
Brains and Gains with Dr. David Maconi Alex Leonidas - First Competition, Post-Contest Rebounds, Fake Naturals in Bodybuilding
Jun 10, 2023
In this episode, strength athlete and coach Alex Leonidas shares insights from his first natural bodybuilding competition. He discusses the extreme dieting involved, including a rapid post-contest weight rebound. Alex opens up about the challenges of weight management, highlighting issues with cheaters in competitions and the importance of looking at healthy body weight setpoints. The conversation also touches on the struggle of maintaining discipline in training, adapting exercises, and his long-term vision for content creation in fitness.
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Rapid Post-Contest Rebound
- Alex experienced a large post-contest rebound, gaining roughly 20–25 pounds quickly including water weight.
- He chose to binge rather than reverse diet because he couldn't tolerate the contest condition anymore.
Setpoints Drive Rebound Behavior
- Body-fat setpoints and appetite strongly influence how easily you hold different weights.
- After extreme dieting, the body rapidly rebounds appetite and weight, making large short-term gains common.
Use Reffeeds To Gauge Carb Tolerance
- Use scheduled refeeds as tests to see how many carbs you can handle without spilling over while shredded.
- Space refeeds roughly every one to two weeks and adjust based on visual feedback.

