Post Contest Rebound

by Kris Pitcher

Oh, it can be ugly. So ugly in fact that you've been warned about it. You're scared about it even. You've sought advice for how to deal with it. It's post contest rebound.

Women experience huge weight gain, massive water retention, and serious depression. The rebound can be devastating. It's all a set up. This is an absolute opportunistic time.

And here's the thing - just get a plan together. It is opportunistic in that your muscles are primed to build. They are ready to suck up nutrients and grow like mad. They are thirsty for hydration and nutrients...waiting for you to do the right thing.

What happens is mental breakdown. This is followed by a landslide of carbs, which your body isn't equipped to handle. Before you know it you are on the roller coaster of insulin surges and you might as well have started crack.

The right thing to do? Enjoy a few things in moderation - while eating what you are supposed to eat. What does that mean? It means packing your 6 meals for the day before you head out of the house. It means increasing your healthy fats and increasing the good nutrients in your plan.

It means taking a few days, or a week, off of cardio so your body can have a rest. It means taking advantage of the opportunity of the rebound period by doing some light lifting to push some blood through the muscles.

It means keeping your head straight. It means maintaining some structure - lots of structure - in your life with both your eating and your exercise. You can choose to set yourself up for failure by hitting every restaurant in town because you feel you've been massively deprived.

Or, you can allow yourself some moderate indulgences while maintaining the structure of what your body is used to. Which makes sense for your rebound? Really, post contest rebound is all up to you. What you decide sets you up for your next show...can you guess what I'm doing?