High Tech Physique Enhancement:  Clinical Changes on a Contest Diet by Jean Jitomir

Shortly after the New Year, I started to track my progress as I prepare to compete as a light weight bodybuilder in the 2007 NPC Jr. USA.  To prepare for a physique contest, it is important to develop a strategy for reaching your goals, especially if you can’t afford a trainer and nutritionist to tell you exactly what to do.  You can prepare yourself, but it takes a lot of work: sifting through information, deciding what is credible, and then determining what applies to you as an individual! 

As an Exercise Nutrition PhD student, I am fortunate to have access to equipment that will make the process easier for me.  Every three weeks I will collect a 1) weight; 2) BMI; 3) Whole Body and Lumbar DXA Scan; 4) Resting Energy Expenditure; 5)   Multi-Frequency BIA; 6) Handheld BIA; 7) Lange Caliper Skin Folds; and 8) Circumference Measures.  There is a description of each test and my results from the first two sessions below.  When I can, I will provide links so you can do calculations for yourself or read more about the test for your own information.

All the tests were done in the morning after fasting for 10 hours and will be repeated every three weeks- 6 total testing sessions will be done before the competition:

Jean Jitomir DXA Scans

Weight
Weight is easy, cheap and can be done every morning.  Since I am a light weight bodybuilder, I will have to make a weight of 115 lb (52.3 kg) to compete- I will probably need to reach a weight a little lower than that to be lean enough, however.  As much fun as it would be, I cannot loose only fat, so muscle losses must be considered when choosing a target weight!  My target weight, which was based on the body fat value, indicated by the DXA, helps determine how much time is needed to get into contest shape.  The target weight and body fat % goals are guidelines only; these measures must be taken into consideration with the look of a physique.

BMI
The unitless BMI a quick way to estimate body fatness- at 22.9, mine is on the medium-high end of what is considered healthy.  BMI does not directly correspond to a body fat percentage level; however, I am leaner than the BMI indicates, which is true bodybuilders and many other athletes.

Calculate your BMI: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA or DXA)

DXA is the best way to measure bone mineral density and risk for osteoporosis.  Bone density is a measurement of how much calcium and other minerals are packed into the skeleton.  The denser your bones, the less likely they are to fracture.  Additionally, it is also the easiest and one of the most accurate ways to measure body fat.   The former gold standard, hydrostatic weighing, has limitations in terms of user and measurement error (there are many steps in the process).  DXA can be done by a trained monkey and, with a newer machine and current software; it may be the new gold standard for body fat measurement.

Another benefit of the DXA over the underwater weighing method is that the amount of muscle and fat from each region of the body is estimated, which is just cool.  At this time, I am clearly holding most of my fat in the lower body- the percentages are both over 20% in both legs.  As I diet, I’ll be able to tell: 1) Whether I am losing weight as muscle or fat; and 2) What part of the body muscle or fat is leaving from.  The information could change prioritization of workouts or nutritional strategies.  For instance, after looking at baseline photos and DXA, I decided that I needed to prioritize my upper body training a little more, so my legs don’t become disproportionately large, which has happened in the past.  Also, I’ll be able to tell if I have better fat loss with a particular diet or cardio strategy.

As a female competitor, I am concerned about my bone health through the dieting process.  The essential fat for a female is somewhere around 10-12%- to be prepared for a bodybuilding competition, the body fat should lower than that, as the judging currently stands.  As such, I have NEVER prepared for a physique competition and maintained a period.  In fact, last year I didn’t have one for nine months- my body fat during that period of time ranged between 10-15%.  Since my body fat is at 17.4% at this time, I am likely to loose it again within a month or two- I’ll report it when it happens.

Is this optimally healthy?  No.  But I’m supplementing calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin K to minimize the bone calcium loss. 

http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/
opbmdtz.html

Jean Jitomir 3 weeks apart

Resting Energy Expenditure (REE)

The REE is the number of calories used by the body in a fasting state, lying down, awake, not moving at all.  My initial REE of 1141 kcal/day was calculated by a Parvo metabolic cart.  It works by measuring the amount of oxygen taken in and carbon dioxide exhaled to calculate the amount of energy the body is using!

            For more info about this method please see:

http://www.vacumed.com/293.html

Most competitors must use a formula to get an estimate of daily REE.  The accuracy of formulas is low; hundreds have been made for different ages, ethnicities and sexes.  One very popular method is the Harris-Benedict equation, which is different for men and women:

Harris-Benedict Equations (calories/day):
Male: (66.5 + 13.8 X weight) + (5.0 X height) - (6.8 X age)
Female: (665.1 + 9.6 X weight) + (1.8 X height) - (4.7 X age)

weight in kilograms, height in centimeters, age in years

Calculate yours online at:

 http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

My REE, based on the Harris-Benedict equation comes out to about 1392, which is 22% higher than it was measured to be in my first session!  If I based my diet on the Harris-Benedict, I might have trouble losing weight and body fat.

Throughout the contest diet I will base my calorie levels, in part on the REE values.  For instance, if my value decreases a substantial amount, I will know that I am becoming hypo-metabolic, a dangerous and counter-productive state. If a competitor becomes hypometabolic, her heart gets very low and immunity is much lower, which makes it easy for her to get sick.  Also, the athlete will have trouble losing weight because she is burning many fewer calories than she should be.

Additionally, the theory behind a cheat day or meal is that the extra energy helps a person maintain her REE, which aids in weight loss.  It is not certain that one cheat day or meal per week will help maintain a high REE; however, eating too much on a cheat day will definitely prevent weight and fat loss. 

Jean Jitomir Back Double Biceps

Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance (BIA)

BIA is the best way to measure water in the body.  The BIA estimates body fat; however, the BIA estimate is not very accurate and is very sensitive to changes in body water.

The BIA measures the amount of water held inside and outside of your cells, which is important for a few reasons.  Remember water outside of the cells includes the dreaded subcutaneous water under the skin! Also, high intracellular water (water inside of the cells) means that the body is making protein, which we all love. 

For more information about the BIA:

http://www.rjlsystems.com/docs/bia_info/
fundamentals/

As I take I BIA measurements, I will be able to calculate the amount of weight I have lost as water and the percentage of all body water that is inside my cells.

Handheld BIA

people tend to show values that are too high on the handheld BIA, while sedentary people tend to come out a little closer to their actual values. 

The handheld BIA can give you an idea of whether you are generally lean and track trends over time.  The Omron Body Logic Fat Analyzer is the model we have in the lab.

The really beautiful thing is that they are very cheap, about $50, which is totally reasonable for a person to buy.  Some quick pointers on the handheld BIA:

- Go to the bathroom before using it
- Don’t use it right after exercise, drinking, or eating
- Best if used in the morning after going to the bathroom and before eating your first meal

It’ll be really interesting to see how closely the changes in the hand held compare to the DXA over the next few months!

Jean Jitomir Back

Lange Calipers

http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

 
Like the REE equations, there are literally hundreds of caliper equations in existence. The best equation for you is based on your gender, ethnicity, age and many other factors.  Furthermore, as many as 10 sites can be measured to plug into a formula; no less than 6 sites should be used.  From the tables above, you can see that, generally, the more sites used in a formula, the closer the value is to the DXA BF%.

To learn how to measure with caliper, please see:

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/SkinfoldProcedures.html

Circumference Measures

For a physique competitor, a simple tape measure is one of your most useful tools!  Over the course of a contest diet, your waist (and hips in my case) should shrink a whole bunch, while the arms shouldn’t show a dramatic drop.  In combination with calipers, you may be able to tell whether you are losing inches from fat or muscle.  For instance, if you loose an inch off your thigh, but the caliper value has barely moved, you’ve probably lost muscle mass, not fat mass.

Just look at yourself

It’s a physique contest, right?  So the most useful tool will cost you about $10- it’s a full length mirror.  A close second are clear photos and you probably know someone with a digital camera.  All the methods above are great and useful, but if your look isn’t aesthetically pleasing, it doesn’t really matter for physique competition.

If you are interested in my diet strategy, I have detailed my calorie levels, macronutrient breakdown and supplements on my website and on my myspace blog.  I am not taking anything that is not listed in the strategy on my blog. 

Jean Jitomir Side Chest

http://blog.myspace.com/jeanjitomir

http://www.jeanjitomir.com/3.html

I am also posting regularly about various nutrition and weight loss related topics.  Additionally, lab results will be posted there shortly after I complete testing every three weeks.

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