E Book Critical Contest Prep

Blueprint for Success

Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Critical Contest Prep Rule #1 : Assess your current condition and be honest with yourself? Am I ready to compete? .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Critical Contest Prep Rule #2 : Pick a competition date and mark it on your calendar! ................................... 7 Critical Contest Prep Rule #3 : Order a posing suit and begin researching the rules of your event. ................ 8 Critical Contest Prep Rule #4 : Practice, Practice, Practice!.............................................................................. 9 Critical Contest Prep Rule #5 : Make sure you have a base tan and experiment with your competition color weeks before your actual competition. .......................................................................................................... 10 Critical Contest Prep Rule #6 : Pack your bag for success on contest day. ..................................................... 11 Critical Contest Prep Rule #7 : Make sure you understand what your macronutrient ratios should be. ....... 12 Critical Contest Prep Rule #8 : Perform your carb deplete/carb load cycle a few weeks in advance ............. 13 Critical Contest Prep Rule #9 : Perform your water “shedding” techniques a few weeks in advance............ 14 Critical Contest Prep Rule #10 : Partner up with a trusted and supportive training partner or contest prep coach .............................................................................................................................................................. 15

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Blueprint for Success

Introduction

E

ntering your first bodybuilding, figure or bikini contest could be the most exciting and the most intimidating moment of your life. Once you finally decide to sign up for your first contest, the game has officially changed. It takes proper planning, extreme dedication, relentless effort, and daily management of your macronutrient ratios. With that said, it doesn’t have to be an impossible task. There is a very specific blueprint that I would like to share with you in this e-book. If you follow the principals set forth within this blueprint, I can assure you that you will be better prepared and much more confident as you embark on the exciting journey we call critical contest prep.

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Blueprint for Success

I picked up my first weight when I was just 11 years old. I knew from that moment that I absolute loved lifting weights. It was the only activity besides wrestling that I felt came very naturally to me and I was instantly passionate about it. I wanted to learn everything there was about getting bigger and stronger. I started reading every bodybuilding magazine on the shelf and armed myself with enough knowledge to feel confident to design and implement a regular training program. I came home every day after school, went into my basement and put on my old cassette tapes (yes cassette tapes, in the late 80’s we didn’t have cd’s or internet). It was truly old school bodybuilding at its core and I hit the weights with ferocity. I learned quite a bit about nutrition as well, from reading the old magazines, so I knew from a very young age the importance that nutrition played in my success. I made gains pretty quickly in my first few years of training and by the time I was 13 years old I was lifting weights that most kids much older than me were moving. I knew the basic principals were the most important in developing a solid foundation on which to build quality strength and muscle size. I got seriously into wrestling by the time I was 13, so my weight training became a little more seasonal for me, as I spent a lot of time dedicated to becoming a skillful wrestler; however, my strength helped me have a competitive edge against most of my opponents, who at my age, often weren’t introduced to heavy lifting until they were much older. Although wrestling was taking up most of my energy, I started hitting the weights with ferocity every off-season, and by the time that I graduated from high school I knew that I wanted to focus on competing in my first bodybuilding competition. I got super focused on my training and nutrition with the intention of competing and started developing a plan of action. I would put on as much muscle as I could for the next 1218 months then enter my first show. I started out at about 175lbs in that first off-season. I set my sights on the NPC Bev Francis Atlantic States in New York City. After an intense 16 weeks of contest prep, I came into the show weighing around 149 ripped pounds. I was lean and mean and at 19 years old had what I felt was an impressive physique. Little did I know, this being my first competition, that there were not weight classes at this event for the teenage division. I was competing with 250 lb. mass monsters that also happened to be 19 years old. I also didn’t know much about anabolic steroids when I decided to compete in my first show. Back in the 80’s and 90’s the magazines didn’t reference the use of steroids in the sport and being a naive aspiring bodybuilder, I thought these gains could be attained naturally with enough blood, sweat and tears. Well I was wrong. I clearly remember sitting backstage dejected and feeling defeated because I looked nothing like some of the young men I was competing against. I still got back out there for the final stages of judging and surprisingly finished in 6th place out of 12 teenagers. I felt proud and accomplished that with this lineup I could at least finish in the middle of the pack in such a difficult show.

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Blueprint for Success

I left that contest determined to get much bigger and more ripped for my next show. I would ultimately research every natural bodybuilding organization I could find, because I knew, at that moment, I would never succumb to the allure of steroids and that I wanted to compete naturally. The next show I competed in was the NPC Natural Mid-Atlantic Classic. I was happy that this show was close to home and was drug tested. My prep got a little sharper, as it should, with each contest you compete in. I finished in 2nd place in the Men’s Middleweight Division. I now knew what I believed, which was as long as the contests are drug tested, I could compete at the higher levels and succeed. I competed in a few more bodybuilding competitions over the next few years having even more success than I had previously, coming in first place in two of the competitions, and one of my crowning achievements was making the night show cut off at the MuscleMania SuperBody Natural Nationals in South Beach, Miami. In each contest I learned a little more about myself, what worked and what didn’t and how to dial myself in so that on competition day I would come in shredded and full. I haven’t competed in quite some time now, 13 years to be exact, although am I getting prepared to make a comeback and enter the men’s masters division the summer of 2017. The point of my introduction was to help you learn a little more about where I started and my progression through the ranks of competition. It is never easy and it is never perfect, but until you go through with a full contest prep and actually step on stage, you will never really know where you stand. The next couple of topics I want to discuss are what I call my Critical Contest Prep rules for success. Follow these rules and you will be a head of most competitors who decide to step on-stage. Whether you are planning on competing in bodybuilding, figure or bikini, following the principles which I am about to share with you, will help you feel more confident and much better prepared as you dive into your contest prep head first. So here we go, Marc Rosamilia’s Critical Contest Prep Rules for success on competition day.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #1 : Assess your current condition and be honest with yourself? Am I ready to compete? Let me clarify what I am trying to actually say here because it can easily be misconstrued. No one usually ever thinks that they are “ready” to step on stage. Most aspiring competitors are more than ready to enter their first contest but are so body dysmorphic, they somehow see themselves not as they truly are. I would suggest making it a very important point to attend a few local bodybuilding shows within the organization you intend to compete. By seeing what a show is like, in person, it can help you better understand what you’re getting yourself into. You will get a look at what the athletes in your division look like in contest shape. Keep in mind with a dark tan, great lighting and properly applied oil most competitors are going to look their best under these conditions, but at least you will have an idea of what you’re up against. I realize that not everyone is entering a contest with the hopes of moving up the ranks to be a professional and that scoping out the local competition could “psyche” you out of your dream of stepping on stage, even if it is for just one glorious night. With respect to the organization and to yourself, I feel that we must self-regulate what an acceptable condition is to step on stage, because this is still a competition and it is important to keep the integrity of the sport intact. Every aspiring competitor should understand what condition they should be in before they step on stage and if you’re unsure of how to make that decision, I would suggest hiring an experienced coach to help you.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #2 : Pick a competition date and mark it on your calendar!

It is human nature to be motivated by deadlines. How many times in grade school did you have a project due in 4 weeks only to wait for the night before to complete it? Many of us procrastinate. I sure do and struggle with it every day. If you pick a contest date, you now have a specific time frame for which to work. This will motivate you to really dial in your training and nutrition. Ideally you want to estimate that you will lose about 1-2 pounds of fat per week and 0.5% body fat per week if you are doing everything right, so assess or have a coach assess your current condition to give you a realistic time frame for which to be “contest” ready.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #3 : Order a posing suit and begin researching the rules of your event.

Not being prepared on competition day is a common and huge mistake made by many aspiring competitors. I have seen so many men and women who are in great condition not do well because they weren’t prepared. I would suggest ordering 2 posing suits, a posing suit that fits you as you are in your current condition and one that you anticipate wearing on contest day. You will be humbled and motivated when you put on a suit 12-20 weeks before you step on-stage. If you need a spark, this will provide it. If you don’t know what the rules and requirements are, you should research them through the organization for which you are planning on competing in or by asking your coach. You put a lot of hard work into your nutrition and training program, don’t let your lack of preparation in these critical other areas cause you to place lower than you should.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #4 : Practice, Practice, Practice!

In preparation for being on the stage, I couldn’t emphasize more the importance of daily posing practice. How you present yourself the day of the contest is a direct reflection of how much time you put into practicing your posing. I would strongly suggest that you invest in some full body mirrors, so that you can view your body from multiple angles as you are practicing your posing. I had the ability early in my bodybuilding career to have access to these mirrors and religiously practiced my posing daily carefully looking for any weaknesses. Seeing yourself from these multiple angles is invaluable information that you can use to assess your physique and arm yourself with information to bring up lagging body parts. Make sure you practice all of your comparison poses including your ability to stand “relaxed”. An important skill in competing on stage is to be able to looked relaxed and have a natural smile, while having all of your muscles tensed and activated. You should also being putting most of your emphasis on the mandatory poses over your night routine. The mandatory poses will ultimately determine where you place in your class not the evening show routine. By the night show, the placing is pretty much all determined.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #5 : Make sure you have a base tan and experiment with your competition color weeks before your actual competition.

It is really unfortunate when someone works so hard on their training and nutrition during their contest prep only to step onstage and look “unfinished”. A good competition color will enhance your muscle definition under the red hot lights of the stage. The bronzer in the tanner usually has emollients in it to enhance the color and gives the skin a polished look. This is important for all competitors, regardless of how dark or light your skin color is. Getting a professional tan is imperative for your success on stage.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #6 : Pack your bag for success on contest day.

When it comes to packing your bag on contest day, there are some essentials that you need to include to make your contest day a successful one. Competition day is a long day. You’re going to be tired, hungry and depleted so make sure you have snacks to sustain you for a day that could begin at 6 or 7am and last until 10 or 11pm at night. I would pack water, trail mix, fruit, and nut butter. It is also important to pack an extra posing suit or two just in case of some type of accidental stain on you’re posing trunks or figure suit which would look terrible on stage in front of the judges. Have at least 1 or 2 towels handy, some gum, any supplements you plan on taking, posing oil, sandals, loose fitting shirts and shorts or long pants and your posing music cued for you final appearance.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #7 : Make sure you understand what your macronutrient ratios should be.

Contest prep requires a lot of attention to your macro ratios, which are your carb, protein and fat percentages. Typically gaining mass is easier than losing fat and if you have you do not necessarily need to have your macros dialed in if you’re eating a lot of calories from varied sources. But for contest prep it is critical it is to know what your macros are as you prepare for a bodybuilding/figure/bikini contest. Losing fat is very hard, much harder than gaining mass and it is absolutely critical for you to know where you should start and how you should adjust your macronutrient ratios. A good contest prep coach will help you set this up at the beginning of your contest preparation and make adjustments as necessary along the way.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #8 : Perform your carb deplete/carb load cycle a few weeks in advance

Carb depleting and carb loading is an important final phase of your contest prep. It is critical to know how your body will respond to your depletion and super compensation strategies, well before your contest day. I suggest that you experiment with your proposed plan weeks before you actually implement it and make any necessary adjustments accordingly. If you can dial in these strategies, it can be the difference between appearing “full”, which is the appearance of well-rounded and vascular muscles, as opposed to appearing “flat”, where your muscle seems to be deflated and devoid of any muscularity or definition.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #9 : Perform your water “shedding” techniques a few weeks in advance

If carb loading/depleting were the final phase of your contest prep, then water “shedding” would be considered your last minute phase of contest prep. Holding a little extracellular water as you step on stage could be the difference between 1st and 5th place. The last thing you want to do is come into you contest looking ”smooth”, which is defined in the physique contest world as holding a layer of water, which may cover up your hard earned muscular definition. Make sure you pick a couple of days a few weeks prior to your contest and trial run your water “shedding” plan. You will have a better idea of how your body will respond to your approach. I would advise that you weigh yourself in the morning and in the evening, as well as record how you’re feeling, what your weight fluctuations are and how your body looks in the mirror.

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Blueprint for Success

Critical Contest Prep Rule #10 : Partner up with a trusted and supportive training partner or contest prep coach

One of the most important decisions I ever made during my contest prep was to have a good training partner. You should have a partner who is reliable, supportive, motivated, and committed as much to your success as their own. I would not have had the success I had as a bodybuilding competitor if it were not for all the great training partners I had in my corner along the way. If you do not have a training partner who fits these criteria, I urge you to hire a contest prep coach who does. Make sure you do your homework and hire a contest prep coach, who you feel, you can comfortably work with and someone who has the ability to help you achieve success on the stage. If you are interested in a free consultation with me to see if we are a good fit to work together on your contest prep please click the link below. Good luck on your journey and remember embrace the process, stay the course and reap the rewards of victory. https://criticalcontestprep.wufoo.com/forms/zt6n9w20i38k95/

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Blueprint for Success

Disclaimers This book is not intended to be a substitute for the medical advice of a licensed physician. The reader should consult with their doctor in any matters relating to his/her health. Before beginning any new exercise program it is recommended that you seek medical advice from your personal physician. This eBook contains information that is intended to help the readers be better informed consumers of health care. It is presented as general advice on health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual needs This is a free eBook. You are free to give it away (in unmodified form) to whomever you wish. No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author. The information provided within this eBook is for general informational purposes only. While we try to keep the information up-to-date and correct, there are no representations or warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this eBook for any purpose. Any use of this information is at your own risk

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