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Tips for Contest Prep
TIPS FOR CONTEST PREPARATION
Prepare Yourself Mentally
Being abodybuilder is more than just going to the gym and lifting weights; one must bewilling to submit him/herself to eat, drink and sleep bodybuilding 24 hours aday, 7 days a week.
Mental preparation for a bodybuilding contest is often overlooked. You must sitdown and understand what you are putting yourself through. Maintaining thecorrect frame of mind from start to finish is mandatory. You must ask yourselfwhy you have decided to put yourself through the drudgery of contestpreparation and what goals you hope to achieve.
It may sound silly, but sitting down, void of all distractions and trulyimmersing yourself for your goal is a really efficient method of mentalpreparation. If you can devote 20 minutes of your day to just sit down and notthink about anything you can truly bypass any mental barriers and blocks. Thisis why training is such an important aspect in my life. How many otheractivities in a day allow you to truly block out everything, including problemsconcerning relationships, outcomes, job, family etc. Give a little time toyourself (sleeping does not count).
What I findworks best for me is to write down anything that comes to mind; this will actas a guide for you to fall back on when your instincts are telling you to quit.Nobody is actually forcing you to pursue bodybuilding, so it is important tofind the drive, which makes you want to go ahead with your pursuit, asmotivation does not last.
You need to ask yourself: is this what I really want to do and do I have whatit takes to give this my 110% effort EACH and EVERY time? Are you willing toget up in the early hours of the morning to perform your cardio? Are you goingto stick to your diet when your mates are pounding down alcohol and pizzas? Ifyou answered yes to these questions, you are on the right path. The harshestcritic is often yourself and you are the one who has the power to keep going orto simply quit. The only one that can hold you back is you!
Whilst it isimportant to set realistic goals, I believe that if you accept nothing but thebest, you will achieve and acquire nothing but the best.
If all else fails, just keep in mind that you only need to do this for 16 to 20weeks and you can go back to a regular life! You who chose this in the firstplace!
As I prepare to defend my title this year (IFBB Teenage Mr Australia), I have the followingwritten down and stuck on my wall:
? Tunnel vision dedication to the game.
? Flawless execution and commitment in diet and training.
? Aim to increase strength.
? Take time before each workout to achieve a powerful mindsetprior to setting foot in the gym.
? Keep a clear vision of contest day, envision myself onstage.
? Strive for excellence and enjoy the journey.
? Practice posing!!!
? Daily reflection.
Give Yourself Enough Time
Being overprepared is undoubtedly better than being under prepared and hastily prepared.Too often, bodybuilders try to eradicate all the fat accumulated in theoff-season phase in a short amount of time; the fat did not come on overnightand nor will it come off overnight.
I wasguilty of not giving myself enough time for contest preparation last year andended up sacrificing too much muscle mass to be competitive on stage. Everybodyknows that when you do not have enough time, artificial stress and drasticmeasures must be implemented. This will be outlined in further detail later.
I believethat you should give yourself more than enough time to be ready for yourcontest. It is ideal to be read 1-2 weeks ahead of time, so that you basicallycruise your way onto stage. If you have prepared yourself mentally as Ioutlined in the section above, success is more accessible if you have time tofollow your plan and do what you know will work.
I would recommend 16 to 20 weeks to prepare your body for stage; of coursedepending on your current condition you may add/reduce the number of weeks toget into contest condition. 16 to 20 weeks will allow the bodybuilder to makeeven more improvements to the physique whilst slowly shedding off the fat in amethodical and consistent manner.
Training Philosophy
I believe thetraining method that packed on the mass in the first place is the trainingprogramme that will maintain the mass as one pursues a contest preparationdiet.
A 17? inch arm built via curling 50 lb dumbbells will be maintained if theexact same stimulus is applied. In the same way, I built my legs doing 405 lbsquats; switching to 70 lb leg extensions is not going to ?cut-up? my quads andbring out the definition.
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot ?tone? and ?shape? a muscle. There are 2variables: muscle size and body fat. If you have no biceps peak for example,doing endless concentration curls is not going to give you one. The illusion ofa biceps peak may be created as the muscle itself hypertrophies, or gains size.The physiology of the muscle does not change; therefore it makes no sense toswitch to high reps and different exercises.
One exception however is the possibility of lowering volume. If a trainee has ahectic training regime, he or she may need to lower the number of sets toaccommodate the fact that a calorie deficit is currently being undertaken. Theintensity however, needs to be the same as I discussed in the second paragraph.
Practice Posing
If you go to abodybuilding contest, you will instantly know who is prepared and who isn?t. Ihave seen bodybuilders with superior physiques getting beaten by others simplyfor the fact that they can?t pose correctly! The whole point of posing is sothat you can emphasize the strengths and hide the flaws of your physique.
I believe that you cannot get enough posing practice. I?m quite terrible inthat I have been posing years before I took up bodybuilding! Nowadays I justpractice posing for 5-10 minutes every time I go to the bathroom and after Itake a shower!
Posing allows you to gain control, condition and fully appreciate your muscles.I also find that it helps you in the gym as you are able to control andheighten the contraction of each rep.
I would highly recommend the ?Perfect Posing? series of videos. They give you agood foundation to work from, allowing you to create your own style andsignature poses.
Remember, while it is excellent to practice posing on a regular basis; thereare no mirrors when you step on a bodybuilding stage! Allot of people lookfantastic in front of a mirror but they are like a deer in front of headlightson stage in front of thousands of people. A good idea is to practice posing infront of a digital camera or friends or family members who can put up with it!
The Principles of Cheating or Carb Cycling
Cheating is astructured variation from the contest preparation diet. From a veryunscientific perspective, it is used to ?shock? the body and bump up themetabolism. This is particularly effective for those following a low carb diet,where the high carb cheat meal will kick start the metabolism again.
I am personally following a 7-day diet with one high carb meal. As I drawcloser to the competition, I will switch to carb cycling, which is basically amethod of varying your carb intake into a period of high, medium and low carbdays. This is basically to keep the body burning fat and not hitting a plateauas it tries to adapt to a ?diet?. The human body is amazing people! It willknow when you are burning cals and go into starvation mode.
Research shows that hunger cravings and your metabolism is regulated by ahormone called Leptin. Fat loss and insulin influences the level of Leptin. Soin layman?s terms, when you lose fat, Leptin drops, slowing your metabolism,holding onto body fat and increasing hunger. It is just the body?s mechanismfor survival! The body does not care if you want to have ripped abs; it onlycares about survival.
By introducing structured carbs to your diet, an increase in insulin isevident, causing a rise in Leptin. As I have stated above, my 7thday marks the inclusion of my high carb meal. It is best to mark which day youfeel the most ?depleted? or have the strongest cravings and schedule yourcarb-up on that day. I diet with fairly high carbs at the beginning of mycontest preparation so it is a matter of filling up the fuel tank to full. Asmy carbs are reduced, the benefits of high carbs will be evident and may beincreased to every 3-4 days, depending on how lean I am.
Remember, a cheat meal/day/or high carb meal needs to be structured. It isoften the catalyst to going slack on the diet; but every cheat meal counts andcan be detrimental if not used accordingly.
Crash Dieting & ExcessiveCardio
Imentioned this earlier, in relation to how common it is to want to strip thefat off as fast as possible. One needs to consistently reduce the 250-500calories a week from a high baseline. If you start at 2000 calories, perform 5cardio sessions a week and take thermogenics on the first week; not only willyou lose allot of muscle mass but once fat loss stalls, where are you going togo from there?
The correct method of dieting is to elicit the smallest modifications to your dietas you go. I am personally starting at around 3000 calories with 3 cardiosessions a week. If my fat loss stalls, I will simply drop another 250 caloriesor add an extra cardio session to my regime. When fat loss slows down I mayintroduce calorie cycling or a thermogenic supplement. Basically you need roomfor yourself to fall back on. This will ensure that fat loss comes consistentlyand minimal muscle is lost. If you have no leeway with your diet, you will beusing all your weapons straight away. Basically, you need to spread out yourshocking techniques.
Bump Up Protein
It isimportant to bump up your protein intake during a dieting phase as the body maycatabolize muscle tissue to restore glycogen in times of deprivation. Having anabundance of protein will help maintain muscle mass as well as provide avariety of benefits.
When structuring a pre-contest diet, high protein may help reduce fat gain, orincrease fat loss as protein is a more thermogenic molecule than carbohydrates.It is also rated to have the highest satiety factor, ensuring that you bingeand fill up on carbs or dense energy sources such as fats.
Highprotein intakes do not harm a healthy body. Several studies demonstrate thatprotein intakes (up to three times the RDA) cause no harm to healthy people(1,2,3,4). In fact, protein intakes above the RDA appear to enhance health.
Excess protein and amino intake is shown to be harmless in healthy people.Therefore, to ensure results from intense training, it is a far smarterstrategy to consume more protein than to senselessly restrict protein intake(2).
Variety is The Key!
If you?relike me, you?ll soon get sick of eating the same bodybuilding foods day in andday out. The introduction of spices and low-carb/carb-free, fat free sauces adda bit of variety to the diet. This doesn?t only affect the appetite of thebodybuilder; it also allows you to stay focused on your bodybuilding goalswhilst diffusing some of the tension and difficulty of eating such bland andtasteless meals.
Some examples of condiments include cracked black pepper, ginger, cinnamon,chilies, garlic, coriander, parsley and other herbs and spices. Be carefulthough, some pre-mixed spice combinations may be high in sodium or sugar.
Not only do the condiments enhance the taste of the somewhat bland bodybuildingfoods (fish, oats, chicken breasts, etc.) they may also provide other benefitsincluding improved digestion, thermogenesis and increase metabolism.
Off-season Contest Preparation
Up untilrecently, I used to be one of the bodybuilders who would start hitting the junkand eating rubbish in an attempt to ?bulk up? in the off-season. Not only doesyour cardiovascular health suffer, lipid profiles, blood pressure andself-esteem may also suffer.
I believe it is smart to remain within 10 to 20 lbs of your contest weight. Notonly is it easier to diet the fat off (as you don?t have as much to go through)it may potentially allow you to keep more lean muscle as it is possible to losetoo much mass through a long cutting phase. There is no logic in adding 10 lbsof bodyweight, when only 2 lbs is muscle. The more negligent one is about theiroff-season diet means that more work will need to be done to look presentable.
With that being said, I believe that the off-season is a time where abodybuilder should recuperate mentally and pursue past-times which wereunavailable with the strict routine of a contest preparation phase; theseinclude: spending time with loved ones, family, playing sports, enjoying foodin a responsible manner etc. This will keep you fresh and void of possibilitiesof burning out. It also gives you a strong sense of commitment and desire forwhen you will next diet.
Use Supplements
Supplementsdo work but they are not a substitute for a poor diet and training programme.They allow you to get nutrients and ergogenic benefits, which would beunobtainable from whole foods alone.
Supplements I recommend are:
protein powder ? to add high quality protein to your diet and aid in recovery.
creatine supplement ? to maintain strength/ intensity of your workouts.
branched chain amino acids (BCAA) ? to help prevent muscle breakdown.
multi-vitamin/mineral ? to prevent any nutritional deficiencies on a diet.
psyllium husks ? a good source of fibre.
flaxseeds ? excellent source of efa?s, amino acids and fibre.
pre workout/energy drink ? excellent for the off-days.
carb drink ? fast acting energy to fuel intense workouts.
green tea ? I could honestly write an article on the benefits of green tea!
I have used itsimply as a beverage in the past; however, research shoes that a moderate doseof EGCG (naturally occurring polyphenol found in abundance in green tea) isshown to increase 24-hour energy expenditure and fat metabolism in healthypeople that were not obese or overweight.
Although EGCG was shown to be effective at increasing thermogenesis and fatmetabolism, it did not raise the participant?s heart rate or blood pressure.EGCG may also prevent fat accumulation as it is shown to up-regulate the body?sability to use fat for energy.
1. J. Nutr.130:1868S-1873S, 2000.
2. Curr OpinClin Nutr Metab Care. 5:43-45 2002.
3. J Am CollNutr. 19;5:513S-521S, 2000.
4.Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 5:63-75 2002.
5. AG Dulloo, CDuret, D Rohrer, L Girardier, N Mensi, M Fathi, P Chantre and J Vandermander.Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine inincreasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. American Journalof Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 70, No. 6, 1040-1045, 1999.
6. A G Dulloo, J Seydoux, L Girardier, P Chantre and J Vandermander. Green teaand thermogenesis: interactions between catechin-polyphenols, caffeine andsympathetic activity. International Journalof Obesity 24, 252-258, 2000.
7. T Murase, A Nagasawa, J Suzuki, T Hase and I Tokimitsu. Beneficial effectsof tea catechins on diet-induced obesity: stimulation of lipid catabolism inthe liver. International Journalof Obesity 26, 1459-1464, 2002.
By Michael Kwok
2003 IFBB TeenageMr Australia
TIPS FOR CONTEST PREPARATION
Prepare Yourself Mentally
Being abodybuilder is more than just going to the gym and lifting weights; one must bewilling to submit him/herself to eat, drink and sleep bodybuilding 24 hours aday, 7 days a week.
Mental preparation for a bodybuilding contest is often overlooked. You must sitdown and understand what you are putting yourself through. Maintaining thecorrect frame of mind from start to finish is mandatory. You must ask yourselfwhy you have decided to put yourself through the drudgery of contestpreparation and what goals you hope to achieve.
It may sound silly, but sitting down, void of all distractions and trulyimmersing yourself for your goal is a really efficient method of mentalpreparation. If you can devote 20 minutes of your day to just sit down and notthink about anything you can truly bypass any mental barriers and blocks. Thisis why training is such an important aspect in my life. How many otheractivities in a day allow you to truly block out everything, including problemsconcerning relationships, outcomes, job, family etc. Give a little time toyourself (sleeping does not count).
What I findworks best for me is to write down anything that comes to mind; this will actas a guide for you to fall back on when your instincts are telling you to quit.Nobody is actually forcing you to pursue bodybuilding, so it is important tofind the drive, which makes you want to go ahead with your pursuit, asmotivation does not last.
You need to ask yourself: is this what I really want to do and do I have whatit takes to give this my 110% effort EACH and EVERY time? Are you willing toget up in the early hours of the morning to perform your cardio? Are you goingto stick to your diet when your mates are pounding down alcohol and pizzas? Ifyou answered yes to these questions, you are on the right path. The harshestcritic is often yourself and you are the one who has the power to keep going orto simply quit. The only one that can hold you back is you!
Whilst it isimportant to set realistic goals, I believe that if you accept nothing but thebest, you will achieve and acquire nothing but the best.
If all else fails, just keep in mind that you only need to do this for 16 to 20weeks and you can go back to a regular life! You who chose this in the firstplace!
As I prepare to defend my title this year (IFBB Teenage Mr Australia), I have the followingwritten down and stuck on my wall:
? Tunnel vision dedication to the game.
? Flawless execution and commitment in diet and training.
? Aim to increase strength.
? Take time before each workout to achieve a powerful mindsetprior to setting foot in the gym.
? Keep a clear vision of contest day, envision myself onstage.
? Strive for excellence and enjoy the journey.
? Practice posing!!!
? Daily reflection.
Give Yourself Enough Time
Being overprepared is undoubtedly better than being under prepared and hastily prepared.Too often, bodybuilders try to eradicate all the fat accumulated in theoff-season phase in a short amount of time; the fat did not come on overnightand nor will it come off overnight.
I wasguilty of not giving myself enough time for contest preparation last year andended up sacrificing too much muscle mass to be competitive on stage. Everybodyknows that when you do not have enough time, artificial stress and drasticmeasures must be implemented. This will be outlined in further detail later.
I believethat you should give yourself more than enough time to be ready for yourcontest. It is ideal to be read 1-2 weeks ahead of time, so that you basicallycruise your way onto stage. If you have prepared yourself mentally as Ioutlined in the section above, success is more accessible if you have time tofollow your plan and do what you know will work.
I would recommend 16 to 20 weeks to prepare your body for stage; of coursedepending on your current condition you may add/reduce the number of weeks toget into contest condition. 16 to 20 weeks will allow the bodybuilder to makeeven more improvements to the physique whilst slowly shedding off the fat in amethodical and consistent manner.
Training Philosophy
I believe thetraining method that packed on the mass in the first place is the trainingprogramme that will maintain the mass as one pursues a contest preparationdiet.
A 17? inch arm built via curling 50 lb dumbbells will be maintained if theexact same stimulus is applied. In the same way, I built my legs doing 405 lbsquats; switching to 70 lb leg extensions is not going to ?cut-up? my quads andbring out the definition.
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot ?tone? and ?shape? a muscle. There are 2variables: muscle size and body fat. If you have no biceps peak for example,doing endless concentration curls is not going to give you one. The illusion ofa biceps peak may be created as the muscle itself hypertrophies, or gains size.The physiology of the muscle does not change; therefore it makes no sense toswitch to high reps and different exercises.
One exception however is the possibility of lowering volume. If a trainee has ahectic training regime, he or she may need to lower the number of sets toaccommodate the fact that a calorie deficit is currently being undertaken. Theintensity however, needs to be the same as I discussed in the second paragraph.
Practice Posing
If you go to abodybuilding contest, you will instantly know who is prepared and who isn?t. Ihave seen bodybuilders with superior physiques getting beaten by others simplyfor the fact that they can?t pose correctly! The whole point of posing is sothat you can emphasize the strengths and hide the flaws of your physique.
I believe that you cannot get enough posing practice. I?m quite terrible inthat I have been posing years before I took up bodybuilding! Nowadays I justpractice posing for 5-10 minutes every time I go to the bathroom and after Itake a shower!
Posing allows you to gain control, condition and fully appreciate your muscles.I also find that it helps you in the gym as you are able to control andheighten the contraction of each rep.
I would highly recommend the ?Perfect Posing? series of videos. They give you agood foundation to work from, allowing you to create your own style andsignature poses.
Remember, while it is excellent to practice posing on a regular basis; thereare no mirrors when you step on a bodybuilding stage! Allot of people lookfantastic in front of a mirror but they are like a deer in front of headlightson stage in front of thousands of people. A good idea is to practice posing infront of a digital camera or friends or family members who can put up with it!
The Principles of Cheating or Carb Cycling
Cheating is astructured variation from the contest preparation diet. From a veryunscientific perspective, it is used to ?shock? the body and bump up themetabolism. This is particularly effective for those following a low carb diet,where the high carb cheat meal will kick start the metabolism again.
I am personally following a 7-day diet with one high carb meal. As I drawcloser to the competition, I will switch to carb cycling, which is basically amethod of varying your carb intake into a period of high, medium and low carbdays. This is basically to keep the body burning fat and not hitting a plateauas it tries to adapt to a ?diet?. The human body is amazing people! It willknow when you are burning cals and go into starvation mode.
Research shows that hunger cravings and your metabolism is regulated by ahormone called Leptin. Fat loss and insulin influences the level of Leptin. Soin layman?s terms, when you lose fat, Leptin drops, slowing your metabolism,holding onto body fat and increasing hunger. It is just the body?s mechanismfor survival! The body does not care if you want to have ripped abs; it onlycares about survival.
By introducing structured carbs to your diet, an increase in insulin isevident, causing a rise in Leptin. As I have stated above, my 7thday marks the inclusion of my high carb meal. It is best to mark which day youfeel the most ?depleted? or have the strongest cravings and schedule yourcarb-up on that day. I diet with fairly high carbs at the beginning of mycontest preparation so it is a matter of filling up the fuel tank to full. Asmy carbs are reduced, the benefits of high carbs will be evident and may beincreased to every 3-4 days, depending on how lean I am.
Remember, a cheat meal/day/or high carb meal needs to be structured. It isoften the catalyst to going slack on the diet; but every cheat meal counts andcan be detrimental if not used accordingly.
Crash Dieting & ExcessiveCardio
Imentioned this earlier, in relation to how common it is to want to strip thefat off as fast as possible. One needs to consistently reduce the 250-500calories a week from a high baseline. If you start at 2000 calories, perform 5cardio sessions a week and take thermogenics on the first week; not only willyou lose allot of muscle mass but once fat loss stalls, where are you going togo from there?
The correct method of dieting is to elicit the smallest modifications to your dietas you go. I am personally starting at around 3000 calories with 3 cardiosessions a week. If my fat loss stalls, I will simply drop another 250 caloriesor add an extra cardio session to my regime. When fat loss slows down I mayintroduce calorie cycling or a thermogenic supplement. Basically you need roomfor yourself to fall back on. This will ensure that fat loss comes consistentlyand minimal muscle is lost. If you have no leeway with your diet, you will beusing all your weapons straight away. Basically, you need to spread out yourshocking techniques.
Bump Up Protein
It isimportant to bump up your protein intake during a dieting phase as the body maycatabolize muscle tissue to restore glycogen in times of deprivation. Having anabundance of protein will help maintain muscle mass as well as provide avariety of benefits.
When structuring a pre-contest diet, high protein may help reduce fat gain, orincrease fat loss as protein is a more thermogenic molecule than carbohydrates.It is also rated to have the highest satiety factor, ensuring that you bingeand fill up on carbs or dense energy sources such as fats.
Highprotein intakes do not harm a healthy body. Several studies demonstrate thatprotein intakes (up to three times the RDA) cause no harm to healthy people(1,2,3,4). In fact, protein intakes above the RDA appear to enhance health.
Excess protein and amino intake is shown to be harmless in healthy people.Therefore, to ensure results from intense training, it is a far smarterstrategy to consume more protein than to senselessly restrict protein intake(2).
Variety is The Key!
If you?relike me, you?ll soon get sick of eating the same bodybuilding foods day in andday out. The introduction of spices and low-carb/carb-free, fat free sauces adda bit of variety to the diet. This doesn?t only affect the appetite of thebodybuilder; it also allows you to stay focused on your bodybuilding goalswhilst diffusing some of the tension and difficulty of eating such bland andtasteless meals.
Some examples of condiments include cracked black pepper, ginger, cinnamon,chilies, garlic, coriander, parsley and other herbs and spices. Be carefulthough, some pre-mixed spice combinations may be high in sodium or sugar.
Not only do the condiments enhance the taste of the somewhat bland bodybuildingfoods (fish, oats, chicken breasts, etc.) they may also provide other benefitsincluding improved digestion, thermogenesis and increase metabolism.
Off-season Contest Preparation
Up untilrecently, I used to be one of the bodybuilders who would start hitting the junkand eating rubbish in an attempt to ?bulk up? in the off-season. Not only doesyour cardiovascular health suffer, lipid profiles, blood pressure andself-esteem may also suffer.
I believe it is smart to remain within 10 to 20 lbs of your contest weight. Notonly is it easier to diet the fat off (as you don?t have as much to go through)it may potentially allow you to keep more lean muscle as it is possible to losetoo much mass through a long cutting phase. There is no logic in adding 10 lbsof bodyweight, when only 2 lbs is muscle. The more negligent one is about theiroff-season diet means that more work will need to be done to look presentable.
With that being said, I believe that the off-season is a time where abodybuilder should recuperate mentally and pursue past-times which wereunavailable with the strict routine of a contest preparation phase; theseinclude: spending time with loved ones, family, playing sports, enjoying foodin a responsible manner etc. This will keep you fresh and void of possibilitiesof burning out. It also gives you a strong sense of commitment and desire forwhen you will next diet.
Use Supplements
Supplementsdo work but they are not a substitute for a poor diet and training programme.They allow you to get nutrients and ergogenic benefits, which would beunobtainable from whole foods alone.
Supplements I recommend are:
protein powder ? to add high quality protein to your diet and aid in recovery.
creatine supplement ? to maintain strength/ intensity of your workouts.
branched chain amino acids (BCAA) ? to help prevent muscle breakdown.
multi-vitamin/mineral ? to prevent any nutritional deficiencies on a diet.
psyllium husks ? a good source of fibre.
flaxseeds ? excellent source of efa?s, amino acids and fibre.
pre workout/energy drink ? excellent for the off-days.
carb drink ? fast acting energy to fuel intense workouts.
green tea ? I could honestly write an article on the benefits of green tea!
I have used itsimply as a beverage in the past; however, research shoes that a moderate doseof EGCG (naturally occurring polyphenol found in abundance in green tea) isshown to increase 24-hour energy expenditure and fat metabolism in healthypeople that were not obese or overweight.
Although EGCG was shown to be effective at increasing thermogenesis and fatmetabolism, it did not raise the participant?s heart rate or blood pressure.EGCG may also prevent fat accumulation as it is shown to up-regulate the body?sability to use fat for energy.
1. J. Nutr.130:1868S-1873S, 2000.
2. Curr OpinClin Nutr Metab Care. 5:43-45 2002.
3. J Am CollNutr. 19;5:513S-521S, 2000.
4.Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 5:63-75 2002.
5. AG Dulloo, CDuret, D Rohrer, L Girardier, N Mensi, M Fathi, P Chantre and J Vandermander.Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine inincreasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. American Journalof Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 70, No. 6, 1040-1045, 1999.
6. A G Dulloo, J Seydoux, L Girardier, P Chantre and J Vandermander. Green teaand thermogenesis: interactions between catechin-polyphenols, caffeine andsympathetic activity. International Journalof Obesity 24, 252-258, 2000.
7. T Murase, A Nagasawa, J Suzuki, T Hase and I Tokimitsu. Beneficial effectsof tea catechins on diet-induced obesity: stimulation of lipid catabolism inthe liver. International Journalof Obesity 26, 1459-1464, 2002.
By Michael Kwok
2003 IFBB TeenageMr Australia