In a break from her seven-time Figure Olympia reign, Cydney Gillon shared crucial tips with natural bodybuilders during the off-season. In a recent YouTube video, Gillon covered 7-tips aspects such as dieting, supplementation, training, and recovery, tailored specifically for those competing without performance-enhancing drugs as Natural Bodybuilders.
“I don’t talk about it because I personally don’t think it matters in the grand scheme of things. I’ve seen natural people do really well and I know a good bit of them in the IFBB Pro League and I’ve seen people who are on everything under the sun not even be able to get their Pro card,” Cydney Gillon shared.
Cydney Gillon, a dominant force in the Figure division since her IFBB Pro League debut, has been a fan favorite since 2017. Also, her X-frame, tight waist, taper, and muscular fullness earned her the coveted Figure Olympia title, a feat she has repeated seven times, securing her latest victory at the 2023 Mr. Olympia last November.
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Beyond her on-stage accomplishments, Gillon extends her influence by sharing valuable advice on physique enhancement through her YouTube channel. Furthermore, in her latest venture, she delves into guiding natural bodybuilders on optimizing their preparation for peak performance.
Cydney Gillon’s 7-tips for Natural Bodybuilders Contest Prep
In Brief:
- Focus on Yourself:
- Prioritize your own progress and journey without unnecessary comparisons.
- Fine-Tune Your Preparation:
- Customize your preps to suit your individual needs and respond to your body’s signals.
- Optimal Prep Duration:
- Determine the ideal length for your contest preparation to achieve peak performance.
- Strategic Supplementation:
- Incorporate supplements wisely to support your training and overall health.
- Emphasize Recovery:
- Prioritize adequate rest and recovery to optimize muscle repair and growth.
- Manage Stress:
- Implement stress-regulating techniques for a balanced and focused mindset.
- Sustain Workout Intensity:
- Maintain the right level of intensity in your workouts for consistent progress.
Gillon cautioned natural athletes to be mindful of choosing coaches with the right skills and knowledge.
“If you’re going to go this route in the industry in general you are going to run into a bunch of coaches. I’ve seen them myself. I’ve heard it myself because all these people come to me. You’re going to run into coaches who one, don’t know how to prep natural athletes, don’t want to prep natural athletes, okay.”
“It doesn’t require you when you get to a sticking point, you can’t be like ‘Oh, we’re just going to do this.’ No, you got to figure out some things and really really coach coach to kind of find what’s going to work for your athletes that is in the realms of how they want to run their preps.”
Moreover, Gillon emphasized that show preparation is never a one-size-fits-all solution.
“Tread lightly when you run into coaches that say you have to do A, B, C, and D,” adds Cydney Gillon. “Genetics play a very very large role in this sport. It’s a genetic sport. It is what it is. But people, it depends on too, when you’re thinking of genetics what are you thinking about? Does that person have naturally a wider clavicle than their hip ratio that gives you more of that X-frame based off bone structure?”
Furthermore, Gillon highlighted the significance of supplements for post-workout recovery.
“You’re going to need to take supplements in order to help your body recover as much as you possibly can. So it’s about those attention to details and making sure that you’re doing what you need to do. Outside the gym as well to make sure you’re maximizing your potential for growth.”
“If you’re not making sure you’re getting enough sleep, if you’re not making sure that you’re not stressing, not making sure your gut health is okay, you’re not doing everything you can. You can’t afford to as a natural athletes competing in non-drug tested shows. You can’t let anything slack off. You got to be on it, on it, on it and really push yourself to the max.”
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In particular, Gillon emphasized the importance of incorporating creatine and glutamine for those looking to prepare for a natural bodybuilding show.
“My main go-to was creatine. I took a lot of creatine almost every day. Only thing with that when you take a lot of creatine you’re going to have to make sure you’re drinking a lot of water too at the same time.”
“I always have my glutamine in hand at all times [an amino acid important for muscle growth] that way I wasn’t burning my muscle off because I was doing way more cardio. It didn’t go with the bodybuilding per say.”
Beyond supplement advice, Gillon elucidated the importance of opting for an extended preparation if one desires a more extensive improvement season.
“I always say what I used to do is I would have six months between shows. The longer your improvement season is the more likely your going to gain more fat than you think you have.
If you’re going to take a longer improvement season you probably also want to take a longer prep so that way you’re not crash dieting at the end.”
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Gillon underscores the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with food.
“That means you need to still work on your relationship with food and work on your relationship with the sport and see if this is a sport for you especially if you’re going to be a natural athlete. You’re going to have to kind of give that time to your body.”
Cydney Gillon is no stranger to using her platform to guide bodybuilders, offering insights on self-love and techniques for sculpting a leaner midsection.
As a dominant Olympia champion, Gillon’s advice is backed by extensive trial and error. In natural bodybuilding, she underscores essentials like maintaining a clean diet, ensuring quality sleep, intense training, and proper supplementation.
For a comprehensive view, the full video from Gillon’s YouTube channel is available below:
Overview
In a departure from her seven-time Figure Olympia reign, Cydney Gillon shares essential 7-tips for natural bodybuilders in a recent YouTube video. Also, she covers key aspects like dieting, supplementation, training, and recovery, emphasizing the need for individualized approaches. Gillon cautions against rigid coaching strategies and underscores the importance of a healthy relationship with food and overall well-being in natural bodybuilding.
Featured Image @Cydney Gillon, @vytaminc (Instagram & Youtube)