Post Show & Off Season Advice For ANY Bodybuilding Competitor
After the final show of your competing season is done and you’ve stepped off stage, adjusting to the next period can often be the hardest part of the process for any competitor to go through.
Here are some of our top tips relating to food/training/ and mindset (mental health).
Food
#1 Slow Downnnn!
It takes your brain at least 15 minutes to register that you’re full. So make sure you don’t rush your food. Especially when our hormones and hunger signals are already out of sync.
#2 Don’t Stash Food
Your kitchen should not currently look like a supermarket, in the sense that you have every single piece of food you can imagine. Some people will find it hard to have ‘extra food’ in the house so close after their show. Remember that the food you want will still be at the supermarket next week, next month, and most likely next year too.
#3 Find The Right Methods & Strategies For You
Consider your current lifestyle, your goals on and off the stage, and your past relationships with food when deciding the best path to take post-show. Not everyone can slowly reverse diet. Not everyone can eat to maintenance straight away. There is no right or wrong.
Training
#1 Are You Setting The Right Expectations?
Often competitors will look at their fellow competitors and assume that they should be doing the same. Not everyone can keep their strength super high before they step on stage, nor straight after their show. Setting the expectation that you’re going to be hitting big numbers in the gym so soon after prep might be setting yourself up to feel like you’re failing, or falling behind, when in fact that’s not the case at all.
#2 Decide Goals & Priorities
Recovery? Strength? Prevent Injury? Mobility? Your goals and your priorities will not be the same as everybody else. Planning and goal setting in line with your current lifestyle and ambition can help you get into good habits and routines as you head into the offseason phase.
Mindset/Mental Health
#1 It’s Important
Your mindset and mental health are even more important to work on during the post-show/off-season phase. How are you going to invest in yourself so that you can fully maximize your chances of success, both on and off the stage?
#2 Get A Life
Your life isn’t just competing, it isn’t just bodybuilding. During prep your time, energy and focus will have been taken up by bringing your best to the stage. But remember that it’s perfectly fine to take time away. Spend time with friends and family, focus on excelling in other areas of your life. Doing this will help prevent burn out and lack of motivation and you will feel refreshed and ready to go again once prep comes around.
If you’re looking to surround yourself with like-minded competitors, build your knowledge and smash your next off season. Including talks around food, training, mindset, and hormones. Make sure you grab your ticket for the next meet-up happening in London next month.