In the introduction, our discussion of bodybuilding history left off around the
turn of the century, when Mr. Olympia competitors were becoming larger and
heavier. While “mass monsters” like Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler dominated
the early part of the 21st century, this led to the development of new divisions,
and a large influx in competitors as the sport expressed an increased desire for a more streamlined and aesthetic look. This change can be seen in the physiques of more recent Mr. Olympia winners and top contenders; fewer were around the 300-pound (136 kg) mark onstage. For example, the physiques of 2008 Mr.Olympia Dexter Jackson (5' 6" [168 cm], 215 pounds [98 kg]), the seven-time
Mr. Olympia Phil Heath (5' 9" [175 cm], 240 pounds [109 kg]), and 2018 Mr.
Olympia Shawn Rhoden (5' 10" [175cm], 240 pounds [109 kg]) are a stark
contrast to the prior era when the mass monsters were king.



NEW DIVISIONS

The increasing desire for more aesthetic physiques also resulted in several new
divisions. In 2008, the IFBB began to include a 202-pound (92 kg) pro class that
was increased to be the 212-pound (96 kg) pro class in 2012.
In 2011, the NPC/IFBB introduced the men’s physique division, where
competitors are expected to have muscle mass. However, physiques that are too
muscular are marked down. Similarly, competitors are expected to be extremely
lean, but competitors with overly striated and vascular muscle are marked down.
Competitors in this division wear board shorts and are primarily judged from the
waist up.

As the demand for a more streamlined look in bodybuilding continued to
increase, the classic physique division was added in 2016. This division was
meant to serve as a middle ground between the physiques in the men’s physique
and the men’s bodybuilding divisions. Successful competitors in the classic
physique division have an aesthetic physique, large V taper, and a similar look to
bodybuilders of the golden age, but they are typically leaner than competitors of
the golden age. The classic physique division also has weight limits based on a
competitor’s height to encourage a more aesthetic physique.
Male competitors are not the only ones with new divisions in the 21st
century. The women’s side of the sport has also seen rapid expansion. The new
women’s divisions are less extreme than the women’s bodybuilding division to
encourage more females to compete. The first division added was a figure. The
first national event was in 2001, and the first professional event was in 2003.
Women in this division are less muscular and not as striated as female
bodybuilders. They also wear high heels and jewelry and are, in part, judged on
femininity. This attracted female competitors who enjoyed weight training but
did not want to push the limits of their muscularity too far.
In 2010, the NPC/IFBB added the bikini division. Competitors in this division
were less muscular and conditioned than figure competitors were. However, like
the figure division, competitors wear heels and jewelry, and femininity is a
judged component. In contrast, posing is less rigid than the figure division, and
competitors can show a bit more personality on stage. The bikini division has
quickly become the most popular women’s division offered.
In 2011, the women’s physique division was added. This division fits
between the figure and bodybuilding divisions in terms of muscularity and
conditioning. Competitors do not wear heels in the physique division, but the
posing is more stereotypically feminine than in the bodybuilding division.
With the addition of two new male and three new female divisions,
competitors now have more divisions to best suit their physiques. The judging
criteria and posing for each division will be discussed in chapters 3 and 8,
respectively.

DRUG-TESTED BODYBUILDING

Over the past two decades, the number of drug-tested bodybuilding competitions
has increased exponentially. This has increased the number of overall
competitors in the sport by providing a level playing field for those who choose
to compete without the use of drugs. Competitors in drug-tested competitions are
typically polygraph- and urine-tested. In addition, some sanctions perform
random off-season testing for professional drug-tested athletes.
With the increase in competitors participating in drug-tested shows, many
new sanctions have started to offer competitions. In 2018, over 300 drug-tested
competitions were scheduled in the United States. However, these are scattered
across more than a dozen sanctions. In comparison, the NPC (the primary nontested amateur bodybuilding sanction in the United States) had over 200
competitions in 2018 alone.

Each drug-tested bodybuilding sanction has its own professional competition
serving as the most prestigious title. Examples include the WNBF Worlds, IPE
Worlds, OCB Yorton Cup, NGA Universe, PNBA Natural Olympia, and several
others. Chapter 2 includes a detailed list of bodybuilding sanctions.
The current state of drug-tested bodybuilding in the United States is like
bodybuilding during the pre–golden era, before the first IFBB Mr. Olympia in
1965. The sport’s growth has resulted in several new sanctions, competitions,
and many new competitors, but there is no unity within the sport. However, there
is a strong call from competitors for more unity and hope that drug-tested
bodybuilding can one day develop a more uniform structure like the NPC/IFBB.

MISINFORMED APPROACHES TO CONTEST PREPARATION

Historically, information about preparing for a bodybuilding contest was passed
down from competitor to competitor at the gym. Little scientific research had
been performed on bodybuilders preparing for competition, and before the
Internet, there was no realistic way for most competitors to access this
information even if it had existed. Much published research tests the approaches
that bodybuilders have been using for decades. Some approaches have withstood the test of time, others have been disproven, and many have simply not been tested in a research setting but appear to be effective in practice.
Previously, most bodybuilders would prepare (simply called prep) for a
standard of 8 to 12 weeks regardless of how much fat they needed to lose. This
was the way people had “always done things,” so most people followed this
plan. Sixteen-week preps were considered long contest preps, and prep times of
more than 20 weeks were almost unheard of (4). However, research (2) and
anecdotal evidence suggest there may be many advantages to a longer prep time.
In fact, this is such a common misconception among competitors that we
dedicated an entire chapter (chapter 5) to discussing how long to plan for an
effective contest prep.
Once contest prep started, competitors would often follow set meal plans,
eating the same thing each day. Even in the early 2000s, when we began
competing, this approach was extremely common.
A contest prep meal plan could look like the following:
▶ Meal 1: egg whites, oatmeal
▶ Meal 2: chicken breast, green vegetables
▶ Meal 3 (pre-workout): chicken breast, sweet potato
▶ Meal 4 (immediately postworkout): protein shake
▶ Meal 5: tilapia, brown rice, green vegetables
▶ Meal 6: lean beef, green vegetables
For either a meal or an entire day each week, a competitor would have a “cheat
meal” or “cheat day” when he or she could consume anything desired.
Although there are many problems with this nutritional approach, one of the
most glaring issues is that it was completely normal for a bodybuilder to
eliminate dairy and fruit from the diet during contest prep. As a result,
nutritional deficiencies were common, with the most typical being calcium and
vitamin D (4). Another issue with such a diet plan is that on cheat days
competitors often undid all the progress that was made during the week by
consuming too many calories. If you are looking at the sample meal plan and
thinking there is no way you could follow it, do not assume that competing is not
for you—an approach this extreme is not only unnecessary, it is also not as
effective as a more moderate approach. Chapter 6 will discuss how to modify
your nutrition for an effective contest prep.
While traditional bodybuilding dietary approaches have been wrought with
issues, training was no different. It was completely normal for competitors to
switch to exclusively high repetitions during contest prep due to the belief that
this “tones” the muscle. However, this approach commonly results in strength
and muscle loss during contest prep (1). Long durations of steady-state fasted
cardio first thing in the morning were also commonplace, as were cardio
durations of more than 10 hours weekly (7). However, neither of these may be
necessary or optimal to develop a stage-ready physique based on more research
(3), observation, and experience. We will cover resistance training and cardio for
contest prep in detail in chapter 7.
The final week before a competition is commonly called peak week. In this
final week, competitors often take extreme approaches to drastically alter their
physiques, including cutting water and sodium (4). However, these approaches
may make a competitor’s physique look worse come show day (2). Chapter 10
describes more effective approaches to peak week.
After a competition, rapid weight gain was common (5). However, research
suggests that gaining weight too rapidly may add to excessive fat gain and slow
the return of hormones to normal levels (6). Therefore, chapter 12 covers how to
transition out of a competition, what to do in the off-season, and why an offseason
is important.
Through the approaches outlined in this book, our goal is to provide
comprehensive guidelines for contest prep based on research and our experience
as competitors and coaches.