posted Fri, 06/06/2025 - 11:02
745
How do you safely pull water for a simulated peak week?
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I am not competing now and don't plan to for a while. I do have a trip to the bahamas coming up though and would like to get some good pictures and show off my diet progress from the past few months, and I'd like to look my absolute best. How can I do this via manipulating carbs/water/sodium? I was thinking of just cutting all sodium and carbs completely for the three days leading up to the trip, then day 1 on trip start carb loading and then I should be good for pictures right? Please help I have never done this before. Currently on just my TRT dosage 120mg/week.
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I'm not sure if your planning on drinking (if you drink for that matter), while on vacation.
Know it's not the most complex way and I'm sure there may be better ways. Anyway drinking alcohol would Def pull water our of you. Dorian yates would drink some red wine the day before a show. And he didn't drink. He did it purely for pulling water and tightening up. And we know how meticulous he was. Vodka would work even better. I don't drink myself. Just assuming your going to throw a few back on vacation simply cuz that's what most people do. Then you don't have to worry about it.
Carbs low leading up to peak week (say 50% of normal intake, and increase protein by 25%). Water as high as possible (1.5+ Gal). Measure sodium leading up to peak week so you know exactly what your intake is.
Say you have 4 days to manipulate water leading up to-
4 days out - cut sodium by 25%, water 1.5 Gal
3 days out - cut sodium by 25%, water to 2Gal
2 days out - cut sodium another 25%, water stays 2 Gal. Increase carbs by 25%, lower protein accordingly.
1 day out - (always go by look) water stays as high as possible. MAYBE cut sodium again by 25-50%, and increase carbs again 25%.
Basic example. Everyone is different.
Water manipulation with or without drugs (diuretics) can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Thanks for this but definitely have a ton of questions .
Wouldn’t the carb up be higher? Also I thought bodybuilders have like zero water on day -1 and day 0 (comp day) to avoid filling up fat cells with the water?
I don’t need anything crazy just want to debloat, and carb up to get some juicy muscles for my beach pics
Everyone is different, so no. Not necessarily. Also depends on baseline carb consumption.
I have a guy competing today, for example, carb sensitive. We went from 150g carbs beginning of the week to 250g yesterday. He did hold water after 5pm but still got a gallon in throughout the day prior to weigh ins.
Currently I'm at 250G carbs on training days and 150 on non training days. Protein 200. Fat 65-60G. I weigh 172 lbs.
I get so bloated at times, especially in the face. It's the sodium that does that, right? I always thought sodium was good for pump and muscle fullness. I hate the way my face looks when I have tons of sodium
No idea. Everyone is different. Are you tracking sodium? Throw up a body comp pic so I can see what we’re working with
Just posted pics. I plan to cut hard as fuck this next 2 weeks. Then the third week will be a peak week since I’ll be leaving for vacation. The plan is carb up hard, get some sick pictures, enjoy vacation with a refeed, then either re enter another deficit or just slowly start reversing out of dieting.
What does “cutting hard” for two weeks entail? I’d like to assume here you’ve been cutting already? 2 weeks is almost no time at all to pull out more than a pound or two of fat max without sacrificing some muscle with it.
Yes I’ve been cutting for a while now, so my 2 weeks just means we’re increasing step count by 2000 steps a day, zero diet cheats, and an added 40 minute cardio session just for the last 2 weeks
I think one of the pitfalls I’ve had is the diet. I’ve had a cheat meal about 2 times a week throughout this whole process. Could’ve definitely made better progress if I was more cut throat with it.
Also, how am I looking? I’ve never had this good a body composition. But I know I can get leaner and I really should since I only look this way under good lighting.
120 test cyp/week
500 L Carnitine/day
HCG for fertility - Could this be making me hold water?
Thanks for the extra info and pics brother. A good place to start is that consistency. Steps make a HUGE difference for me personally but I have a bit more mass than you do.
As far as how you look- probably 12% body fat. We’re our own worst enemies here. If you look as good as you ever have I defer to you in that.
HCG can increase estradiol (need sensitive assay) and if your ratio is less than 10:1 from test to estrogen I have found that does contribute to water being held. Everyone is different though.
My last labs my total test was 732, and estrogen was 24.6. Is that a good ratio?
I’m getting labs done Thursday to see where I’m at. However I did drop HCG to a lower dose, now doing 100 units 3x/week.
I am consistent with steps and cardio 100%, - it’s the diet that’s tough. I’ll have a cheat meal here and there and don’t stick to diet 100%. But honestly my goal is only to lose another 5 pounds.
I’m not entirely blown away by this physique. Idk. I mean regardless of how I feel - I’m cut off in 14 days when I leave for my trip… so I’m thinking the weekend before I’ll carb up, get some pics on that Monday, and hope I’m looking lean asf and full in the muscles. That said, how do I avoid the water/sodium/bloating going into the fat cells?
Just curious as a hard flush can boost aldosterone and fill ya like a boat. Isnt for a vacation vit c dandylion easier? So hes not flat with carb depletion maybe drol with carbs? Drol sucks the subq and carbs into cells
Copy and pasted. If potassium drops then bp and heart issues?
Clinical Significance:
Hypertension: Excess aldosterone can contribute to high blood pressure (hypertension).
Hypokalemia: In some cases, excess aldosterone can also lead to low potassium levels (hypokalemia).
Aldosteronism: Primary aldosteronism, a condition where the adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone, can be diagnosed through blood and urine tests.
That wasn’t the question asked but yeah brother of course you can use OTC supplements to help with diuresis and pull water
I have noticeable results from 4,000 vitamin c
Hey @Ghost what brand salt do you use
Also it would be easier to tell what you have to do if you posted a picture and makes ghosts job easier
Hey brother. I hope you’re well man.
I just have the pink Himalayan tub from Costco. I don’t typically intentionally salt my food (save for a pwo meal I’ll intentionally add 1-2g) and will just monitor/weigh the use of my condiments (usually sriracha, hot sauce, or low cal G Hughes brand). Then cut accordingly.
I’m actually 2 weeks out today from my first show in 3 years. Averaging around 4g sodium per day right now and 1.5 Gal water per day.
Thanks for the reply. 2 weeks !!!! Thats great man i hope the best for you. Youve helped so many of us
Thankyou