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.