preparation 10-12 weeks before a contest should be sufficient for most bodybuilders. If an
individual knows that their body is slow to drop body fat, they may start their diet 16 weeks prior
to a contest. If a trainee is unsure of how quickly they will drop fat (i.e. preparing for their first
contest), they should start earlier rather than later. Starting early has an additional benefit: it
allows the possibility of taking a week off of the diet. This strategy, along with others to break fat
loss plateaus, is discussed in chapter 13.
Rule #4: Know pre-diet calorie levels
This gives trainees a starting point to set calories for their diet. For those who do not know
their pre-diet calorie intake, 15 cal/lb should be used as a starting point. Adjustments can be
made based on changes in body composition. If a bodybuilder is already adapted to a CKD, they
should start by reducing caloric intake by 250-500 calories per day. This should yield a fat loss of
.5-1lb fat per week with no muscle loss as long as protein intake is sufficient. Based on changes
in body composition, caloric intake should be adjusted. Additionally, changes can be made in
terms of the quality and length of the carb-load.
If fat loss is less than .5 lbs, calories may be reduced an additional 250 per day. If fat loss
is greater than 2 lbs (very rare), calories should be increased by 250-500 per lowcarb day.
Remember that, in general, alterations in caloric intake will be made by manipulating fat intake,
as protein should remain constant throughout the diet.
Calories and aerobics
A mistake many bodybuilders make, which is generally related to starting their diet too
late and at too high a body fat level, is to excessively cut calories and add hours of aerobics every
day in an attempt to ‘catch up’ in their contest preparation. Even though this increases fat loss,
it also causes muscle loss.
With good preparation, and by starting a diet early enough, a bodybuilder shouldn’t have to
lose much muscle dieting down. It is not unheard of for competitors to gain a pound or two of lean
body mass using the CKD while dieting. However, it should not be expected.
One easy modification to the pre-contest diet is during the carb-up. Controlling fat intake
and shortening the carb-up to 30 hours or less (from Friday evening to Saturday bedtime) can
help to maintain fat loss. See chapter 13 for more details on overcoming fat loss plateaus.
Section 2: Aerobics and the pre-contest bodybuilder
Aerobic exercise should not be necessary early in the contest diet except on Sunday after
the carb-up to help reestablish ketosis. Reducing calories to maintenance levels or a slight deficit
coupled with weight training should be sufficient to cause fat loss in the early stages of the diet.