Competitive bodybuilding not just about dumbbells anymore
By Terry Rodgers
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Sports
The nutrition side of the training can be the nerve-wracking part, Brian Mortimer, the club's adviser, said.
"If you truly want to get lean, your diet must be controlled," Mortimer said. "Most of the guys and girls are already down here working hard. It really comes down to nutrition; They're already beating themselves up in the gym."
Although the diet is different for everyone, there is one aspect that's constant across the board: the fact that eating is the one thing on each performer's mind 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"If you want to take a day trip, or go shopping, or go out to eat with friends," Lhota said, "you think, 'What can I eat when I get to this restaurant? Or, 'How many meals do I have to take with me?'"
Meals on-the-go are commonplace for the competitors.
Most cook their meals two to three days ahead of time to ensure they don't disrupt their routine.
"If you take the time to prepare the food and have it readily available, the chances of you taking (unhealthy food) are a lot less," Mortimer said.
One competitor said he takes meals anywhere and everywhere-the classroom included.
"I'm always taking food to class or no matter where I'm at," said Jon Murchak, who finished as the runner-up in the heavyweight division at the 2007 competition.
Murchak said he pre-cooks most of his food days in advance just to get the work involved out of the way all at once.
Since the strict eating is such a huge aspect of his routine, he said there would be no way he'd have the time to cook every meal when it was time to eat.
"I come down (to the gym), get my workout in, and then it's all about eating the rest of the day," he said. "If you are not in 100 percent with the dieting and the training, you'll really suffer from it."
Operating on such a demanding schedule for three months out of the year requires a strong supporting cast, Lhota said.
"I've lost friends through this, which was hard," she said.
"If you truly want to get lean, your diet must be controlled," Mortimer said. "Most of the guys and girls are already down here working hard. It really comes down to nutrition; They're already beating themselves up in the gym."
Although the diet is different for everyone, there is one aspect that's constant across the board: the fact that eating is the one thing on each performer's mind 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"If you want to take a day trip, or go shopping, or go out to eat with friends," Lhota said, "you think, 'What can I eat when I get to this restaurant? Or, 'How many meals do I have to take with me?'"
Meals on-the-go are commonplace for the competitors.
Most cook their meals two to three days ahead of time to ensure they don't disrupt their routine.
"If you take the time to prepare the food and have it readily available, the chances of you taking (unhealthy food) are a lot less," Mortimer said.
One competitor said he takes meals anywhere and everywhere-the classroom included.
"I'm always taking food to class or no matter where I'm at," said Jon Murchak, who finished as the runner-up in the heavyweight division at the 2007 competition.
Murchak said he pre-cooks most of his food days in advance just to get the work involved out of the way all at once.
Since the strict eating is such a huge aspect of his routine, he said there would be no way he'd have the time to cook every meal when it was time to eat.
"I come down (to the gym), get my workout in, and then it's all about eating the rest of the day," he said. "If you are not in 100 percent with the dieting and the training, you'll really suffer from it."
Operating on such a demanding schedule for three months out of the year requires a strong supporting cast, Lhota said.
"I've lost friends through this, which was hard," she said.
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