Q: how do bodybuilder's get their bodyfat so low and maintain such beautiful bodies? this whole ramadan thing has me worried about losing what little i've gained lately, but my bodyfat is still way too high. i don't know what to do. should i lose the fat first, get the muscle first? or can i do both? what should i do this month

A: You definitely need to choose one goal -- either lose fat or build muscle -- and focus on that. Fasting is definitely not conducive to building muscle, so it makes sense to aim for losing fat and just preserving the existing muscle for this month. Once you can eat normally again, you'll need to decide which goal is more important to you and plan your diet accordingly (your training need not change). If you're overweight and really want to see the extra fat gone, I would recommend staying on the fat-loss track. If you're average or even lean, then it may make sense to try and bulk up first before tackling the fat. If you're a beginner you might be able to accomplish both goals for a few months, but you should still pick one as your primary goal and structure your diet accordingly.

As far as how the bodybuilders you see in competitions do it, it's a combination of things. First and most important one is years and years of diligent training and disciplined diet! Physiques like theirs do not happen overnight or even in one or two years. Other, uglier, secret of it is steroid abuse -- all pro bodybuilders use them, whether they admit it or not, and many amateurs do too, including some guys you see every day in your gym. The extent of steroid abuse is rivaled only by that of marijuana abuse as far as controlled substances go.

Because of these two facts, you should not look up to competition bodybuilders for anything more than inspiration. They do not have any special training or nutrition secrets -- they have simply put in their many years of hard work to get to this stage and, some or many of them have turned to steroids for extra help.