Week 160 :: How Can You Cut Water Weight The Last Week Before A Contest?

[the_fake_webmaster]

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* Note: How can I win? 1. Answer all questions in the order that they are asked. 2. Go over reviews (located at the bottom of past TOTW articles) and see what was said about those that did not win. Good Luck!
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TOPIC: How Can You Cut Water Weight The Last Week Before A Contest?

For the week of: March 12th - March 18th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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When you step on stage you want to make sure that you have every advantage possible. That includes losing as much water weight as possible.

How can you cut water weight the last week before contest?

What kind of supplements can help?

How long before a contest should one begin to cut water weight?

How important is it to cut water weight before a competition?

Bonus Question: What are the dangers of this method if done improperly and what steps can you take to make sure the cutting goes as planned?

-------------------------------------------------------------

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Thanks.

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

[Liquid_diet]

Nice timing. My first natural contest is in 5 weeks.

[bigcalves]

nice topic Will!

[The-Phantom]

Eat lighter portions of your food throughout the week, and cut out the gallon of water every day for JUST that week.
Eat breakfast like you normally would.
Do more cardio then usual, and up the ante on abdominal exercises.
Eating a good amount of fruit during this time seems to help, not sure why. Lol. It just does.
Thats all I got. Hope I was of some help.

[youngdurin]

Retaining water is rarely a problem for natural athletes. It is mainly the bane of those using orals. In the cases of clean athletes complaining of water retention, closer inspection usually shows the 'water' to be actually be fat. However, everyone wants to come in as dry as possible, clean or not, so it bears mention that there are a few basic guidelines. First, don't overly restrict your water,especially too early. This is the fastest way to retain fluid. Instead, increase your water a few days out then reduce it to about half normal the day before the show. Your body will be accustomed to the higher fluid intake and will eliminate water at the previously higher rate until it adjusts, which normally takes about twelve hours. Secondly, eliminate excess sodium from foods. Check for hidden salt in items like salsa and egg whites and of course abstain from adding any table salt to foods. Third, adding potassium tabs in increasing quantities the last few days can aid in flushing excess water.
Pretty simple stuff. In my experience I have never seen an actual occurrence of a natural bodybuilder losing due to water. If you are lean enough and clean, it just rarely happens. But it sure makes a big difference with the 'pros'. They rely on much stronger methods to rid themselves of bloat, of which I have no knowledge.

[JacquesG]

How can you cut water weight the last week before contest?

Drinking more water than usual
This is a very important point. Drinking water cleans and flushes your kidneys, digestive system, hydrates body and brain and ensuring that your metabolism works at optimal levels. The body excretes more water than it takes in and therefore dropping water with this technique.

The second thing to do is to sweat as much as possible
Ways of doing this can include hitting the sauna and laying in the sunbed. If your sweat tastes like salt, you then know your body is retaining sodium beneath the skin.

Do not overindulge with salty foods.
The body only needs 2000-2500mg of sodium a day to complete its metabolic functions
However do not drop your sodium completely until two days from competition and try to phase it out gradually

Fiber aids in removing excess fluid so include fresh veggies or fruits high in fiber

Working out for excess periods can cause inflammation which also contributes to holding water back so beware of working out to hard or for excess periods. Allergies can also cause water to be held back

Remember that the body consist of 70% water and is crucial to our bodily functions so there is no way that water should be cut completely before a competition. Trace amounts should be taken in the day before the competition and on the same day of competition

What kind of supplements can help?

Uva Ursi, Juniper Berries, Parsley, and Horsetail Grass are some of the supplements that I find sufficient for getting rid of excess water. Sodium should be monitored with all food intake so read the labels before eating something.

How long before a contest should one begin to cut water weight?

I would recommend starting so pay close attention a week out from competition. Sodium should be reduced gradually each day until final two days before then cut out completely while still drinking a lot of water. Two days out water intake should be decreased until day of competition where you then just take is trace amounts of water as needed.

Be aware that severe and prolonged sodium depletion can cause complications consistent with hyponatremia. Although severe sodium depletion only occurs during the last two days of the week

It's paradoxical that to get dry you need to consume plenty of fluids. You are wanting to maintain a high level of fluids (up to ten liters) most of the way throughout the week which will increase ANP and inhibit aldosterone, an anti-diuretic hormone which leads to increased water excretion via urination.




How important is it to cut water weight before a competition?

It is essential to reduce any water retention before a competition for the sake of being ripped, lean and dry. Bringing out underlying muscles and fibers. Veins to truly surface and to show of the best definition possible. Water under the skin can prevent this from happening so to bodybuilding cutting water is truly ESSENTIAL!!!



Bonus Question: What are the dangers of this method if done improperly and what steps can you take to make sure the cutting goes as planned?

It is important to know the signs and symptoms of dehydration. Dehydration is serious, and even mild cases should be immediately addressed. Low fluid levels can affect your mind’s ability to concentrate, reduces energy levels, and may prevent organs from functioning efficiently. In a dehydrated state, the body is unable to cool itself; this can lad to heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke. Dehydration also leads to muscle fatigue and a loss of coordination. Therefore, even small amounts of dehydration can hinder your athletic performance


% of body water lost Your body’s reaction
0 to 1% thirst
2 to 5% dry mouth, flushed skin, fatigue, headache, impaired physical performance
6% increased body temperature, increased breathing and pulse rate
8% dizziness, increased weakness and labored breathing with exercise
10% muscle spasms, swollen tongue, delirium
11% poor blood circulation, decreased kidney Function
*a 20% loss of body water is considered the bare survival rate
To ensure that everything goes according to plan you must not decrease water intake or sodium intake to early for this can be a costly mistake. Either you don’t look your best on stage or you dehydrate and cant compete anyway. Keep an eye on warning signs and symptoms.

Hope you guys have found this article to be useful. Happy training and enjoy!

[TJ_Strong]

Best way to cut water is simple: Not cutting water

[texasailorman]

I've had good results with water and sodium loading/depleting.

10 days before a show I start drinking 2 gallons of water a day; consuming normal sodium.
8 days out 2.5-3 gal water; normal sodium
3 days out 1.5 gal water: normal sodium
2 days out .75-1 gal water: cut out sodium as much as possible (tuna, eggs, spinach, etc... switch to chicken or flank steak)
Day before LESS THAN half gallon of distilled water (I know the raging wars about distilled water I have just had better success with it); no sodium
Stop drinking water around afternoon day before.

Homeostasis!
The trick is you make your body get used to pissing up to 3 gallons of water a day. When you suddenly take that away it takes your body a couple days to realize it. So even though you are only drinking .5 a gallon your body is pissing like your drinking 3 gals so you get into a water deficit. I also swish water around in my mouth all morning when preparing for the show. It makes you have to pee, too.

Your timing might be different so I recommend you test it out first. I don't know what works for you. I just know I seem to respond well to it.
Good Luck.

[Liquid_diet]

Still trying to finish mine. Anyone else submitting entries tonight?

[mrkdrt]

Still trying to finish mine. Anyone else submitting entries tonight?

I'm interested in what you write.. I know how to cut for boxing.. but not for competitive bb'ing.. That's why I'm not entering this.. It wouldn't be proper

[Liquid_diet]

Here's mine. Hopefully it's ok. I'll be trying to implement some of these strategies myself in about a month. There's still a ton for me to learn...

Good luck everyone.

[Mighty Kev]

When you step on stage you want to make sure that you have every advantage possible. That includes losing as much water weight as possible.

How can you cut water weight the last week before contest?

When talking about competitive bodybuilding it is much more common to discuss the topics of fat loss or muscle gain rather than subcutaneous water. Sure, the training required to put on massive amounts of muscle will take an incredible amount of dedication, in addition to proper nutrition. Once the mass required to be competitive is attained, next comes the cutting phase, or the fat loss phase. Through strict dieting and cardiovascular exercise, fat is then steadily lost until you?re in contest shape?. Or so you think.
Now you may ask, ?Since I?ve gotten my bodyfat into the low single digits, how come I don?t look like the guys that compete on stage?? The answer, as you may have guessed is in the water.
Subcutaneous water or water that is under the skin can be detrimental to the success of a bodybuilder. Not only will water hide the definition that you have attained by having such a low bodyfat percentage, it can make it look like you?re holding a little more fat than some of your competitors, which is absolutely not what you want the judges to be seeing. Now let?s look into how this water weight can be cut down the last week before a contest.
The most common method in order to obtain that completely shredded look is through the manipulating the amount of sodium in the body as well as varying the amount of water that you drink during the week before. Typically, a bodybuilder will try to drink a gallon of water every day during the weeks approaching a contest. When the bodybuilder reaches the week or so before the contest, he should try to double that amount for the first 5 days of the week before. In addition to that, for the first 4 of the days of the final week, he should try to consume a very large amount of sodium. Now, 3 days before the contest, the bodybuilder should lower his water intake to 1 gallon per day. The next 2 days lower it to almost none, only sipping when thirsty up until the contest. Two days before the contest, the bodybuilder should cut out all salts from his diet, in order to begin the salt loss in addition to the water loss. Now typically, sodium helps the body hold on to water, but the goal here is to have so much water and sodium in the system that the body will excrete it at a rapid rate, and at that point, drastically cut down on both. The body won?t have adjusted yet, and will still be excreting both sodium and water more than intended, ideally giving that hard and dry bodybuilder look. So to reiterate, the general idea is to increase the amount of water and salt flowing through the body and drastically lowering or stopping the intake. The body will overcorrect itself, thus also removing unwanted subcutaneous water and leaving the ideal look that can win a competition.

What kind of supplements can help?
The good news here is that this cut and dry look can be enhanced through the use of dietary supplements that are typically called diuretics. Diuretics are traditionally dietary supplements that facilitate the reduction of water from the body. These supplements work using a variety of methods including providing electrolytes, B vitamins, herbs, and/or stimulating the nervous system using substances such as caffeine. The beauty behind supplementing with diuretics during the week of a contest is that if they?re used in addition to manipulating the levels of salt in the body and the water intake, the results of the addition of the supplements to the traditional sodium method can have exponential effects on helping the best possible physique that you have show through. And isn?t this the idea? If you?re serious about looking good for an upcoming contest and have taken everything else extremely seriously, such as your cutting and conditioning phases, you should read up on some diuretics. One of the most popular diuretics that I hear people having a great deal of success with is made by MHP and is called Xpel. It has a solid ingredient profile so it?s definitely something to take a look into.

How long before a contest should one begin to cut water weight?
As stated before, it is typical for a bodybuilder to begin to increase their water intake as much as a week to two weeks before the show. This then eventually leads to a tapering off of water consumption tied in with an increase and tapering down of salt consumption also. The actual loss of water weight only happens around two or three days before the show, as it can be lost very rapidly due to the incredibly effective help that supplements can provide.

How important is it to cut water weight before a competition?
In order to come into a competition looking as hard and dry as possible, it is absolutely essential to not only invest in a supplement such as a diuretic, but also to manipulate your water and sodium intake. Water weight can truly be the difference between a win and a loss, and in some competitions even lower you 5 or 6 places down the standings. If you?re truly serious about winning or even looking the best that you can for your upcoming competition, I?d advise that you read up as much as you possibly can in the contest preparation articles section of this site to learn what some of the pros have to say on the subject. And keep in mind, perfecting this water loss and reaching your ?peak? at the right time is one of the hardest things for a bodybuilder to accomplish, so don?t fret, it comes with practice.

Bonus Question: What are the dangers of this method if done improperly and what steps can you take to make sure the cutting goes as planned?
Now the problem with manipulating the amount of electrolytes in the body such as sodium in addition to lowering the amount of water in the body is that the body needs both to survive. To be in contest shape is not only draining due to this fact, it is not healthy to maintain for more than the time necessary to compete in a show. This is why some bodybuilders have such a difficult time when the prejudging for a show is in the afternoon and the finals are the in the evening. They can?t even maintain their peak for more than a couple hours. Now, neurological in addition to muscular problems can occur from severe dehydration, so be very careful to keep a close eye on how you feel throughout your whole water-loss regimen. And not to bring this up so negatively, but you can die from dehydration, so if you?re feeling woozy or like you might pass out, drink some water. Dropping down a place or two in the standings is not worth your death. Good luck with your water loss!


Thanks for reading!
-K (Opiewags99)

[JacquesG]

How can you cut water weight the last week before contest?

Drinking more water than usual
This is a very important point. Drinking water cleans and flushes your kidneys, digestive system, hydrates body and brain and ensuring that your metabolism works at optimal levels. The body excretes more water than it takes in and therefore dropping water with this technique.

The second thing to do is to sweat as much as possible
Ways of doing this can include hitting the sauna and laying in the sunbed. If your sweat tastes like salt, you then know your body is retaining sodium beneath the skin.

Do not overindulge with salty foods.
The body only needs 2000-2500mg of sodium a day to complete its metabolic functions
However do not drop your sodium completely until two days from competition and try to phase it out gradually

Fiber aids in removing excess fluid so include fresh veggies or fruits high in fiber

Working out for excess periods can cause inflammation which also contributes to holding water back so beware of working out to hard or for excess periods. Allergies can also cause water to be held back

Remember that the body consist of 70% water and is crucial to our bodily functions so there is no way that water should be cut completely before a competition. Trace amounts should be taken in the day before the competition and on the same day of competition

What kind of supplements can help?

Uva Ursi, Juniper Berries, Parsley, and Horsetail Grass are some of the supplements that I find sufficient for getting rid of excess water. Sodium should be monitored with all food intake so read the labels before eating something.

How long before a contest should one begin to cut water weight?

I would recommend starting so pay close attention a week out from competition. Sodium should be reduced gradually each day until final two days before then cut out completely while still drinking a lot of water. Two days out water intake should be decreased until day of competition where you then just take is trace amounts of water as needed.

Be aware that severe and prolonged sodium depletion can cause complications consistent with hyponatremia. Although severe sodium depletion only occurs during the last two days of the week

It's paradoxical that to get dry you need to consume plenty of fluids. You are wanting to maintain a high level of fluids (up to ten liters) most of the way throughout the week which will increase ANP and inhibit aldosterone, an anti-diuretic hormone which leads to increased water excretion via urination.




How important is it to cut water weight before a competition?

It is essential to reduce any water retention before a competition for the sake of being ripped, lean and dry. Bringing out underlying muscles and fibers. Veins to truly surface and to show of the best definition possible. Water under the skin can prevent this from happening so to bodybuilding cutting water is truly ESSENTIAL!!!



Bonus Question: What are the dangers of this method if done improperly and what steps can you take to make sure the cutting goes as planned?

It is important to know the signs and symptoms of dehydration. Dehydration is serious, and even mild cases should be immediately addressed. Low fluid levels can affect your mind?s ability to concentrate, reduces energy levels, and may prevent organs from functioning efficiently. In a dehydrated state, the body is unable to cool itself; this can lad to heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke. Dehydration also leads to muscle fatigue and a loss of coordination. Therefore, even small amounts of dehydration can hinder your athletic performance


% of body water lost Your body?s reaction
0 to 1% thirst
2 to 5% dry mouth, flushed skin, fatigue, headache, impaired physical performance
6% increased body temperature, increased breathing and pulse rate
8% dizziness, increased weakness and labored breathing with exercise
10% muscle spasms, swollen tongue, delirium
11% poor blood circulation, decreased kidney Function
*a 20% loss of body water is considered the bare survival rate
To ensure that everything goes according to plan you must not decrease water intake or sodium intake to early for this can be a costly mistake. Either you don?t look your best on stage or you dehydrate and cant compete anyway. Keep an eye on warning signs and symptoms.

Hope you guys have found this article to be useful. Happy training and enjoy!

Just added the attachment. Sowi

[Liquid_diet]

When you step on stage you want to make sure that you have every advantage possible. That includes losing as much water weight as possible.

How can you cut water weight the last week before contest?

When talking about competitive bodybuilding it is much more common to discuss the topics of fat loss or muscle gain rather than subcutaneous water. Sure, the training required to put on massive amounts of muscle will take an incredible amount of dedication, in addition to proper nutrition. Once the mass required to be competitive is attained, next comes the cutting phase, or the fat loss phase. Through strict dieting and cardiovascular exercise, fat is then steadily lost until you?re in contest shape?. Or so you think.
Now you may ask, ?Since I?ve gotten my bodyfat into the low single digits, how come I don?t look like the guys that compete on stage?? The answer, as you may have guessed is in the water.
Subcutaneous water or water that is under the skin can be detrimental to the success of a bodybuilder. Not only will water hide the definition that you have attained by having such a low bodyfat percentage, it can make it look like you?re holding a little more fat than some of your competitors, which is absolutely not what you want the judges to be seeing. Now let?s look into how this water weight can be cut down the last week before a contest.
The most common method in order to obtain that completely shredded look is through the manipulating the amount of sodium in the body as well as varying the amount of water that you drink during the week before. Typically, a bodybuilder will try to drink a gallon of water every day during the weeks approaching a contest. When the bodybuilder reaches the week or so before the contest, he should try to double that amount for the first 5 days of the week before. In addition to that, for the first 4 of the days of the final week, he should try to consume a very large amount of sodium. Now, 3 days before the contest, the bodybuilder should lower his water intake to 1 gallon per day. The next 2 days lower it to almost none, only sipping when thirsty up until the contest. Two days before the contest, the bodybuilder should cut out all salts from his diet, in order to begin the salt loss in addition to the water loss. Now typically, sodium helps the body hold on to water, but the goal here is to have so much water and sodium in the system that the body will excrete it at a rapid rate, and at that point, drastically cut down on both. The body won?t have adjusted yet, and will still be excreting both sodium and water more than intended, ideally giving that hard and dry bodybuilder look. So to reiterate, the general idea is to increase the amount of water and salt flowing through the body and drastically lowering or stopping the intake. The body will overcorrect itself, thus also removing unwanted subcutaneous water and leaving the ideal look that can win a competition.

What kind of supplements can help?
The good news here is that this cut and dry look can be enhanced through the use of dietary supplements that are typically called diuretics. Diuretics are traditionally dietary supplements that facilitate the reduction of water from the body. These supplements work using a variety of methods including providing electrolytes, B vitamins, herbs, and/or stimulating the nervous system using substances such as caffeine. The beauty behind supplementing with diuretics during the week of a contest is that if they?re used in addition to manipulating the levels of salt in the body and the water intake, the results of the addition of the supplements to the traditional sodium method can have exponential effects on helping the best possible physique that you have show through. And isn?t this the idea? If you?re serious about looking good for an upcoming contest and have taken everything else extremely seriously, such as your cutting and conditioning phases, you should read up on some diuretics. One of the most popular diuretics that I hear people having a great deal of success with is made by MHP and is called Xpel. It has a solid ingredient profile so it?s definitely something to take a look into.

How long before a contest should one begin to cut water weight?
As stated before, it is typical for a bodybuilder to begin to increase their water intake as much as a week to two weeks before the show. This then eventually leads to a tapering off of water consumption tied in with an increase and tapering down of salt consumption also. The actual loss of water weight only happens around two or three days before the show, as it can be lost very rapidly due to the incredibly effective help that supplements can provide.

How important is it to cut water weight before a competition?
In order to come into a competition looking as hard and dry as possible, it is absolutely essential to not only invest in a supplement such as a diuretic, but also to manipulate your water and sodium intake. Water weight can truly be the difference between a win and a loss, and in some competitions even lower you 5 or 6 places down the standings. If you?re truly serious about winning or even looking the best that you can for your upcoming competition, I?d advise that you read up as much as you possibly can in the contest preparation articles section of this site to learn what some of the pros have to say on the subject. And keep in mind, perfecting this water loss and reaching your ?peak? at the right time is one of the hardest things for a bodybuilder to accomplish, so don?t fret, it comes with practice.

Bonus Question: What are the dangers of this method if done improperly and what steps can you take to make sure the cutting goes as planned?
Now the problem with manipulating the amount of electrolytes in the body such as sodium in addition to lowering the amount of water in the body is that the body needs both to survive. To be in contest shape is not only draining due to this fact, it is not healthy to maintain for more than the time necessary to compete in a show. This is why some bodybuilders have such a difficult time when the prejudging for a show is in the afternoon and the finals are the in the evening. They can?t even maintain their peak for more than a couple hours. Now, neurological in addition to muscular problems can occur from severe dehydration, so be very careful to keep a close eye on how you feel throughout your whole water-loss regimen. And not to bring this up so negatively, but you can die from dehydration, so if you?re feeling woozy or like you might pass out, drink some water. Dropping down a place or two in the standings is not worth your death. Good luck with your water loss!


Thanks for reading!
-K (Opiewags99)

Not a bad article, but did you get confused on the time?

[Mighty Kev]

Wow, that shouldn't be allowed

[Liquid_diet]

I reported it this morning...thought it would be removed by now.

[Mighty Kev]

Thanks for doing that

[mikeynice2000]

was checking up on cutting water, and what do I get....a penis full of needles getting choked, on easter no less. Anyway can Layne or someone who's done a lot of contests chime in on water retention. I'd like to know whats really going on with it before I do a contest, and if I even need to worry about it if I don't use any drugs.

[danapetersen]

That definitely should not be allowed. The only thing more disturbing that pictures of that nature are the people who enjoy them. Whatever.

[crash_bomb]

Haha , Alright , losing water weight is fairly simple , first off increase your normal water supply by 10% 5 days prior to your big day. This will signal your body to start losing water as a passive method to releave the increase in pressure. This will also free your body of sodium that you may be retaining.(However you should not lay off sodium and salts completley, but rather limit it to a minimum), then 15 hours prior to stage time you should stop water intake , and use a diuretic, 14 hours prior , and 5hours prior ( with no water intake during this period). now the result would have you skin dry, however right after your show you must drink 3 250ml cups of water spaced out by 10 minutes , then have some food, Good food , with a fair amount of salt, (excessive amounts will cause your blood pressure to rocket) after almost an hour of that you can drink water freely and do whatever you want.

As a side note: I really do not reccomend you try to lose alot of water, as muscles are made up of 70% water, so is your whole body,so if you are to get lean losing water, your sizes will be different , even if you are talking 5% water loss , the body will divert water supplies from muscles to your organs in order to support your bodily systems.

[crash_bomb]

Also what the hell are these images ? and what the hell is that thing in the bathtub ?

[JacquesG]

When will the results of the TOTW be available? Anyone>?

[Liquid_diet]

When will the results of the TOTW be available? Anyone>?

Can take weeks sometimes. It can drive you crazy if you keep checking every day

[JacquesG]

what you guys talking about? What shouldnt be allowed?

[Mighty Kev]

Someone posted a picture of a girl being decapitated and others, it was pretty graphic

[diskin8]

Use the steam room and the sauna loads and go for lots of jogs and when you do put a black bag on you nd sellotape the holes closed and you will sweat alot and thus reduced water weight

[kirilchevel]

How can you cut water weight the last week before contest?

Drinking more water than usual
This is a very important point. Drinking water cleans and flushes your kidneys, digestive system, hydrates body and brain and ensuring that your metabolism works at optimal levels. The body excretes more water than it takes in and therefore dropping water with this technique.

The second thing to do is to sweat as much as possible
Ways of doing this can include hitting the sauna and laying in the sunbed. If your sweat tastes like salt, you then know your body is retaining sodium beneath the skin.

Do not overindulge with salty foods.
The body only needs 2000-2500mg of sodium a day to complete its metabolic functions
However do not drop your sodium completely until two days from competition and try to phase it out gradually

Fiber aids in removing excess fluid so include fresh veggies or fruits high in fiber

Working out for excess periods can cause inflammation which also contributes to holding water back so beware of working out to hard or for excess periods. Allergies can also cause water to be held back

Remember that the body consist of 70% water and is crucial to our bodily functions so there is no way that water should be cut completely before a competition. Trace amounts should be taken in the day before the competition and on the same day of competition

What kind of supplements can help?

Uva Ursi, Juniper Berries, Parsley, and Horsetail Grass are some of the supplements that I find sufficient for getting rid of excess water. Sodium should be monitored with all food intake so read the labels before eating something.

How long before a contest should one begin to cut water weight?

I would recommend starting so pay close attention a week out from competition. Sodium should be reduced gradually each day until final two days before then cut out completely while still drinking a lot of water. Two days out water intake should be decreased until day of competition where you then just take is trace amounts of water as needed.

Be aware that severe and prolonged sodium depletion can cause complications consistent with hyponatremia. Although severe sodium depletion only occurs during the last two days of the week

It's paradoxical that to get dry you need to consume plenty of fluids. You are wanting to maintain a high level of fluids (up to ten liters) most of the way throughout the week which will increase ANP and inhibit aldosterone, an anti-diuretic hormone which leads to increased water excretion via urination.




How important is it to cut water weight before a competition?

It is essential to reduce any water retention before a competition for the sake of being ripped, lean and dry. Bringing out underlying muscles and fibers. Veins to truly surface and to show of the best definition possible. Water under the skin can prevent this from happening so to bodybuilding cutting water is truly ESSENTIAL!!!



Bonus Question: What are the dangers of this method if done improperly and what steps can you take to make sure the cutting goes as planned?

It is important to know the signs and symptoms of dehydration. Dehydration is serious, and even mild cases should be immediately addressed. Low fluid levels can affect your mind?s ability to concentrate, reduces energy levels, and may prevent organs from functioning efficiently. In a dehydrated state, the body is unable to cool itself; this can lad to heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke. Dehydration also leads to muscle fatigue and a loss of coordination. Therefore, even small amounts of dehydration can hinder your athletic performance


% of body water lost Your body?s reaction
0 to 1% thirst
2 to 5% dry mouth, flushed skin, fatigue, headache, impaired physical performance
6% increased body temperature, increased breathing and pulse rate
8% dizziness, increased weakness and labored breathing with exercise
10% muscle spasms, swollen tongue, delirium
11% poor blood circulation, decreased kidney Function
*a 20% loss of body water is considered the bare survival rate
To ensure that everything goes according to plan you must not decrease water intake or sodium intake to early for this can be a costly mistake. Either you don?t look your best on stage or you dehydrate and cant compete anyway. Keep an eye on warning signs and symptoms.

Hope you guys have found this article to be useful. Happy training and enjoy!

on the money mate good post this is pretty much what i did i kept my 8-10 litres of water intake up until 3days out then i cut it down to 6-8 then 2 days out 4-6 then on the last day about 2-3 litres then just sipping on the day of the comp anyways good post mate.

[NoNameNecessary]

Are we going to get a new topic up?