For anyone who has competed, do you deplete your water intake the closer you get to your show? How successful was it, and do any of you recomend it? Thanks in advance!
This is what I did...but please note, I am a natural bodybuilder, so drugged athletes might have different takes...
For a Saturday show...
Up to this point, I drink 3 gallons of water per day. On Thursday of show week, I drop to 16 ounces, Friday, 8 ounces, Saturday...nothing (sips for pills, maybe).
That is it...you should dry out fairly quickly...you can use an OTC/legal water loss supplement like Taraxatone or Shrink Wrap, but be careful with these.
Thanks for the help! I'm also natural and my water depletion plan looked nearly identical to what you said, so I will go ahead and give that a try! Thanks!
DO NOT WATER DEPLETE...unless you are on steroids this is not a nessecary step. Muscles are 70% water...if you deplete...its like letting the air out of a balloon...what do you think gives muscles their fullness...water. I've received contest prep advice from some of the best natural bodybuilders on the earth including world champion dave goodin, Wnbf pros Mike Carter, Kent Julius, Nancy Andrews (women's world champ) and my idol Dr. Joe Klemczewski (THE contest prep guru) and all of them said not to water deplete. To further my point...the gentleman who won the overall at my last show drank water the entire time he was back stage...he went through a gallon jug of water...and he look hard and dry as a rock in the desert. Here's a pic of him in the men's open overall posedown (along with me ) to show you what I mean.
Natural Pro Bodybuilder
PhD, Nutritional Sciences
Paid R&D Research Consultant for Scivation www.scivation.com
My Webcast: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/insidethelife.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne.htm
What do you do to shed the excess water prior to your competition??? I depleted at my first show and it worked pretty good, but I felt a little flat.
Thanks!
Brandon
"...if you're gonna hit someone, kill 'em. If not, walk away." - Puck Mellencamp
2002 NPC Border States - 2nd Place Lightweight Novice
2002 NPC Ironman - 3rd Place Bantamweight Open / 5th Place Lightweight Novice
2003 Orange County Classic - 5th Place Lightweight Open
2003 SoCal BB Championships - 3rd Place Bantamweight Open
Currently Bulking: 06/14/03 - 140.5lbs / 08/05/03 - 171lbs
sodium depletion/loading and carb depleting/mild loading should take care of everything... if there is still a little water left use Prep H on your trouble spots.
Peace
Natural Pro Bodybuilder
PhD, Nutritional Sciences
Paid R&D Research Consultant for Scivation www.scivation.com
My Webcast: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/insidethelife.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne.htm
I would say you should be somewhere in the middle. When doing a natural I would not totally deplete water stores in the body but I certainly wouldn't consume normal amounts either...
Sodium is a serious issue for all BB athletes and pre-contest none of us should have any... Turkey breast (right off the bird) and Baby food are good sources of low sodium food.
You should definitely only consume distilled water during you 1 week out. Look into Fruit Water, it is distilled dionized water with no sweetner. On the day before the show I would recomend no more than 20 oz for that day. On the day of I would consume about the same.
I would also get my hands on some twinlab Potassium pills and take about 500 milligrams an hour before you go on stage. This will keep you from cramping.
I recently did an NPC show and my water was much much lower. By Friday I had 10 oz. and the day of only about 3 ice cubes from the distilled water. It is harsh but really made a big difference.
As with all my pre-contest advice I would recomend you experiment weeks prior to your show day to lower varibles of mistake.
Good Luck
J
"The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."
~Charles Du Bos~
"The best thing you have to offer the world is yourself. You don't have to copy anyone else. If you do, your second best. To acheive success is to be first, and that's being yourself."
~John Denver~
Lift Bests @245 lbs
Bench 450
Squat 600
Dead Lift 585
Leg Press 1500
I think I did very well considering it was my first show!!! The funny thing is that I thought I would compete at Light Heavy and I just kept on droping weight... The last week before the show I lost about a pound to a pound and a half per day! I swear it was quite eary. So my final weigh in was 175 and I competed as a middleweight.
Although I did not place I received high acclamaids and praises. I also got some insight on what I will need to do for my next show. Apparently I was right and my arm devolopment really needs to catch up. I also think due to the need to lose so much weight for this show I couldn't get as hard as I would like. I did have my bodyfat measured and get this... By way of calipers done by myself, my trainer, and the hydro doc to prove a theory my bodyfat was at or around 6%... When I went in the tank and got measured I was 10%.... Just goea to show the mirror means more than anything else like we have been saying!
Str8, my family was at the show and says they got a lot of pics. When I get my copies I will post them on my pic page....
Can you beleive how quickly your body tries to gain weight back after a show??? I have gained 20 pounds back in like 4 days!~
J
"The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."
~Charles Du Bos~
"The best thing you have to offer the world is yourself. You don't have to copy anyone else. If you do, your second best. To acheive success is to be first, and that's being yourself."
~John Denver~
Lift Bests @245 lbs
Bench 450
Squat 600
Dead Lift 585
Leg Press 1500
I know that feeling bro. It's all water lol. The key to getting ripped for a comp starts in the off season...all the naturals pros i've talked to say they try to stay as lean as they can in the offseason to make dieting easier. Congrats to you...it was only your first show and just doing it is what counts. YOu can only get better.
Peace
Natural Pro Bodybuilder
PhD, Nutritional Sciences
Paid R&D Research Consultant for Scivation www.scivation.com
My Webcast: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/insidethelife.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne.htm
I agree with Jay from NJ. I've competed 11 times as a natural, although I used PH up to a week or a week and a half out for my last 2 contests, and I always cut water. I'll lose 7-10 pounds 2 days out from doing that, and in conjunction with my carb depletion/carb loading, I appear to be 2-3% lower in bodyfat in those 2 days. Water depletion sucks though. At the 2001 Superbody, they had prejudging on Friday and the show on Saturday, so I dropped water for 2 days. I couldn't regulate my body temperature and it was not healthy. After my routine, I drank 2 bottled waters and started profusely sweating within 20 seconds. I also had to hold my head under cold water for 5 minutes after getting 20 minutes of sun on that Friday just to cool down.
DO NOT WATER DEPLETE...unless you are on steroids this is not a nessecary step. Muscles are 70% water...if you deplete...its like letting the air out of a balloon...what do you think gives muscles their fullness...water. I've received contest prep advice from some of the best natural bodybuilders on the earth including world champion dave goodin, Wnbf pros Mike Carter, Kent Julius, Nancy Andrews (women's world champ) and my idol Dr. Joe Klemczewski (THE contest prep guru) and all of them said not to water deplete. To further my point...the gentleman who won the overall at my last show drank water the entire time he was back stage...he went through a gallon jug of water...and he look hard and dry as a rock in the desert. Here's a pic of him in the men's open overall posedown (along with me ) to show you what I mean.
Crap! I had to read this 5 days out of my first show.
sodium depletion/loading and carb depleting/mild loading should take care of everything... if there is still a little water left use Prep H on your trouble spots.
Peace
I agree totally with Layne, I depleted water for all of my shows until I took his advice this past year. I came in a whole lot fuller and vascular.
I am trying to peak without depleting water and sodium. I have read the article by Joe Klemczewski that you are referring to, but I am still a little confused on exactly what to eat and when as a female competitor. I tried it, but must have not done something exactly right, my muscles looked full, but I wasn't really dry and vascular. Any suggestions?
DO NOT WATER DEPLETE...unless you are on steroids this is not a nessecary step. Muscles are 70% water...if you deplete...its like letting the air out of a balloon...what do you think gives muscles their fullness...water. I've received contest prep advice from some of the best natural bodybuilders on the earth including world champion dave goodin, Wnbf pros Mike Carter, Kent Julius, Nancy Andrews (women's world champ) and my idol Dr. Joe Klemczewski (THE contest prep guru) and all of them said not to water deplete. To further my point...the gentleman who won the overall at my last show drank water the entire time he was back stage...he went through a gallon jug of water...and he look hard and dry as a rock in the desert. Here's a pic of him in the men's open overall posedown (along with me ) to show you what I mean.
so how much water would you recommend consuming a couple days before the show and the day of? 1 gallon, 2 gallons, a couple bottles?
The basic idea is to keep water the same as has been throughout your prep
No one has ever died from hard work.... I will succeed, because I'm willing to do the things you are not.
Being good enough will never be good enough. I strive for excellence daily.
“The gym is really a microcosm for life. It's a place where you can run highly-controlled experiments of one, over short-enough time-frames that you can reap the benefits of what you learn, and then (ideally) apply what you've learned in other areas of your life.” – Charles Staley
For me I would keep high water all the way up until about 4-5 hours before the show, have a strong coffee or tea and then watch yourself pee about 10 times and get tighter.
Increase day of show cut 2-4 hrs b4 stage ( try it out first and watch how long it takes you to dry out)
U should be at 2 gallons/ per day at least the week before the show.
Also ^^^post. People differ but for sure don't cut water
Natural Bodybuilder {}-----{}
Check out my reverse diet log at http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=153677101
Whatever your "normal" levels are. No need to mess with it. Definitely read Layne's "Peak Week" articles about this subject.
This. I do have my athlete's increase their water during my peaking period but just slightly to put the transition slightly in our favor for show day. Cutting water could be disastrous.
I think this whole post just screwed my head all up. I do know you should increase during the week before peak week and the first part of peak week but I have always heard that you should cut at least the day before the show, and then sip water on show day...... I am confused.
I think this whole post just screwed my head all up. I do know you should increase during the week before peak week and the first part of peak week but I have always heard that you should cut at least the day before the show, and then sip water on show day...... I am confused.
Discounts & Deals - Sign Up!
Bookmarks