Dominick Cardone

🏆Former IFBB Pro
🧬 2014 HW National Champion (21 Years Old)
‼️Contest Prep/Transformation Specialist With 15 Years Experience
✝️ Philippians 4:13

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

There’s a big difference between stepping on stage in decent shape and actually competing being in true peeled conditioning

Unfortunately at many local shows, high level competition is slim. So people go home with trophies/placings with a low standard. Until they go to the national level and learn it’s a whole different ball game

Getting truly contest peeled isn’t easy. There is no shot cuts either like people on Instagram claim to have. It hurts, it’s exhausting, and it separates the real competitors from weight lifters. But it’s worth it for those that embrace it.

Conditioning wins shows. Get peeled!

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

You can continue to stay the same year after year chasing the dopamine hit of a contest prep and competing at a low level.

Or you can take the long route, enjoy the process of improvement and development which will ultimately lead to the best version of yourself and possibly winning at a high level.

Every choice molds your future. Choose wisely.

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Most guys then make it worse. They start popping omeprazole or famotidine because some doctor told them reflux means too much acid. Now their already low acid drops further. Mineral absorption tanks, iron, magnesium, calcium, B12, all of it drops. Recovery and mood declines and they never connect the dots.

Rebuild the stomach acidity correctly, and nutrient absorption returns to where it should be

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Most guys and girls who get reflux assume they have too much stomach acid. Doctor will usually give a PPI or Tums and call it handled. There's a real chance the opposite is true. They have TOO LITTLE stomach acid

Hypochlorhydria, low stomach acid. One of the most underdiagnosed gut issues in serious lifters and it gets worse the longer you've been using PEDS and eating higher amounts of food

The lower esophageal sphincter, the valve between your stomach and esophagus, is ph sensitive. It gets a signal to clamp shut when stomach contents are acidic enough. When HCl production drops, that signal gets weak, the valve sits half open, food and gas push up. You feel the burn behind your sternum and assume you're producing too much acid, when in reality your stomach is barely doing its job

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

You're eating 250, 300, 400 grams of protein a day. Every gram of that protein needs HCl and pepsin to break down into absorbable amino acids. If acid is low the protein ferments instead of digests. You get the bloat, the sulfur burps, the undigested food in your stool, and yes, the reflux (and possibly SIBO)

Then there's prep, caloric restriction down regulates parietal cell activity (produces HCI). Your stomach makes less acid when you're in a deficit. Cortisol from training volume and dieting also suppresses HCl. Add in everything else and your stomach can barely keep up

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Your dosing with Retatrutide does not have to match the dosing in the “clinical trials”

There is no pre determined amounts to get the benefits it has to offer

I’ve seen people lose 30lbs on .5mg a week, and never have to titrate up

The individuals who start with higher dosages are the ones who usually have side effects. Kind of like with all the lawsuits going on with Ozempic because doctors put them on too high of a starting dose with a preset titration🥴

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

@yonann He couldn’t be more false on this

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

The only downside, at least in the United States

-Pesticides
-Glyphosate
-Chemical spraying

Can impact:
-Gut health
-Inflammation
-Long-term health
-Short term negatives of course too

Potential solutions:
-Wash your fruit
-Go organic when possible (unfortunately not all organic labels are true)
-Rotate sources

Even with this, I feel ignoring fruit entirely is still a mistake, for most

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Most bodybuilding and bro diets, are missing something critical

They’re focused on:
-chicken, rice, egg whites, oats.....

One of a few problems?
They’re micronutrient deficient and too black and white, which can lead to:
-Poor digestion
-Flat look and worse pumps (this should wake some of the meat heads up)
-Lower energy
-Slower recovery

Nutrition is much more than just proteins, carbs and fats, although it is a good start if you have no actual nutritional program

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Macros build the body. Micronutrients make it function better. Even more so if your an athlete or someone that works out

Without them:
-Thyroid slows
-Insulin sensitivity drops
-Recovery suffers
-Inflammation rises
Key roles:
Potassium = pumps, fluid balance
Magnesium= recovery, sleep
Vitamin C=stress + immune support

and much more aside from just these 3

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Sometimes, the answer is

•More food
•Less cardio
•Pulling back on training
•Making sure micronutrient intake is sufficient (tough in prep when food is restricted and you just eat chicken and rice, which does not have to be the case)

Experience and knowledge will always be superior than just shot gunning it. Some things in bodybuilding cant be taught from a book

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Starving yourself in a contest phase is archaic thinking. We see older generation bodybuilders say to work harder, and diet harder. Which can be the case for some, but not all

Eating less and doing more cardio isn't always the answer

Knowing how metabolisms and hormones actually work is the answer. Its also why most people should not be taking money for diet advice

Here's how overdieting and shot gun dieting potentially wrecks your prep from the inside out

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Metabolic adaptation in prep is broader than thyroid,,
• reduced NEAT
• lower training output (mentally this can hold guys back)
• lower thermic effect of food
• fatigue-mediated reduction in spontaneous movement

The mental downsides of all this is not spoken about enough. If a hard working athlete feels he is not able to have productive workouts/cardio sessions. Even more stress/cortisol becomes an issue

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Give your coach the time year round

This not only gives appropriate time for you to improve. But even more time for them to learn your body (if they pay attention)

Once you have the new muscle, it has to “stick” for a bit. If you do go into a prep, and lose muscle, that tissue will be the first to go

Bodybuilding is a 365 day journey. Live the life, love the life

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Many of you are planning to compete in 2026

Hate to break it to you, but most of you should probably NOT.

Competing year after year will limit you in some way. Some of you aren’t even near the mark of winning, and that’s fine

You need to take the time to improve. Most people are NOT genetically blessed. This takes time, work and rinsing & repeating

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Bodybuilding is a marathon, not a sprint

It takes time to add true muscle tissue and in a safe manner. You can rush it if you’d like, but I don’t advise that for obvious reasons

Most athletes give full effort in prep.

This is wrong, the offseason is where it really counts. That’s where the work is done.

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

Reta would go in around 12 weeks out. I wouldn’t need it for appetite suppression. I enjoyed being very hungry in my preps when competing. I would be using it for all the other benefits

SLU would go in around 10 weeks out.

MOTS-C around 10 weeks out

Just spit balling here… I don’t like putting set numbers on everything but it’s round about idea

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

If I were to compete again (I wouldn’t lol) but IF… I’d have these 3 peptides as part of my fat burning stack

•Reta
•MOTS-C
•SLU-PP-332

We are in a new age where we are evolving. This does not mean the basics should be ignored. I’m all for the basics and following what works

But if we can get to the stage, in a healthier fashion, preserve longevity and have more efficient preps

Im all for it

[Dominick Cardone @IFBBDomCardone]

SLUPP-332 is another peptide with great potential for contest preparations

Can work directly on tissues responsible for heart production and energy expenditure. Works as an “exercise mimetic”

-Fatty oxidation UP
-Inflammation DOWN
-Potential effect towards brown fat
-No negative effect on adrenals unlike stimulants