The cheat is on: regular cheat days help super-heavyweight Erik Fromm prepare for contests

Flex, July, 2005 by Steve Stiefel

In his attempt to join the pro ranks, Erik Fromm has suffered a series of setbacks--including a torn biceps and a torn pec in 2004. He's hoping those adversities will be well behind him when he takes another try at the NPC National Championships in November 2005. He's already planning his diet.

"I've been downsizing for some acting work, so right now I only weigh a little over 270 pounds," Fromm says. "Before, in the offseason, I've been as high as 320 at nine percent bodyfat." Fromm says that before he competes, he will bulk up using a high-carb/moderate-protein regimen, and then diet down using a strategy that he's had a lot of success with lately: "clean cheating."

"I have a strict cheating schedule to get ready for a show," Fromm explains. "I eat clean on most days, but then on my cheat days, I have three meals of about 40 grams of carbs to crank up my metabolic rate." This boosts his consumption on cheat days by less than 500 calories.

Fromm also adds that he cheats "clean." "When I cheat, I eat foods such as fat-free frozen yogurt or I'll have a carb drink. Both of these options have no fat and a moderate amount of carbs in the form of sugars." This means that the calorie count is relatively low, but Fromm is able to use the carbs to rev up his metabolism--the carbs help replenish depleted muscle-glycogen stores and help a bodybuilder cope with the lethargic feeling that dieting brings.

Even on his cheat days, Fromm otherwise eats clean. "Just because it's a cheat day doesn't mean I eat a lot of junk. I eat the same clean foods I do on the other days of the week. I just add three small cheat foods or meals to what I'm already eating as part of my dieting regimen."

RELATED ARTICLE: ERIK FROMM'S SIX-WEEK PRECONTEST CHEAT SCHEDULE

Fromm uses the following regimen of diet and cheat-day cycling to prepare for contests. To use his program, work backward from the day of your competition, event or date that you want to achieve peak conditioning, penciling into a calendar your cheat-day schedule.

Days 41-42  Diet
Day 40      Cheat day
Days 38-39  Diet
Day 37      Cheat day
Days 34-36  Diet
Day 33      Cheat day
Days 29-32  Diet
Day 28      Cheat day
Days 23-27  Diet
Days 21-22  Cheat days
Days 16-20  Diet
Day 15      Cheat day
Days 9-14   Diet
Day 8       Cheat day
Days 1-7    Strict diet, carb depletion and moderate carb-up

BY STEVE STIEFEL

NUTRITION EDITOR