Bikini Prep Articles
Learn how we've maintained the highest placing % since 2010!
October 10, 2023
Can your metabolic rate increase enough to lose 3lbs of fat in one day?
September 20, 2023
Runaway Metabolism During Peak Week Carb Load
I’ve been hearing this newly fabricated runaway metabolism term thrown around a lot lately, so I thought I’d make fun of it (it’s been a while :). From what I can gather so far (as with all made up terms, the meaning will change week to week), the term is mostly used when an athlete…
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May 10, 2019
22 NLPT Clients Brought Home 49 Top 5 trophies in 29 shows over 13 months
Just thought I'd give a quick update on our success rate lately. We're still right around our usual 90% placing rate since we started back in 2010. Over the past 13 months, we've put 22 different girls on stage (I told you we were a small team! :). Collectively they brought home 49 top 5…
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August 28, 2018
5 Keys to Bikini Competition Training
Just a quick run through of what I consider some keys to a proper bikini competition training program. This isn't going to be a book, so I'm not covering everything...just what pops into my head as I type :) Bikini Competition Training Key 1: Appropriate volume per bodypart based on YOUR strengths and weaknesses If…
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August 7, 2018
How we handle bikini competition diet and training for different body types and starting points
Just a quick post about how we handle bikini competition diet and training for various body types and starting points. We accept clients of all shapes and sizes, and always make it a point to let each applicant know prior to enrollment what our approach will look like for them. Scenario 1: Initial Cut followed…
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July 30, 2018
Ideal Stage Weight for Bikini Competitors
This is a revision of one of my more popular articles. It seems the judges have been looking for bikini girls to be leaner and dryer than they were a few years back when I wrote the original article on Ideal Stage Weight for Bikini Competitors. So I've taken a close look at where my…
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September 12, 2017
Bikini Competition Diet Macros: How we determine low carb vs. high carb for our clients
This is going to be a short one and not as technical as some of my other articles. I basically just want to briefly touch on how we go about determining our clients' bikini competition diet macros, specifically whether to go low carb/high fat, high carb/low fat, or moderate carb/fat once we've determined caloric and…
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May 14, 2017
What Causes Post-Competition Rebounding (And Why it NEVER Happens to our Clients)
I'm going to just dive right in here: Most girls suffer from post-competition rebounding because they should have given themselves more time to get stage ready. Ever hear a bikini coach or YouTube/Instagram fitness celeb say this? Probably not. I mean how are they going to cash in on the '12 week miracle transformation' craze,…
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December 31, 2016
Welcome New Co-Coach Nikky!
We’ve just added our third co-coach, Nikky Rash from Orlando, Florida! Nikky is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and NPC National Bikini Competitor. She will be offering primarily online training/nutrition, but also has (limited) availability for in-person training in Orlando. As always, our coaches coordinate behind the scenes to ensure all our clients are getting the…
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December 31, 2016
We Have the Longest Top 5 Placing Streak in the Industry!
Just a quick post now that we're at the end of yet another amazing season! We are proud to announce that ALL bikini clients have placed top 5 and qualified for Nationals (or Provincials for Canadian regional level clients) this year, and actually dating back to April of LAST year (2015)! So that's 1 year…
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August 15, 2015
Should Bikini Competitors do a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet?
July 2016 Update: I've received a number of emails/inquiries from people who assumed that because I wrote this article about CKD dieting that it is the approach we take for our clients. Just want to point out that we DO NOT do CKD or Ketogenic dieting, as you will find if you can suffer through…
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June 11, 2015
Bikini Competition Diet: Why many competitors drop the ball on carb cycling
Carb cycling seems to be standing the test of time as a staple of the typical bikini competition diet, so I thought I would write a brief article on what I see being done incorrectly by many competitors, and how to make your carb cycle better. First I want to clarify that I am talking…
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October 14, 2013
Bikini Competition Diet Series: How to Calculate Your Macros
This is an expansion on a very, very simplified article I wrote back in 2010 on how to set up your Bikini Competition Diet Macros. I've been hesitant to get too in depth with this since adjusting a diet is really an ongoing process, and you need to know when to leave things alone and…
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October 7, 2013
IIFYM or “Clean Eating” for Bikini Competitors…which is better?
Should a bikini competition diet utilize IIFYM (if it fits your macros) or the ever popular "clean eating"? Its funny that we're considering bikini competition diet IIFYM and "Clean Eating" to be opposing viewpoints/concepts now. Just 10 years ago I was in charge of a successful 12 week lifestyle/body transformation program at my gym, and…
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May 28, 2012
Figure and Bikini Contest Prep Guide to Gas and Bloating
Just because its "clean" when you eat it doesn't mean it's going to be clean coming out the other end. That's what I should have named this article. But seriously, it's not uncommon when suddenly moving from the typical American diet to the average bikini contest prep diet to experience some gas/bloating. I think some…
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April 26, 2012
Bikini Competition Diet: Refeeds for Figure and Bikini Prep?
Do you need a bikini competition refeed? See if this scenario sounds familiar: Your bikini coach has had you on a super low calorie/carb bikini competition diet nonstop for weeks with NO bikini competition refeed. You made some good progress at first, strength/performance in the gym was okay for a while, energy throughout the day wasn’t…
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April 11, 2012
5 Keys to Bikini Competition Glutes
When I say bikini competition glutes, I mean the kind that deserve to win, not the loose, jiggly ones I see scoring trophies at amateur level competitions these days. Do you want glutes that look tight while you’re walking onstage or do you want to jiggle around up there until you’re fully flexed? Because I’m…
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March 28, 2012
Bikini Competition Diet: Carb Cycling Part 3: Setting up a Carb Cycle
In this final installment of the Bikini Competition Diet Carb Cycling Series, I'm going to take you through the steps of setting up a carb cycle for figure or bikini competition. As mentioned in Part 2, I don't really see the point in carb cycling much sooner than about 6 weeks or so out from…
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November 7, 2011
Bikini Competition Diet: Carb Cycling for Bikini Competitors Part 2
Okay I think I'm probably about 2-3 weeks late writing part 2 of Bikini Competition Diet: Carb Cycling for Bikini Competitors, but I re-checked and google still has little to offer on the subject. Not that its google's fault. I love google. So I realized after re-reading part 1 that I never really bothered to…
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October 8, 2011
Bikini Competition Diet: Carb Cycling For Bikini Competitors
Okay, looks like I’m finally fired up enough about something that I may have to write my first blog post in 5 months. Every once in a while I like to pretend I’m a bikini competitor (this isn’t going where you think it is…get your head out of the gutter) looking for relevant contest prep…
Read moreDecember 11, 2010
Figure and Bikini Competitor Q&A: Initial Weight Gain With Strength Training
Q: I just switched to lifting heavier weights a few days ago. Why am I a pound heavier? Is it normal to have some initial weight gain with strength training? A:This is a question many figure and bikini competitors have asked after beginning a traditional strength training (i.e. lift a relatively heavy weight for several…
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September 18, 2010
Bikini Competition Diet: 5 Reasons NOT to Cut Sodium!
While I think most bikini competition prep coaches have come a long way with regard to pre-contest depleting or “drying out” practices, there still seems to be a lot of confusion regarding sodium manipulation in the bikini competition diet. I've intentionally left bikini competition out of this post, since depleting is completely pointless, and actually a…
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August 29, 2010
3 ways to make your figure and bikini prep better (and easier)
As a Personal Trainer to figure and bikini competitors, models, athletes and women wanting to get into peak shape, I'm constantly asked variations of one specific question: What are the secrets to bikini and figure competition prep? Given the understanding we currently have of how the body responds to diet and exercise, combined with the…
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August 6, 2010
Bikini Competition Supplements: This, Not That
As much as I hate some of the recommendations the “eat this, not that” books make, the concept itself is great. And I think we could use a version for bikini competition supplements. The average person with average fitness goals could probably make some measurable improvements in their overall health and appearance by simply referring…
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May 17, 2010
Bikini Competition Diet: Do You Really Need to Count Calories?
Take it from a seasoned Personal Trainer: Nothing scares clients away faster than telling them they have to count calories on a bikini competition diet. Many fitness professionals have gotten so used to rejection when proposing this idea that they don't even bother anymore. It's definitely not something I would just throw out there to the…
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