Water, sodium, carbs, OH MY!

[str8flexed]

This is something I've posted before but it is contest season once again so I figure I'll put it up again so that people can see it before they get convinced into doing dumb stuff due to brotalk and broscience.

Just a few of my thoughts on the final week, posted elsewhere but figured some of you might want to see. This is an excerpt from a blog entry on my site http://www.biolayne.com

One thing I always find funny is the looks my clients get at their shows. None of my clients water deplete, and most of them drink 1-2 gallons of water on show day. They always get strange looks and people asking them if they are concerned about 'retaining water.'
In our natural state we actually have MORE water inside our cells than outside our cells (subcutaneous water). It is when you screw with things that you start getting problems. People seem to have this notion that if they cut water, they will lose all their subcutaneous water. There are a few problems with this: 1) You won't just lose water from the subcutaneous area, you will also lose it out of the muscle tissue, and you will most likely lose MORE from the muscle than from the subcutaneous layer as the body will attempt to maintain the water balance between the inside & outside of the cell. 2) You will flatten yourself out big time. The only reason a carb load works is because the increased glycogen causes your cells to store more water. All you have really done is flatten yourself out, you haven't changed the ratio of intracellular/extracellular water at all.
I know what you are thinking "but Layne, at my last show a judge said I needed to be drier" or "everyone tells me I just need to lose the water." Well I'm not here to make you feel better about yourself, I'm here to help you do better at your next show. And the truth is that people are telling you that you are 'holding water' because they don't want to hurt your feelings. The fact of the matter is that you weren't 'holding water' you just weren't lean enough. Period.
Look at top natural competitor's Tommy Jeffer's, Kurt Weidner and Ben Goins at 3 weeks before a show. They are 'drier' than 99.99% of people who compete ever will be. No water manipulation, no sodium manipulation, nothing. How can they look so dry when they haven't changed a thing from their normal diet? What is their secret. Well listen very closely because I'm only going to tell you the secret once. The big secret is THEY ARE EXTREMELY LEAN! They gave themselves long enough to diet and they were honest with themselves about how much fat they needed to lose. That's the secret. Get shredded and very little of that final week stuff is needed.
Most people don't realize that the big reason all these complex final week protocols came about was simply marketing from pre-contest prep 'gurus'. If it was as simple as just getting shredded, how would these guys stay in business? They make their clients feel like they 'need' them because these guys have their clients manipulating fifteen hundred variables in the last week. How could they possibly do that on their own? And thus, they feel like they need their 'guru'. You would be surprised at how many clients I probably lose because my approach is so straight forward & grounded, but I'm not in this to make money dishonestly. The secret is simple, give yourself enough time to diet, be honest with yourself about how much bodyfat you have to lose, and GET SHREDDED! Period.



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this is from another blog of mine I wrote a few months back for my site http://www.biolayne.com

This past weekend I had a client call me and tell me that he felt he was holding water. Now typically I think that 99% of people who say they are ?holding water? just aren?t in shape, but I knew he was in shape, but I figured he was probably paranoid. But he was very convinced that he was in deed not nearly as tight as he had been. So what do we do? What can we do if we get to the day before or dare I say the day of the show and for whatever reason we are holding water? Most people would say ?cut water? or ?take a diuretic. I would have to disagree with that.

What you have to remember is that even if you are holding water under the skin, cutting water is not the best way to get rid of it. If you are holding water under the skin & you cut it then you are just going to increase aldosterone even more and reabsorb more water from the nephrons into the interstitial space. When you cut water or take a diuretic you will not be able to control where you take it from? it is going to come out of muscle and out of the subcutaneous tissue; the problem is it's going to come out in the same ratio contained by the two areas. If we think about Le Chatelier's principle we can start to make sense of it. For those of you who haven?t had a lot of chemistry, Le Chatelier's principle can be used to predict the effect of a change in conditions on a chemical equilibrium. It can be summarized as: ?If a chemical system at equilibrium experiences achange in concentration, temperature, volume, or total pressure; the equilibrium will shift in order to partially counter-act the imposed change.? For example, let?s say we have 2 reactions: A ----> B-----> C. If you remove C, then you will accelerate the conversion of B to C, and also accelerate the conversion of A to B. PULLING the reaction forward. Now if you reduce the amount of A, then the conversion of A to be will slow and therefore, the movement of B to C will also slow in order to maintain equilibrium. By the same token, let's look at water distribution assuming A is water in the muscle, B is water in the interstitial space, and C is water in the kidneys. If you take a diuretic to increase water excretion, (in our example, removal of C) you will therefore accelerate the removal of B (interstitial) but you will also accelerate the removal of A at the same rate to maintain equilibrium. The ratio of water in each compartment stays the same, all you have managed to do is reduce water in all departments and flatten yourself out. So what happens if we cut water? If you cut water then you are reducing the input of A into the system. This will reduce the movement of A into B, and will subsequently reduce the movement of B into C. In this case the kidney totally restricts it?s excretion of water due to the reduced input in order to maintain equilibrium. Again the distribution of water in the compartments is unchanged, there is just less water everywhere and so you are just flatter everywhere.
So what do you do? You?ve only got days or worst case, hours until you have be onstage and you have to tighten up. What can you do? Your best bet is to MOVE the water by changing the equilibrium. That is taking the water from the interstitial space and moving it into the muscle tissue. The best way to do that is to start doing a good hard pump up workout for anywhere to 20-40 minutes. There is no need to go heavy, just a circuit with lighter weights to get a really good pump going. This is going to do a few things

1) Increase blood flow and blood pressure helping to push water from the interstitial area into the vascular system.

2) Upregulate skeletal muscle GLUT-4 receptors, causing your muscle to pull more glucose from the interstitial space into the muscle and a lot of water along with it

3) It will increase perspiration, which isn't always a good thing but if you are in fact holding water it may help get rid of excess water in subcutaneous tissue.

So what happened to our mystery man who was holding water? Well he didn?t cut water, he didn?t take a diuretic, he just did a nice circuit training routine the night before the show and then again the morning of the show. That night he called me to tell me he tightened up and won his show. Don?t thank me though? thank Henry Louis Le Chatelier. Who would have known a dead French geek from the late 1800s would be helping people win bodybuilding shows in the 21st century?

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This is something I wrote a few days ago, just some thoughts on your typical 'guru' final week protocols.

1) your water balance is regulated in the kidney by the minute. By the time you realize you are thirsty your body is already releasing ADH to help reabsorb water from the nephron

2) There is a ratio of intracellular to extra cellular water. When you cut water will you lose some extracellular water? sure, but it is going to maintain that same gradient. IT HAS TO. You see, if you could drastically change the volume that one held without affecting the other, then you would cause massive movement of solutes also as one area losing water would drastically increase the concentration of solutes in that area. This could affect all kinds of things like electrochemical gradients and things CRUCIAL to proper cell function. Therefore, to maintain this gradient in the proper ratio water will leave the intracellular space into the extracellular space to equilibrate the concentration gradients.

3) Since most people who cut water also cut sodium at the same time, that means your levels of ADH/aldosterone will be VERY VERY high (can increase several fold in a matter of 48 hours of depleted sodium) that means that you will be reabsorbing sodium/water. Only now since your sodium is low, you do not have the pressure in the vascular system to maintain the reabsorbed water IN the vascular system and it will leak into the interstitial space.

4) What is more, the glucose transporter, SLGT-1, in the small intestine is a sodium dependant transport and low sodium intake has been shown repeatedly to DECREASE THE RATE OF GLUCOSE UPTAKE. this is important because all these guys are typically carb loading big time at the same time they deplete water & sodium in the misguided effort to 'fill out'. So now you are getting less glucose into the enterocyte and less into circulation. So you aren't getting the muscle the glucose it needs. What is more, now you have all that extra glucose sitting in the small intestine acting as a solute & drawing water into the small intestine. Not good to have a bunch of fluid in the gut.

So now all you've managed to do is flatten yourself out and draw water into the places you DON'T want it when in reality in the basal state there is more water inside the cell than outside it and it's only when you start screwing with things that you get bad things happening.

Let me ask you all this... how many times have you heard these pros who follow some sort of this protocol say "I looked so much better the week before, or the day after"

I know I read it several times every time I pick up FLEX mag. The above are all reasons why.

just a few pictures of people who DON'T cut water or cut sodium. Funny how dry they look

clement yearwood




Shereaf Helmy


Alberto Nunez


Ben Goins


Tommy Jeffers


Robin Nelson


Justin Draper

[Flynn]

Good post "Guru" !!! Let me just say that I stood next to Justin and I can honestly say that the picture doesn't do him justice - no pun intended. Talk about shredded!!!

[Blahzay128]

great post Layne!

With the popularity of a Keto diet (you must be sick of hearing about it..haha) do you believe that the same principals would apply as far as water goes prior to a contest. I know you are not a Keto advocate per say...however, if you had a client doing that type of diet...would you keep h2o similar to your water protocol?

I know DP actually says to cut water...and also has a OTC product to drop water. Just curious of your opinion.

***Also, very impressed by this Justin guy....had not seen him before. Was he taking in a lot of carbs?

[AustrianOakJr]

I was reading something written by you where sodium manipulation was prescribed. What you have just posted seems to indicate that sodium should remain constant. So, is this is the most recent research you have done on the subject? Also, if you recommend constant sodium levels right through the contest, how much sodium would you recommend or is the quantity not important so long as its constant?

[str8flexed]

great post Layne!

With the popularity of a Keto diet (you must be sick of hearing about it..haha) do you believe that the same principals would apply as far as water goes prior to a contest. I know you are not a Keto advocate per say...however, if you had a client doing that type of diet...would you keep h2o similar to your water protocol?

I know DP actually says to cut water...and also has a OTC product to drop water. Just curious of your opinion.

***Also, very impressed by this Justin guy....had not seen him before. Was he taking in a lot of carbs?

justin never dropped his carbs below 165 I believe.

On keto you are already going to be dealing with being very flat. Cutting water on top of that is a really bad idea in my opinion, where in the world are you going to get any fullness in the muscle cell from?

[str8flexed]

I was reading something written by you where sodium manipulation was prescribed. What you have just posted seems to indicate that sodium should remain constant. So, is this is the most recent research you have done on the subject? Also, if you recommend constant sodium levels right through the contest, how much sodium would you recommend or is the quantity not important so long as its constant?

sure, I wrote that article you are referring to almost 6 years ago. As always I am learning and evolving my knowledge. I would no longer recommend that

[str8flexed]

I was reading something written by you where sodium manipulation was prescribed. What you have just posted seems to indicate that sodium should remain constant. So, is this is the most recent research you have done on the subject? Also, if you recommend constant sodium levels right through the contest, how much sodium would you recommend or is the quantity not important so long as its constant?

keep it level is more important than the absolute quantity; within reason

[-KTA-]

I like how the last photo has him holding a water bottle. Good stuff. Diced!

[zmcdole]

Thanks for the post. I am competing in about 12 weeks and I have already been thinking about what I'm gonna be doing during peak week. Thanks for clearing all of that up for me. My last comp I did the whole water manipulation thing and ended up being flat. Could have been leaner, but woulda looked better and been more vascular if I had not cut my water. THanks a lot.

[quest-x]

A great re-read. Tremendous amounts of logic, science, and experience. Can we sticky this?

[str8flexed]

A great re-read. Tremendous amounts of logic, science, and experience. Can we sticky this?

this would upset many bros

[AniMaLizTik]

Layne, Im always tighter when i wake up in the morning than when I go to bed at night, or at least it seems that way.

Why is this?

Thanks in advance!

[Whomper107]

Great post Layne, thanks for putting this up. I will be entering peak week in ~3 weeks now, and this really helped clear up some questions I had. I really feel I owe you a lot - whether you know it or not, the free instruction you are generous enough to provide people like me with with via your articles is what 95% of my prep has been based on. And without attempting to sound boastful, it has worked damned well so far, I have been very happy with my results. You are an inspiration, and I can't thank you enough for the help you have given me so far.

So am I correct to assume that if I am properly conditioned, all that should be needed during peak week is a simple carb depletion/load?

[sloboda]

i think this deserves a sticky. anyway so i shoudnt stay away from salted almonds? ive been just having dry roasted as my main source of fat.

[-KTA-]

A great re-read. Tremendous amounts of logic, science, and experience. Can we sticky this?

this would upset many bros

Please dont' sticky this, no one will read it then!

Lets just bump it daily lol.

[AustrianOakJr]

sure, I wrote that article you are referring to almost 6 years ago. As always I am learning and evolving my knowledge. I would no longer recommend that

Thats what I thought. I wasnt trying to hold anything against you......ive changed my mind on many different subjects over the years.......just means I was wrong before.......probably.

keep it level is more important than the absolute quantity; within reason

Check. This is what I did for my first show mostly because I didnt want to complicate things.

[FATHER FLEX]

Ben Goins

This is one of the most bad ass(striated ass) pictures of Ben! WOW!

[bwelch1985]

^I can't look away from the hamstring!

[tvicemanXXL]

Can we make this thread a sticky?

[itsgroll]

Thats what I thought. I wasnt trying to hold anything against you......ive changed my mind on many different subjects over the years.......just means I was wrong before.......probably.




Check. This is what I did for my first show mostly because I didnt want to complicate things.

ok so i too read his article many times. i will be entering peak week in less than 2 weeks. should i keep my sodium the same as it has been and change nothing?

whats the point of peak week than? is it just another week?

can you give me a number that i should shoot for for sodium during peak week as well as leading up to the show. im 152
thanks layne, great thread BTW!!

[AustrianOakJr]

ok so i too read his article many times. i will be entering peak week in less than 2 weeks. should i keep my sodium the same as it has been and change nothing?

whats the point of peak week than? is it just another week?

can you give me a number that i should shoot for for sodium during peak week as well as leading up to the show. im 152
thanks layne, great thread BTW!!

Well youre still gonna want to carb deplete and load.....thats the main deal behind peak week......along with cranking the water up so that youre peeing all the time. Layne said the quantity of sodium is not important, its just that you keep it the same......so just keep doing what youre doing with sodium. If youre not doing anything, continue doing nothing......theres sodium in food naturally. I think the reason behind this philosophy is that the body naturally regulates sodium to where it needs to be for optimal bodily function. So, no matter what you do to manipulate it, the body is going to react faster. (Correct me if im wrong).

[str8flexed]

ok so i too read his article many times. i will be entering peak week in less than 2 weeks. should i keep my sodium the same as it has been and change nothing?

whats the point of peak week than? is it just another week?

can you give me a number that i should shoot for for sodium during peak week as well as leading up to the show. im 152
thanks layne, great thread BTW!!

point of peak week if you are lean enough it so set a baseline and fill out a bit and for the last day or 2 eat low residue foods that don't weigh down your gut fill too much. Other than that you shouldn't be changing a whole lot.

I have no idea what sodium amount you should shoot for. Your weight has nothing to do with it; it depends on what your body is adjusted to

[MattyH7688]

repost

jk glad u made this thread again

tons of useful info

[stayfit2008]

Layne,..first off,..Thank You for this post! Secndly,..a question for you:
I am adapting my peak week strategy toward the way I think my body reacts best. I will sodium deplete, meaning cut out all sodium starting Wednesday. My water will remain relatively high. The only change I am going to make will be carb loading moderately Friday into Saturday day of the show. Would you recommend adding a small amount of sodium during this carb load to help pull the carbs and water into the muscles? or adding back sodium at this point would be subcutaneous? Thanks,...-Chris

[itsgroll]

point of peak week if you are lean enough it so set a baseline and fill out a bit and for the last day or 2 eat low residue foods that don't weigh down your gut fill too much. Other than that you shouldn't be changing a whole lot.

What do u mean low residue foods? Oats and chicken? Can u give me examples of foods that are also high so I know to stay away from them
Thanks

[stayfit2008]

What do u mean low residue foods? Oats and chicken? Can u give me examples of foods that are also high so I know to stay away from them
Thanks

Low fiber, well kinda. You want to stay away from stuff like Bran and dairy,..you dont want to have to feel the urge to go to the bathroom while competing. And the last thing you want is diarrhea.

so maybe white rice, sweet potatoes, Pasta...

[str8flexed]

Layne,..first off,..Thank You for this post! Secndly,..a question for you:
I am adapting my peak week strategy toward the way I think my body reacts best. I will sodium deplete, meaning cut out all sodium starting Wednesday. My water will remain relatively high. The only change I am going to make will be carb loading moderately Friday into Saturday day of the show. Would you recommend adding a small amount of sodium during this carb load to help pull the carbs and water into the muscles? or adding back sodium at this point would be subcutaneous? Thanks,...-Chris

I just don't recommend cutting it in the first place; there really is no reason for it

[AustrianOakJr]

Layne, I just read an article by Dr. Joe that was real interesting to me. He shares similar thoughts as you regarding water, but he seems to indicate that muscle glycogen should be depleted prior to peak week and then loading should come during the first part of peak week while youre still working the muscle. He argues that you want to take in the carbs while the muscle is in that "window" where its primed for glycogen replenishment immediately following a workout, not when you are relatively inactive in the last day or so of your peak week. Then he suggests keeping carbs moderate while increasing water to maintain glycogen saturation and flush interstitial water. He seems to think that the post workout window is critically important for carb loading though. What are your thoughts on that approach?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drjoe12.htm

[Flynn]

This is one of the most bad ass(striated ass) pictures of Ben! WOW!

You said it, Ivory!

[devo09]

This should def be a sticky!

Layne, did you ever cut water for any of your earlier contests?