building muscle and losing fat

[kim27]

I am 5'1 123 and I want to slim down and still get muscle. I am thinking about competing. What supplemements can I use? I am currently at about 20% bf.

[twinnett]

Diet and exercise in check first,then worry about supplements...

[ozigal]

it's also pretty hard to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. They are two very contradictory things. I also agree with twin. You can have an excellent diet with very few supps and make amazing gains, but can have a lot of supps and an average diet and the first one i mentioned is going to win hands down.

[fitqueeen]

Supplements won't get you there- at best they'll help you maintain your energy and enhance your recovery. At the latter stages of your contest preparation, you'll be needing a fatburner with plenty of caffiene for sure! The final weeks before my last figure comp. I was so energy depleted that I survived my workouts on ephedra, caffiene, and Go-Girl energy drinks! (Be careful with the ephedra- personally, although it gave me an amazing, euphoric energy "high", suppressed my appetite, and sizzled off the fat, I will most likely never use it again. It can be very dangerous, especially for people sensitive to stimulants! If you have ANY heart conditions, don't take it! I almost passed out when I tried to increase my dose one time. Also, your body gets used to it quick so you have to cycle it- don't try to increase your dose!)
Anyway, like we said, your diet is the key. With that said, things I think are in every successful figure contestant's cupboard:
*sugar-free protein powder
*Some kind of fat burner/thermogenic
*Fish oil supplement/ Flax seed oil
*Caffiene (can be found in most fat burners)
*Vitamin supplement, especially Vitamin B Stress Complex
*Splenda, Stevia, or other artificial sweetener of choice

Some women take other supplements as well, but I'd consider these pretty standard.

[fitqueeen]

Oh yeah...forget about getting gaining muscle as you diet down for a show- not going to happen. You will actually LOSE muscle. There are things you can do with your diet and exercise plan to minimize the loss, but in a depleted state you simply will not build any muscle. You'll be lucky to MAINTAIN what you have! What most women that compete do is they carry a still lean body fat (usually between 16-18%) off-season whilst focusing on building muscle mass and shape, paying special attention to developing the lats and shoulders to enhance that "V" figure. Then, about 12 weeks or so out from the show, they begin a gradual process of "cutting". During the "cutting" phase, the focus is switched to maximum fat loss, increasing definition, while maintaining muscle mass gained in the off-season.
Fortunately, figure is not as focused on muscle size, so if you naturally have a "figure competition" type of build, you may do just fine without adding any additional muscle. You have to look at your body objectively to see what you need to do. If you know any other women who have done shows before, have them help you. Another thing to keep in mind is that every show is different, and the judging is very subjective. Some judges like less-muscular girls, while others like the women to be more ripped. It all depends.