Today I wanted to go over some details from the first 5 weeks of my prep for a bodybuilding competition. Please skip this blog if you don’t want to read about topics such as body weight, weight loss or calories!

I originally planned on beginning my prep in early December, but because of the holidays and life and whatnot, I pushed it off until about the middle of January. The left side of the photos attached below are from December 11, when I was first getting the itch to start a bodybuilding prep, and the photos on the right are from today, February 24, about 5 weeks after I actually began my prep. I maintained my body weight of about 157-158 pounds from the time I took the photos on the left until the time I began my prep mid-January. This week, I’ve averaged a body weight of about 151 pounds, which means there’s about a 6-7 pound difference between the two progress photos below. I’m very stoked about this level of progress in just 5 weeks.

Training

My training has been more or less the same throughout the last 5 weeks. I wrapped up a strength block at the end of January, but my workouts are basically the same. I’m currently training 4 days per week which is a training schedule I’ve maintained for about a year or 2. I find that 4 days per week is a pretty good schedule for me in terms of my school and work schedule, motivation to train and what I can recover from. I added in three 30 minute steady state cardio sessions per week about 2 weeks ago, which I complete whenever is convenient for me. My school and work schedule varies from week to week, so I make sure to schedule my training sessions in my calendar. This helps me a lot with adherence!

I’ve written my current training program below. If you’re not currently on a training program, feel free to try mine out, but keep in mind I made it for me. I’d also like to mention that just because something works for one person, doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. :) If you would like to work with me 1 on 1 or within Lunar Group, check out my services tab up above which contains more information about my training programs. I’d love to be on your team!

Day 1

3-4x8 back squat
3-4x6-8 barbell lunge
3-5x8 barbell RDL
3 sets 12/10/8 each leg RFESS
2-4 sets of max effort plank
2-4 sets of 12-15 hanging knee raise

Day 2

2-4 sets of max effort push ups
3-4x6-8 barbell OHP
3-4x4-6 barbell bench press
3-4x10 dumbbell incline press
3-4x8-10 single arm press
3x10 lateral raise
3x10 front raise

Day 3

2-4 sets of max effort pull ups
3-4x6-8 barbell deadlift
3-4x12 heel elevated goblet squat
3x12/10/8 walking lunge
3x10-12 dumbbell row
3x12 lat pull down
2x20 pallof press

Day 4

3-4x8 front squat
4x6-8 leg press
3x12/10/8 front foot elevated split squat
3x15 hamstring curl
3x15 quad extension
bicep/tricep pump stuff (usually do a cable exercise or 2 for each lol)

Nutrition

I’m currently tracking macros. I’ve been loosely tracking for many years, mostly just to make sure I eat enough protein to support my training. In the past, I was a myfitnesspal user, but I’ve been using Macro Factor for a few months. I think I like it better. Pretty much all food trackers are the same, but that’s what I’m using!

I haven’t changed my macros at all since the start of my prep. I’ve been averaging about a pound of weight loss per week, which is honestly pretty fast. Since I do have a deadline of a show date, I’m comfortable with this rate of progress, but if I were not doing a bodybuilding show, I might consider taking things a little slower.

With that being said, my appetite isn’t anything out of the norm. In fact, I haven’t dealt with any annoying levels of hunger and I haven’t felt fatigued at all. My sleep has been great, my energy and mood levels are very high, and I have a very regular menstrual cycle. These are all factors that I like to pay attention to for myself and with my clients, and if any of these factors begin to change, I will assess and potentially change something. All in all, I think this has been a very successful start and I’m stoked to see how much more progress I can make in the remaining weeks.

Speaking of remaining weeks…

I’m looking at 2 competition options. There’s one at the end of May that I’m interested in, but if that doesn’t work out, there’s also one in July. I’ve never truly focused on my body composition, as I’ve been mostly focused on strength since I first started lifting. The main reason I’ve never committed to a fat loss phase is because I dealt with a very poor relationship to food and exercise when I was a kid, which continued well into my early 20’s. I’ve spent the majority of my 20’s trying to heal my relationship with myself and I feel like I’m in a really good spot! I do want to mention that if any disordered thoughts or feelings begin to arise, I’ll stop my bodybuilding prep because the relationship I have with myself is more important to me than changing my body composition.

I’ve always been fascinated with the sport of bodybuilding, and I’m interested in pushing myself in a new and different way compared to weightlifting. I’m also curious to see what type of shape I’ve built, because I’ve been lifting for nearly a decade, and I’m just curious. :)

I think that about wraps things up. If you have any questions about my process or anything else related to strength, fitness, or nutrition (within my scope), feel free to send me an email!

-Jory

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