Many bodybuilders allow themselves to relax after the end of the competitive season. However, whether you are a performing athlete or just an amateur, you still train, gain muscle mass and dry it out. In any case, your training process is divided into several stages: offseason (weight gain) and the period of work on the relief (fat burning).
The 5 Common Bodybuilders Offseason Mistakes
Don’t confuse offseason and a full rest from training. The bodybuilder during the offseason must progress and prepare for the upcoming season. And during the rest, he gives his body time to recover from physical and psychological stress. This completely disconnects him from the usual rhythm of work. The training process becomes easier. Instead of heavy 5-6 workouts a week, you can switch to a 3-day split.
Very often, athletes do not distinguish between the offseason and the time for rest, taking one for the other. As a result, their shape deteriorates, and the results remain unchanged. To avoid this, you need to clearly analyze your training program and not make the following mistakes.
1. Underworking in Training
When there is still a lot of time left before the performance at the competition, then there are thoughts that while you can practice in a light mode and not overexert yourself with heavy training. But this attitude quickly becomes a habit and a couple of weeks before the competition, the bodybuilder observes an insufficient muscle mass or a lag of any muscle groups.
The offseason is a period of hard findscrooby.com and intense work on your body. During weight gain, you need to train just as hard and voluminously. Each set must be brought to the end and to the failure of the muscles.
Any single workout must be hard. If you frankly did not give all the best in the exercises, then consider that you have wasted this time. There is no muscle growth without stress for the body.
2. Non-Compliance to Diet
Building a beautiful body directly depends on the quality of your nutrition. During the offseason, it is very important to adhere to a certain diet plan. Do not lean on sweets and fast food. Many bodybuilders do not progress during this period precisely because they deviate from the meal plan too often. As a result, further fat burning becomes an ordeal. For the same reason, athletes can not bring their form to the necessary parameters and they have to resort to extreme methods of weight loss. This has a negative steroids for sale effect on the overall health and performance of the body.
It is important to remember that muscle growth is impossible without the building material, namely protein. Preferring simple carbohydrates and fats, many people forget to consume their daily allowance of macronutrient.
The offseason bodybuilding diet differs from the pre-competition diet primarily in the amount of carbohydrates taken, not protein. During this period, you can add more cereals and fruits to your diet without p90x back and biceps reducing the intake of protein.
In competitive bodybuilding, the offseason is in the summer and winter periods. If in winter everything is normal with the appetite, then in summer it is very difficult to force yourself to eat 5-6 full meals. In this case, protein shakes and weight gainers come to the rescue. They should also not be forgotten.
3. Insufficient Recovery Time
Even after the end of a hard workout in the gym, the work on the growth of your muscles is still ongoing. Therefore, it is necessary to give the body a sufficient amount of time to recover. Don’t oversaturate your training plan. When you know that in the evening you will have a bike ride with friends, then you do not need to go to the gym and do additional cardio training. If you train too hard and often in the offseason, you are likely to get overtrained shortly before the competition. It is necessary to increase the intensity of training directly during the fat burning period. It is at this time that additional aerobic and strength training is added.
Sleep mode is important for high-quality recovery, along with a proper diet. It should be long, so that in the morning you do not feel a loss of strength. And this applies not only to competitive activities and professional bodybuilders, but also to ordinary people.
4. Lack of Cardio Training
Neglecting intensive cardio exercises during the period of gaining muscle mass is a common mistake of almost all bodybuilders. There is a stereotype that cyclical training can be destructive for high-quality muscle growth. Many people claim that running will make your muscles “crumble”. However, this is not the case. Cardio helps to strengthen the cardiovascular system, remove excess fluid from the body and accelerate metabolism. Add 3-4 cardio workouts of 30 minutes to your program. This will allow you to easily do more sets and reps during the main strength training. You will feel better and will not gain too much fat along with the mass.
However, in everything you need to know the measure. Do not overdo it with cardio loads. This can lead to fatigue, injuries, and slowing down the build-up of body volume.
5. Poor Motivation
To avoid losing motivation after the next competitive season, you need to clearly formulate your goals for the offseason in advance. Many bodybuilders neglect this. As a result, they do not focus on the lagging muscle groups.
Periodically review your old photos from your performances and compare your previous results with what you have at the moment. Do not forget that your main task is to achieve the best results and present the best form in the next season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Bodybuilders Have an Offseason?
The offseason is the period between competitions when an athlete gains weight. Unfortunately, not all bodybuilders during this time manage to gain high-quality muscles without fat. The exhausted body absorbs carbohydrates and water, which were not enough in the competitive period. As a result, the athlete begins to increase in size.
How Long is a Bodybuilders Offseason?
Each athlete has an individual duration of the offseason. It all depends on what competitions you decide to participate in. Often the offseason for bodybuilders falls on summer and winter. It is worth noting that the athlete begins to dry the body 1-2 months before the competition.
How Much Body Fat Do Bodybuilders Have Offseason?
The amount of fat in the offseason for each athlete can be completely different. Firstly, it depends on the body type, and secondly on the diet. However, many bodybuilders consider 10-15% fat in the offseason to be the norm. During competitions, bodybuilders are guided by 5%.
