Moving forward in Reverse: Devils post-show recovery thread
[size=4][B]Reversing out of low body fat[/B][/size]
[I]So you've just stepped off stage and had the traditional post-contest binge, you also have great expectations of mass gain, gym progress and total body recovery. Having spent the last 12-20 weeks cutting down and getting shredded, now's the time to eat and get huge right? Your body is primed and ready to put on lean muscle and stay lean correct?[/I]
[I]Well this is not always the case..[/I]
[I]As you've no doubt experienced over the last few months there has been times where your weight has stalled and you've had to either reduce calories or increase cardio. You've pushed your body to the limits of low body fat and your body has adapted. These adaptations may have happened over a large percentage of your prep, especially in the last few weeks.[/I]
[I]Now the show has finished and you've celebrated, eaten your pizza/chocolate, and woke up the next morning feeling bloated. It's time to put on mass right? your first instincts now that you can "grow" are usually to increase calories and reduce cardio.[/I]
[I]So you're already in a surplus from the binge the night before, you increase calories and drop those long cardio sessions, maybe even continue to binge. You may get trapped in the belief that food = muscle when you're coming up from low body fat, but this is incorrect. After restricting your body of it's essential needs your body is going to prioritize [B]FAT[/B] storage not [B]MUSCLE[/B] gain.[/I]
[I]You continue at this rate for a week and by the end you've put on anywhere between 2-10 lbs, you assume it's just bloating so you stick with the same intake and expect it to level out. Another week goes by and it hasn't, worse you're up another 2-5 lbs. You start to think you're gaining too quick, but the sense of dread of another deficit is horrifying so you keep calories higher than normal. But you may have the tendency to be lazy and overestimate your needs, ending up with too much of a surplus.[/I]
[I]The point I'm trying to make with all this is after a long dieting phase, you cant expect your body to be back to normal in 2 weeks after competition. I want to demonstrate the benefits of a slow reverse to help competitors out in the future. I also hope to ease some pressure and create a good environment to talk about post diet troubles. Those who have already have experienced this and have developed your own methods of reversing, or if you disagree with my thoughts, feel free to make a comment.[/I]
[I]I've just done another contest prep totaling about 8 weeks, I'm 6% body fat, cold, 4-5hrs sleep, libido down, and dieting on low CHO and under 2200 calories. The upside is that I've done this all before, and In general I feel happy and great. I will be acting as the case study for this thread.[/I]
[I]Here are a few pictures of my condition at 8 days out, 75.5 kg. I'm currently waiting for my contest pics.[/I]
[img]http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/img/user_images/growable/2013/05/18/493633/profilepic/mvHJpUaJccGlhyTxhadNUkCESFHVeniVlGcy.jpg[/img]
[I]and to refresh this is where I was at 4 months post injury at 82kg[/I]
[img]http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/img/user_images/growable/2012/12/28/493633/profilepic/GuadbfxZpymADrkKlMrYGlyTxdlQSaoTigIv.jpg[/img]
[I][B]So in this log I will be conducting a 6-8 week reverse out of contest prep[/B], I want to give a little back to my fellow competitors and get some good information out there.
Following this time period I will transition into a full bulk of at least 12-14 months. =)[/I]
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[size=5][B]Lets get started[/B][/size]