Pre-Contest Sodium Manipulation

As the competition date looms closer for competitive bodybuilders, sodium manipulation becomes essential for presenting the driest package possible onstage. Sodium is normally present in the body at very high levels. A balance occurs which allows potassium to be pumped into the body, and the (dietary intaken) sodium to be pumped out. This requires potassium levels to be very high as well.

In the two weeks before the show, add salt to every meal. Keep your potassium levels high as well thru supplementation. This process is called sodium loading. The day before the show, cut out all sodium sources. Since potassium is still pumping at a high level, it will excrete all the sodium from the body overnight and you will present a dry package onstage

Creatine Loading

Drop all creatine from your diet 5 to 6 weeks before the show. Three days before the show, do a creatine loading phase (5 grams, four times per day). Water will be drawn from the muscles, away from under the skin. The muscles will appear larger, and the skin will appear thinner without the excess water.

Carbing Up

During the pre-contest diet phase, the glycogen levels within your muscles will become very low, making the muscles look flat. Drastically increasing your carbohydrate intake for the 48 hours before you step onstage will change this. Granted, going overboard can make you appear bloated and ruin your chances at a win. Experience helps tremendously in learning what kind of timing works best for you.

Preparation H

Many bodybuilders apply Preparation H to particularly water-logged areas of the body such as the abs or lower back, in order to draw out water from those areas. This is a short-term fix which does remove water from the applied area.

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