47: 10 Tips For Your First Prep Part 2 - Get Bodybuilding Lean (And What To Expect)

Bodybuilding is about sculpting our bodies into muscular works of art. Instead of a tangible sculpting tool, to unveil our masterpiece for a contest, we prioritize losing body fat and preserving as much muscle as possible. Bodybuilding is far beyond general weight loss and the expectations surrounding preparing for a show should be set accordingly from the beginning for best results.  Tune in as I elaborate more on getting lean in part 2 of my new 10 part series, "10 Tips For Your First Prep."

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Additional Resources: -Getting ready for an OCB or NPC show and want to learn how to pose? Register for the next virtual posing clinic at http://www.learntopose.com -Want to feel fully prepared on stage at your competition? Join my weekly posing classes at http://www.weeklyposing.com -NEW Class for new people beginning to learn how to pose (Posing Mechanics)! http://www.weeklyposing.com -FREE posing tutorials for Figure, Bikini, Wellness, and Men's Physique competitors at www.learntopose.com -FREE ebook “5 Things Every Bodybuilding and Fitness Competitor Needs To Know Before Preparing For A Show” at www.eeinbb.com -Grab your “My Own Motivation” tank top at shop.killitwithdrive.com -Want to WIN your next competition? I can help! Learn more at: www.posingwinsshows.com

Key Takeaways: *Bodybuilding often means being hungry (2:50) *There are those who struggle to keep weight on (3:38) *The "sorority of suffering" (5:00) *The new weight loss pills (7:15) *What is "bodybuilding lean" (8:13) *The process of getting lean for a bodybuilding show. (9:18)

--Transcript--

What’s up guys! I’m back again with part 2 of my new series where I break down in detail 10 tips for your first prep. If you listened to part 1 you are well versed on the different categories there are in bodybuilding and now know how important it is to choose the right one since what you are being scored on will differ depending on the category. Today I’m going to talk about what it means to get lean for a show and how hunger is often confused with leanness.

Food, including excess food, or the opposite, hunger, are a major part of what makes bodybuilding unique.

For the average person, if you are preparing for a bodybuilding show, there will come a time when you are going to have to just be hungry.   But there is a difference between being hungry and actually starving. We are not starving when doing a bodybuilding show. Everything we are doing is our own doing and choice. There is a fridge with food in it, even if it’s not for you, it’s still there. You can still eat it. There is choice. Starving would mean you have no food and limited access to it. There is this sorority of suffering out there that loves to be overly dramatic about how hungry they are in their prep. Hunger when preparing for a show is your own will. And it’s part of being a bodybuilder for many, and it’s part of what it takes for many to get really lean.  And in my opinion most of the people complaining about how hungry they are, don’t look lean or very close to contest ready.  More on this in a minute.

First let me put in perspective that there is also a group of people who can’t keep weight on and in order to grow muscle they have to eat excess food beyond what their hunger tells them in order keep the weight on. We all know people like that, and it may be you too. They are always lean and struggling to put on size, and never do cardio.  So again, they are lean, but they aren’t complaining about being starving. In order for them to be lean and muscular, they have to eat more food and be mindful of calorie expenditure.

The extreme to this is with the IFBB open men’s bodybuilding division. Their struggle in bodybuilding is that they have to eat an extreme amount of food in order to keep the mass on. 4x Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler, used to wake up in the middle of the night to eat or he would drop too much weight.  Derek Lungsford just announced last week he is withdrawing from the 2023 Olympia after a year of preparing for this show because he has been throwing up food and can’t keep it down, despite trying to force it down even after vomiting. He is having stomach issues and is now prioritizing his health and not the contest. He believes that once he gets things figure