The work does not end when you exit the stage! In fact, it is just the beginning of, what we believe, is one of the hardest phases of physique competition for many athletes. The reverse diet is AS critical if not more critical than the prep itself; and unfortunately, where may athletes fall short. What you do immediately post-show will be the catalyst for how successful your off-season and will be and can often determine the success of your next cutting phase.
If you have been following us, you may have seen how well our client Kelly performed in her first show this June; earning her OCB bikini pro card in her stage debut. She worked hard throughout EVERY phase of her athletic development and her reverse post-stage has been no different. We thought it would be fun and informative to show her 30-day post stage update and what a reverse diet looks like as a responsible athlete.
Kelly’s stats:
Starting weight in Oct 2017—133 lbs
Stage weight June 2019 –104 lbs; calories average 1200
Reversed weight 30-days post-show – 110 lbs – Calories 1850
Coaches Perspective:
The key to success in the reverse for Kelly has been keeping it CLEAN. By clean, we really mean, what any serious athlete should be eating normally for health and performance. Whole foods, lean protein, balanced macros with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Her reverse DID NOT include binges or uncontrolled re-introduction of unhealthy junk. Filling your diet with highly processed foods, fast food, high sugar, food with no nutritional value, alcohol and sugary drinks has no place in the regular lifestyle of any athlete; at any phase. Kelly adopted the post-show lifestyle, with a little more freedom, but kept to eating her nutrient dense whole food diet; just as she did in prep.
Kelly’s Perspective:
“Life after my first bikini competition has certainly been more challenging then I was anticipating. For me, the days of being on prep consisted of the need to constantly be preplanned and scheduled to the max. After living this way for the past six months, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t struggling re-learning to be okay with a normal lifestyle. My first week post competition, I could not sit down and relax to save my life, because when you are on prep you can’t just put stuff off for tomorrow. However, I know that learning to relax into a nice balanced life style is the goal and it will take time...it is part of the process.
I am also so grateful that I had both Tina and Brandi’s help with how to best reintroduce foods into my diet that my digestion wasn’t used to. I found it critical to have a coach through this reverse process and can absolutely see how people get in trouble without taking this phase as serious as they took their prep. I already had digestion struggles during prep and I certainly didn’t need to add to that after by adding back in protein powder, gluten, and dairy all in my first week of my reverse. I wouldn’t have known any better or how to time it right had it not been for their guidance! This is why it is so important to have a great support system after your competition is over.”