Bodybuilding prep is hard enough on its own. The training load rises, the calories fall, the fatigue accumulates, and the margin for error gradually becomes razor thin. Yet, despite how demanding prep is, the fitness industry is still overflowing with questionable advice, outdated methods, and extreme strategies that can completely derail an athlete’s progress.
This post highlights some of the most common, yet genuinely harmful, prep mistakes, delivered in a deliberately sarcastic way. These “tips” are the exact opposite of what a successful bodybuilding preparation actually requires. They’re exaggerated for humour, but the truth is that many athletes still unknowingly fall into these traps.
Below, we break down each category from the carousel and explain why these approaches can sabotage your prep and produce unpredictable results come show day.
“Anti-Peak Week”: The Fast Track to Looking Worse on Stage
Peak week is meant to fine-tune your physique, not overhaul it. But some athletes unintentionally sabotage their own conditioning by:
Slashing water far too early
Manipulating sodium without structure
Introducing high-fibre or completely unfamiliar foods
Making last-minute changes under stress
These behaviours disrupt digestion, hydration, fullness, and appearance, often making an athlete look worse, not better. Peak week strategies should always be conservative, predictable, and trialled well in advance.
“Sleep Is Optional”: The Recovery Mistake That Costs You Muscle
If there’s one thing that consistently derails a prep, it’s poor recovery. Some common mistakes include:
Treating sleep as optional
Running on caffeine instead of rest
Ignoring stress management
Training harder when the body needs deloading
Chronic sleep restriction and stress accumulation can impair strength, make fat loss harder, increase water retention, and heighten emotional volatility. Recovery is not a luxury in prep, it’s a requirement.
“Cardi(NO)”: Avoiding Movement Entirely
Cardio doesn’t need to dominate a prep, but avoiding it completely is a problem. Common pitfalls include:
Refusing to track steps
Only doing cardio sporadically
Scheduling cardio immediately before leg day
Ignoring activity levels outside the gym
Consistency in movement helps regulate energy expenditure, appetite, recovery, and fat loss. The goal isn’t “as much as possible”, it’s structured and predictable.
DIY Show Day: Because Tanning and Posing Don’t Matter (Except They Do)
Show day is not the time to take shortcuts, yet many athletes still learn the hard way that:
Poor tanning ruins stage photos
Last-minute DIY tans look streaky
Lack of posing practice destroys stage presence
Backstage snacking can undo an entire peak
Presentation matters as much as conditioning. Show day should be rehearsed, planned, and predictable, not improvised the night before.
“Intuitive Training”: When Vibes Replace Programming
Training in prep is not the time to:
Skip sessions based on mood
Lower weight whenever fatigue hits
Constantly change exercises
Train without logging sets or RIR
Structure maintains muscle. Variability without purpose compromises it. Good programming ensures progression (or at least maintenance) even during a deficit.
Mind Games: The Fastest Path to a Miserable Prep
Mental habits can make or break your prep. Common psychological traps include:
Comparing your physique to others
Taking advice from unqualified sources
Becoming outcome-obsessed
Forgetting your initial “why”
Prep is as much a psychological process as a physiological one. Confidence, resilience, and internal focus all matter.
Freestyle Nutrition: The Guaranteed Way to Make Prep Harder
Nutrition mistakes are among the most common, including:
Starting prep too far above stage weight
Changing food sources daily
Letting hunger dictate intake
Ignoring digestion, routine, and food consistency
Consistency is the backbone of nutritional accuracy. Randomness creates noise that makes coaching decisions harder and slows progress.
Why This Matters
Bodybuilding is a highly individualised sport. There is room for different methods, preferences, and coaching styles, but there is a big difference between personalisation and chaos.
Evidence-based prep isn’t rigid, but it is structured. It respects physiology. It removes guesswork. It protects the hard-earned muscle tissue athletes spend years building. It avoids the unnecessary stress, unpredictability, and poor results that come from improvised or anecdotal strategies.
If you’ve invested months or years into building your physique, the worst thing you can do is “wing it” during the most important phase.
Ready for an evidence-based, stress-free prep? Work with us at The Bodybuilding Dietitians and get the structure, clarity, and support you need to perform your best.