2 weeks out help, water cutting, carb loading, etc...

[prhines]

OK i have read so many different ways to cut water the week of your show, but what is right?

I am currently 2 weeks out from my 2nd show. I did one almost 1 year ago, water cutting, carb loading, etc... didn't work out well.

So i have been reading all kinds of articles on what to do, problem is there are TONS of different ways and some very conflicting....

First off i know everyone is different so different things work for different people. And i know the logic behind what carbs and salt does to the system.

First method:
deplete carbs mon-thur carb load fri and sat, at the same time, take in 2-3gal of water from sun before to thur, cut to 1.5 gal, then fri 1 liter or so till mid day and sip when needed from then on out.

2nd method (got this one from Phil Heath, this is the general idea i got not word for word)
deplete carbs app. between the fri before to the mon before your show.(depending on how you react to depleting) also take in 2.5-3gal of water on these days
tue keep water high but take in 100g of carbs refeed post workout, wed keep water the same go up to 150g of carbs, thur drop water to 1 gal take in 200g of carbs, fri very little water till mid day up carbs to 300g, sat water only as needed 400g of carbs.... just the idea i got from a simple explanation of what he does...i filled in some gaps as i thought was needed

there are a bunch of different ways to do this.... what i want to know is 1 how many times did it take you to figure out which worked best, and what works best for you?

I am gonna try this method:
monday 2.5 gal and 100 carbs, tue 3 gal and 100g of carbs, wed 3gal and 100g, thurs 1.5 and 100g, fri 64oz between 6:30 and 4pm carb up to 300+g, sip sparingly from 6pm on, sip as needed sat with 300+g of carbs or as needed. also i will take in normal salt amount till thurs and cut that in half

[AustrianOakJr]

Sounds like a recipe for coming in flat and squishy!!! Why would you deplete the two essential elements for muscle fullness - water and sodium? You are going to look like a pancake on stage. Keep water and sodium level throughout your peaking process and manipulate carbs only. You will end up with a MUCH better result than trying to "trick" your body into excreting only interstitial water.

[Warrior9]

Before I even read this, don't ever cut water going into a show (assuming natty).
and read layne nortons peak weak (or watch) the series at the top of this section

[mrusa85]

You'd have better luck to just stay on your diet and keep your carbs fairly low and drink lots of water through Friday night. Eat a few more carbs Saturday morning and decrease your water a bit on Saturday morning. Just sip it until after judging.

The idea is to just sharpen up a bit on show day. Go for about a 5% difference. Don't buy into the magical extreme carb deplete/carb load/dehydrate and drop-10-pounds-of-water-and-look-like-Andreas-Munzer-on-show-day scam.

[fltallpaul]

read this, specifically this section

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm


The Final Week


I have heard it a hundred times. "I looked great the week before the show, but I looked "(flat, bloated, etc) or "I was holding too much water." People often believe they can trick their body by using extreme techniques the last week before the show that will make them look super shredded. The truth is, if one has dieted properly, what they do in the last week will not make or break their show.

Few people win a show by tricks they use in the last week of pre contest prep. However, many people lose a show by using these extreme techniques. These techniques I speak of stem from myths that have been perpetuated by bodybuilders who use large amounts of anabolic steroids.

These Methods Include But Are Not Limited To:


Drastic carb depletion followed by drastic carb loading.

Days of water depletion.

Massive potassium loading.

Laxatives.

Diuretics.
For bodybuilders who use large amounts of anabolic steroids, these methods are needed to shed water, as anabolic steroids will cause one to retain large amounts of water extra-cellularly (outside the cell or subcutaneously). For a bodybuilder who doesn't use androgens, this type of preparation is a bit too extreme.

You can think of the body as a pendulum. It will stay in equilibrium unless pushed. You can push your body in one direction and you will experience a certain effect for a while, but eventually the pendulum will swing back in the opposite direction and you will experience the opposite effect.

For example, if one were to cut water intake drastically they would at first experience a great deal of water loss, but as the body senses water levels dropping, it will release anti-diuretic hormones which will cause the body to retain more water. On the other hand, in some cases we can use the body's reactions to our advantage.


the article details what to do about carbs and water but it is all based on what you have done your entire prep.