Getting water out

Lion_Heart03 · 09-27-2009, 08:35 AM

Just wondering on peoples opinions on how to get the water out...

*When to stop your water eg. 24 hours prior to going on stage?

*Keep drinking water but half the amount you are usually drink or stop dead?

*Use any specific supplements or diuretics?

Blazed · 09-27-2009, 08:52 AM

If you are a natural competitor you shouldn't really be trying to "cut the water". If you are lean enough on show day, having fully hydrated and filled muscles is a good thing. Some guys like to salt their meals leading up to peak week. Followed by a drop in sodium leading up to the show. From my understanding they keep drinking tons of water and urinate more than they drink.

Kelei · 09-27-2009, 08:57 AM

Don't cut water at all, generally you increase sodium intake drastically 10-12 days before the show while reducing potassium as much as possible during this time also. 24 hours before it's time to step on stage you reverse, you cut out all possible sodium and drastically increase potassium, intracellular water will overcompensate and extracellular water will decompensate.

Water intake remains constant throughout the entire phase. I know it sounds backwards but DO NOT reduce your water intake as the show approaches. Keep drinking throughout the entire show and keep potassium intake up.

Edit: I know of many guys who consume large amounts of fiber a few hours before they step on stage, the reasoning apparently is that it draws water into the digestive system.

Whomper107 · 09-27-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelei

Edit: I know of many guys who consume large amounts of fiber a few hours before they step on stage, the reasoning apparently is that it draws water into the digestive system.

Great idea if you're going for that bloated look

Kelei · 09-29-2009, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whomper107

Great idea if you're going for that bloated look

A fair trade if it's going to remove a lot of water bloat from the rest of the body, besides it's completely unnoticeable by simply looking at the abdomen. Plenty of pros do the same thing, send around some emails to various pros and ask about it.

The smart thing to do would be to try it for yourself and see what happens, no harm in giving it a try.

Barn01 · 09-29-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelei

A fair trade if it's going to remove a lot of water bloat from the rest of the body, besides it's completely unnoticeable by simply looking at the abdomen. Plenty of pros do the same thing, send around some emails to various pros and ask about it.

The smart thing to do would be to try it for yourself and see what happens, no harm in giving it a try.

I ate a box of peanutbutter ritz crackers the night before with no water. Next time I'll eat 2 boxes. Show day was all thanks to Mcd's

I think we all like to do our own thing. A little trial and error will tell you what works and what doesn't.

You can feel bloat coming on, you just stop eating until the feeling goes away and then start slow again.

AustrianOakJr · 09-29-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barn01

I ate a box of peanutbutter ritz crackers the night before with no water. Next time I'll eat 2 boxes. Show day was all thanks to Mcd's

I think we all like to do our own thing. A little trial and error will tell you what works and what doesn't.

You can feel bloat coming on, you just stop eating until the feeling goes away and then start slow again.

Why no water?

**str8flexed** · 09-29-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelei

A fair trade if it's going to remove a lot of water bloat from the rest of the body, besides it's completely unnoticeable by simply looking at the abdomen. Plenty of pros do the same thing, send around some emails to various pros and ask about it.

The smart thing to do would be to try it for yourself and see what happens, no harm in giving it a try.

no it's not; drawing into the small intestine will make you feel and appear bloated and it will increase the likely hood of feeling like you need to take a dump onstage

AustrianOakJr · 09-29-2009, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by str8flexed

no it's not; drawing into the small intestine will make you feel and appear bloated and it will increase the likely hood of feeling like you need to take a dump onstage

If youre lean, you can notice a big difference in the size of your abdomen when your bladder, intestines, or stomach is full. A tight waste is a big piece of the puzzle. Distending your abdomen really takes away from your appearance.

Barn01 · 09-29-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

Why no water?

No risk of spilling over, no bloat, and I have to admit that it made me look even drier than I already did. I'm not saying anyone else should do it ... it's just my thing and it worked well. I'll do it again only in a larger quanity next time.

My theory is that your body has to supply the moisture it takes to process the food and since the product you're forming is glucose with an insulin spike that it will feed the depleted muscles with gycogen. So the water you pull will combine with the food and actually fill out the muscle more. If you're adding size to the muscle then you must be pulling the water from somewhere else.

I'm not looking for an argument. This is my theory and I'm telling you that I looked better and better as time went on.

**str8flexed** · 09-29-2009, 01:56 PM

not having water does not eliminate the risk of spilling. I hear guys talk about spilling all the time and they cut their water on the usual days; hell i know what guy hadn't drank hardly anything after thursday!

AustrianOakJr · 09-29-2009, 05:57 PM

Spillage has to do with the amount of carbs you take in, rather than the amount of water. If you take in more carbs than the muscle can hold, then you get spillage.

Barn01 · 09-29-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by str8flexed

not having water does not eliminate the risk of spilling. I hear guys talk about spilling all the time and they cut their water on the usual days; hell i know what guy hadn't drank hardly anything after thursday!

I didn't mean to imply that you won't spill if you don't drink water. I've experimented with this in the past and I know that if I load for the morning and drink 2-4L of water for the next 6 hours and then try to do some kind of load again ... it doesn't work (for me). Where as if I cut the water and take in a modest amount of dirty carbs all throughout the day I just get harder and drier.

I'm not looking to argue this ... I know everyone here will tell me to not cut water and blah blah ... but I've tested this a few times and I always get the same result. What works for one person doesn't always work for the next. What more can I say?

Drink water or don't ... it's up to you! The only thing I can suggest is test it both ways and pick what looks best.

devo09 · 09-29-2009, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barn01

I didn't mean to imply that you won't spill if you don't drink water. I've experimented with this in the past and I know that if I load for the morning and drink 2-4L of water for the next 6 hours and then try to do some kind of load again ... it doesn't work (for me). Where as if I cut the water and take in a modest amount of dirty carbs all throughout the day I just get harder and drier.

I'm not looking to argue this ... I know everyone here will tell me to not cut water and blah blah ... but I've tested this a few times and I always get the same result. What works for one person doesn't always work for the next. What more can I say?

Drink water or don't ... it's up to you! The only thing I can suggest is test it both ways and pick what looks best.

Human physiology does NOT vary that much person-to-person. I always notice that when people give the "it works for me" arguements, they really are just winging it.

the funny thing is....water doesn't control water balance, CHO/NA+ do.

**str8flexed** · 09-29-2009, 09:41 PM

'spillage' has to do with several variables and timing. Actually it has to do with hundreds of variables; which is why I always chuckle when I see some of these prep guys acting like they can manipulate 50 different things and know exactly what is going to happen and when it going to happen. It's arrogance to think that you are that smart. (not referring to you Barn01, congrats on your placing)

Barn01 · 09-29-2009, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by str8flexed

'spillage' has to do with several variables and timing. Actually it has to do with hundreds of variables; which is why I always chuckle when I see some of these prep guys acting like they can manipulate 50 different things and know exactly what is going to happen and when it going to happen. It's arrogance to think that you are that smart. (not referring to you Barn01, congrats on your placing)

I agree the human body is extremely complex and it's pretty damn smart at adapting to just about anything we throw at it. It took me 4 tries to find a carb load protocol that seems to work. Now I feel I can hold a pump for a pretty long time (hours not days). I don't try and make myself out to be an expert. I read and experiment a lot. It takes me back to a phrase one of profs told me in school.

"When practice is different than theory, there's something wrong with the theory because practice doesn't lie".

Thanks, I'll try again in spring 2011

Sporto1633 · 09-30-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barn01

I agree the human body is extremely complex and it's pretty damn smart at adapting to just about anything we throw at it. It took me 4 tries to find a carb load protocol that seems to work. Now I feel I can hold a pump for a pretty long time (hours not days). I don't try and make myself out to be an expert. I read and experiment a lot. It takes me back to a phrase one of profs told me in school.

"When practice is different than theory, there's something wrong with the theory because practice doesn't lie".

Thanks, I'll try again in spring 2011

Would you mind posting a few pictures of you that involve the legs and back during show day or slightly before? I went to your bodyspace and couldn't find any. Your upper body looks fine - but that is where EVERYBODY is lean and vascular who diets half way non retarded.

IMO, from the pictures I saw that you had available, you weren't really lean enough to notice any "drying out" - and you really wouldn' noticed it have with that method either. Sure, the sodium and possibly the fat content in the McDonald's might have made a few more veins pop out in the upper body for reasons that are obvious from your approach, but that's not the same as "drying out"...you have to be lean enough to notice that happen. In the picture(s) that I can see of you that you have available, you look really soft in the legs and backside. But it's hard to tell, so that's why I ask for pictures.

If you were actually lean enough for it to matter, your approach wouldn't have yielded a desireable effect of drying out...your body doesn't go against the same physiological laws that everyone else's has to follow - sorry.

Sporto

Barn01 · 09-30-2009, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporto1633

Would you mind posting a few pictures of you that involve the legs and back during show day or slightly before? I went to your bodyspace and couldn't find any. Your upper body looks fine - but that is where EVERYBODY is lean and vascular who diets half way non retarded.

IMO, from the pictures I saw that you had available, you weren't really lean enough to notice any "drying out" - and you really wouldn' noticed it have with that method either. Sure, the sodium and possibly the fat content in the McDonald's might have made a few more veins pop out in the upper body for reasons that are obvious from your approach, but that's not the same as "drying out"...you have to be lean enough to notice that happen. In the picture(s) that I can see of you that you have available, you look really soft in the legs and backside. But it's hard to tell, so that's why I ask for pictures.

If you were actually lean enough for it to matter, your approach wouldn't have yielded a desireable effect of drying out...your body doesn't go against the same physiological laws that everyone else's has to follow - sorry.

Sporto

I haven't got any pics back yet from the photographer ... we all have our opinions ... thanks for coming out.

I'm really quite done on this topic so everyone can stop bashing my method and drink as much as they want ... I won't lose sleep over it either way.

Sporto1633 · 10-01-2009, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barn01

I haven't got any pics back yet from the photographer ... we all have our opinions ... thanks for coming out.

I'm really quite done on this topic so everyone can stop bashing my method and drink as much as they want ... I won't lose sleep over it either way.

Yes we all have our opinons, but unless you are taking drugs and/or diuretics (something that allows you to sidestep normal physiology so to speak), then science still remains the trump card here no matter what anyone's opinon is.

And why do you think everyone is bashing you? Why do you have to take it so personal? Listen, if you are going to be posting in the contest prep section to help people compete in shows, then you better have a good background in physiology, biochemistry, and the like or some of the regular posters in this section are going to eat you alive. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is.

Not to mention that the above posters were trying to HELP you in future shows. You are 5'9" and on show day weighed 160 and change...you still have a long way to go in the muscular development department. Your upper body from the front looks great, but from the pics you posted in your thread, your legs are pretty far behind, as well as total conditioning. It's great that you did well at your first show, but doing well at a smaller show without having everything dialed in is one thing. Having a complete package where everything is dialed in AND THEN using a drying out method during peak week where you can actually notice a difference is something completely different.

I bet you thought that was bashing you, right? Wrong. That is to help you. You don't make a bodybuilder better by telling him how great his strengths are. You make him better by being blunt with what he needs to improve on...whether that be some method that will obviously hurt him when he gets to the point that it matters, or whether that be showing him his weak areas that need brought up. If you are the type of person that takes everything personal when people are pointing out facts and trying to help, not only to help you but also to help people that are new and/or lurking for information, then this sport isn't for you.

It's shame you took it the way you did and thought everyone was bashing you. There was some real knowledge being spoken in those posts that could have helped you if you ever wanted to take this sport to the pro level.

Sporto

AustrianOakJr · 10-01-2009, 07:48 AM

Barn01....... he's speaking truth ^^^^. He/others are trying to help and thats the purpose of this forum. The pics you posted look good, but theres always room for improvement. Just because you've tried 4 different carb up/dry out methods doesnt qualify you as an expert......even with your OWN body. With my first (and only show) I didnt do anything peak week besides add more carbs on Friday and Saturday and I came out looking good for my first shot at the stage. When I saw Tommy's protocol for peak week, im thinking ....."holey crap theres a lot going on here!" Now I havent tried it out yet, so I might post back here and tell you Tommy is full of it and his peak week strategies suck........but somehow I doubt it. This guy has done this a *couple* times before and lead many people through the process, so he probably has a pretty good grasp on it........and human physiology is human physiology. What works for one DOES work for others (with minor variation).......but two OPPOSITE approaches cant both be correct.

Lazedays · 10-01-2009, 07:55 AM

I increased my water for 4 days 6 day from the show. 1.5 gals for 4 days. Gradually decreased salt, Wed and thurs I was alt free, cept for whats naturally in food. Day 5, still no sodium, very little water. Nighttime meal was 2 or 3 slices of pepparoni pizza then soaked in an epsom salt super hot bath before bed. Woke up the the mornin perfect.Nibbled on nuts and sipped oj. Worked perfect and will do it again

name1234 · 10-01-2009, 08:09 AM

layne u said u no longer do the sodium/water protocol in your article. What else have u changed since then? Maybe u should write an update b/c i'm sure a lot of people check it out since its stickied

**str8flexed** · 10-01-2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by name1234

layne u said u no longer do the sodium/water protocol in your article. What else have u changed since then? Maybe u should write an update b/c i'm sure a lot of people check it out since its stickied

been meaning to but i'm afraid it's low in my priority list as

-I get over 150 emails per day, mostly from my clients and they are actually paying me for service so they come first

-I am a full time PhD student and have less than 10 weeks til I give my exit seminar so I have been busy doing that

-I workout around 2 hrs./day

-I write for muscular development so their article is higher priority

-I am married and like to spend more than 2 minutes per day with my wife.

Eventually it will get done but right now it's on the back burner I'm afraid.

-Layne

Sporto1633 · 10-01-2009, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazedays

I increased my water for 4 days 6 day from the show. 1.5 gals for 4 days. Gradually decreased salt, Wed and thurs I was alt free, cept for whats naturally in food. Day 5, still no sodium, very little water. Nighttime meal was 2 or 3 slices of pepparoni pizza then soaked in an epsom salt super hot bath before bed. Woke up the the mornin perfect.Nibbled on nuts and sipped oj. Worked perfect and will do it again

1) Two words - Cookie Cutter
2) Did you even read any of the conversation(s) that have been going on in this thread?
3) Being kinda/sorta lean for female figure is completely different than being lean for male bodybuilding
4) I'd be careful claiming you looked "perfect" the morning of...

Quote:

Originally Posted by name1234

layne u said u no longer do the sodium/water protocol in your article. What else have u changed since then? Maybe u should write an update b/c i'm sure a lot of people check it out since its stickied

He would be out of business by giving away all the "right advices" MUAHAHAHAHAAH

Sporto