It’s all about the timing… I didn’t watch the video but I doubt he’s eating fat immediately after taking insulin.
Truth ^^^
Did you actually watch the video? Mike goes on to explain that he could have loaded more carbs and might have done better. I would set these numbers as a minimum to be achieved, not as a limit.
I think I’m getting beyond my depths here and I don’t want to give any incorrect information. I believe @lou_smeets may have some experience in this department, along with others already tagged.
I’ll follow along the thread but I wish you luck in your competition; please keep us updated as to how you do!
True but lantus is long acting so its in your system if i am not wrong the whole day.
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yeah i have watch the video several times and i was thinking to try to rather spill then underload and really go high on calorires and see if it will do any diffrent, fix a spill is easer then fill up. thanks buddy must first find a way to carb up before i ever step on stage again haha sucks to diet for 12 weeks to come in flat
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You’re right. I think the half life of Lantus is 12 hours… I was thinking about Humalog.
You seem committed to carb loading to optimize your stage performance. I gave up on that venture.
There are many other fine tuning points besides just carb loading. I found a sodium loading component when I did two shows in two weeks. I ate like a pig the night of the first show and the Sunday after. It took me a little over a week to rid myself of the water retention before the next show.
Anxiety is another component. If you are fighting anxiety, IMO you will look much flatter on show day than the next morning.
A show morning hypertonic salt bath can pull fluid out from under your skin if you look “water” bloated when you awaken the morning of the show.
I would stop testosterone cypionate two weeks out from the show that I was targeting. 10 days from the show I would start 100mg of testosterone suspension, taking the last shot the morning a couple hours before prejudging.
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I’ve only trained gen pop body comp clients but I’ve not yet had the pleasure of training an athlete to get stage ready.
Like RT_Nomad pointed out in this thread it seems to me that people tend to focus way too much on carb loading and sodium intake. Even if you’re doing everything right, when the time comes to enter the stage and your cortisol is through the roof, you will look like shit anyway.
A much better approach IMO would be to simply focus on controlling cortisol levels and water retention by keeping enough of the right carbs (especially from low fiber fruits because a lot of fiber from sweet potatoes etc can pull water into your gut, especially when you drink 6l a day or more) in the diet the entire week before the show starts.
A good friend of mine who is a men’s physique competitor and who has done a couple of shows, got first place in the men’s physique 85 kg class semi-final of the NCOBB Belgian championship and third place on the European Championship in Manchester in 2019.
He looked amazingly shredded the first time he got on stage but not full. He also struggled with this issue as he burns through calories like it’s nothing. This is not an insulin sensitivity issue in this case. On the contrary, if you’re burning everything off it means your body has become very efficient at using carbs for fuel. Chances are high that you need to increase your carb intake, especially when you have a lot of muscle while depleted on keto.
The second time he got on stage he had the same dryness but appeared bigger. He did not use carb loading or sodium protocols during peak week, he just kept the same carb and sodium intake all week long without making any changes (really easy to follow, low stress protocol) to the intake he used the week before. The only change he made was switching to low fiber carb sources in the last week. Now, IF he would appear flatter over the week or his weight dropped too much he would simply increase carb intake up to the point where his weight would stay the same for two days in a row. He did drink 1l of celery juice each morning and also prestage (if the thought of celery juice makes you want to puke, then you can use cucumber juice or watermelon instead). This was actually a neat trick because celery juice naturally contains sodium and has a diuretic effect without causing dehydration. It just pulls all the excessive water retention out of the body while also refueling electrolyte levels (which makes you feel, flex and perform a lot better on stageday without feeling like constant shit the entire time). He just ate 2 banana’s and an apple half an hour later and again 1 hour before entering the stage. That’s it.
Now I’m not an expert on peak week, but I do believe maintaining carb (up to the point where you’re not losing weight and don’t look flat anymore) and sodium intake throughout the week and keeping cortisol levels as low as possible is pretty good strategy to get great results on show day.
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Thanks for the tag. I’m going to try to get to this soon.
We had heard, whether there is any rational backing science I don’t know, that grains had an allergic effect on some people that caused a slight water retention under the skin.
I gave up all rice and other grains for a carbohydrate source 4 weeks out. Sweet potatoes was the go to carbohydrate source due to its low glycemic index. Though I did eat some white potatoes until 2 weeks out.
Another final week prep is that some people have an inflammatory response shaving an area that is seldom shaved. There could be some water retention in those areas.
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I agree with this—taking a different approach may be a good option since you have tried this method numerous times without success. Carb loading can be a gamble (obviously, as you know) you might show up looking amazing or you might step on stage looking like crap. You are in a good position to coast into the show without doing anything too extreme and that would also help keep your stress levels down.
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Excellent point… I have seen this happen many times! It’s definitely something to be mindful of as the show gets closer.
Also, proper skin prep before the spray tan is very important because whether we like it or not, having good color on stage matters 
What is your protocol with your cycle as you get closer to the show?
What is the test mix? If it includes Cyp or Enanthate then I’ll assume you’re switching to a short ester around 2-3 weeks out.
What are you planning to use for a diuretic?
I appreciate how honest and transparent you have been with your posts so far. I can tell you that it’s going to be extremely difficult for anyone here to give you great advice without knowing everything that you’re doing and that’s why I’m asking more questions.
I saw this post on Instagram and I was intrigued so I wanted to follow this thread and wish you all the best.
I drop test 2 weeks out, Keep primo in all the way. no plan to use any diuretic if need maybe half dyazide night before.
I know will be difficult for anyone to help me since my body is a little special even with 2 pros who worked with me 12 weeks could not dial me in. You can ask any question i will answer everything i am open about everything i do.
What about this approach?
- Chris aceto style but not cut sodium just lower it
1 day before carbing up lower sodium to 2000mg should dry me out good since its a drop from 8000mg to 2000mg but water high so excess sodium should be excreted. aldosterone should not be affected since we not cutting sodium just lower it.
day 1 load
carbs 900g
Fat 100g
Protein 100g
water cut it 1/2 so 4 liter
sodium 2000mg
Potassium 4000mg
Day 2
Carbs 700g
Fat: 100g
Protein 100g
Water 2 liter
Sodium 2000mg
Potassium 4000mg
Fat: 100g
Didn’t John Meadows stopped peak week strategies after some time? And he trained Olympia winners…
His goal was to get them in shape 2 weeks prior, then just make the tiniest adjustments.
Honestly I would tend to agree with this. The body already is under enough stress. I’ve done peak week once. It’s not normal to drink 10 liters of water or have a 1500g of carbes day ahahah.
I just looked flatter and worse in the end: too much stress and fatigue… I looked way better a couple of days afterward.
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Do you have a picture from stage that you can share?
Having steak and potato the night before prejudging is a good idea. Not a lot of steak about 3-4oz and the same thing in the morning around 6 hours before prejudging.
A burger 2-3 hours before stage. Just a patty, a bun, no vegetables and ketchup is fine.
Continue snacking on small amounts leading up to stage. Rice cakes and peanut butter is an easy option.
Throw in a few simple carbs as well.
If you’re not doing something similar to this already then you might want to try adding in some fat and simple sugars before stage.
It’s hard for me to believe that 900g of carbs don’t fill you out but it could be. I think you need to try some different sources if that is truly the case.
You have worked with some very good coaches but you also need to keep in mind how they prioritize their clients. They work with a lot of pros and they tend to give the majority of their time and concentration to them. It’s possible they overlooked something very simple and had they been at the show with you then it could have been remedied. No fault on either end and you will find your way after you get some more shows under your belt.
This might sound like something minor but unfortunately it’s not. Attention to the small details must not be overlooked…
Bodybuilding is a glorified beauty pageant after all.
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That’s exactly what he did the second time he prepped for a contest and what he has been doing ever since.
He gives himself enough time to be contest ready 2 weeks prior and then, like you said, makes the tiniest adjustments because he has given himself the time to do so.
An example would be that he likes to use raw honey to make these adjustments because it’s so easy to manage. It’s just simple carbs that digest pretty easy and, under normal circumstances, get shuttled straight to the muscles. It’s something that he normally takes out of his diet 3 weeks before the show but also adds back in in the last week or days as a quick backup if he’s starting to look flat. He takes out the honey to re-evaluate how dry he actually is and if he can push it a little bit further.
It’s no issue to do this because making a dietary change from 450g of carbs to 500g of carbs is not shocking to the body at all, especially if you having been eating this carb source that you’re adding on a regular basis. The little bit of extra energy is also beneficial to maintain performance in the gym. The body almost does not become aware of it because you use those added calories directly to fuel, pump up and repair muscle.
Having said that, I think @The_Force is also pumping out some great advice here. If you plan to substantially increase carbs or sodium a lot more than what you are normally ingesting, doing it on showday might work out great, IF you got the timing right.
But honestly, following someone’s advice (myself included) on a forum about this topic might not be the smartest decision. Just because someone had great results does not guarantee that you will have the same results. Everybody responds differently, that’s why there are so many protocols in the first place.
Personally I believe that the strategy I described here is the safest one to do but I’ll never say it’s the best one because it’s really an individual thing and therefore not a guarantee. It takes a great coach that knows exactly what he’s doing to guide you towards your best shape based on how your body reacts to the stimuli you expose it to.
I just don’t believe that exposing your body to drastic increases or decreases in sodium or carb intake is the best thing to do because your body likes homeostasis and will fight you to get back to this state. Most people actually fuck everything up in the last week pre-contest because for some reason they think it’s necessary to do some special protocol. And the body responds accordingly so unless you got your timing right and know exactly how to manipulate your carb and sodium intake based on your body’s response, you won’t get the desired outcome.
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Tomorrow will do the Trial carb up and i have decided to give a skip/load shit loading a chance.
Day 4 today depletion workout
Carbs zero (Keto diet)
Lower sodium to 2000mg
Water 8 liter
Cut water 8pm
Tomorrow carb up:
Morning until night time low sodium carbs (HIGH GY CARBS) candy, chocholate…
Pre bed high sodium food Pizza with 1/2 dyazide and couple shot vodka before bed.
Whats your though on that? This way should fill me up since i be getting lots of calories and by not drinking water 18 hours i should be super dry when waking up and starting the load and i am not barely drinking water so the body will search for water to compensate and that will come from underneath the skin. If all this calories dont fill me up then nothing will.
Originally Posted by Chris Aceto 
Well I would throw in Technician Commandment #4. The total carb count to carb up and fluid intake is like a seesaw
The more carbs you take in, generally, the less water u need to drink. One reason: when u come out of carb depleted state into a loading state, the manufacture of new glycogen does in fact require water. However, when u bring your water down, the body pulls the water from outside cells INTO cells where it combines with glucose from carbs to make glycogen. So, if u take in a ton of carbs and a lot of water, you dont end up looking full, you end up looking like a watermelon. On the other hand, if you eat a LOT of carbs and reduce your fluid intake, you end up denser looking.