Should you cut water?

[natenator]

the biggest aspect I find with prep and especially water/sodium manipulation is to work WITH the body, not against it.

Understanding the roles and mechanisms of sodium and water in the body allows you to understand what, when and how to tweak.

If you're dropping more than 3-4lbs from Friday to Saturday you either ****ed up your diet or you're flat as a pancake because you sucked down too much. Its a delicate balance as P said.

[JonnyO]

I like this part:

"how many times have you heard a BBer say how "great" he looked on Sunday morning after a contest-vascular, full, hard, and dry. It is not the carbs from the after show food fest that does this....it is the fluid intake and the re-introduction of sodium."

...my reply:

I've heard it many times, how many times do I believe they actually looked better the day after for an stage appearance? Never...perhaps for a photoshoot.

Veins don't win shows. Cuts do. Those nicely etched cuts disappear the day after the show.. The larger ones are still there and look pleasing. but the bone dry, scary look that wins shows are not achieved by someone pigging out and drinking water! That said, if you're lean enough, usually you don't need to cut until late friday. at that point, the water should just flow out pretty quickly. Natural or not IMO.

Thank you! Lol, so many guys think because they are loaded back up on water and food, sodium they are bigger and fuller they look better...fact is for the contest it's not better. It's better to com in a tad flat rather than a bit too full. Those little cuts here and there pop and the dep cut in legs show so much better and pop better. If the guys that think as the quote above why don't they load as if. Shows Friday then start eating and drinking Friday night and Saturday as normal and see how they fare on stage Saturday night, lol. BUT, I have been beated onstage to guys that were def fuller than I was, but I was dry and peeled, depends on the judges that day too. Being a taller guy I need to find that happy medium of dryness and fullness, and it's a bitch to say the least, lol.