How do NPC girls do it?

Talan79

I've seen crazy 12 week transformations. That's not long enough for a bulk/cut or a recomp. How do they lean out in such a short time?

VegasFit

I see it at my gym all the time, 12-16 week prep. Of course these girls aren't like hot messes to begin with in the first place. Lol. But it's amazing how much one can transform in that amount of time.

Talan79

Yea, I follow a few on Instagram. I've seen insane 12 weeks before a first show. I'm not a hot mess lol, kind of looking for advice on how to get to like 15% bf. Im currently trying to do a recomp which is discouraging bc it's such a slow process.

Chaskavitch

My sister just did her first physique show two weeks ago. She lost like 12 or 15 lbs in the week before the show. From what I saw at our gym, it involves 2 hours every day of stairclimber or treadmills at a 15 incline/3.2 mph, lifting 6 days a week, eating pretty much nothing but chicken and asparagus, some diuretics, and being massively hangry all the time.

On the other hand, she is pretty dang ripped all the time. She lifts HEAVY (like, deadlifts 235 lbs and benches 200 lbs), so she's got an excellent muscle base to start from.

MityMax96

tzarba wrote: »

I've seen crazy 12 week transformations. That's not long enough for a bulk/cut or a recomp. How do they lean out in such a short time?

I know a few of them at my gym.
Basically 16 weeks out they start their cut.
So they start getting extremely strict w/ their food....and then over the course of the 16 weeks, they lower it.
They start upping cardio
They start upping their weight lifting sessions.....

Talan79

Wow, impressive weights! I'm lifting 6 days a week, 20 min of HIIT before each session.
I decreased my cardio bc I kept reading that you can't gain muscle on a deficit. I eat clean. 3 meals, 2 snacks. 2.5 hours apart. Marcos are 30P-30-F-40C. My maintenance calories are around 1650-1750 so I do about 1650 daily.
I was eating and lifting on a deficit in March, but changed it up in April so I can gain lbm. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

jemhh

Chaskavitch wrote: »

My sister just did her first physique show two weeks ago. She lost like 12 or 15 lbs in the week before the show. From what I saw at our gym, it involves 2 hours every day of stairclimber or treadmills at a 15 incline/3.2 mph, lifting 6 days a week, eating pretty much nothing but chicken and asparagus, some diuretics, and being massively hangry all the time.

On the other hand, she is pretty dang ripped all the time. She lifts HEAVY (like, deadlifts 235 lbs and benches 200 lbs), so she's got an excellent muscle base to start from.

That's the key. They aren't starting from ground zero 12 or 16 weeks out. They've spent months (years) beforehand building the muscle base. The last bit of time is work to reveal the muscle.

AllanMisner

Are you just looking at recomp or do you care about your health?

Talan79

I've always just done cardio. And hours of it. I want to look lean. So recomp for sure. But of course I care about health too. I'm 35, 5"2, med frame, 117 ponds. I've tested 18.5% bf with clippers and 20.5 on a scale.

Talan79

Like this, this is a 12 week progress.

mantium999

tzarba wrote: »

I've always just done cardio. And hours of it. I want to look lean. So recomp for sure. But of course I care about health too. I'm 35, 5"2, med frame, 117 ponds. I've tested 18.5% bf with clippers and 20.5 on a scale.

Just going to toss this in here, but with those stats, and the statement that you have always just done cardio, I think what you are looking for is the physique that comes with more muscle. Which will mean more lifting, and a whole lot of patience. Those who trim down over 12-16 weeks already have a significant muscle base, that took a comparatively long time to develop.

Talan79

@mantium999 I'm doing that now. Lifting 6 days a week. And heavy. But look at the photo I posted. Her starting point was not very lean.

VegasFit

tzarba wrote: »

@mantium999 I'm doing that now. Lifting 6 days a week. And heavy. But look at the photo I posted. Her starting point was not very lean.

IMO her start to finish was doable for bikini. Is that what she competed in and did she place?

Talan79

Not sure if she placed, here is her show day

BigLifter10

Bikini is allowed a higher body fat than say figure or physique. It looked achievable on her. One thing to consider is age too. The younger you are, the easier it is to drop that weight (assuming no health issues are there).

Talan79

Yes, the age thing. I'm 35, these girls are in their 20's.

3dogsrunning

You also need to keep in mind that their stage look doesn't stay. They diet and train hard core for a few weeks, peak, then go back to a softer look. And they also have a base to start with.

This was my own progress, a little longer than 12 weeks.



I was on a super strict diet. Everything was weighed and measured. No extras. The closer to show, the stricter the diet. I had a cheat day once every week or two depending on my progress, later it was a cheat meal. No alcohol. At first I started with 3-4 days of strength training and 5-6 of cardio and towards the end I was doing cardio every day, and two a days at the end. Then there was depletion and dehydration. No drugs.
I lived and breathed the gym, training and food prep.

I also struggled a lot afterwards. I would not recommend that drastic of a diet, especially if it is something that you want to sustain. I struggled with body image afterwards as well. Eventually, I was able to find a maintenance and figured it out but I learned my lesson. Right now I am losing weight after having a baby.

RE - the 12-15 lbs a week before the show, that would be the depletion/dehydration part of it.

BigLifter10

A lot of personal factors come into play. If you are considering a competition, go watch one and see how it works, talk to competitors after the show. If you give yourself enough time, you should be fine. It's not like you can't do it, you may just have to work a bit harder at the look you want. Shows are always around, I would not go overboard and try to squeeze it all into 12 weeks if you aren't feeling like your start base is ready to go. Contact a trainer who works specifically with competitors and get an assessment. If you find a good one, they will let you know from the trained eye.

What is considered 'ideal' one show may not be considered 'ideal' at another. There are times when a softer look is the thing and times when they want a harder look. Very subjective and you just never know what is being sought for any particular show.

If you are doing this just for your own satisfaction. Don't limit yourself to 12 weeks and just get there by doing the right things.

As for drug use....the only ones I have seen who use them (some of them) are the hard core body builders. Bikini - probably a pre-workout IF they desire. Pre-workout of caffeine and beta-alanine. Some shows say they test, but you can tell by the women body builders (that look like guys) that they aren't testing.

Talan79

@3dogsrunning Awesome transformation. Thank you for sharing. I know that the stage look doesn't last, I read a blog about the dehydration before show. I also know that the level of bf that day is not attainable year around.
I just wanted to see where I should keep calories, macros, and how much cardio/weights, to go down to a level of let's say 15%. If I'm between 18.5-20.5 now. I was doing a lot of cardio in March. 4 miles on upper body days, 2 on leg day. Lifting 6 days a week. But doing it on a deficit. So now 2 miles before each lifting session and eating at maintenance.

Talan79

I def don't want to do a show. Was interested in knowing how fast they get there. I just want be more lean. And maintain something like 15%. Genetically I may not get there. I'd be ok for more.

BigLifter10

Keep in mind if you do too much cardio too soon, you won't have anything to turn to when you try to burn the last few pounds off. If you tap out too early, you could get stuck on a plateau and will have nothing left but to decrease cals (which you don't really want to do very much when building your body).