To help get the ball rolling i thought i may cover what i get asked a lot of the time. From training, supplements, food to competition prep.
One i get asked about a lot and ill touch on best i can is the peak week process. So i will do my best to write it out (sooo much easier explaining this in person)
Now the following pertains to NATURAL BODYBUILDING.. the human system, its functions and metabolisms are altered greatly with the use of exogenous hormones and the like. So don't take it out of context.
If it is one thing that bugs me about the sport i fell in love with it has to be the "bro science"and "herd mentality" that comes with it.
My friends cousins dads brothers son ate goat meat raw 8 times a day and just GREW and got RIPPED..
Next thing you know everyone is eating raw goat meat 8 times a day in their efforts to get big and lean without a shred of evidence let alone any common sense what so ever. Extreme example i know but we have all seen this. And the greatest example of this has to be peak week before a competition. All based around 60 some odd years of mis information. Dropping out anything salt related.. food, drinks, water and all salt in their paths. MASSIVE carbohydrate depletions followed by MASSIVE carbohydrate loading. Mirrored also by their water intake, drastically increasing levels and then cutting it out completely.
But lets take a simple look at those components and why you should be keeping them ALL in there.
SALT - Salt.. Sodium plays a major role in the regulation of the hormone Aldosterone. This hormone is responsible for the body holding or releasing water and sodium. Peoples attempt during their peak week into tricking the body but drastically increasing sodium then cutting it out only generates increases in Aldosterone. This also happens FAST. The body can identify reductions of this within a matter of hours. Now put a competitor who has dropped their sodium for a day if not days Aldosterone is through the roof! Along with water retention. The second major role is pressure. Salt again has key affect on volume and blood pressure. Hence again eliminating salt leaves the body with lower circulating blood pressure and volume. Why is this important.. Think PUMP and VASCULARITY.
Water and Carbohydrate seems to go in an inverse relationship. Depleting carbohydrates whilst drinking 8-10L or more of water. Lets look at that equation... Water consumed at such high levels does nothing more than reduce the body's assimilation and deprives it of vitamins and nutrients. A relative amount depending on persons individual characteristics will easily top out at a mere 4-5L. More than overly sufficient for the body to initiate its water turnover rate. At the same time competitors placing themselves in a drastic carbohydrate reduction/elimination process in attempts for when the re introduction will provide a supra-physiological uptake. This is true to a degree but it is needed to be remembered that dieting period in itself is a massive depletion process.
Upon the arrival of show day competitors now have completely cut their water for an extended period of time and have begun a MASSIVE carb up procedure in their attempts to fill out and dry out. Have generally not trained that week (a whole other blog in itself) But here is the kicker...
CARBOHYDRATES NEED WATER TO ENTER THE MUSCLE
Water follows solutes, so in order for the muscle to uptake the carbohydrate it needs water. 1 gram of carbohydrate will take 4 grams of water with it.
It happens time and time again, "i just couldnt fill out" ... "i spilled over" ... "i couldnt get a pump"
This isn't due to errors in the carb up amount. Its the lack of water, lack of sodium, and copious amounts of carbs. But the most likely reason for looking soft on stage.. NOT GETTING LEAN ENOUGH.
So before comp season is upon us again and we start to panic about that peak week don't fall into the herd mentality. Keep the water in, do not eliminate salt, moderate carbohydrate intake, and do not stop training. And prepare enough with your diet to come in lean enough.
To just give an example: I helped with this guys peak week on several occasions. On the day of this comp we just had a moderate intake of carbohydrate, salt was maintained and we even added a fair bit extra to his meals on the day and by the time he stepped on stage had drunk over 3L of water. Now does he look like he is holding water??
So there you have it.. DONT be scared of water and the dreaded salt. It could make a big difference next time you step on stage.
