- Jan 3, 2008
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So contest season is over for many of you, and it's time to head into a great offseason of building muscle. here are just some random thoughts off the top of my head...just some things to consider...
#1 - Do not get fat in the offseason.
There is no good reason to go more than 20 lbs over your contest weight..none. You will have to kill yourself and be miserable to get down, and building muscle is actually easier when you are fairly lean than a slob.
Insulin resistance is very correlational with high levels of bodyfat. Building muscle gets harder if you get more insulin resistant, not easier.
#2 - Don't rely on cardio to do anything other than burn a few calories and keep your CV system working better.
A little cardio never hurt ayone, but it is not some incredible fat burning trick. It's just not. If it was don't you think all the people on the step mill in gyms would be lean instead of skinny fat..so don't think doing some cardio will miraculously keep you leaner.
#3 - Don't fear the CNS boogeyman with your training.
Get the most out of the least with your training. Gradually build intensity and volume up. Your body will adapt to whatever you throw at it, so you can't just do the same thing over and over. Maximize each step in the process, just like you would do with a pre-contest diet. You wouldn't start t-3, clen, drop carbs from 250 to 0, start 2 x daily cardio etc all at once would you? I hope not! When your body needs to scale back, it'll let you know. You won't be able to get a pump, you'll get irritable, etc. Don't just not train really hard because of a fear you will overwork your CNS. That's garbage. Truthfully, everyone I have ever seen talk about fear of overworking their CNS, has not even looked like a bodybuilder.
#4 - Don't lay off your good bodyparts, to focus on your bad ones.
Just focus on growing every muscle to it's max. If you have an awesome back, but poor arms, don't slow down on your back, and put all emphasis on arms. Keep killing your back. This was not my mindset up until 2 years ago, but I think we really overdo this, well this is a half inch bigger than this, and this is..well you get the picture. Most of us just don't need this kind of specialization.
Hope this helps you in some way..
JM
#1 - Do not get fat in the offseason.
There is no good reason to go more than 20 lbs over your contest weight..none. You will have to kill yourself and be miserable to get down, and building muscle is actually easier when you are fairly lean than a slob.
Insulin resistance is very correlational with high levels of bodyfat. Building muscle gets harder if you get more insulin resistant, not easier.
#2 - Don't rely on cardio to do anything other than burn a few calories and keep your CV system working better.
A little cardio never hurt ayone, but it is not some incredible fat burning trick. It's just not. If it was don't you think all the people on the step mill in gyms would be lean instead of skinny fat..so don't think doing some cardio will miraculously keep you leaner.
#3 - Don't fear the CNS boogeyman with your training.
Get the most out of the least with your training. Gradually build intensity and volume up. Your body will adapt to whatever you throw at it, so you can't just do the same thing over and over. Maximize each step in the process, just like you would do with a pre-contest diet. You wouldn't start t-3, clen, drop carbs from 250 to 0, start 2 x daily cardio etc all at once would you? I hope not! When your body needs to scale back, it'll let you know. You won't be able to get a pump, you'll get irritable, etc. Don't just not train really hard because of a fear you will overwork your CNS. That's garbage. Truthfully, everyone I have ever seen talk about fear of overworking their CNS, has not even looked like a bodybuilder.
#4 - Don't lay off your good bodyparts, to focus on your bad ones.
Just focus on growing every muscle to it's max. If you have an awesome back, but poor arms, don't slow down on your back, and put all emphasis on arms. Keep killing your back. This was not my mindset up until 2 years ago, but I think we really overdo this, well this is a half inch bigger than this, and this is..well you get the picture. Most of us just don't need this kind of specialization.
Hope this helps you in some way..
JM