total prep for my first competition would be almost a year, and of that time it will work out to be about 20 weeks of dieting/cutting to shed fat... This is a lot of time but again it is my FIRST show so I want everything to be 100% perfect. I'm not saying that I'm *perfect* per se, I'm just saying the way I have approached this is pretty well dead on... It really is a science.

The most important thing I have learned is that it it 80% diet, 10% exercise, and 10% genetics... the second most important thing I have learned is that success is not rushed! Make sure you are 100% ready to do this because it is a long tough road and I'd hate to see you get discouraged. I have seen a LOT of girls jump on the bikini/figure bandwagon without adequate training/muscle density and dieting/tightness. I do personal training and nutriton counselling and I see a lot of them give up and/or do the show and feel worse afterwards honestly all the time. In my opinion, I would be terrified to get on stage under those bright lights and not be 150% prepared.

You definitely have a cute, slim body and WILL get there but make sure you have all your bases covered!! Do your research, bulk up, then cut down. There are TONS of shows you can enter in your area so dont sweat it if you're not ready in ten weeks. I really find that you should take the last 10-12 weeks leading up to your first competition to perfect your body, focusing on lagging parts and working on your posing, walk, etc. Diet needs to be 100% on point with macros perfectly calculated IMO especially for your first show. So far your diet needs a lot of work. Need way more protein, more food, and eating every 3 hrs. There is tons of info on here if you can't get a coach. Just focus, learn as much as possible, and do work! You'll get there hun

[juliacheh]

I'm sorry for being blunt.
But I really think that
a. You DO NOT have enough muscle to compete.
b. You are higher then 18% body fat. 18% body fat is lean and low for a woman.

If you start dieting now, you will end up a smaller version of yourself on stage. You will look skinnier, but not lean and muscular. To look lean you need to build muscle first, and then strip off the fat to show this muscle.

[crystellful]

thank you all for answering....yea the past couple days i have decided not to compete. i dont really know if its me or if its something i want to do. i do think its possible but i need to be perfect with my diet. and i do not know enough for that. im trying to learn as much as i can on here because im so new at this.

fazio-i appreciate your info! good luck on your first comp im sure you will do great! train hard and stay focused.....

julia- i will be working on gaining muscle! thanks!

plus i dont really count my calories or macros?? is that bad?? i estimate but thats it. and sometimes i feel like i should be eating more but i dont want to eat anything bad. for instance i went to the gym and after i had a banana and half a cup of oatmeal (was that enough?). 3 hours later i plan on eating again but what if i get hungry before that?? dnt eat or a small snack? gosh sorry you guys....diet is really hard for me. there are times i really dont know what im doing, but im trying. like i said im brand new to this so i greatly appreciate all your input!

[coconuttree2009]

thank you all for answering....yea the past couple days i have decided not to compete. i dont really know if its me or if its something i want to do. i do think its possible but i need to be perfect with my diet. and i do not know enough for that. im trying to learn as much as i can on here because im so new at this.

fazio-i appreciate your info! good luck on your first comp im sure you will do great! train hard and stay focused.....

julia- i will be working on gaining muscle! thanks!

plus i dont really count my calories or macros?? is that bad?? i estimate but thats it. and sometimes i feel like i should be eating more but i dont want to eat anything bad. for instance i went to the gym and after i had a banana and half a cup of oatmeal (was that enough?). 3 hours later i plan on eating again but what if i get hungry before that?? dnt eat or a small snack? gosh sorry you guys....diet is really hard for me. there are times i really dont know what im doing, but im trying. like i said im brand new to this so i greatly appreciate all your input!

You don't know what you are doing because you don't count kcals and macros. If you started to count, you would have a good idea whether you are getting enough of each macronutrient.
Banana and oatmeal are not the best choices post-workout, you are better off having your banana and whey protein.
If you are hungry before some sort of time that you have set yourself to eat, just eat as long as you stay within your kcals. It does not matter when you eat.

[kimm4]

hi im 19 years old. and possibly thinking about doing a comp in less than 10 weeks.

here is some info
age 19
bf 18%
height 5'2

I feel like i have a good amount of muscle on me I just need to cut down. I started my diet today and my workout. Before i was working out at the gym 4-5 times a week doing cardio for 30 min. then i would do random things....legs. push ups. sit ups. i would spend an 1 hr and 1/2 to 2 hours at the gym. my diet was ok. i would eat healthy but at the same time i ate whatever i felt like (just not a lot of it) Then on sundays i would eat whatever. i live with my bf and his cheat days are sundays so we would usually go out.
anyways i started eating cleaner today. this is what i ate:

woke up- half a banana, half a cup of oatmeal
3 1/2 hours later- protein shake w/ water
couple hours later-a cup of rice, with cup of veggies, with maybe 3 ounces of chicken,and some tomatoes
couple hours later- half a slice of wheat bread, then the gym.
after the gym- had another protein shake mixed w/ water
45 min later- dinner i had low sodium chicken broth mixed with chicken and veggies---it was a soup.

now i have no idea if i am doing this right. im pretty new to this. that is why i am very hesitate to compete. so here is my new workout:

monday-chest/ abs
tuesday- hit training 20 min. bis/tris
wed-light cardio 30 min. shoulders/traps
thurs-hit training 20 min. legs
fri-back

PLEASE any information or what you do would help. is it ok with what im doing? am i eating enough? im really new to this and whether i compete or not..i want a tight body and abs!! so thanks in advance.

oh i am also thinking about doing carb cycling...but i dont have a set guideline. so if you know anything about it. feel free to let me know and how you did.

If you lowered your body fat you could compete in bikini. You'd be fine in a lineup, because they're not looking for muscle. It's just a matter of nailing the diet and coming in lean.

Where are the healthy fats in your diet? They are crucial for fat loss. You need to up your protein and I think it's important to use more whole food sources. You need a balance of protein, carbs and fats spread though out your day. How many meals you choose to eat, how many hours between meals, etc...makes no difference. It's all about getting your calories in at the end of the day.

You can start here to figure out your calories:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703921

Good luck.

[crystellful]

You don't know what you are doing because you don't count kcals and macros. If you started to count, you would have a good idea whether you are getting enough of each macronutrient.
Banana and oatmeal are not the best choices post-workout, you are better off having your banana and whey protein.
If you are hungry before some sort of time that you have set yourself to eat, just eat as long as you stay within your kcals. It does not matter when you eat.

thanks but i dont have oats&banana for a post-wo. i work out in the evening.

[crystellful]

If you lowered your body fat you could compete in bikini. You'd be fine in a lineup, because they're not looking for muscle. It's just a matter of nailing the diet and coming in lean.

Where are the healthy fats in your diet? They are crucial for fat loss. You need to up your protein and I think it's important to use more whole food sources. You need a balance of protein, carbs and fats spread though out your day. How many meals you choose to eat, how many hours between meals, etc...makes no difference. It's all about getting your calories in at the end of the day.

You can start here to figure out your calories:



Good luck.

thanks so much i might compete in bikini depending on how i look in a couple of weeks. you have helped me ALOT. i will do more protein carbs and fats. also thanks for the url. i really needed it
!
-Crystal