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Mike Mentzer Pre-Contest Diet

Bran Muffins And Coffee Was A Typical Mike Mentzer Pre Workout Breakfast

Who said achieving chiseled abs and a stage-ready physique has to be shrouded in mystery? Take a deep dive into the tried-and-true methods of the late Mike Mentzer, a true maverick in the bodybuilding world, with his revolutionary pre-contest diet that continues to make waves decades later. With Mike Mentzer's bodybuilding pre-contest diet, you're not just following a meal plan; you're embracing a philosophy that maximizes muscle retention and fat loss, backed by Mentzer's own success and his rigorous, scientific approach to nutrition. By integrating his meticulous calorie-counting and macronutrient-balancing principles, you could be well on your way to presenting your best self on stage. Join us as we unveil the blueprint that powered one of bodybuilding's most iconic figures to his peak condition - because it worked for Mike Mentzer, and it could work for you.

From Muscle & Fitness Magazine February 1981

Heavy Duty Training Advice

Ripped - Making It Easier

Q. I have been a competitive bodybuilding for five years now and have done well, placing as high as third at the national level. As much as I love to train and compete, I am finding it increasingly difficult to to stay on my pre-contest diet before the big shows each year. It's becoming harder to get and stay ripped. Getting my body-fat levels low enough to compete is torturous and the whole process makes me morose and irritable, so that my wife has threatened to leave me. In fact, all my relationships suffer when I am dieting for a big contest. Can you offer any advice that might make it easier?

A. I can certainly sympathize with your plight, since I've had to endure much of what you describe in your letter durring my own competitive career. Let's face it, getting extremely ripped, i.e., reducing body-fat levels to close to 0% is not natural or even healthy. A certain percentage of body-fat is essential for survival, and the body - especially the nervous system - panics and will do everything possible to preserve certain level of fat.

The problem of getting ripped is often exacerbated by allowing the fat levels to go too high during the off-season. This, of course, makes the whole process of losing the fat again for the next competition that much tougher. One of the keys to longevity in this sport is to never allow yourself to fat after a contest. Joe Weider thinks that, after a contest, a bodybuilder should not go higher than about 8% body-fat. Clarence Bass, author of the highly informative book Ripped, keeps his own fat levels at 4% during the off-season, making it relatively east for him to drop to his competitive level of 2.4% body-fat. I recommend that you don't put on more than 8-10 pounds of fat during the off-season. This will keep you within a reasonable striking distance of your competitive best and make the required dieting shorter and easier.

Many bodybuilders who still follow the outmoded and unhealthy low-carbohydrate diet to get ripped are usually the ones to blow up like balloons right after a contest, their appetites totally out of control. Whenever you go on a diet radically deficient in any of the nutrient or too low in calories, binges are inevitable, making it almost impossible to control your food intake.

In summation, don't put on more than 8-10 pounds after each contest; give yourself adequate time to reduce body-fat levels for a contest so you don't have to crash diet; when dieting to get ripped, follow a well-balanced comprised of 60% carbohydrates, 25% protein and 15% fats. Dieting to get ripped is never pleasant but these tips may make it easier for you - and those around you.

Mike Mentzer Bodybuilding Diet

Here is an example of Mike Mentzer's pre-contest diet:

Breakfast
Two Bran muffins with butter, 1 slice seven-grain toast, two figs and two or three cups of coffee.

After Workout
Milk and egg protein drink and fresh fruit such as pineapple or grapes.

Mid Afternoon Meal
Baked potato and more fresh fruit.

Final Meal
Two chicken breasts, a salad, corn of the cob, and occasionally some ice cream.

If you have any questions about Mike Mentzer, Heavy Duty, High Intensity Training, Diet, etc. email us and we'll get back to you with an answer as soon as we can.

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