WATER DEPLETION TIPS

[BigDave81]

I have a question for anyone who can help. I can not seem to shed water weight and look dry before a contest. I do sodium loading then drop it gradually til the show, I have even tried a water flush and cutting my water at the beginning of the week. I cut out my water 2 days before a show and I can not get dry. I take taraxatone as well and I still am holding. Does anyone out there have any tips about depletion water or even techniques such as potassium loading. Thanks.

[mrusa85]

Are you really lean and ripped on Wednesday or Thursday and then smooth out on Saturday? Or do you look the same each day and you're hoping to "shrinkwrap" at the end and nothing happens? Do you carb deplete and then load?

[Monster_Everything]

Id give you some answers but when i tried it, i spilled over

[wes]

Salt your food all througout your diet,drop sodium and sodium containing foods at one day out..................... .keep water extremely high and stop drinking liquids completely the night before the contest.

If you are not pissing almost constantly,you are not drinking enough water.


More water in = more water out.............never cut or deplete water when trying to dry out.

Double your water intake for starters and it should seem like you are living in the bathroom.

[littleguns]

When I compete I start the week off with a gallon then 1/2, then 1/4 and by Friday I am down to just dixie cups of water to help wash down my food.Dandelion root also worked well for me or just a cup of black coffee

I had one competitor take a spoon ful of soy sauce before pre judging and then night show but I am not an advocate of sodium loading

[trab]

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/cutting_weight.htm

This guys method is naturly brutal.

[littleguns]

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/cutting_weight.htm

This guys method is naturly brutal.

Thats the worst thing you can do for a BB'ing show.....

[trab]

Thats the worst thing you can do for a BB'ing show.....

I didnt say it'd be good for a show, but its nasty making weight. I dont think that many lifters would hold up well to that kind of dehydration at all.

[Knives]

JK 

[Baby_Hercules]

My question is how low is your bodyfat at show time? What many assume is water retention is really fat. A lot of competitors are not honest with themselves when it comes to how lean they are or how hard they are dieting. They also neglect the cardio. If all these things are in order one would have to look at exactly you are putting into your body to give you an accurate assessment of what the problem may be.

[The Luke]

Gotta agree with Baby_Hercules here...

There are only two reasons why a natural bodybuilder would have a problem with water retention:
-an aldosterone hormone problem (very, very rare)
-a food allergy

But all of this is moot if your bodyfat is too high.

If you have your bodyfat down around the 7% mark, what most bodybuilders would assume is 5% and competition ready (everyone forgets to count internal fat), only then can you properly determine whether your attempts to dry out are having any effect. If you genuinely are holding water, then eliminate wheat (the most common food allergy) from your diet. After that, try dairy... then fructose (fruit sugar).


Most (if not all) natural bodybuilders should never have to worry about water retention or carb loading.

Water retention is most often a steroid side-effect (facial edema on heavy androgens is the most noticeable form but there are degrees), natural trainers generally don't suffer from it assuming they don't drastically alter their diets pre-show.
   For some reason competitors are far too willing to attempt any crazy scheme in the days before a show. I always recommend that the athletes I help continue their diets for a couple of weeks beyond the show date... it's only then that they can judge whether they:
1) actually needed longer to diet (that "film of water" actually turns out to be five pounds of fat)
2) didn't carb-up properly (read: over-depleted then over-indulged)
3) dieted too severely (much too prevalent)

The average bodybuilder:
1) doesn't allow long enough to diet
2) completely depletes himself then over-carbs
3) cannot recover from the unnecessarily severe cut in calories


Most guys who ask me to help them with their diets ask me too late... six months out from the show is when the diet should start as it takes that long to correct the diet and shed the fat without deprivation. When this happens I usually do what I can to help out then have them continue the diet after the show... only after the event will they allow me change their diet to something less Spartan and more practical.

Guess what?
   On a proper diet almost all of these guys find themselves in much better condition only a week or two after the show and hold the condition for days at a time with NO carb loading and NO diuretic practices.


The Luke

[BIG ACH]

All Great tips posted above.  What I've always done and seemed to work is this....

I never really salt my food heavily or anything, so on the last week before contest prep, I just stop salting the things I normally salt, I don't do any sort of wild sodium increase or depletion or any method.

Water, I keep it high (2-3 gallons per day) alll contest week, but on the friday before the show, I drink usually 1 - 1.5 gallons, until 6 pm, then at 6 only sips when thursday. 

Saturday (show day), only sips when thirsty as well.

This is what's always worked for me, its nothing wild or drastic.

I've used Taraxatone before - didn't really see anything very special.

[BIG ACH]

Also on the friday before the show.  Only thing I eat is Beef and Grapefruit every 2-3 hours.   Grapefruit makes you piss sooooooooo much!!!

Some people prefer not to do this, and I can't honestly say that I think it provides any special benefits, I'm like a creature of habit so if it works I don't change it.  Plus I find it to be a treat on the last day before the show :-D