- Monday/Tuesday: Monday and Tuesday are normal training and diet days. As always, pre-
breakfast aerobics is optional, but will negatively affect the workouts.- Wednesday/Thursday: Aerobics optional or debit calories an additional 10%
- Friday: last heavy training day, full body, no carb-up
The body needs at least a week (legs may require more) to recover and rebuild completely
so this should be the last heavy training day. Lifters should do the full-body tension workout from
chapter 29. Pre-workout carbs are optional, but bodybuilders should return to low-carb
afterwards taking in only protein with the supplements of choice immediately after training.
Aerobics are optional after training.
- Saturday: aerobics optional, low carb
Under ideal circumstances, bodybuilders should be nearly ready for the contest by this
point. If they still have fat to lose, aerobics first thing in the morning may help but it is a mistake
to panic and do 3 hours of aerobics today. If a bodybuilder comes into their first contest too fat,
they will know to start their contest prep earlier next time.
If appearance is fine, calories should be increased back to maintenance levels (13-15 cal/b)
while remaining on the ketogenic diet. No workout today except to practice posing. Most
competitors begin to practice posing several weeks out from their contest and it should not be
inferred that this is the first day you should practice. Water intake should remain high.
- Sunday: aerobics optional, low carb
Same as Saturday, aerobics and calorie restriction are both optional. Otherwise, eat at
maintenance and take the day off except for posing. Water intake is still high.
- Monday: no training, low carb
Regardless of appearance, no training should be done and calories should be set at
maintenance using the ketogenic diet. Again, continue to practice posing. Water intake is still
high.
- Tuesday: The final depletion workout, begin carb-up
Begin the final carb-up for the contest. Early afternoon or evening is the time for a true
depletion workout. Even if a bodybuilder has been using a tension workout up until this point,
they must do a true depletion workout (meaning high reps, not to failure) to maximize glycogen
depletion and supercompensation. Glycogen should be very low from the previous week’s
workouts, minimizing the number of circuits needed.
Approximately 5 hours prior to the depletion workout, 25-50 grams of carbohydrate with
some protein should be consumed as discussed in chapter 12. About 1-2 hours before the final
depletion workout, 50 grams of carbohydrates, including some fructose, with some protein should
be consumed. The goal of this workout is to completely deplete glycogen and circuits should be