water retension

[buselmo]

Has anyone ever seen any SIGNIFICANT change in their level of "leanness" on the day of the contest after dropping their water?
To be more clear, has anyone ever had a small amount of fat that didn't go away until they depleted their water the day of the contest?

I'm asking this because i'm around 3 weeks out, and i only use a small dose of AI (1.25 mg letro 2x week) and i don't switch to short acting esters or cut off my aromatizing compounds weeks before the contest. Usually when i piss out 2-3 lbs of water per night, i wake up looking significantly leaner. i only have a small layer of fat left, but it won't budge. and it doesn't feel like the "normal" fat i burned off all these weeks. it's kinda softer in a way.

I will assume that it is fat and try to burn off as much as i can, but i'm asking for a little hope :) ... has anyone ever gotten significantly leaner after dropping water?

[militantmuscle]

You don't get leaner physiologically, but visually it will be a significant change. So no, you don't lose fat when you drop water. Where's the fat at? Glutes, lower back, hams?

[buselmo]

no, i'm not talking about physiologically losing fat by losing water. but as a "look"
but the fat is mostly in the lower abs, lower back, and where the glutes/quads/hams meet (upper side of the thigh)...

i know i'm not lean enough to be "shredded", but the rest of my body only has a very very thin film of water except for those areas... i know some of it is fat, but it's impossible to have no fat on the body and having the lower back loaded with fat...

here are some pics from a bit over 5 weeks ago... i'm a lot leaner now, but the damn lower back fat is bugging the shit outta me!

[LANCE SPENCER]

whats your diet like??

[buselmo]

40/40/20 split on all meal PCF
this week started the palumbo diet, but calories are at 2000... need to drop some weight to make my weight class...
plus i'm a high sodium kind of guy... i drink 1-1.5 gallons of water

Diet right now is:
mornin cardio (45 mins low intensity)
1-6 whole eggs cooked in a teaspoon of EVOO
2- 9 oz grilled chicken breast, 1.5 tbsp olive oil, broccoli
3- 50 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp peanut butter
workout
4- 50 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp peanut butter
5- 8 oz lean ground beef, zucchinis, some almonds

[Scoobysnacks]

I would not rely on water drop to look significantly leaner, if its fat, its fat up your cardio and dial it in.

Have I seen people look better after carb loading to draw the water in from under the skin, YES! Drying out IMHO is more of an issue with controlling sodium, carbs and water, not just dropping water.

You lessen water and add carbs, 1 gram carbs needs 3 grams water to store, so you add carbs and dont give the body the usual water it will pull from under the skin. Will it help, yep, but dont count on it for fat areas. Also dont go cutting sodium completely either, Ive seen MANY physiques ruined from somsone who cuts all water and all sodium, thats a nightmare. Slight adjustments should help as you introduce some carbs.

BTW, you look good at 5 weeks out, any wheels shots? If the match the upper you should look good.

Good Luck

Ss

[LANCE SPENCER]

go on to veg and protein right now,how long have u got left??

[buselmo]

those photos were actually 8 weeks out and not 5 weeks. I took it really slow this time (20 weeks) and i added a lot of muscle while burning off a lot of fat (laid off everything... training, diet, supps for 8 weeks).
I don't have any wheel shots at the moment, but they're up to par with the rest of the body (calves are lagging a bit)

Right now i have 2.5 weeks left. i don't cut out sodium at all. just stop water the day before.
I have another contest 5 weeks after the first one... so i'll see how it goes, then make neccessary changes for the second contest. I hate doing drastic things like cutting down my calories a lot and losing muscle at the last moment and risk looking like total shit instead of partial shit :p

[militantmuscle]

I'd add a sixth meal, up the water to 2 gallons.

What show and what weight class?

You seem to be on track as far as your upper body goes, good symmetry and proportions.

What are you doing chemically, if you don't mind me asking? Current weight and bf%?

Alternating P/V and P/F days at this point would be a good idea in my opinion.

[buselmo]

I'd add a sixth meal, up the water to 2 gallons.

What show and what weight class?

You seem to be on track as far as your upper body goes, good symmetry and proportions.

What are you doing chemically, if you don't mind me asking? Current weight and bf%?

Alternating P/V and P/F days at this point would be a good idea in my opinion.

I'm in saudi arabia :) ... so you wouldn't know what show i'm doing :D
3rd division regional, 3rd division national, open nationals for over 21 yoa, under and over 21 nationals, elite championship... i'm planning on doing all those this year
I usually compete in the light heavies (187 lbs cut off), but i can't seem to bring my weight down!!! (it was 192.5 lbs this morning after peeing 3 times at night and being as flat as hell)
chemically... it changed a lot...
week 1-10
600 mg EQ, 750 mg test
dropped EQ cuz i noticed nothing from it
week 11-14
750 mg test, 80 mg anavar per day
anavar gave me some hardness... wasn't worth the money at all
after that it was 600 mg test til last week
400 mg test, 50 mg winny per day

1.25 mg letro 2x week.

that's basically it.
oh... forgot the GH :) ... 4 iu per day started 8 weeks ago. slin here and there every now and then but stopped it 2 weeks ago
weight is, as said, 192.5 lbs this morning... bf%... i really don't know and don't care. :)

I really don't want to switch to P/V one day and P/F the other becasue i already dropped 400 cals 3 days ago down to 2000.

[militantmuscle]

Have you stopped the GH?

Why don't you include tren? No clen?

You may be being overly critical, can you post some current pics in trunks?

How'd you drop the calories in terms of macronutrient ratio?

Sorry bro, don't mean to interrogate, but perhaps it can give the rest of us more information to work with to help you out on your situation.

[buselmo]

Have you stopped the GH?

Why don't you include tren? No clen?

You may be being overly critical, can you post some current pics in trunks?

How'd you drop the calories in terms of macronutrient ratio?

Sorry bro, don't mean to interrogate, but perhaps it can give the rest of us more information to work with to help you out on your situation.

No problem at all... I appreciate all the help... and if i expect some good help, i'd better be honest and clear with my answers :D.
no, haven't stopped the GH, and won't for another 13 weeks
I have a limited supply of tren... where i come from we only get human grade aas (changed a lot in the past year with all the UG crap that's been flaoting around), but "exotic" compounds such as tren are hard to come by, and customs are a bitch when it comes to pellets. anyway, i'm not really sure about the quality of the tren (it's moonlight pharma), but i have enough to run for 10 weeks at 75 mg eod (just enough to get through the season) and i'm saving it for the rest of the contest since i'm using the winny now.

clen... i hate that shit. i can't train from all the shakes, it makes me as irritable as hell, i can't sleep, makes typing at work very difficult! LOL! I use ephedrine instead. and yeah, even at 80 mcg clen per day, i still get all those sides.

when i was 9 weeks out (around 6 weeks ago) i was on 2400 cals, 40/40/20 PCF on every meal. 6 meals per day, 400 cals per meal.

i changed that ratio to around 50/50 P/F and trace carbs (mentioned my diet a couple of posts ago) at around 2000 cals.

I'll try and take pics on friday and post'em if i have the time.

[militantmuscle]

I'd cut the GH, it causes fluid retention through an activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Why the slin so close to show?

I'd also adjust the ratio of protein and fats to 60/40.

[buselmo]

I'd cut the GH, it causes fluid retention through an activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Why the slin so close to show?

I'd also adjust the ratio of protein and fats to 60/40.

i cut the slin 2 weeks ago. From what i've seen, it does not "inhibit" fat loss as some people say. I kept on losing fat and gaining muscle (weight stayed the same but i was getting leaner). i cut it out because it makes my gut stick out. somehow, i can't seem to control it when i'm on slin.
I'll cut the GH the end of this week... if i cut it out now, means i can stay on it longer after :D

would changing the ratio to 60/40 instead of 50/50 make that big of a difference in your opinion? especially when i only spent 3 days on the 50/50 ratio?

[militantmuscle]

Insulin does inhibit fat loss (it is a fat-storing compound), but perhaps in your case not to noticeable degree.

Good, let's see what happens after you cut the GH.

As for the ratio change, only one way to find out, right? Change the ratio, and stay on it for five to seven days.

Keep in mind, these are only recommendations, you should make the final judgement call, you're the one whose gotten yourself to this point, and you know your body better than me so close to the show.

[buselmo]

thanks a lot for the advice bro... i really appreciate it.
For the time being, i'll wait and see the results of my current ratio and the effects of cutting out the GH. after the contest, i will switch up to 50/50 without changing anything else to see how that goes too.

[militantmuscle]

Don't mention it, good luck!

[LANCE SPENCER]

put some updated pics bro so we can judge fairly

[chucksm00th]

Cutting Water helps, you should already have your fat in check the night before if you did your homework.

Cut water and take a diruetic like diazide and you'll wake up to another body, its freaking riduculous, However STAY AWAY FROM LASIK

[chucksm00th]

No problem at all... I appreciate all the help... and if i expect some good help, i'd better be honest and clear with my answers :D.
no, haven't stopped the GH, and won't for another 13 weeks
I have a limited supply of tren... where i come from we only get human grade aas (changed a lot in the past year with all the UG crap that's been flaoting around), but "exotic" compounds such as tren are hard to come by, and customs are a bitch when it comes to pellets. anyway, i'm not really sure about the quality of the tren (it's moonlight pharma), but i have enough to run for 10 weeks at 75 mg eod (just enough to get through the season) and i'm saving it for the rest of the contest since i'm using the winny now.

clen... i hate that shit. i can't train from all the shakes, it makes me as irritable as hell, i can't sleep, makes typing at work very difficult! LOL! I use ephedrine instead. and yeah, even at 80 mcg clen per day, i still get all those sides.

when i was 9 weeks out (around 6 weeks ago) i was on 2400 cals, 40/40/20 PCF on every meal. 6 meals per day, 400 cals per meal.

i changed that ratio to around 50/50 P/F and trace carbs (mentioned my diet a couple of posts ago) at around 2000 cals.

I'll try and take pics on friday and post'em if i have the time.

Jitters from clen are generally dose related, so try a lower dose, plus its wayyyy safer than ephedrine, as you adapt to the clen bump the dose 20mcgs every 2 wks...

I can go up to 120mcgs, but a friend of mine cant handle over 40mcgs otherwise he trembling like an old man

[debbiebramwell]

Hi there! good luck to you! My body changes drastically the last 3 weeks....of course changes are made with diet , cardo, supplements for this to happen....I will say drying out definitely gives a harder look...My legs and butt really come in when I am dry! Your pics look great! would love to see more at this point (legs too) :D

[buselmo]

well, my contest is in 10 days... i will post some up from the contest. i look like absolute poop right now! :(
flat as a pancake and still need to drop 5 lbs.

[chucksm00th]

well, my contest is in 10 days... i will post some up from the contest. i look like absolute poop right now! :(
flat as a pancake and still need to drop 5 lbs.

carbin' up will fill you out your last couple days, and if you can get your hands on a diruetic, those 5bls will be gone in 1 day, leaving you dry ripped and hard. (as long as you carb up properly)

[buselmo]

hopefully the diazide will drop the rest of the water... carb up is in six days... I'M FUCKING STARVING!!!!!

[chucksm00th]

hopefully the diazide will drop the rest of the water... carb up is in six days... I'M FUCKING STARVING!!!!!

i can tell you form experience It will drop the water...Friday night youll be looking at yourself thinking you look pretty good, then when you wake up Sat Morn , you wont even believe results...its seriously AMAZING..Youll see :D

[buselmo]

well, here are some pics 1 week out. i'll update next thursday when the contest is done

[stavios]

looking great man !!!!

for the last shot, try to bend your knee a little bit, if you look your legs it makes them look smaller

[Lenny]

Buselmo, you looked great in your first show and congrats on it. Keep them coming bro!

[SilverBAK]

Test+Tren+GH(drop before show)+clen+t3 ditch the slin

add a sixth meal like Elite suggested, balance out your fat intake a little bit and rotate with pro/veg days, increasing the cardio a little bit and you should drop any unwanted fat. the water will come off when GH is dropped and you use dyazine prior to your show.

[chris250]

well what happened, did you post this on professionalmuscle.com ???

[the mighty stu]

Interesting thread. Maybe someone can quell some of the concerns I'm having 3 weeks out from my own show (1st one). Has anyone ever carbed up and gained enough to put them over their weight limit? I'm presently about 175, and want to come in at about 170-173, as I have this horrible dream that even though I cut my water, and was <50g carbs every day all week, that the sudden carb intake friday has the potential to upset everything. I know carbs store water, and there won't be any, but is my fear warranted at all?!

S

[The Big Sexy]

One thing I noticed during my prep was looser skin... getting leaner and then allowing time for the skin to actually "shrink" in - I did a show at the end of March (San Diego Classic) and I'm doing the OC Classic here in about 12 days (April 25th) My skin is much tighter now - but when I'm fully depleted - It is still a little loose - when I load - everything tightens up and looks great.

Loose skin maybe an issue?

~TBS~

[HeavyDutyGuy]

Can someone pllllleeeease fix the spelling of the title of this post? It's driving me nuts! I can't even focus on the topic...

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

Can someone pllllleeeease fix the spelling of the title of this post? It's driving me nuts! I can't even focus on the topic...

lol
I thought the same thing.

Skip

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

I respect that there are differing opinions on things in the prep world but there is some bad advice in here, too.

Questions for some of you:
Who has gone into a show and not dropped water?
Who has gone into a show and not used a diuretic, at all?
Who has gone into a show and not loaded, at all?

Until you do, how do you know that the advice you are giving is the best advice? Not knocking you as much as I am making you think about the advice you are giving.

Skip

[HeavyDutyGuy]

Ken,Lol! In answer to your question, I've never used chemical diuretics, though I use taraxatone. I always cut water starting about 18 hours before the prejudging and carb load (not to the extreme) starting 48 to 72 hours out.