Post Contest. An End or a New Beggining?

So you've dieted hard for your competition, carried out every single aspect of the strictly structured plan to come on stage at your best, hopefully placed and maybe even won the show... But what happens now that you got off stage? Many contestants don't even think about what they are going to do after the contest is over, finding themselves confused and lost. One thing is known for sure: a junk food festival is guranteed to happen. Now that the competition is in the past, you can finally indulge in foods that you have been craving all these long weeks of your prep. Yay. While you are at it, keep in mind that it can mess up your metabolism pretty badly. Enjoy.

In this article I am not going to tell you to avoid the junk food loading, as I know from experience that it would be absolutely impossible to avoid after the long term deprivation of comfort foods. Instead, I will make suggestions on how to create a post competition plan, in order not to ruin all what you have built and achieved for the competition. Follow the steps below and you will keep your gains and make great gains quickly, without stressing your body.

1. Limit your binge to 24 hours after the contest. Vigorous training, cardio, limiting carbs, restricting water, carb/fat loading and other precontest tricks are very stressful for your body. You end up being on a verge of starvation and dehydration. Your body at this point screams for nutrients. Strict dieting also takes its toll on your mental state. Some foods are actually have a narcotic effect on us, we end up feeling good after eating a burger or chocolate, due to the escalation of endorphins in our brains. This is why, when you come off stage you end up going straight to a junk food joint and order tons of those foods that would compensate for these cravings. At this point, you are actually are much better off consuming water, eating a good amount of lean proteins and healthy fats with a serving of vegetables that would replenish your body with the nutrients that had been lost. However, chances are that most of us would not feel up for eating a chicken breast and a salad (although, if you do that, I give your dedication a credit!). Therefore, if you binge eat, do it but limit it to only 24 hours and then get back to your diet the way it used to be 4 weeks out from the show. This way you will avoid storing fat and your body will recognize it as a refeed, which will replenish your muscle with glycogen taking you out of the catabolic state. If you stay in the binge phase for longer than 24 hours, you are risking to mess up your hormonal balance and metabolism longterm.
2. Set a calorie limit. Yes, I know, you are probably thinking that it means you need to diet again, but fear not, it isn't as bad as it sounds. During the prep you have been eating a deficit of calories to burn more fat. Simply bring the calories back to your maintenance level the first few weeks. This will help you to maintain the body you have built in the past weeks and will provide a steady recovery from the strain of the prep. You shouldn't feel hungry either, as you will supply as much calories as your body requires.
3. Replace your food. You have probably been eating the same foods for a long time now. Oatmeal, chicken breast, broccoli, right? Eating the same food multiple times a day for a long time may create sensitivities in your body, which can further develop into allergies. Simply replace your food sources to some other ones. For example, instead of sweet potatoes have some white rice, or instead of chicken breast have some veal, introduce new vegetables, etc. Just make sure that you stay within the calorie limit set in step 2.
4. Monitor your weight. Inevitably, after a contest you will gain some weight. Most of it will be water weight. As a rule of thumb you don't want to gain more than 5-10lb if you are a female and more than 10-15lb as a male, right after a competition. From then on, keep track on your weight and make sure that you don't gain anymore, unless you are planning to go on a bulking phase. For this purpose, a gain of 2-3lb a week is optimal.
5. Take a break. Your beat up body needs rest, avoid working out 10-14 days after your show.
6. Monitor your nutrient intake. Keep the protein to 1.5lb of your body weight, carbs should represent 150% of the carb intake during your prep, fats should be increased by 10-20 grams the first week after the competition. From then on, keep adding about 20-30 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fats every week. Monitor your weight and stop adding calories once you reach your target weight.
7. Don't forget the cardio. Yes you still should do SOME cardio, even offseason. It will keep your cardiovascular health in check and metabolism ticking. I am talking only about 2-3 sessions of 20-25 minutes of low intensity cardio a week. Do it, but don't overdo it.
8. Cheat if you want to. I am not a food nazi and like me some treats too. I think if you are craving something, there is a time and a place to have it. So if you are craving certain foods, dedicate a couple of meals a week to cheat meals and have these foods then. If you are too strict with your diet, it is really hard to keep up with eating healthy and sooner or later you likely to break down and binge. Everything in moderation.
9. Use supplements to enhance your recovery from the contest. EFAs, fish oil, greens, liquid chlorophyll, glutamine, milk thistle, evening primrose oil, multivitamins are all essential for your recovery from the draining process of dieting for the show. Make a good use of them to recover faster and you'll make a great comeback to the gym!
10. Set new goals: If you don't know where you are heading how are you going to get anywhere? After the contest is over, it is a great time to set new goals. It will keep you motivated throughout the year and it will be harder to fall off track.

After you followed all of the above steps, your gym performance should skyrocket and you should see some amazing gains, due to the rebound effect. Keep up with eating healthy and training smart and you will see great results fast. Bodybuilding is not just a sport, it's a lifestyle. The show might be over, but this only means a new start. Good luck!