Should I drop water before carbing up, during or after?

[korniev]

I am up for my first photoshoot this Sunday. I've been on low carbs since Monday no and the question is in the title. I was planning to carb load a little bit on Saturday cutting water the same day around 4-5pm. So should I start carb loading AFTER I stop water intake or before? Does it really matter? I just ear all the range of opinions. Sone say that by carb loading after you stop drinking will help taking water from under the skin, others disagree stating that no carb up is possible without water....Do you guys have some personal experince on that? Just FYI I am mostly Endomorhic, so pretty carb sensative....
Thanks for your help

[AustrianOakJr]

I am up for my first photoshoot this Sunday. I've been on low carbs since Monday no and the question is in the title. I was planning to carb load a little bit on Saturday cutting water the same day around 4-5pm. So should I start carb loading AFTER I stop water intake or before? Does it really matter? I just ear all the range of opinions. Sone say that by carb loading after you stop drinking will help taking water from under the skin, others disagree stating that no carb up is possible without water....Do you guys have some personal experince on that? Just FYI I am mostly Endomorhic, so pretty carb sensative....
Thanks for your help

My avatar pic was taken after drinking well over a gallon of water. Cutting water does not lead to a loss of subcutaneous water. Nor does cutting sodium. These are myths. Drink water right through your photoshoot.

Carbohydrates dictate where the water resides. If carbs are being drawn into the muscle cell, then so is water. If carbs are completely loaded and overflowing, then so it the water.

[korniev]

My avatar pic was taken after drinking well over a gallon of water. Cutting water does not lead to a loss of subcutaneous water. Nor does cutting sodium. These are myths. Drink water right through your photoshoot.

Carbohydrates dictate where the water resides. If carbs are being drawn into the muscle cell, then so is water. If carbs are completely loaded and overflowing, then so it the water.

Thanks for your reply! So are you trying to say that all those people cutting water before the shoots and competitions are just doing it for no reason??

[MattPorter3]

Thanks for your reply! So are you trying to say that all those people cutting water before the shoots and competitions are just doing it for no reason??

For the most part ...yes.

MINOR manipulations are fine, but at the end of the day LEAN-IS-LEAN!!!!

Speaking of which --- do you have pics of your current conditioning?

-Matt

[AustrianOakJr]

Thanks for your reply! So are you trying to say that all those people cutting water before the shoots and competitions are just doing it for no reason??

This is what im saying. If you are a natural bodybuilder and you are CUTTING water and/or sodium (meaning diminishing it significantly) you probably dont understand the relationship between carbs, water and electrolytes. I agree that minor manipulations CAN help. But to be honest, this takes a lot of experience in reading your body and requires in the moment changes. Following a 'plan' to manipulate interstitial water is sketchy at best because the chances of all the stars aligning according to plan is ridiculously low. Personally, i keep water cranked pretty high (over a gallon a day) and sodium steady. Prior to stage (or shoot), ill bump sodium, fat and high glycemic sugars up while drinking water steadily. But thats the extent of my "plan". I wish I could say that I had a better handle on it than that and I was capable of making more fine tuned adjustment with precise measurement, but I personally think the systems we are trying to manipulate are far too complicated for our ability to measure and make favorable changes to.

On top of this, even the BEST outcome we can hope for in minimizing interstitial water, is a very, very minor enhancement to our physique when compared to just simply getting lean. Lean and full is key. And generally, this comes with that very dry look.....when the muscle is pressed against the skin in the absence of fat. This is 99.5% of the equation. And IMOP, its not worth screwing with water to get the last .5% and chance screwing up the other 99.5

[simpleguy4]

This is what im saying. If you are a natural bodybuilder and you are CUTTING water and/or sodium (meaning diminishing it significantly) you probably dont understand the relationship between carbs, water and electrolytes. I agree that minor manipulations CAN help. But to be honest, this takes a lot of experience in reading your body and requires in the moment changes. Following a 'plan' to manipulate interstitial water is sketchy at best because the chances of all the stars aligning according to plan is ridiculously low. Personally, i keep water cranked pretty high (over a gallon a day) and sodium steady. Prior to stage (or shoot), ill bump sodium, fat and high glycemic sugars up while drinking water steadily. But thats the extent of my "plan". I wish I could say that I had a better handle on it than that and I was capable of making more fine tuned adjustment with precise measurement, but I personally think the systems we are trying to manipulate are far too complicated for our ability to measure and make favorable changes to.

On top of this, even the BEST outcome we can hope for in minimizing interstitial water, is a very, very minor enhancement to our physique when compared to just simply getting lean. Lean and full is key. And generally, this comes with that very dry look.....when the muscle is pressed against the skin in the absence of fat. This is 99.5% of the equation. And IMOP, its not worth screwing with water to get the last .5% and chance screwing up the other 99.5

Very, very well stated.....why the myths of the carb, sodium, water equation are still out there is beyond understanding. I know guys still follow the old protocols and still come in on point, but it is like hitting a moving target with a bow and arrow on a windy day. You may hit it by chance, but more often than not you will miss.....

[BFJ]

where goes sodium and carbs so goes water. if you want the carb up to swell your muscles you need water with them. as several of these posters have said. only question would be is a carb up appropriate and how big because none of us know where you're at currently, but assuming you're shredded and comfortable with how you'll look for the shoot and want to fill out a little it's probably a good call - and done right with H2O!