Getting Ripped!
The Perfect Bodybuilding Routine
(part 3 Precontest)
by Joe Meeko

 Joe Meeko has an amazingly simple understanding of diet and nutrition. In this third article  Joe explains give you a pre-contest insight that in only glossed over by most professionals, This article is the real deal!
This article is written with the assumption that you have already read the first articles subtitled "The Theory" and "Getting Cut" if you have not you may not fully understand the impact of the information that you are about to receive

Everyone’s metabolism is different so you're going to have to figure out how long and how much of the foods you have to eat from the list of low fat foods from my last article “Getting Shredded” to get into a decently cut state.

I was blessed with probably the fastest metabolism of any Bodybuilder. I could get cut “at will” just by going no fat for a few months. I can remember my first Teenage contest I went into and won; only dieted for one month. Some have to diet for 3 to 5 months to achieve a ripped physique, that’s all up to the individuals metabolism. I could eat just about as much of the no-fat foods as I wanted to and didn’t have to restrict the amount at all. Most of you probably wont be so lucky and will have to limit the amounts of even the good no fat foods that I listed in my last GETTING CUT article.

Lets say you’re fairly cut and about two weeks to a month away from show time. Now it’s time to get all the water retaining “SODIUM” foods out of the diet. It’s better to go into a show a little smaller and ripped than to go in too full, bloated and smooth. Stretch this part of the no Sodium no sugar diet out to at least 2 weeks to a month before show time depending on how fast you respond and how thin your skin gets from dropping the water from your body. I went about a month no sugar no Sodium.

Here are the only foods you can have and I’ll explain why.

DE-SKINNED double boiled CHICKEN BREASTS. THAT’S IT! This is the ONLY protein source you can have at this point of the diet. Why? Because it’s the lowest sodium protein food there is and lowest fat content too. You cannot have any topping at all on ANY foods. No more homemade tomato sauces, no more mustard or ketchup - there’s too much salt and sugar in them.

Just let the chicken breast “air dry” for a few minutes. DON’T squeeze it flat to get out the rest of the water. My friend and manager saw me doing this one time before a show and he scolded me and said that’s like squeezing the water out of your muscles” The amount retained naturally in the Chicken breast from boiling is perfect to keep the muscle at it’s exact fullness that it’s suppose to be.

Remember you must also cut out all processed sugars so you can save the effect of the carbohydrate loading and sugar loading rush for the show.

You “cannot” have ANY tuna or any kind of fish at all because they are loaded up with sodium. So get used to a very bland diet from this point on. Remember “it’s all in the mind” and what you want more - winning the show or having the forbidden foods. Don’t worry you’ll be able to pig out after the show a little, just keep that in mind.

You cannot have egg whites any more. They have way to much sodium content in them and will hold major water in your body. I never said this part of the diet was going to be easy, but it’s all about if you want to win badly enough. Just be happy that you're eating something to fill your belly.

You CAN add vinegar to anything to give it taste up to 3 days to a week away from show time. I used to dip my pulled apart chicken breast and dip it in a bowl of Vinegar. Vinegar is a natural diuretic and fat burner and it will give the chicken some taste and help your body rid itself of extra water.

Now for the CARBOHYDRATE FOODS

For two weeks out from the show you still can have boiled rice, baked potatoes, boiled pasta, bananas and PLAIN dry rice cakes - THAT’S IT for the carbohydrate foods.

Just let the rice drip dry in the bag then spread out on a plate and allow to air dry to dampness and the boiled pasta air dry in a strainer then a plate. No need to squeeze it flat either. The rice will have to go 3 days before the show as it holds a lot of extra water. This is it for the carbohydrate foods so get used to them. Again, I dipped my baked potatoes in Vinegar to flavor them but the last 3 days they had to be eaten dry. The baked potatoes, air dried Pasta, and rice cakes will be topped with something you’ll enjoy a day before the show to sugarcarb them up and the topping is also nice and cold, sweet and wet (more on that next article). By now you’ll be pretty hungry and thirsty for something wet and sweet anyway.
 

You CANNOT have watery fruits anymore one to two weeks out. Bananas are it for the fruit carbohydrate department. They are also great for potassium, which will keep you from cramping becuase you are so low on sodium and water from the diet. But don’t over do them. Eat one only once in a while to get you through the day and your workouts. You're trying to save the effect of sugar carb loading from sucrose and fructose for the carbing up you’ll be doing a day or so before the show.

You cannot have any more canned anything, no canned vegetables or fruits. The wet steamed vegetables can be eaten up to about a week out but let them air dry to dampness.

One month out make sure you switch from canned vegetables to fresh or frozen because of the salt and sugars that are added during the canning process. Usually plain frozen vegetables only contain the vegetable itself and water with no salt in them at all. Make sure though by checking the package and looking at the ingredients. To really make sure you're not eating any salt - buy fresh vegetables. You cannot have any more of the canned vegetables because even if you rinse them out with fresh water many times the vegetable itself still absorbed sodium during the canning process and you simply can’t get rid of it all from within the vegetable.

The fresh steamed vegetables have to go one week before the show because of the amount of water they have in them. Even though they are sodium free they contain a lot of water from the steaming or boiling process. Also try to cut back on how much water you drink at this time (about a week away from the show so you get used to feeling thirsty. Don’t stop drinking totally at this point, just don’t guzzle anymore, even during a workout. Try rinsing your mouth and spitting the water out a lot instead of swallowing it. This will help prepare you for when you cannot have any water at all for the last 2 to 3 days before the show. Don’t worry though you’ll be getting a lot of moisture in your mouth while you carb up, which will be discussed in my next article CARBING UP, a day or so before the show.

Absolutely NO fruit juices just plain old water for one month to two weeks away from show time. (depending on the person). These fruit juices contain way too much sugar and you want to save the sugar rush for the show so the muscles suck it up and fill up with it. If you have the sugars now your body will be used to them and you won’t get the sugar carb rush loading effect you want to save for show time.

These types of sugars, even from natural fruits should be cut out 2 weeks away from the show to rid your body of them . Rely on the bananas for just a little natural fructose sugar just to keep your mind and body going. “Remember this is going to get rough” physically and mentally and it’s a good idea to be on vacation or not working a hard job while preparing for a show. You simply cannot function normally on this type of restricted sodium and restricted sugar diet mentally or physically - it’s shear will power from this point on.

Start cutting out your salads one week before the show. The tomatoes, lettuce onions just have too much water in them.

Remember you're going to get weak at this point “very weak” in most exercises but just try your best to use as much weight as you can. Remember you're not trying to grow anymore with the use of heavy weights. Right now you're trying to just hold onto what you can. So don’t expect to pump the heavy weights like you used to when you were bulky - you simply won’t be able to. You're not concerned about strength anymore, your concerned about what you look like. As I mentioned before the strength and size will come back after the show, when you can eat normally again.

So lets recap this two weeks to one week away from show time.

You should only be eating de-skinned, double boiled, air dried to dampness Chicken breasts for your protein source - THAT’S IT for protein.

Carbohydrates from plain Baked Potatoes, boiled, strained, air dried to dampness Spaghetti or Pasta that has zero Sodium in it - check the label.

Boiled strained air dried to “dampness” not totally dry - Rice

Bananas “not many” just to get you through the day and your workout, which are the lowest moisture and Sodium fruit there is and also have a great source of Potassium in them to help you from cramping.

Rice Cakes “plain” that have ZERO Sodium in them check the label - not Cinnamon, Apple flavored or any other flavor.

Water - Just enough to swallow your vitamins and get you through the day, don’t guzzle - get yourself used to feeling thirsty but don’t stop totally - not yet at least this will be discussed in my next article - CARBING UP.

Coffee strong black no sugar. For every cup you drink you will urinate out about two to three cups of water out of your body as coffee is a natural diuretic drink. Have it cold if you want to help quench your thirst. (This will be discussed in detail in my next article)

By now since you’ve been eating basically a very low fat low Sodium diet for many months you should be looking pretty hard and cut. Again it’s all individualized and how long and how much of the foods you can eat have to be figured out by everyone on an individual basis. However EVERYONE that I put on this diet that was a training partner of mine WON their Bodybuilding shows they entered. It will work for everyone. I even put my own mother and many friends on it who simply wanted to lose weight and feel healthier. Of course they didn’t have to go as strict because they were not bodybuilders but most lost 35 to 50 pounds in a matter of months.

To the Bodybuilders - you may be looking a little flat yet and unimpressive but don’t worry, this will be taken care of in my next article CARBING UP. This last segment article will give you the knowledge to make the muscle very full and at their maximum pump and your skin will be at it’s thinnest - until next time .......


Love in Christ

Joe Meeko

<Part 2 of Series -- Part 4 of Series>

Mr. Universe
Mr. America
Mr. USA
Mr. North America
Mr. Pan America
Mr. Eastern USA AAU & NPC

 Please Visit Joe Meeko site http://www.power-grips.com