Your Off-Season Body Building Training Program

Competition season’s over.  You’ve reaped the rewards of your hard work – or been motivated to try harder by watching others win the prizes.  The lean, hungry time is over and you can relax the dietary rules a little.  But the off-season isn’t relaxing season.  The off-season is the time when you start to work towards building up and improving your physique for the next season.

The following points are adapted from advice given by former IFBB champion pro bodybuilder, Craig Titus.

1. Forget about weight.  While other pros prefer to put on as many pounds as possible, Craig preferred to remain within a mere 15 pounds of his competition weight.  For lesser mortals like us, this mentality can help us avoid the temptation to see every gain on the scales as a good thing, whether or not the increase is caused by muscle or fat!
2. Back to basics.  Machines are good, but for pure strength, stick to the free weights, the bench presses and the squats. 
3. Intensity counts.  Follow your program of reps and sets properly and hard to get the maximum gains possible.  Your muscles need to feel the load so they get the message that they need to get bigger.  Don’t forget to rest, though!
4. Down the cardio.  According to Craig, cardio should be kept for the competition season to keep the body fat levels down.  During the off-season, weights rule OK!
5. Protein.  Get lots and take it frequently – 80 grams per meal and five meals a day.  Craig even has a pre-prepared protein shake in the middle of the night so his body has plenty there to build muscles from.  To avoid excess fats and the like, protein shakes and bars are convenient, tasty and easy.  Watch out for the ones containing L-glutamine in particular (you’ll find some of these body building nutritional supplements at bargain basement prices in Supplements To Go’s product list).
6. Get lots of rest.  Sleep is when the body rebuilds muscle tissues and increases them.  You’ll need to get your sleep to see real results.
7. Your workout week should have two days in the gym, one day of rest, then three in the gym and one of rest.  Work a different muscle group each time – don’t do them twice in a row, as your tissues need time to rebuild.
8. Morning glory.  Craig prefers to work out first thing so the rest of the day is free for eating and sleeping (however, if you’re not a pro, you will have to get to work at some stage!).
9. Sundays off.  Keep Sundays as special days for resting and allowing yourself a few dietary indulgences.  Not a big blowout on food – just a few cheats and treats.
10. Abhor abdominals.  Working too hard on your abs during the off-season may leave you with a thickened waist.  The other exercises you do on your other muscle groups will probably work your abs to a certain extent – abs are in your core muscle group – so they’ll stay nice, defined and taut.