CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE AUGUST || ISSUE 37 | Seite 66

What kind of lifestyle
do you live?
If you are someone who is always on the go, with a high demand career and many
family obligations, you will need more to time to prepare. In cases like these, I
recommend you start earlier - just in case you get derailed. When you have extra time,
you have given yourself some insurance that if shit happens, you have some “wiggle
room” to regroup and get back on plan with minimal impact on the final result.
You need to make an honest assessment of your life to see if you can commit to
preparing for a show. I’ve seen it happen too often: stress from everything becomes
so much that the person’s body stops responding. The person’s body goes into
survival mode and because there’s not enough time to take a step back, they have to
pull out.
In the end, you should only consider competing when it’s right for you. Don’t try to
force yourself to start a contest preparation plan if you are not ready to take on the
task. With 50+ CPA regional shows to choose from now, you have the freedom to
choose when and where you compete.
Conclusion
Ultimately, if you are someone who: has an accomplished athletic background, had a
very productive off season, has kept your body composition in check, are healthy to
start prep, and have no disruptive major life events, then 16-20 weeks out is a good
time to start your contest preparation phase.