Learn how to properly shed excess water in your body to make an excellent eyeliner for competitions and the beach season. There are a large number of techniques for bringing bodybuilders into shape for tournaments. Trying to get rid of fluid in the body as much as possible, sometimes athletes are forced to resort to various manipulations with water and salt. This can lead to the most serious consequences and end in a hospital bed. In most cases, this is due to a complete lack of knowledge of the basics of the physiology of the human body.
Most of the methods of bringing athletes to the competition are strictly classified and can even be sold for a large sum. Many athletes understand that all these "games" with salt can have a disastrous outcome, but still very popular in bodybuilding. Today we will be discussing draining water for bodybuilding competitions from a scientific point of view. We warn in advance that some of the drugs used by athletes cause water retention in the body, which as a result can lead to severe swelling, seriously affecting the athlete's appearance.
Today, bodybuilders can use two strategies for draining water for bodybuilding competitions:
- During the last seven days prior to the competition, no salt and water experiments have been performed.
- Salt and water intake is limited in the last week.
Let's look at the average person weighing 70 kilos as an example. On average, the mass of fluid in the body is about 60 percent of the total body weight. In our case, this will be about 42 liters. Roughly 40 percent is intracellular fluid (28 liters) and 20 percent is extracellular fluid (14 liters).
In addition, there are two types of extracellular fluid: tissue (11 liters) and blood plasma (3 liters). Athletes need to retain as much intracellular fluid as possible to keep the muscles firm and bulky. Thanks to blood plasma, the muscles acquire additional venousness, which has a very positive effect on the judges' assessments during the competition. Thus, it is necessary to eliminate the liquid under the skin. Water is located in the dermis layer, accounting for about 75 percent of its total composition. Since the dermis is only three millimeters thick, the subcutaneous fluid can be a maximum of 2 millimeters wide.
Pre-competition salt
When bodybuilders begin to manipulate salt, it most often comes down to a decrease in substance intake for the last seven days before the start of the competition. However, hoping to dry out as much as possible, they do not understand. That a decrease in salt intake does not lead to a decrease in sodium concentration.
Even if you stop using salt altogether, the sodium concentration in the blood remains practically unchanged. This is a scientifically proven fact and it makes no sense to dispute it. The human body strives for balance in everything and is able to independently regulate the composition of trace elements. If you hope to deceive the body, then these attempts are doomed to failure. With a strong reduction in the concentration of sodium in the blood, namely less than 135 mmol / liter, recall that the norm is 150 mmol / liter, a state of hyponatremia occurs. The first symptoms of this condition include dizziness, vomiting, headaches. If the situation with the sodium level worsens, then the matter may come to a coma. When dizziness occurs, the body begins to actively synthesize antidiuretic hormone, the task of which is to maintain the balance of fluid, but not salt. Thus, in a state of hyponatremia in the body, the concentration of antidiuretic hormone increases and the kidneys retain fluid. If at this moment you start taking drugs of the group of diuretics, then in response to this, the secretion of antidiuretic hormone will only increase. This cycle cannot be broken in any way.
But some athletes do not know about this and, trying to dry out, scoff at the body, harming it. In this regard, it should be said that antidiuretic hormone also begins to be produced in stressful situations, trauma, psychosis, etc. For this reason, you need to approach the start of the competition rested and fresh. If you see that you do not have time to dry well by the appointed day, then all the manipulations with salt will not lead to anything good.
Also, a few words should be said about loading with salt. Many athletes report that they are in better shape a day or two after the competition, when they begin to eat well and drink enough water. This is due to the consumption of large amounts of salt. At this point, blood pressure rises sharply, but it very quickly returns to normal. This is what leads to a temporary improvement in vascularity and muscle pumping.
Water before the competition
In addition to salt, athletes often experiment with drinking water before tournaments. Most athletes stop drinking water before the start of the competition, hoping that the skin will become thicker and the muscles will acquire a high-quality relief. But when you stop drinking water, the fluid is lost throughout the body. Today it is impossible to eliminate only the liquid that is contained in the skin.
If you stop drinking water and, in addition, give up salt, then there is a great chance that your muscles will lose their venousity. You should also remember about the evaporation of liquid through the skin. Please note that if you spend a lot of time in the sun, the muscle vascularity improves and the skin becomes thinner. Something similar happens when you sleep in a warm room under a blanket. Based on this, you can give advice - during the tournament, keep your body warm until you go on stage.
To summarize all of the above, it is advisable not to manipulate salt and water during the final week of preparation. If all the activities you have taken did not give the desired result, and you did not dry out as required, then simply do not speak.
How to remove water and carbohydrates from the body during the pre-competition period, see this video:
