post competition weight gain

I have been wondering what to expect after a person diets down to the absolute lowest point for a show i am not talking about 1/2 assing it either. I have been told that your body goes completely anabolic when it is in that state. Of those of you who have competed what kind of gains did you make after your show. I plan on stepping on stage at a SHREDDED 196lb. I am hoping to be a solid 230 and less than 10% by the end of summer (naturally), that will give me 3 solid months of doing nothing but lifting eating and growing. I teach so I will have nothing to do but concentrate on this. Is this feasible or are my goals a little far fetched?

I'd say it is certainly possible if you can devote that much time to it. (I wish I could take three months off from work ) Also, if you've been that heavy before, then you shouldn't have too much trouble. Hardgainers like me however, would be hard pressed to put 30 pounds plus on in three months. What grade do you teach?

From experience, I can tell you that your body remembers a lot. Your body resets itself every time you diet, so it gets easier the next time you have to diet. Because you are carb depleted, sodium depleted, and water depleted by the time your show is over, it is very easy to gain 20-30lbs. in a very short amount of time. I took off three months (not from training) off after the September show. I came off all supplements and went natural. I was able to stay under 10% for several months after the show (in three months I went from 180-215). I was still eating sensibly without any supplementation. I did on very rare occasions indulge myself with some Chocolate Cheesecake or some garlic bread. I am currently 252 (again no supplementation yet) and getting ready to begin dieting down for 2 upcoming shows. Good luck in your upcoming shows.

Thanks for the comments guys, Is it true your body goes anabolic for a while after your show if you do diet down like the way you should? I have been told you gain some really good muscle after a show. Also if this is true what kind of diet do yo recommend getting on after the show. If i have to I will eat 10 chicken breast dry and 50 egg whites post contest if it will add quality muscle to my frame. I really want to grow after this show, not just bloat and go back to my old weight of 220. i would really like to gain 10lb pounds of solid muscle on top of gaining my old back. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Yes your body will be in a very anabolic state afer the catabolic state of dieting. It is all to do with homeostasis - your body trying to keep things the same. You send it very catabolic dieting, it rebounds and hey you go anabolic. This will only last for a time, until it catches up with what you are doing (chucking down calories to grow) and then homeostasis kicks in and you lose this heightened anabolic state. In my opinion the key is to use this window of opportunity to eat as much as you can, not necessarily clean food either at first. You can always tidy up the diet as you are gong along if you feel you are gaining to much fat or bloat. To grow you must eat so to grow more you must eat more. After a show diet this is easy. However the one time this has often fallen down for me is when i have become ill say 6 weeks after the show, i lose this appetite and can never get it back and so the gowing tails off. Your immune system is down from dieting so keep up the vits and avoid ill people. Through 3 months of eating more, relaxing and training you should reach your goal - maybe let your bf goto 12, that's still good and remember you'll have just been v. low for your show, so give your body a break and a chance to grow! good luck anyhows.

bro i gained 21 lbs of water in one day. but that is besides the poiint.

here is what a ifbb pro told me. the following three to four weeks after a show your body is the most anabolic it will ever be and is able to put on the most amount of muscle it will ever be able to in this short of a period of time. putting on 7 lbs of muscle in one year is great, 10lbs in 4 wks is awesome . and its acheivable after a show.

here is what your plan should be after your show. everyone says take time off cuz you just pushed your body to the limit. yes and no. first for three or four wweeks. continue eating relatively clean but eat everything. lots of good food. rice oatmeal chicekn steak burgers, and train . dont go all out training jsut stimulate your body to get your body going and keep your appetite up. eat clean and alot and train smart and you;ll gain 10lbs of muscle in four weeks. then take a week off of training all together but keep eating smart. the diet isnt over tafter the show.t ake advantage of your hard work.

i started my diet at 250lbs , dieted down to like 208lbs. and my body got back up to 230lbs lean no problem. then back up to 250lbs with ease. it took me the whole last offseason to get to 250lbs and afte rmy show it was like nothing. this year i got to about 280lbs , so i expect to get back there with ease and force my way to 300lbs next offseason.

i cant stress enough what you can do with your body at this poitn. its so so important.

I like to take a more conservative approach- The year before last I gained 20+ lbs in a few days after my last show that season. I had to step back and consider that its really not good for your body to gain that much weight in such a short period of time. Last season, I took a slower approach, and gained some good muscle over a 4-5 week period while still eating cleanly.
I got to 242 last season and this year I got to 255 and it really wasn't that difficult. I began dieting this week, and the water that is coming out is just buckets- and I am not on AS as of yet- not till a few weeks from now.