Tired of those same bulges on your abs and legs?

Or when you take your measurements and they seem to be the same each month?

Well, you are not alone.  As a first time competitor, the training process to the stage can be confusing and you could get easily discouraged without seeing steady results each week.

It’s important to have a clear picture of your current health & fitness, how many weeks it will realistically take for you to be ready, and exactly how much “weight” you need to lose (if any).

But how do you know if the excess inches you see is fat? Or water?

To be honest, much of it is water. The body is about 20-30% water (not in the muscle or fat), 30-40% muscle, 15% tissues, and 15% organs.

Notice I made a distinction of “where the water is” in the body. Water inside the muscle is called intracellular. The water outside the muscle or under the skin, is called extracellular.

Why is this important to know?

If you are following a strict “fat loss diet and exercise program” when in fact you body fat is not the issue–you could end up spinning your wheels.

For example: 5’7″, 150lb woman, 15% body fat, 78lbs of total body water. 

Note: You’ll have to get more advanced body fat testing (not the handheld or caliper) that provides this water information like the Inbody or the Bod Pod.

For her to be competitive on stage, the body fat and weight would probably fall in this range: 8-12% and 125-135lbs.

This means she needs to lose approx. 10lbs of fat and 10lbs of water.

Couple of quick tips to reduce excess water now.

1. Reduce excess sodium

2. Cut out processed and refined foods from your diet

3. Adjust your meal plans to include periodic carb adjustments/cycling.

4. Avoid over-training which increases inflammation – which will keep you holding water.

How do you get this right?.

You need to follow a structured training program that is broken up in phases. These “phases” will allow you to build muscle, reduce fat and release excess water with the right cardio & diet regimen.

I’ve created an 8 week new competitor boot camp that includes everything you need to learn to land in the Top 5!

Apply to join the next group here.