contest prep advice

[WiNgS]

i miscalculated thinking that i was 11 weeks out when im actually 9...stupid calender, so im going to be doing HIIT cardio for 20 mins in the morning and 20 mins in the evening 4 times a week so thats 8 cardio sessions a week.... i may bump it up to 11, ive also ordered some xenadrine rfa-1, in my last week of prep im thinking about doing this:

MON - heavy training - carb deplete
TUE - heavy training - carb deplete
WED - heavy training - carb deplete
THUR- cardio - carb deplete
FRI - cardio - carb deplete - creatine load
SAT - carb load (XL pizza night before) - creatine load
SUN - carb load - creatine load - showtime

the only other issue i need help with is what to do with my water intake in the last week...any opinions?

 

[~SC~]

well......

that's a ton of carb depletion, and not enough carb up days (when u drop water slowly, no sodium, tighten up, etc) U are also working out too damn much to have no carb up days at all before showtime! (One should also refrain from working legs 2-3 weeks before a show to attain the most cuts in the quads/hams, and to have as little blood within as possible) No kidding.


And the pizza the night before??? Man, what a nice way to get bloated all to hell. That does not qualify for a carb load.

Just my opinion.

~SC~

 

[JJFigure]

I don't train (short of light cardio to drop water) the last week at all. Sunday is my last training day. You should work on posing and on your posing routine, but it's kind of hard to pose with sore muscles. I also follow a low carb diet, so I carb load sooner in the week to make sure I have time to drop the excess water/bloat. And I definitely wouldn't use anything with salt in it the night before the show. Your diet gets very bland the day before - no salt whatsoever. As far as water intake, for a Sat show I keep it high (2 gallons) Mon - Wed, drop to 1- gall on Thur, drop to 3 liters on Fri, and just sip on Sat.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Ever carb loaded before? At nine weeks out, you still have time to try it. It's better to try it yourself, since no one here can see how carbs effect your tightness, what your levels should be, fullness, etc. Also, you shouldn't be training to damage the muscle your last week. For water, you could try tapering 3 days out. And don't forget your sodium load/depletions. At nine weeks, you should be okay. What's your BF% at right now?

 

[WiNgS]

thanks for all the responses guys....so this is what it now looks like

mon - cardio
tue - cardio
wed - cardio
thurs - cardio
fri - creatine load
sat - creatine load
sun - creatine load

what do you guys think of creatine loading 3 days out to draw water into the muscle and away from the skin...can you guys also edit my week to show were to have low carb days and where to have high carb days (its my first time competing)

thanks guys

wings

 

[bignate73]

i usually use potassium to draw water into the muscle. the creatine will help with glycogen retention/storage. just have to be careful when you are carbing up, not to spill over. do a 2-3 day deplete and a 2-3 day carb up. no leg or ab work the last week so you dont blur those areas (thats the usual recommendation) drop your water usually the evening before the show. sip water if you need to the day of, especially if the back of your throat gets dry.

SC...some people actually have luck with having their "junk" food the night before. only problem is that it can distend the belly alot. but as far as fullness goes, ive talked to alot of people that say they looked better then day after a show (after the binge) than they did at the show. weird huh? either way, i wouldnt do pizza...especially XL. hehe. nutrient dense foods to carb load, usually you want stuff that wont load up the intestinal track so your waist really stays small.

what works for some is to have something fibrous EAAARLY the day of showtime, so it "clears" everything out.

experiment with it if you have 9 weeks out. see about this or that, try the fibrous thing once and see if it "passes" in time. carb deplete and load once. its tougher than it seems unless you have done a CKD diet once. i really had trouble minimizing my carbs so much.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

You should be really close the week before, so the cardio hopefully won't be neccessary. If it is, just do some walking, maybe a little jogging just to get the blood flowing. What are you competing in?

 

[WiNgS]

as i need to lose 18lbs in 9 weeks i havent had any "cheat days" but i think i should incorporate one when im a bit leaner.....maybe 4/5 weeks out, ive had to diet a little harder as you can see;

Diet

1) weetabix, protein shake, multi vitamin tablet

2) muller light yogurt

3) 2 can of tuna

5) omelette (tuna, 2 eggs)

6) weetabix, (pre workout), glutamine, protein shake

7) whey gainer (post workout), glutamine

8) 2 chicken breasts

9) 2 egg whites

268g of protein
145g of carbs
41g of fat
2104 kcals

i think i may stay away from the creatine idea, at first it sounded a good idea but now im not so sure.....if i were to take a normal dose i dont think it would do much

 

[JJFigure]

As BigNate said, you've got plenty of time to test carb depletion and carb loading. I follow a cyclical low carb diet for cutting, so I get to play with it every week - I may a lot of attention to how long it takes after my carb load to get the look I want. Unfortunately, there isn't a recipe that works for everyone - it comes with practice. Don't stress it though; worse case, just go conservative, especially since this is your first show.