Brydges

Hi.

I've read several articles on precontest depletion/load strategies, and I've narrowed it down to two. For a Saturday contest, one involves depleting cards Sunday - Tuesday (less than 50g per day) while increasing water by a liter a day from 5 liters on Monday to 9 liters on Thursday and then beginning a carb-load on Wednesday. Wednesday you have 2.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight. Thursday, you have 2 per # and Friday, you have 1.5 over the first three meals of the day, then you cut water and begin a fat load. The fat load is to pull the remaining interstitial and subcutaneous fluids into the muscle. Aim for about .5 grams of fat per # of bodyweight over the next four meals.

Any thoughts on this from anyone? Has anyone ever fat-loaded before? Does it make more sense to load carbs this early while consuming water or to cut water then load carbs to pull the water from your skin?

Thanks.

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Brydges

Hey.

Nobody has any thoughts on this? What has worked for some of you as precontest, last-week preparation?

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Jodi

I certainly have no thoughts on this.

I have never heard of a fat load for contest prep..........never.

Where did you get this info from?

Emma-Leigh

Fat loading I have heard off.... Some call it "Junk loading"...

It is becoming a 'new thing' [well - fat loading has been around for a while but 'junk loading' is relatively newer].

Basic principle:
- day before (or even 48 hrs before) the show - you do SUPER carb load.
- day before comp - back off slightly.... increase fats....
- day of comp - junk load/ high fat/ high carb

I know there are a few trainers who are recommending it now...

Jodi

And what does this do? The carbs makes sense, but why the fat? What's the benefit?

Emma-Leigh

Same basic concept as the carbs - only you are aiming to fill intra-muscular tri. stores rather than glycogen stores...

It helps to make muscles 'fuller' [but doesn’t have the risk of water retention/puffiness that can occur with carbs].

Junk loading is just a way to combine the two [high GI carbs + fats].

It works - [well... I have seen it used with pretty good success anyway...].

Odot

This sounds interesting, without having done much research at all, let me ask Emma and/or Jodi : Following the advice of the super carb load 48 hours before, back off a bit at 24 hours before, what is it you do in the previous 72 hours ?

"Struggle is nature's way of strengthening you."

Emma-Leigh

depends on which way you are going to go for the last 48 hrs, how prepared you are in general, and what your body has responded to in the past...

But if you are on track/ ready and you are going to fat/ carb load in the last 48 hrs then I normally suggest a good few days of low carb/fat, with high protein (+ moderate vegetable intake so you don't feel like chewing off an arm)... Water and sodium at normal levels (I don't do sodium/water manipulations - I leave it to the carb load to 'dry people out')...

DaMayor

I know I'm getting into this a bit late, but wouldn't the high carb intake cause water retention? I thought the idea would be to squeeze out as much water as possible just before the comp.

What'd I miss? Even though I assume the reponse would vary between a person of "normal" BF vs. a professional at 10% or less, I guess.

Emma-Leigh

Not if you do it correctly...

The incoming carbs require water to form glycogen in the muscle (for any given quantity of glycogen 1/4 is carbs and 3/4 is water). So as you load, if the process is done correctly, the water is drawn from surrounding tissues and you dry out in the process.

The issues with bloating during carb loads occur when the carbs eaten are ladened with salt (which then causes water retention) OR if you massively overdose on the carbs.... OR if you increase your water intake over the carb load (which just overloads you with water generally - and you 'puff up').