Question: Do You Have Any Advice for Being Successful in Natural Bodybuilding Competition?
I am a natural bodybuilder who is interested in bodybuilding competition. I have read of how you have done really well in natural bodybuilding shows. Could you please give me any advice on how to be a successful natural bodybuilding competitor?
Also, if you don't mind, what is your opinion on steroids?
Answer: The key for a natural bodybuilder with average genetics to be successful in bodybuilding competition is to spend years training and dieting correctly so that they can gain enough muscle mass to shred down once a bodybuilding competition comes about. Care must be taken also to gain the muscle methodically while staying lean. Why? Because average natural bodybuilders cannot afford to get fat and then trim down. The reason for this is because in the process of trimming down from a large body fat percentage a lot of muscle gets sacrificed (since naturals lose muscle much easier than an assisted athlete). So it is imperative that a natural athlete always stays lean (never more than 10% body fat). Assisted athletes can bulk up and trim down successfully (since the drugs help to prevent the muscle loss), but in my opinion, even they would benefit from staying leaner at all times as even with drugs some muscle gets sacrificed anyways in the process of losing 60-70 lbs of fat as some bodybuilders do.
So again, if you are a natural bodybuilder who wants to compete successfully, then my advice to you is to stay lean. Most local shows (tested or not) are easier to win than most people think. If you show up conditioned enough (meaning with very little subcutaneous body fat), assuming you have a decent amount of muscle size, chances are, you will place high and maybe even win. The good news is that conditioning (muscle definition) has little to do with steroid use. You can seriously abuse steroids (even those that are considered pre-contest ones) and not be conditioned at all. The reason for this is because dieting is the main variable that affects conditioning, not steroid drugs. So if you stay lean year round and then take 12-16 weeks to lower your body fat from say 10% to 3%, then the odds will be in your favor at this level of competition.
Now, for national level shows, like the Team Universe, USAs, or the National Bodybuilding Championships, for example, you also need to have good symmetry in addition to good amount of muscle size and conditioning. Depending of how good a job you have done over the years at staying symmetrical from day one, you may or may not be able to compete successfully at the national level. I want to be very honest with you here. That being said, if you are a teen who is just starting out their bodybuilding journey with aspirations of competing one day, then please make sure you pay equal attention to all your body parts (not just the chest and the arms) and make sure you stay lean.
As far as steroids, here is what I have to say:
Based on all the research I have done, I feel steroids may have a place in a man’s life as anti-aging therapy to replace hormone levels back to those of a younger person. Other than that, if you are looking at them as a “shortcut”, you may be very disappointed at the results you will get, and unless you are an expert at knowing how to properly use them, you are playing Russian roulette. And I am not even talking about the legal ramifications of using steroids for performance enhancement in the United States today.
Most people think that if they take steroids they will become the next Mr. Olympia or Arnold Classic Champion. If this were the case, then there should be a whole lot more people on those two competitions based on the fact that there are millions of Americans (per what the statistics indicate) who at one point in their life or another have tried anabolic steroids.
The top IFBB pros look the way they do not only because of any enhancement but also because of their insane training throughout the years, the diet, and most importantly, the way their bodies respond to all of the above which is a variable controlled only by genetics. To look like a top level male IFBB Pro you need to have favorable genetics and that is something that not even steroids can give you; you either have them or you don’t unfortunately.
The good news however is that for the physique goals most of us have, there is no need whatsoever to take any steroids, especially with all we know about bodybuilding training and dieting today. Also with bodybuilding supplements like creatine, glutamine, and nitric oxide boosters, an advanced athlete who has trained for years without using any of these supplements can reach a new level of development by adding these to their program. All of the supplements I just mentioned offer some of the benefits that steroids offer (like more pump, faster recovery, and more strength) but through non-hormonal pathways. So in this manner, you can get the benefit of faster recuperation and more performance in the gym but without the side effects caused by hormonal manipulation.
Again, no matter how you look at it, bodybuilding training and nutrition will always be the mainstay of your bodybuilding program. If your training and nutrition are impeccable, you will achieve a much bigger physique that is nicely defined and which will generate attention from others....and possibly questions like: “what are you on?”
So again, if you are a natural bodybuilder who wants to compete successfully, then my advice to you is to stay lean. Most local shows (tested or not) are easier to win than most people think. If you show up conditioned enough (meaning with very little subcutaneous body fat), assuming you have a decent amount of muscle size, chances are, you will place high and maybe even win. The good news is that conditioning (muscle definition) has little to do with steroid use. You can seriously abuse steroids (even those that are considered pre-contest ones) and not be conditioned at all. The reason for this is because dieting is the main variable that affects conditioning, not steroid drugs. So if you stay lean year round and then take 12-16 weeks to lower your body fat from say 10% to 3%, then the odds will be in your favor at this level of competition.
Now, for national level shows, like the Team Universe, USAs, or the National Bodybuilding Championships, for example, you also need to have good symmetry in addition to good amount of muscle size and conditioning. Depending of how good a job you have done over the years at staying symmetrical from day one, you may or may not be able to compete successfully at the national level. I want to be very honest with you here. That being said, if you are a teen who is just starting out their bodybuilding journey with aspirations of competing one day, then please make sure you pay equal attention to all your body parts (not just the chest and the arms) and make sure you stay lean.
As far as steroids, here is what I have to say:
Based on all the research I have done, I feel steroids may have a place in a man’s life as anti-aging therapy to replace hormone levels back to those of a younger person. Other than that, if you are looking at them as a “shortcut”, you may be very disappointed at the results you will get, and unless you are an expert at knowing how to properly use them, you are playing Russian roulette. And I am not even talking about the legal ramifications of using steroids for performance enhancement in the United States today.
Most people think that if they take steroids they will become the next Mr. Olympia or Arnold Classic Champion. If this were the case, then there should be a whole lot more people on those two competitions based on the fact that there are millions of Americans (per what the statistics indicate) who at one point in their life or another have tried anabolic steroids.
The top IFBB pros look the way they do not only because of any enhancement but also because of their insane training throughout the years, the diet, and most importantly, the way their bodies respond to all of the above which is a variable controlled only by genetics. To look like a top level male IFBB Pro you need to have favorable genetics and that is something that not even steroids can give you; you either have them or you don’t unfortunately.
The good news however is that for the physique goals most of us have, there is no need whatsoever to take any steroids, especially with all we know about bodybuilding training and dieting today. Also with bodybuilding supplements like creatine, glutamine, and nitric oxide boosters, an advanced athlete who has trained for years without using any of these supplements can reach a new level of development by adding these to their program. All of the supplements I just mentioned offer some of the benefits that steroids offer (like more pump, faster recovery, and more strength) but through non-hormonal pathways. So in this manner, you can get the benefit of faster recuperation and more performance in the gym but without the side effects caused by hormonal manipulation.
Again, no matter how you look at it, bodybuilding training and nutrition will always be the mainstay of your bodybuilding program. If your training and nutrition are impeccable, you will achieve a much bigger physique that is nicely defined and which will generate attention from others....and possibly questions like: “what are you on?”
