Japanese IFBB Pro Bikini bodybuilder Yume Kurokawa, a mother of two, is on an ambitious journey to secure an Olympia qualification. Her 2024 competition resume includes IFBB Tokyo Pro (fourth place), IFBB Hong Kong Pro (silver), IFBB Taiwan Pro (bronze), and IFBB Nevada Pro (fourth place).
Recently, Kurokawa offered a glimpse into her pre-competition routine, sharing insights into her training, diet, and supplement regimen five days before securing fourth place at the Musclecontest Japan in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
Morning Routine/Meal Prep
Kurokawa’s daily diet comprises lettuce and beef thigh, divided into five portions. To keep things tasteful while focused on weight loss, Kurokawa enjoys a variety of teas with cinnamon, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. (1)
Kurokawa blanches lettuce in the microwave instead of eating it raw. Microwaving helps soften lettuce while preserving its bioactive compounds. She sprinkles cayenne and black pepper on it and the beef thigh for flavor. By 7 a.m., she eats her first meal.
It was the first day of Kurokawa’s “peak week,” when bodybuilders dial in their diet and training to achieve their best physique for competition. She cut out carbs and managed her sodium and water intake. (2) Peak week involves reducing training intensity and volume to allow for proper muscle recovery and prevent fatigue before stepping on stage.
Kurokawa admitted that carb depletion leaves her feeling foggy and forgetful. She takes Gaspari Nutrition supplements to support her training routine:
- DTN8 Detonate (Fat Burner)
- Glutamine
- Creatine Monohydrate
- Anavite Multi Pack (Vitamins)
Posing Session
Kurokawa has a 30-minute bike ride to the studio, where she spends an hour refining her posing routine. The session focused on perfecting movements and preparing for the upcoming competition. After posing practice, she enjoys her second meal at precisely 10:00 a.m.
Training Routine
Yume Kurokawa’s peak week training routine begins with stretches to warm up; aerobics are part of her regimen as well. She wears a weightlifting belt and wrist wraps during her workout for joint support:
- Machine Lat Pulldown
- Low Kneeling Double Arm Cable Row
- Machine Assisted Pullup
- Machine Shoulder Press
- Seated Dumbbell Front Raise
- Seated Dumbbell Single-Arm Lateral Raise
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
- Dumbbell Sumo Squat
- Treadmill Walk
After training, Kurokawa enjoys her third meal at 1 p.m. Following a brief break, she hits her treadmill session, walking at an incline.
Winding Down and Final Meals
Kurokawa cycles home, a 40-minute journey that leaves her exhausted. By 4 p.m., she eats her fourth meal before resting. Her final meal is at 7 p.m. She takes Cytolean, a nighttime supplement with magnesium and melatonin, to aid sleep and ease mild insomnia. (3)
Kurokawa has until Sept. 15, 2025, to win a pro show to advance to the 2025 Olympia.
More Bodybuilding Content
- Is Training to Failure Overrated?
- Men’s Open Bodybuilder Rafael Brandão’s 8,000-Calorie Diet
- Bodybuilder Kuba Cielen’s 5 Steps to Bigger Biceps
References
- Rao, P. V., & Gan, S. H. (2014). Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2014, 642942. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/642942
- Chappell, A. J., & Simper, T. N. (2018). Nutritional Peak Week and Competition Day Strategies of Competitive Natural Bodybuilders. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 6(4), 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6040126
- Wagner, J., Wagner, M. L., & Hening, W. A. (1998). Beyond benzodiazepines: alternative pharmacologic agents for the treatment of insomnia. The Annals of pharmacotherapy, 32(6), 680–691. https://doi.org/10.1345/aph.17111
Featured image: @yume_ifbbpro on Instagram
