WEEK ONE HUNDRED-SEVENTEEN :: How Does Your Training Regimen Change With The Seasons?

[Jodi_Lane]

When the seasons change, my regimen generally gets more intense at the sight of Spring. I tend to do more fat burning during the Spring because I'm getting ready for bikini and daisy duke weather! I noticed that I do a lot more of outdoor exercise for cardio like running sprints and I sign up for mini-marathons or 5k's to highten my spirits and get out of the house and off of the treadmill for a break! During the winter, I tend to stay inside more because I do not like the cold, and the only thing for me to actually enjoy other than my college homework is bodybuilding! So, growing muscles during the wintertime for me is KEY, and so far is working perfectly. When the weather outside starts getting into the 70s around April/May, I start incorporating the FAT BURN! I do more circuit training and more intense cardio, and of course, less carbs!

The transition from winter to summer actually has a good impact on my bodybuilding progress because honestly, when we're doing a bulking phase we generally don't want to throw on a bikini because bulking requires some more calories! I never gain too much fat when I bulk, so it's really not too big of an issue, however, I'd rather wear a bikini after bulking because that is when I'm at my best. So, personally, I feel that the transition from winter to summer couldn't be better timed because during the cold months in my State (Indiana) I add some muscles and during the warmer months I lean out and enjoy those muscles by showing them off in my cute bikini!

My all time favorite season is SUMMER! I love the atmosphere because everyone is out and about, and most importantly with the subject of bodybuilding, I'm able to show off my hardwork at the pool or amusement park. I wasn't just eating cookies and candy canes during Christmas, I was pumping iron and didn't waste any time! Summer to me means, being outdoors, cookouts, swimming, and taking special trips with our loved ones! Nothing puts me in a better mood than to be confident in my figure and being with the ones I LOVE!

[the_fake_webmaster]

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TOPIC: How Does Your Bodybuilding Regimen Change With The Seasons?

For the week of: April 5th - April 10th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Bodybuilding is an all year sport. Between bulking in the winter and cutting in the spring it seems as if a bodybuilder's regimen is based around the time of year. Now that summer is approaching, days are longer, vacations are being taken, and the world just seems brighter.

How does your bodybuilding regimen change with the seasons?

How does the transition from winter to summer impact your bodybuilding progress?

Which is your favorite season? Why?

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[Gonzalo]

Training regimens refers to precontest and offseason. Basically, precontest refers to droppping body fat accumulated during the offseason to about 4-5%, while keeping as much muscle mass as possible. On the other hand, offseason refers to gaining as much muscle as possible. Keep in mind I said gain muscle and not just bodyweight. Many people make the mistake of getting sloppy in the offseason and end up gaining more body fat than actual lean mass. which makes the precontest regimen that much complicated and longer.

In terms of how the training regimens for both seasons differ, let's start with offseason. During the offseason, your training should be based on compound movements, such as deadlifts, bench presses, squats, rows, ect. to gain as much muscle mass as possible. The reps should be emphasizing muscle hypertrophy and be around 6-10. The rest between sets should be extended a bit in the offseason because since you will be using heavier weights than precontest, you will need that extra time to let the ATP-CP totally recover and allow you to be ready for your next heavy set hopefully. I would also recommend about 3-4 days of training only and not 5-7 because as every true bodybuilder knows you get big while you rest, so therefore having 3-4 days of rest during the week will help you gain as muscle mass as possible assuming all of the above are met. You should also take a day off after 2 days of consecutive training because I am not a fan of training 3 days in a row because by the time you get to the third workout if you have been lifting heavy, you should not even have the energy to step foot in the gym that third day, which is what offseason training is all about. You should aim for 3-4 exercises for each muscle group and about 9-12 sets for each as well. Also,make sure that your offseason training don't exceed about 75 minutes because by then you will start burning muscle for fuel because cortisol levels will skyrocket, obviously counterproductive for the offseason.

Now it's time for precontest training, which still should emphasize gaining muscle. Don't make the mistake of thinking precontest training should be light with higher reps because you will end up losing muscle in the long run and also be flat as hell. Many think that such precontest training facilitates fatloss, which is not the case because you get in shape through cardio and proper nutrition, which is a whole different story and article. Therefore, precontest training should still be 8-12 reps with as much weight as possible. Obviously, you will drop in weight because of the diet, however, you should adapt a mentality that aims at gaining muscle during precontest training. Your rest between sets could be a bit shorter around 1 minute, and you should reduce your total sets for each body part. Since you will be on a diet it makes sense to reduce total sets and also duration of the workouts because you will be obviously short in nutrients because of the diet. The last thing you want to do is increase the volume and also intensity to extreme levels of precontest training when you will be limited in the recovery nutrients, which might lead to overtraining. In terms of the exercises, you still should perform coumpound exercises which will allow you to keep the mass while you lose body fat. You should also add in isolation exercises such as crossovers, cables, concentration curls, and others that might have been reduced during the offseason.

Basically, to conclude the basic difference between both training regimens should be to reduce volume and intensity to an extent during precontest training, but to still try to lift those heavy weights that were used in the offseason.

[redhawk76]

Nice topic Will!

[LJ57]

Here's mine

[Magnum Joe]

Good luck to all, Enjoy my article, it took some time