Steve Howard We present a nutritional guide for fitness competitors based on a comprehensive review of scientific evidence to get your best point in the race.
What is Fitness
“Fitness” is a misunderstood term , since the concept itself refers to being fit.
Not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also means having a good cardiorespiratory shape, strength, range of motion, functionality, development of complex motor patterns …
Fitness Competitions
Currently, outside the academic and research environment, “fitness” refers to the series of “physical competitions”, sports modes in which the athlete’s performance is determined to through the evaluation of their physical aspects according to their own standards for each category.
There are numerous national and international federations that coordinate this sport.
The most important of these is the IFBB, which has currently been divided into” Pro League “and” Elite Pro ” , each with its own criteria and characteristics.
Categories
Each existing category, for both men and women, it is in turn divided into different categories based on height or weight , and in each of them the different aesthetic aspects are evaluated positively and negatively.
For example: without entering the regulation, which is the least “widespread”, excessive vascularization in a body is punishable while in a bodybuilder it takes less account.
These differences mean that nutritional approaches must conform to the standards of each category , so we must be very clear about who we want to compete, to what extent our physiognomy conforms to it and what we need to be competitive.
What we will do
In this series of articles we will talk about how a fitness athlete should be nurtured in each of the phases which includes a complete competitive preparation.
All this will be addressed from a scientific point of view, applicable to the reality of any one is a competitor, and without entering the “brontocolli” that intoxicate sport.
What is a brotocollo
Brontocollo is a term I read a long time ago to Carlos Mejías (@ musclespain1) and which I think perfectly satirizes the empirical approach that characterizes this sport.
Figures like Hany Rambod (trainer of global best performing fitness competitors) perfectly represent him with his FST-7 .
It is a training system that is postulated as a “differentiator”; when we already know that there are no higher or lower training systems as long as the principles are respected of training that lead to long-term hypertrophy.
You would gain muscle mass with or without FST-7.
A brontocollo is “do this as I tell you, who looks how muscular I am / how much I have made X person (s) muscular”.
This type of “preparatory” strongly rejects the conclusions established on the basis of the results of randomized trials following the scientific method , and therefore will continue to tell you that of carbohydrates overnight “gets fat”, because they are stored in the form of fat and therefore we do not “consume” them.
In these articles you will not find a number of these empirical approaches, since the “Bros “They don’t understand that what worked for him in one person was tested in a sample of hundreds of people and showed that the average results are unfavorable (although there are outliers that responded favorably).
Structure of-the-guide
These articles will follow the following structure as it is what a competitor generally adopts.
- Part 1: Off-season nutrition, builking, or volume stage.
- Part 2: On-season nutrition, definition, or preparation
- Part 3: Peak week, final week, or tuning
- Part 4: Post-competitive period, or post-competition recovery.
So, without further ado, let’s get it on!
