Original Material from FLEX Magazine
"Many bodybuilders divide their bodybuilding nutrition programs into offseason and contest preparation, but I have learned that my body responds better if I follow a three-season plan," 2004 Mr. Olympia sixth-place finisher Gunter Schlierkamp says.
He separates his nutritional phases into offseason recovery, offseason growth and contest prep, giving equal attention to each. "When you compete once a year, it's easy to divide your year into three nearly equal phases of about four months," he explains. Schlierkamp likes to compete once a year because it allows for better growth and preparation; much of this is due to the offseason recovery phase he builds into his nutrition regimen.
OFFSEASON RECOVERY | "Many bodybuilders take a week or two after a bodybuilding show to refeed their bodies and recover from all the hard training. I learned almost by accident that taking off much longer is better for me. I started doing this because I was too large for commercials and other auditions. When I weigh only 280, it's much easier for me to be cast." Schlierkamp has a thriving side career as a pitchman for Wal-Mart and other companies. "I feel much better, and my body is better able to handle the hard training and dieting during the rest of the year once I give it this break."
While Schlierkamp continues his training regimen during this four-month period, he trains less frequently and with much lighter weights. "I just eat when I want to, which means I take in less food than I need to maintain my size." Schlierkamp's bodyweight may drop 20 pounds below his competing weight during his offseason recovery phase.
OFFSEASON GROWTH | After the offseason recovery time--about eight months before he enters a bodybuilding competition--Schlierkamp will start feeding his body for growth. "During the four months of this phase, I may put on as much as 50 pounds as my muscles fill out and grow." Schlierkamp begins training with much heavier weights, and he consumes far more calories and meals each day to make sure his body is gradually adding mass. During this four-month phase, he tries to keep his bodyfat low, but he doesn't mind if it creeps up because he knows it will come off when he goes on his contest diet.
CONTEST PREP | Four months before a bodybuilding contest, Schlierkamp begins stripping off bodyfat on his contest diet, which he says is comparable to that of other pro bodybuilders. He gradually cleans up his diet, then starts cutting calories to bring his weight back down to his competitive range, a little more than 300 pounds.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU | Many amateur and recreational bodybuilders never give their bodies a break. If you train heavy four or five times a week, year-round, you probably aren't progressing as fast as you can. Schlierkamp says, "Try training with a lot less intensity for two to three months, then go back to your heavy-training regimen, emphasizing eating up to 1,000 calories a day more than you need for bodyweight maintenance." After the recovery phase, you will have primed your body for growth. Using these cycles is a much better way to make long-term progress than to continually try to keep your body in a growth phase.
BY STEVE STIEFEL
NUTRITION EDITOR
