Category: 2015

If you are thinking about competing in fitness and bodybuilding competitions- you will need to:

• Get someone who is experienced in competing/judging or prepping to give you an honest assessment on whether you are ready/ or would be ready with a pre contest regime.
• Check out the websites of the different bodybuilding federations in New Zealand.
• Go to a few shows, and look at photos and video clips online to determine what class you would fall into to get an idea of the transformation needed.
• Honestly ask yourself- are you willing to spend the time sticking to a training, diet and posing schedule conducive for preparing you for the stage.
• Pay expenses for food, supplements, gym membership, fees for joining a bodybuilding federation and entering a show, personal training, posing trunks, tan, travel and accommodation.
• Consider what bodybuilding federation you will compete in and what class will suit you.

Presently in Hawkes Bay we have two federations that run shows: NABBA NZ and NABBA WFF. So if you lived in the area and didn’t want to travel out of the region- those would be your choices.  In terms of class, having an experienced person’s honest opinion in the sport is useful.  You can also send photos of yourself to the federations for their expert advice.  When I first competed back in 1998 I was lucky enough to be encouraged to compete in the athletic class by Jim Pitt, president of NABBA NZ so I knew it was solid advice.  Also, with my ectomorphic frame and the amount of muscle mass I had accumulated over 10 years, the Athletic class was ideally suited for me- I fit well within the weight limits for both NABBA NZ and NABBA WFF.  However, you may have a large, thick frame with more muscle and may never be able to make the weight limits- the physique class will then be your calling.  Women have even more choice in terms of classes and the one that suits will again depend on goals and genetics.

If you don’t mind travelling and have a preference for a bodybuilding federation, we have four federations in New Zealand that promote and run bodybuilding, figure and fitness competitions; INBA (natural/drug free), NABBA WFF, NABBA and NZIFBB (all have their respective websites and information).

http://www.inbanewzealand.org/

http://www.nabba-wff.com/

http://www.nabba.co.nz/

http://www.nzifbb.co.nz/

I have been privileged to have competed in all four federations and found them all to be positive and valuable learning experiences for me as an athlete. All cater for men, women, different age groups, physique types and novice and open competitors.  They all have their own nuances for the different classes and have the opportunity of competing regionally, nationally and internationally.  (See their respective websites above for competition calendars and specific class information).

So if you want to compete, consider the above information, set some goals, devise a plan and go for it!

Are you struggling to make progress with your current eating and training regime? Do you want to be able to get in shape without having to spend hours and hours in the gym or starving yourself to get there?  Do you want a smarter nutrition and training system that works? I have found this system I have developed effective for myself and others who have been willing to try it.  Don’t get me wrong, it still requires commitment and hard work but it is definitely far more manageable and sustainable than most other training and diet concepts out there and will suit even the busiest of people.

Here is the general outline of the program:

Training

• Train 3 x a week.
• Train Back & Chest (Monday), Legs (Wednesday), Shoulders & Arms (Friday)
• Complete 1 warm up set for all exercises. Then complete 3 working sets.
• For your first set choose a weight you can do 15 reps with and shoot for 20. When you have completed this set take 10 deep breaths then complete your second set aiming for 10 reps.  10 deep breaths then aim for 5+ reps on your final set.
• Once you reach the 20-10-5 goal increase the weight and work up to these numbers again.
• How many exercises can you do in this manner? Not many.  Here is my chest and back workout I am doing today:

1. Dumbbell Bench 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.
2. Machine Row 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.
3. Incline Dumbbell Bench 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.
4. Chin ups 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.

Here are typical leg and shoulder/arm workouts.

For legs

1. Squat or Lunge or leg press variation
2. Back Extension or Glute ham raise or deadlift variation
3. Leg curl variation
4. Leg press calf raises

For Shoulders & Arms

1. Wide Row variations where my upper arms are at right angles to my torso
2. Dumbbell shrugs
3. Seated side raise/row
4. 2 sets of Spider curls and 1 set of reverse cable curls.
5. Triceps extension variations

These workouts are intense but quick, usually lasting around 15-20 minutes with stretches adding a few minutes too.  So in total I weight train for about an hour per week!  The cool thing is I am in good shape and just as strong but with less than half the training.

Nutrition

• Eat 2-4 times a day (Not everyone benefits from 6+ meals a day)
• Have protein, fat and vege’s for first meal.
• Meal 2-3 can be a combo of protein, fats and small amount of carbs.
• For the last meal have serving of protein, fat and most of your carbs( for the day.
• Have 1 -2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight.
• Drink 2-3 litres of water per day.
• Have butter/ ghee or olive oil with meals.
• No grains, cereals (no bread!) or pseudo grains (amaranth, quinoa, millet…….)
• No sugar or diet fizzy drinks.
• No potatoes but kumara should be ok in moderation.
• No dairy if it causes you issues- low lactose foods like ghee, butter, whey concentrate/isolate protein and cottage cheese should be ok for a lot of people.

Also you want to change foods regularly so you get a wide range of nutrients.  Good supplements to augment health and training are; a good multi-vitamin/mineral, fish oil if oily fish are not on the menu, and vitamin D.

(Meal sizes will be dependent on the size of the individual).

An example of 3 meals could be; remember this is not an exhaustive list of foods.

1. 12 pm: 300 g canned salmon with a tsp of olive oil, sea salt and broth for taste.
2. 4 pm:  2 servings of whey or handful of nuts or fruit or boiled eggs and salad. (Or a combination).
3. 8pm: 150-300g protein-meat or eggs or fish & unlimited vegetables- favourites of mine are carrots, broccoli, green beans, parsnips, pumpkin, swedes, zucchini, onions……………..

Again I have decreased my meals by more than half compared to my competitive days with just as effective results. (See more about intermittent fasting in archived articles).

So if you have been training a lot and starving yourself with no results try my system and you will be surprised that working smarter is both easier and more rewarding!