Sodium Precontest

[SRD]

Hi guys
Im a new member here on this great board but a prominant poster on another (as some of you will know).

What do some of you do for sodium / fluid manipulation precontest? There are different regimens, I know. Some sodium load, other dont.

Any thoughts or experiences?

 

[gymtime]

Welcome SRD!

Afraid I don't know shit about your question. I have no idea why you'd want to take in sodium before a contest with all the water retention. But there's likely a good reason for it that I'm not aware of. Anyway, just wanted to say hello.

 

[Enock]

I'm pretty sure sodium loading involves taking lots of sodium precontest then dropping it before so that even at normal sodium lvls in the body the body doesn't really hold onto anywater. Of course I'm sure they drop it as low as can be even then.

Just my assumptiong

 

[MS]

I think you summed it up when you said "some sodium load and some don't". Whatever you're thinking about trying, I suggest you do a practice run about 3 weeks from your comp. That's a FULL practice run including any carb, fluid, sodium and supplement manipulations. Some folks are very sodium sensitive, others are fine. I am sodium sensitive, so I sodium/water load for 4 days before the show, and then cut out all sodium and most water for ~36 hours before pre-judging. There's a guy at my gym (always wins his class and often best of show) who eats KFC, McD's and other high salt junk food and absoultely no water for ~36 hours BEFORE competition. He only uses herbal diuretics and he is very dry looking on the day.

 

[bigmag]

I like to sodium load....it really helps with vasularity. I do a potasium load about 3 days out after the sodium load. During my sodium load I just drink a glass of salt water ( I know that sounds pretty nasty). I would also get some salt licks and some salt pills.

 

[SRD]

Thanks folks - Im not competing but am compiling a report, and like MS says its a controversial area. The consunsus tends to be sodium load along with carb load, then deplete You are right about practice.

Good idea about the glass of salt water.

Anyone here compete and like to share their actual practice...?

 

[bigmag]

I do compete.....and like I said....a glass of salt water and salt licks usually does the trick. I also drink some diet coke because it has no calories, fat, protein, or carbs. It's pretty much pure sodium.

 

[akrama]

Continue back thread on NA/K loading

bigmag,

I know this post in from a while back...

I do agree with you as far as sodium loading then cutting it out totally a few days before the show. However, I am puzzled about one thing.

since sodium is very essential for carb loading and carb loading take place during those few days before the show. When do we have time to cut the sodium out and start adding potasium?

I have thought about this and came to conclude the following:

Sodium load two weeks out...
Keep sodium high upon carb depleting....
Cut sodium to normal levels as carb loading takes place...
Potasium load 3 days out while maintaining normal sodium levels....

What do you think???

I am getting ready for a show and would like to learn from a pro like you...

 

[decadur]

Hi guys
Im a new member here on this great board but a prominant poster on another (as some of you will know).

What do some of you do for sodium / fluid manipulation precontest? There are different regimens, I know. Some sodium load, other dont.

Any thoughts or experiences?

Regarding sodium, don't do anything! Keep eating what you had been leading up to the show.
Regarding water, I drink as much as I can until I start my diuretics, which is normally the morning before the show. I don't taper the water down over the week, I just keep it high and then cut it out the day before (only sip from then until show).

 

[SteelWeaver]

Re: Continue back thread on NA/K loading

bigmag,

I know this post in from a while back...

I do agree with you as far as sodium loading then cutting it out totally a few days before the show. However, I am puzzled about one thing.

since sodium is very essential for carb loading and carb loading take place during those few days before the show. When do we have time to cut the sodium out and start adding potasium?

I have thought about this and came to conclude the following:

Sodium load two weeks out...
Keep sodium high upon carb depleting....
Cut sodium to normal levels as carb loading takes place...
Potasium load 3 days out while maintaining normal sodium levels....

What do you think???

I am getting ready for a show and would like to learn from a pro like you...

I'm not bigmag, just a novice working with good advice, but that's almost exactly what I did for my first show last week, although I didn't "load" potassium, just added some in the last 2 days, and it seemed to work pretty well for me.

 

[akrama]

SteelWeaver...

Thank you for your reply. I hope you did well in your show.

Did you do any tricks as far as getting rid of subcutanous water? I am going to try cutting gel or preperation H. Just curious to what you've done in that respect.

As far as getting rid of water in general, I have no access to perscription dieritics. Therefore, I will be using Taraxatrone.. what do you think?

Have you used any dieritics before?

 

[SteelWeaver]

Sure, you're welcome. I came in third. I'm really a total novice though - it was my first show, so I just did what some people recommended - increased sodium 2 weeks out, then cut it in half 2 days out, then nothing after 12am the night before. Drank 8-10 litres water from the Monday of show week (show was on a Sunday), then cut it to 4l on the Friday, then half again on the Saturday, started loading carbs on the Friday morning, stopped at 6pm on Sat night and ate only fat and protein after that. I started taking Taraxatone on Thursday night, the same time I cut my water. It seemed to work OK, but I don't know what was doing what, since it was my first time. I was pretty dry on the day, though, I think.

I was off-schedule in terms of leanness, so the totally cool thing that happened for me with the dehydration and carb load was that I actually had visible abs on the day of the comp! My most stubborn spot. (Ha, well, you gotta start somewhere).

I also used Yohimburn - again, I'm sorry, I don't know how much difference it made, since it was my first time. I didn't look too bad on the day, though, everything considered.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Oh, BTW, good luck