Down the Wire: Preparing for the 2005 Cal State by Shelly Pinkerton

The last 3 weeks of my contest preparation are basically the same in theory for every show, with modifications to my program depending on how my physique has developed and changed over time. For the 2005 Cal State Figure Championship, my initial training started 3 months out. My trainer, Tony Dodd of Tailor Made Physiques, designed my program focusing on building and developing muscularity and symmetry in the areas I needed while setting my diet to support that development. Following are more specific details about the last few days before this particular show. For a more expanded version of what I do for show preparation in general, please check out my other article in this issue titled Prepare Yourself.

Training
By 3 weeks out, my physique was right where we wanted it, and the challenge was to keep it there until show day. At this stage, training sessions consisted of a 3-day split of chest/shoulders/triceps, back/biceps, and legs, with rest on the 4th and 7th days. Since I did not need to do any more muscle development, workouts were kept at a fast pace, with high reps, medium-to-light weight, and minimal rest between sets, often throwing in step-ups or stair sprints to keep my conditioning peaked. For cardio, I was doing a.m. and p.m. sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour each. The last week before the show, everything dropped back to minimal sessions, fewer sets and lighter resistance.

Diet
My diet the last week before competition is the most critical area, primarily because of my high levels of muscularity and vascularity. The first part of the week we lowered carbs and I continued my normal vitamin and supplement intake. The middle three days of the week we started increasing my carb intake spread over 6 meals per day. Again, my vitamin and supplement regiment stayed the same. The Thursday night before the show – my favorite night - I ate a HUGE meal of pot roast, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and onions, a large buttermilk biscuit with butter, a green salad with bleu cheese dressing, a slice of chocolate cheese pie and topped it all off with a glass of red wine. By the time Friday night rolled around, I was primed and ready to go; I stepped on stage in peak condition and presented the best package I have offered up yet.

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