They say comparison is the thief of joy, and in the case of bodybuilding preps… comparison can be heavily distracting, confusing, and in some cases make an athlete feel like they’ve been defeated 8+ weeks out from their actual show!

Often we can find ourselves consuming identical meals on a day-to-day basis whether it be due to convenience, taste, or poor culinary skills. However, as the saying goes, “Variety is the spice of life”, particularly when it comes to boosting your overall nutrient status!

It can be easy to understand the appeal of fast-tracked weight loss. Why diet for 15 weeks when you can get the job done in less than half the time? Rapid results don’t come with any negative consequences, right? Not necessarily…

We live in a day and age where greens powders are flying off the shelves and unfortunately the spinach at the back of our fridge is wilting. These and other similar products are marketed and sold with the overwhelming claims that they “improve gut health”, however…

In terms of health and physique goals, one day of optimal/non-optimal eating and training will not make or break your results in a year to come. However, to quote Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

In contrast to popular belief, being conscious with your calorie intake doesn’t mean your meals need to be dry, bland and boring!

We aren’t here to paint a false narrative of comp prep and give off the impressive that it isn’t tough, restrictive, and requires a high-level of discipline - because it does. However, there are varying degrees to which a competitor should be challenged to achieve their goals of stepping on stage, and overall the journey should be an enjoyable one, not downright gruelling and unhealthy.

Undertaking a comp prep as a bodybuilder is a huge endeavour, and it’s a mission that we don’t recommend setting out to accomplish prematurely.

There is plenty of misleading information circling around regarding carbohydrates and the role that they play in maintaining good health. Part of this simply stems from a misunderstanding of how carbohydrates are digested to begin with.

There’s more to nutrition than just total energy intake, hitting macro targets, and including certain food sources in your diet. Fascinatingly, you can take your nutrient status to another level by strategically eating certain food sources within the same meal to maximise micronutrient absorption!

Nutrition and dietary guidelines often encourage the consumption of a wide variety of plant-based foods, which can easily translate to recommendations of “EAT THE RAINBOW!” This is with good reason and it’s a message that we highly support, as fruits and vegetables of different colours will provide a unique array of micronutrients, phytonutrients, fibre types and antioxidants, all of which contribute to a prime health status.

It’s nice to think that we understand everything about human physiology and nutrition science - but we don’t. Unfortunately, there are no definitive “rules” that we can standardise to everyone when it comes to creating an energy deficit to achieve weight loss.

Experiencing a surge in motivation feels great, however it often comes with an expiration date. Rather than letting this unreliable driving force dictate your actions, being disciplined, ambitious, and habitual is more likely to result in long-term success.

As the sport of bodybuilding evolves, the standard of competition continues to rise year after year, as does the talent pool. Therefore, with more competitive athletes comes the demand for more strategic, methodical, and evidence-based protocols that can provide a competitive-edge to come out victorious.

Want to hear a hard truth? Chasing a specific body fat percentage will not guarantee results in the health or aesthetic department, and it shouldn’t be your primary fitness goal.

Nutrients are obtained from naturally occurring sources in the diet, the environment, fortified foods, and supplementation. With this, nutrients are considered essential if the human body is unable to synthesise them, or cannot synthesis them in an adequate quantity to support health demands. For example…

Sugar is nothing to inherently fear - in fact it’s a vital energy source (such as the glucose in your blood stream and central nervous system) and it also helps to create the backbone of plant structures.

The above infographic illustrates different forms of measuring progress in both a subjective and objective manner. As coaches, we utilise and encourage using a wide variety of these tools to ensure our clients are progressing toward their personal health and fitness goals.

Worldwide, there are many renditions of what constitutes a healthy dietary pattern. However, from what’s cited in the literature, there appears to be a few core nutritional components that are recommended globally.

If you’re seeking a supplement to hang your hat on, look no further than caffeine.