Is it possible to load up on carbohydrates in one day? Carb loading before going on stage

Original taken from mjonaus V

I recently asked shantramora translate one article by a foreign coach and athlete about loading before going on stage.
Overall, I'm in general outline I understood the essence of the text by skimming it diagonally with my eyes, but I couldn’t translate it and put it into a digestible text myself. Therefore, if there are people who are much more understanding and knowledgeable in overseas languages, then let them :) A low bow and all sorts of gratitude for the work done. Special thanks for using my photographs as illustrations for the article, even though I’m not a standard and all that :)

Before presenting the article to your attention, I’ll tell you about my download.
This fall I loaded up like a real bodybuilder for the first time. In my first season, I didn’t merge, I tried to load, but everything turned out somehow crumpled - in general, nothing.
This season there were two starts, a week apart. I didn’t go to the Irkutsk Cup, as I was recommended, I didn’t drain the water, I didn’t load. In general, I got up in the morning, had breakfast and went to the Palace of Culture named after. Gagarin. Well, the form in Irkutsk was not at its peak. In this matter, priorities are always set - which tournament is more important, the pick is placed under that one.

So, how does classic eyeliner work? Drain the water. For two days we limit it to 1.5 liters of liquid, for a day - to 1 liter, on the day of performances - not a gram, just rinse your mouth and spit it out. Considering that before this you increased your need for liquid by drinking 4-5 liters of liquid per day, you really want to drink.
During the day you begin to load up on carbohydrates: boiled rice with raisins. And egg whites. Boiled, of course.
On the day of the competition, we finish the rice in the morning and start eating marshmallows. I can now say with confidence - if earlier I was indifferent to marshmallows, now I hate them with every fiber of my soul. It’s better not to remember how much of it was eaten.
The effect is monstrous - you want to drink, your mouth is viscous and disgusting from the sweetness, which does not bring any buzz, believe me, even though before loading I dreamed of carbohydrates. As a result, insulin jumps, and your head starts to hurt. In fits and starts, in waves. The words get stuck on your tongue, you yourself are inhibited. The usual state, in short, for those who are preparing to go out. Everyone around is eating marshmallows. There is water, but you can’t drink it, you’ve been walking around since the morning and looking askance at it - and my exit was at about 3-4 o’clock in the afternoon. And you’re already waiting - when will you be able to drink?
In theory, after loading you should be full. 1 gram of carbohydrates attracts 4 grams of water and everything else - remember, right?
I'm not full.
Or rather, it was full, but somehow sluggish or something.
Experimenting on the day of release is not my enemy; I really don’t want to mess up and ruin the form, so I’m getting ready to watch.
In the evening, as usual, there is a feast on the mountain. Those who followed me on Instagram remember very well the photo of the refrigerator in the room.
Now I’ll tell you in more detail what I ultimately drank and ate after:
- much water
- sausages cooked in a steamer
- cheese
- bread, a lot of bread
- 2 rolls a la Cinnabon
- 3 mugs of coffee with milk
- grape
- I drank champagne to close the season and even a little wine
- M&Ms and Scittles candies
- leftover stevia chocolate

And, in my opinion, that's all.
Before my eyes, I began to fill up like I had never felt before. Veins even popped out inside hips. Of course, they were noticeable not so much visually as by touch. There is a feeling of “tension”, as if you are poking a needle into the skin and it will burst. The muscles became larger, the veins became worms. Of our group, only Fedor and I, who competed in junior bodybuilding, were the only ones who were so full. We sat, looked at each other, ate and wondered at the effect.
Here it is, the effect of carbohydrate and sodium loading.
Even before the first appearance, I read on one bodybuilding forum a comment from a coach who brings his players onto the stage after loading them with junk.
There was enough debate and discussion in that thread.
Then I thought it was very interesting and alluring, but I didn’t dare take the risk.
This year too, but after the stage I had a chance to feel this incomparable effect.
Did it last until lunch or until after lunch? next day- at that moment I was already on the train home and clearly felt how I was shamelessly flooded with water. My legs, face and body were swelling. At the same time, I ate and drank regular food, without excesses. I didn’t panic too much, looking at the pillow-like feet, I knew that it would take me a couple of days for the excess water to go away.
This was the load.
Will I risk loading up before the spring season as written in the article? Or like it was in October after the competition? Don't know. I'm not sure I can overcome my fear and caution. But time will tell.

Original taken from shantramora V

Bodybuilders always want more - more muscle to grow, more fat to burn, and more satisfying results. In this constant pursuit of results, many sabotage their efforts.

To show what I mean, let's give an example. Let's say you're running a marathon. You've been training for years for a race, you're in the front row with a couple of miles to go, and it looks like your efforts will be rewarded. You rate your chances as good, but would like to get an additional advantage. What if you reduce the weight of your equipment? And you take off your socks and sneakers and run the last few miles barefoot.

But instead of joyfully and easily running ahead of everyone, you wince and dance in pain, stepping on sharp stones, and lose the race with a mile to go.

You're probably thinking, “This is the dumbest idea I've ever heard of! The right way ruin all chances of winning." My example may seem quite idiotic, but it is the equivalent of what most bodybuilders do the week before a competition. At the very end of hard training, they sabotage their efforts and reduce their chances of winning. There are many myths about pre-competition preparation. But there are also certain general principles, which would be worth knowing and following so as not to cancel out your efforts.

My prep method has become almost legendary because of the amount of carbs I recommend in the days leading up to a show. Although my ideas may seem quite controversial and contrary to all ideas of the norm, they are based on scientific research and the results speak for themselves. This method has led to the fact that from 2010 when I started using it and I only had a few clients, now in 2011 I have many clients all over the country including professionals and many clients participate in Yorton Pro competitions World Championships in 2011. Of course, there are a lot of details in the preparation process, but the main components are carbohydrates, water and salt (sodium).

Self-sabotage in the last week before a competition is associated with standard practice of getting into peak shape. I called it standard because many “experts” have already long years they stick to it. Although many generally accepted ideas are incorrect and have no scientific basis at all.

A typical pre-competition week looks like this. At the beginning of the week you spend three days depleting your glycogen stores, then three days before you go on stage you carb load. Finally, some supplement potassium and limit sodium.

Looks familiar? For sure, because this is what most people do when preparing for competitions. And then, on the day of the show, they wonder what went wrong. Understanding how your body responds to carbohydrates, water, sodium, and potassium will allow you to properly navigate your pre-event week and approach show day lean, ripped, and with full muscles.

Carbohydrates
Depletion and subsequent carbohydrate loading will cause the body to store more carbohydrates, than usual. This is called glycogen supercompensation and this is perhaps one of the few common stereotypes that is completely true. When the body's glycogen stores are depleted, it begins to take measures to eliminate the imbalance. First of all, the amount of glycogen that can be stored in the muscles increases.

So after several days of exhaustion, the body, at the first opportunity, is ready to store much more glycogen than usual. This is what the download is for. Glycogen-filled muscles look larger, your skin is tighter, and you look more ripped and muscular. Which is the goal of any bodybuilder before a competition.

A longer front load has its benefits because if you get flooded, you have plenty of time to deal with the problem. Although I have always used this loading method in the past and it has worked well enough, I'm not interested in what works well, but in what works best. Search best method led me to a protocol that seemed somewhat controversial. I called it the fast boot method.

A few years ago I stopped using long loading and switched to a new method. The main difference between standard fast loading and my method is that you take almost all the required amount of carbohydrates on the day or a day and a half before the competition. This means that in one day you need to get enough carbohydrates to fill the glycogen stores in the muscles.

In addition, you must know exactly how many carbohydrates you need. If you overload the coals, you will be flooded and the relief will be blurred. If there are not enough coals, the muscles will remain flat, and the coals that you eat a couple of hours before going on stage will not have time to be stored in the muscles as glycogen. So you need to be very aware of your metabolism and body. If you know exactly what it's doing, there's little risk of error. When I work with clients, I have months to figure out their metabolism so that by the time they load, I know exactly how many carbs they need.

Maybe you haven't yet understood why I went from being quite safe method loading to another, more risky one. The answer is simple - RESULT. main reason Why the quick, one-day loading method works better than the standard three-day loading method is adaptation. Every time you change your diet, your body tries to adjust and adapt.

With a three-day load, the body will notice on the first day that coals have appeared. As a result, he will immediately begin to take action and dismantle the supercompensation mechanism that was created during the period of exhaustion. On the third day, the muscle's ability to store additional glycogen is significantly reduced.

With a one-day load, the body does not have time to get used to the influx of coal. Consequently, much more glycogen is stored in the muscles. New method gives a much better result because it takes advantage of the supercompensation created during the exhaustion phase.

So how many carbs do you need to load? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not so easy. I can say that you definitely need more, much more than you think. So much that you might think I'm crazy. In the 24-36 hours leading up to pre-judging, some of my clients consume up to 1600 grams. Yes, yes, up to 1600 grams in one single day!

If you did the exhaustion phase correctly, it will work. But you need to know exactly your individual needs. 1600 is perhaps the maximum possible. Most of my clients consume in the 900-1300 gram range.

When developing recommendations, it is necessary to take into account the individual's gender, body type, weight, metabolism, activity level and all possible combinations the above factors. It's not easy, but if I have enough time to work with a client, I can figure out the exact amount of carbs to load. As a rule, the greater the dry mass and the faster the turnover, the greater this volume will be.

I want to emphasize again that the amount of coals must be CORRECT, otherwise the result may be far from ideal. If you don't have enough coals, your muscles will look flat on stage and you will look as skinny as a deflated balloon. If you overdo it with coals, your muscles will fill out, but you may become flooded, and you will look smooth rather than ripped. Carbohydrates retain water because they are stored in the body in a “wet” state. (carbohydrates→insulin surge in an unaccustomed body→insulin retains sodium→sodium retains water in the intercellular space)

When glycogen depots in the muscles are filled, water will go there along with carbohydrates. But after they are filled, excess carbohydrates will go to other tissues. And, accordingly, they will attract water with them, including under the skin, into the tissues covering your muscles, smoothing out the entire relief that you so diligently achieved.

There are also other factors, such as the time of day, the type of carbohydrates, the amount of potassium in the diet, and the time of day when this potassium is supplied. All these small details play an important role, but the main issue is the total amount of coals needed in the 24-36 hours before the competition. In general, there is some risk in using the fast boot method, but correct use the results are simply amazing.

Water
Another time-honored pre-race tradition is water restriction. My clients drink liters of water before the show.

Common sense tells us that if you don't drink water, there's nothing to retain. Unfortunately, that's not exactly how it works. You have to drink water or the whole point of carb loading is lost. As I already said, coals bind water, this also applies to carbohydrates in muscles. In the absence of water, carbohydrates are more likely to be stored as fat than as glycogen. (you need to eat a bag of potatoes so that at least some of the coals are deposited as fat, ) . Because glycogen can ONLY be stored in the presence of water. (2)

When carbohydrates are stored in muscles, they bind 2.7 grams of water for every gram of glycogen. This means that when you load up on coals and your muscles become full and defined, 75% of that volume is water. So, if you don't drink water, you can say goodbye to the dream of big beautiful muscles and end up with small and saggy ones. And filled muscles tighten the skin and allow you to see the relief better.

When I talk about how water is necessary to achieve best shape, many do not believe me and are afraid that excess water will lead to swelling. But the cause of water retention is carbohydrates, not water. Muscles are like a bathtub with the plug removed. No matter how much water you pour into the bathtub, it will still drain. In order for the water to remain in the bath, something needs to hold it there.

The same thing happens when you drink water. Everything you drink will leave the body unless something stops this water. Let's imagine that I start throwing sponges into the bath. The sponges will absorb water and prevent it from leaking out. This is roughly what happens with carbohydrates. They bind water wherever they find themselves. And when you eat carbohydrates and drink water, the first thing your body does is replenish reserves in the muscles.
Fluid retention will be a problem if you throw too many sponges into the bath. If they overfill the bathtub, they will inevitably begin to fall out onto the floor. The same thing will happen if you overdo it on carbohydrates. They will begin to fill other tissues, bringing water with them. This is why it is important to know exactly the correct amount of carbohydrates during loading. If you don't overdo it with carbohydrates, water won't stay in other tissues of the body and you won't be flooded.

If you want to look the best way on the day of the show, drink water. It is important to take measures to ensure that water fills the muscles and does not linger under the skin. But if there were as many carbohydrates as needed, then no amount of water will harm the result, but will only help.

Salt (Sodium)
The last part of the fast loading equation is sodium. As with water, many bodybuilders recommend avoiding sodium before competition, fearing that sodium intake will lead to water retention. But sodium plays an important role in maintaining fluid balance and carbohydrate metabolism. As with others essential microelements If you severely limit sodium, the body can react very violently. Unfortunately, this is not the reaction you might expect.

There are many reasons why you shouldn't eliminate sodium from your diet until the day of the show. Sodium controls blood volume. If sodium levels drop, blood volume decreases (3). Consequently, veins will not be noticeable, and you can forget about pumping up your muscles before the stage.

Let's test my arguments - remember the last time you ate something salty as a cheat meal while drying. Surely after an hour, your veins appeared and the blood pulsated in your muscles, although you did nothing harder than sitting on the couch. You might think it's from the carbs, but it's actually due to excess sodium, which is usually high in the foods we choose for our cheat meals.

But besides increasing blood volume, there's another reason to keep sodium in your diet while you're peaking. When sodium levels drop in the body, water leaves the body along with it. We've already established that dehydration isn't particularly beneficial. As you become dehydrated and sodium levels drop, your blood volume decreases.

The decrease in blood volume causes the body to produce the hormone arginine vasopressin, or AVP (4). AVP performs several functions in the body, one of which is fluid retention. The water that is retained due to the release of AVP fills the intercellular space - that is, it is retained under the skin. It's quite unpleasant before going on stage. In addition, AVP causes vasoconstriction, which has an even worse effect on venousity.

Many people are not aware of the role of sodium in the absorption of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates and sodium are both absorbed by the transporter protein SGLT-1, which has receptors sensitive to both glucose and sodium ions. Transport of both substances into the cell occurs if both receptors are excited simultaneously. The energy that causes the movement of sodium ions and glucose molecules with outer surface membrane inward, is the difference in sodium concentrations between the inner and outer surface cells. Although it has been suggested that exogenous sodium is not required for transporter activation, replacing sodium with magnesium in a glucose-containing drink resulted in decreased glucose concentrations (less absorbed) (5). That is, you will still absorb carbohydrates if you cut out the sodium, but absorption is improved in the presence of sodium.

Finally, sodium works in tandem with potassium to regulate the distribution of fluids inside and outside cells. Without going too deep into cellular metabolic processes, sodium and potassium move in and out of the cell using a mechanism called the sodium-potassium pump. This mechanism regulates cell volume by removing sodium ions from the cells and replacing them with potassium ions (which is accompanied by the removal of fluid from the body).

When sodium levels rise, potassium levels should also rise. If the potassium level exceeds the sodium level, the balance will be disrupted and water will begin to leave the muscle cells, escaping into the surrounding tissue. Therefore, there is no need to increase your potassium levels before the show. It is necessary to ensure a balance of both electrolytes.

If you limit sodium intake, the muscles will look flat, you will not be able to achieve pumping, vascularity, water will leave the body and at the same time linger under the skin. Remember this the next time someone advises you to remove salt from your diet before a competition.

That's why I never limit salt. And I can even increase its amount a day or two before going on stage. In the last week of preparation, sodium intake should be kept at 3000-5000 milligrams per day.

Let's summarize:
These are the main aspects of my fast loading method: do not limit water and salt, eat a lot of carbohydrates on the day before the competition. Of course, there are other details, but they are more individual.

And there's one more thing important note, which must be taken into account in order to obtain best results from loading. You should be as dry as possible before the final week of preparation. You should not start the preparatory week when the thighs, buttocks and Bottom part belly fat and thinking that in the last week you will magically get rid of it all. This may sound harsh, but what I'm trying to say is that 95% of those who think their bodies are retaining water on race day were simply not dry enough.

Make sure you burn as much fat as possible before finals week. My loading method uses only the body's natural adaptation mechanisms to emphasize the relief and achieve vascularity. It will not help you compensate for deficiencies in diet and exercise.

If you use my method, you will see results on race day that you have never seen before. This method will not only help you save your sneakers until the end, but will also give you a second wind that will allow you to win the race.

Dunford, M., Doyle, J. A., Nutrition for Sport and Exercise, 2007, 99 p.
Gibney, M., J., Introduction to Human Nutrition, 2009, 45 p.
McGuire, M., Beerman, K., A., Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food, 2009, 552 p.
Gaw, A., Murphy, M. J., Cowen, R. A., Clinical Biochemistry: An Illustrated Color Text, 2008, 14-17p.
Arnaud, M., J., Hydration Throughout Life, 1998, 93-94 p.

And also about carbohydrate loading, calculating the amount of coals, water, etc.

article from the magazine "Pro-Status" No. 02 2015

The topic of “drain” is not new to me. Let me remind you that in the magazine « Iron World» No. 07 for 2013 already had a publication on this topic. There we talked with Alexey Shaev and he talked about his drain system. I carry out this process a little differently and about “HOW?” I do it below.

DRAIN - in the jargon of bodybuilders, the removal from the body of a larger amount of water than it is capable of carrying out under nominal conditions by the kidneys. By the kidneys - first of all, because purely theoretically it is possible, of course, to remove it through sweat glands, and through the air exhaled by the lungs.:)

Moreover, I even met people who knew how to take a steam bath on the eve of the competition. But, from my point of view, the use of such procedures in last days and/or hours before going on stage is not a very good solution. Firstly, temperature regime involves a load on the heart, and with fluid loss this load increases significantly, so from the point of view of not just health, but even the preservation of life, this is not quite the right decision. Secondly, the thermal regime will have a relaxing effect on the muscles, which will affect the muscle tone on stage. And thirdly, water must be “expelled” from under the skin, and the sauna will intensify metabolic processes in the skin, which obviously will not contribute to the displacement of water from there. Quite the contrary.

So it remains main tool draining the water is the kidneys and the “mathematics” I have here is actually simple. It is necessary to give more water than this water enters the body with food and drink. The goal is to withdraw more and receive less. Regarding the second, everything is extremely simple - we reduce the consumption of water and water-containing products in food.

Using the first, we determine which variables can interfere with the release of the required water through the kidneys.

So, in fact, I have the following components:

trace element Sodium (Na)
glycogen
hormones

First let's go!

Microelement Sodium(Na). I won’t discover America, everyone who has had the slightest experience with drying knows that Sodium holds water, Potassium removes water. To this network there are even entire circuits of both sodium loading and/or potassium loading. The goal is to stimulate the process of increased water excretion. However, I do not use such schemes and here, with your permission, I will not consider them, but will only limit myself to mentioning them.

But I’ll look at Sodium itself, because... I pay close attention to him. So, Sodium holds water and I take this into account without fail. The absence of any falsehoods in nutrition and adding salt to food are self-evident factors when draining, obvious to everyone, but very important, so I consider it necessary to mention this “banality” again.

Next, I begin to consider the “hidden” salt. Firstly, I completely exclude any “milk”, including the “king” of all dietary programs- cottage cheese. By the way, I remove it in advance - as soon as I go on a diet - this is 2-3 months before the competition. For information, cottage cheese contains about 400 mg/100 g. sodium If daily requirement for Sodium 2-3 grams per day, then you yourself understand that such an amount of salt cannot be called small.

Next, I start looking at which foods also contain salt. As a result, I remove the protein and, if there is a certain amount of carbohydrates, then I remove the bread, replacing it with salt-free bread.

In conclusion of the question on Sodium for understanding the issue of “secrecy” of this element I will give some data on the salt content in products. For example, tomatoes contain 40 mg/100 g, bread – 500-600 mg/100 g, and a serving of protein contains 30 g. – 150-200 mg. And just like that, a little bit at a time, from a tomato, from a piece of bread, from a protein, you look, and Sodium arrived on the “don’t worry mommy!” diet.

I begin to resolve issues with Sodium on Tuesday during competitions on Saturday. I remove it and pure form and exclude products containing it.

Second, glycogen. This is a polymer of glucose, which is deposited 90-95% in our muscles and liver. In order for glucose to be converted into glycogen, the body needs to use 2-3 grams of water for every gram of glucose. I take this feature into account when draining and carbohydrate loading. The main idea here is that if you load up on carbohydrates in the final hours before the competition, then you can make your muscles more full and for this you can take water from the body from other parts of the body, in particular, from under the skin. The result will be both fullness and thin skin - relief.

To be fair, I must say that I try not to overdo it with carbohydrate loading. I got burned. Overloaded and swam. This is the first.

Secondly, if competitions are held every week, then with a loading scheme it is more difficult to improve the condition in relief from competition to competition. The accumulated glycogen between competitions must be produced during training, and this does not make it possible to immediately return to the process of fat oxidation, which is the goal of competitive preparation. That's why I try not to overload with carbohydrates.

Here I wanted to emphasize one point Special attention. This is draining and loading as parallel processes. Usually, to enter the “peak” form, both of these tasks are solved - both “merge” and “load”.

So, let’s imagine - we have pre-competition preparation and we are “drying out” until the last moment on a low-carbohydrate diet. Our goal is to empty our glycogen depots to a relative “0” in order to then carry out carbohydrate loading. And now, having calculated the time required for this, we begin to merge and load at the same time. However, water has not yet begun to leave the body and, having begun to load, we may be faced with the prospect of not draining a sufficient amount of water, because. loaded carbohydrates will begin to “bind” this water and will not be released from the body. In general, it's not particularly scary. There is only one downside - the relief will be insufficient. But still, the best option From my point of view, this looks like a later loading relative to the drain. To me it looks like a difference of about 15-20 hours. In the first 15-20 hours I drain 2 liters and I can already “superimpose” a carbohydrate load on this dehydration.

In conclusion, I wanted to say one important thing about the download. remark:

They love to load themselves up with rice. If you only take into account the supercompensation of glycogen reserves and neglect the pulling of excess water from under the skin, then you can do the same. However, we must take into account that cooked rice differs from dry rice by three times. The two additional parts of what is cooked are nothing more than water. And if you load yourself with rice head-on, you can swim like two fingers on the asphalt!

Third. Hormones. There are several of them and for convenience we will conditionally divide them into two groups.

The first group is “classical”. These include all variations of AAS and Growth Hormone. I am considering them here only from the point of view of “drain” and will reduce the entire variety of AAS according to the original steroid into three groups. These are derivatives of testosterone, from nandrolone and from dihydrotestosterone ( DHT).

Both from experience and from theory, we know that the first two hold water, the last one removes it. This delay occurs, apparently, due to the fact that, firstly, the synthesis of amino acids, creatine phosphate, cell nuclei and other protein components in cells increases. Protein molecules and their constituent amino acids cannot be suspended in the body. They must be “dissolved” in water (blood, sarcoplasm) and as a result bind to a certain number of water molecules. This, accordingly, does not add dryness.

Secondly, both testosterone and nandrolone are susceptible to conversion to estrogen and progesterone, respectively, which by definition contribute to water retention by the body. Of course, during drying this conversion is lower due to the lack of fat where such conversion occurs, but it will still be present. Although our liver will lose a sufficient amount of fat during drying, it will still remain a “fat” organ and reserve the right to convert hormones. This must be taken into account. The length of the broadcast must also be taken into account. Primarily due to the same conversion to female hormones. The shorter the ester, the less susceptible it is to conversion, so on drying, for example, acetate and propionate are more preferable than enanthate.

As a result, my attitude to this issue is that if you dry with AAS, then use short esters and at the time of “draining”, remove them from the therapy, so as not to retain “excess” water. In the final “drain” phase, adding a certain amount of AAS seems quite reasonable. The logic is the same as with carbohydrate loading - the water has drained away, there is no excess of it, and “pulling” the remaining water into the cell will be a good solution. For me it looks like taking a certain amount of test on the day of the competition.

DHT Unlike the first two derivatives, AAS does not hold water. Due to the lack of those functions that are characteristic of testosterone and nandrolone. Those. his anabolic activity V muscle cells significantly lower in relation to the synthesis of protein molecules and, accordingly, water retention through protein is not present, and conversion to estrogen is not only absent, but moreover, DHT exhibits anti-estrogenic activity. As a result, from the point of view of drainage, such representatives of DHT as Stanazolol can be considered very relevant. However, this drug“mine” is not. It has very strong muscle contraction problems, which is uncomfortable for me, so I can’t give practice in using it and limit myself only to theory.

A growth hormone. One of the popular preparations for drying, but...before “draining” the water. How to dry on GR is not within the scope of this article, what is important here is that GR enhances mineral metabolism body. Its role in the treatment of injuries and fractures is well known. This is achieved by the fact that the synthesis minerals increases with GH therapy. And calcium, and phosphorus, and magnesium, and...SODIUM are retained by the body in increased quantities. Therefore, on the days of draining the water, it would be reasonable to exclude it from therapy, if any. Due to the fact that the drug is “short” (its active action in the body does not exceed a couple of hours), then there is no need to remove it in advance and you can “get off” it directly on the day the “draining” begins.

REMARK. How do large ones of several tens of units work? I don’t know the dose of GH. I haven't tried it. And perhaps such dosages can work exactly the opposite, i.e. diuretically. My statements are based on therapeutic, “ridiculous” dosages and here I ask you to consider them purely as personal experience.

These were “classical” hormones, the second group of hormones are hormones that directly affect the water-salt balance in our body. There are two main such hormones - aldosterone And vasopressin.

To briefly describe these hormones, they are the “defenders” of the body from dehydration. They don’t know that we want to look dried-out beautiful and are trying with all their might to maintain homeostasis and protect the body from excessive fluid loss, which is fraught with damage to its health, and indeed its very existence!

I think it is important to take into account the effect of these hormones not during the “drain” itself - at this time they have not yet “started up” - but after. Although, if it’s not too annoying to walk around like a water barrel for 3-4 days after a competition, then you can ignore the effect of these hormones. I don’t really like this state, firstly, and secondly, when there is a series of competitions every weekend, then how quickly I can resume full-fledged training depends on how much I can improve for the next competition.

So, the main effect of antidiuretic hormones is that they reduce diuresis and retain Na in the body. They don't start right away. The longer and more severe the “drain” occurs, the greater the secretion of these hormones.

So, the competition is over, we relaxed and now we can eat and drink. Yeah! Get drunk and drunk!!!

Let's try to simulate the post-competition state.

First, did we load up on carbs? Certainly! How many marshmallows and chocolate did you eat? Enough to fill both your glycogen reserves and those of your entire team. This is another 2-3 people.

Now, after the competition, we begin to greedily drink from a five-liter bottle, wisely prepared in advance. We can also drink sweet water, like cola or sprite!!! So, what is next? Supercompensation for glycogen. Glycogen binds 2-3 water molecules per glucose molecule. Class!!! The entire five-liter bottle will remain with us! Not a drop out!

Second, we go to McDonald’s and stuff ourselves with “delicious” and salty food. Then we continue to do this for another day. We eat cakes and ice cream, which, in addition to simple sugars, have a fair amount of salt. What's next? Antidiuretic hormones are very happy about the supply of Na, they will readily accept it and will retain it for another couple of days. Na will do his part physiological role– will “bind” and retain water. We retain another two, three or four liters of water in the body and say “ Good morning! to a Japanese boy (girl) in the mirror.

This is the effect of antidiuretic hormones “in colors”! And when they say that after a competition someone has +20 kg, in general, I’m not very surprised. A little skill, healthy, distended stomach, lack of deterrents and, voila, a dream come true!

The first Russian question is “who is to blame?” - lower it and go straight to the second - "what to do?"

Firstly, I personally try not to carb-load too much. But this is a purely individual matter and this recommendation is optional. However, not eating a large amount of carbohydrates after a competition would be a smart decision so as not to accumulate excess water in the body.

Secondly, try not to get drunk after competitions. Sounds unreal? Try it! We didn’t drink for two or three days, and even 50-100 ml of water seems like the height of bliss for us. Regardless of how much we drink - 100-200-1000 ml, the kidneys in the next few hours will give out as much water as they gave an hour ago. (for me it’s 100-150 ml.) If you stay within the dosed increase in fluid of 100-200-300 ml, then you can gradually increase diuresis and not “swim”. The longer we can stretch out the process of increasing fluid intake, the more we can reduce Negative influence elevated levels of aldosterone and vasopressin.

Third, against the background of a dosed intake of fluid, the body must be given a certain amount of Na. After all, during the drying period, its level was significantly reduced and antidiuretic hormones will “look” for it. If it is not in par, they will try to compensate for it increased latency water. Only at normal Na concentrations in the blood plasma will the kidneys begin to filter it for excretion. Solution? Yes, you can (MUST) go to McDonald's once.

Fourth, diuretics before competitions are a well-known manipulation used by many. And then? After the “draining”, our kidneys are pinched and do not work fully. If we drank and drank diuretics when we weren’t drinking water, and having started drinking water, we stopped drinking diuretics, then what will happen? The answer is obvious! Therefore, it seems quite reasonable to consider stimulating kidney function for some more time. I will describe my option below.

Why 2 days? Firstly, I consider it necessary to conduct full training until the last moment before the competition and, if the competition is on Saturday, then only on Friday, already at the drain my training is reduced, and on Thursday it is full. The only thing is that for training on Thursday I choose a small group of muscles such as the deltoid, so that fatigue is not very high, because immediately after it, I begin to “hold” water.

Secondly, two days is enough for me to remove the planned 3-4 liters. Extracting a larger amount for me is fraught with consequences for my health, and then, with my competition regime every week, it will be impossible to recover in time for the next week.

“Keeping water” is my basic principle of draining water. As I said above, in time it is about 40-48 hours. I keep it - it means I don’t drink. For liquid, I drink 2-3 cups of very strong coffee, 50 ml each, per day. It would be possible not to drink at all, but through experience I came to the conclusion that it does not harm. Drinking a cup of coffee, oddly enough, stimulates the process of diuresis, because coffee is one of the herbal diuretics. Well, both psychologically and organoleptically, it is somewhat easier to tolerate holding water. Drinking a couple of cups of coffee a day on the “plum” is especially pleasant.

So, I “hold” the water. Liquid does not enter the body, but the kidneys continue to perform their excretory function. Every 2-3 hours they produce about 200-300 ml. (from experience) On the second day, diuresis decreases slightly - to 100-200 ml at a time. In the allotted 40-48 hours, it turns out to “drain” about 3-4 liters.

Diuretics. I’m not particularly interested in increasing diuresis, so I don’t use pharmaceuticals. I have enough time to drain my 3-4 liters in nominal mode. However, I still use herbal supplements from sports nutrition. Such supplements include herbs that stimulate diuresis - bearberry, horsetail, nettle, uva-ursi, etc. These supplements also contain electrolytes and vitamins to relieve problems. heart rate and muscle information - potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin B6. I will not name the specific manufacturer. I don’t give preference to anyone and, by and large, I take what’s available. this moment Available from sports nutrition suppliers. day (Friday) – all day. Depending on the manufacturer, 3-4 times and always at night.

Third day (Saturday) – competition day - I DO NOT use it. At that point, enough has been “drained” and there is a possibility of overdoing it, which can ultimately lead to problems with the heart or muscle contraction.

Then, after the competition, I start drinking a little water and start taking diuretics again. Immediately after the competition (Saturday) I resume taking them. The goal is to start the inhibited process of diuresis and quickly restore kidney function. As a rule, I cut the dosage to half of the pre-competition dosage - that’s enough.

Fourth day (Sunday) - I leave the diuretics for a couple more doses, all for the same reason - it’s faster to start normal work kidney

According to the carbohydrate loading technique, the body is deprived of food containing carbohydrates for a period of time. After this, carbohydrate foods are again included in the athlete’s diet. This happens at a time when the body is already accustomed to doing without this type of macroelements, which contributes to a significant increase in strength indicators and accelerated growth muscle mass. This is important in everyone power types sports, and bodybuilding is no exception.

It is known that energy is mainly obtained by the body from carbohydrates, which are oxidized in cellular mitochondria. This reaction is accompanied by the release of energy stored in the form of ATP. The main mechanism that the body uses to adapt to changing conditions is the synthesis of glucose, called gluconeogenesis. It is on the speed of this synthesis that the body’s endurance before physical activity depends. This indicator is directly influenced by the athlete’s experience.

1st phase: carbohydrate unloading

This stage involves the exclusion of any carbohydrates from the nutrition program. Thus, plant foods should not be consumed during this period. The entire diet at this moment is filled exclusively with products with high content protein compounds of animal origin. It is desirable that they contain quickly digestible proteins.

As you know, the leader in this group is egg white, and it should be the priority. This product is very diverse in its composition. It contains almost all the necessary amino acid compounds. Due to this world organization Health even adopted a resolution according to which egg white is the standard for determining the amino acid balance of all products.

It is also important that egg white is one large cell and has no tissue, which means there is no need to digest cell membranes. Eggs should only be consumed boiled. In this form, the product is absorbed by the body as quickly as possible, unlike raw. At the same time, the yolks take much longer to be processed by the body, and thus, at the time of carbohydrate unloading, only egg whites should be eaten. Of course, athletes are no strangers to various diets, tested by them in various courses, for example, drying.

The next fastest assimilation are dairy products. Very valuable property this type of product is the ability to release special antibiotics, preventing rotting processes in the intestines. All these facts were proven during clinical trials, and there is no point in doubting their reliability.

In third place in terms of amino acid value and absorption rate are seafood, including fish. It is worth noting that the proteins of these products are processed worse than egg or milk proteins. However, seafood contains a very valuable amino acid compound - methionine. Well, about the value fish oil heard everything.

Of the three macroelements, the problem with fats remains to be resolved. It all depends on the goal that the athlete faces. If necessary reset excess weight, then, of course, about no fatty foods there can be no talk. It is important to remember that the body cannot become deficient in fat. Any product contains some amount of these substances.

Of course, many people have weaknesses that are very difficult to give up - for example, sweets. However, modern sugar substitutes can help here. Thus, saccharin is a derivative of benzoic acid, and this substance is almost 500 times sweeter than sugar. He does not have side effects, only when used in large quantities does it start to taste bitter. But you can quickly get used to the dosages of saccharin and find the optimal one for yourself.

Phase 2: Carbohydrate loading

This stage of the program is no less important than the previous one. Carbohydrates have the property of binding water molecules. So 1 gram of this microelement is able to retain about 4 grams of water in the body. Thus, a sudden supply of carbohydrates to the body is eliminated. Otherwise, the body may become overloaded with water. This, in turn, will cause headaches, swelling and insomnia.

During the first days, you should take carbohydrate foods very carefully, and do this in small portions, gradually increasing them. The duration of the second phase directly depends on the duration of the first. If the unloading continued for a month, then the same amount of time will be required for loading.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to say about the exact norms of carbohydrate consumption during the loading period. Here everything depends on the characteristics of the organism, and in each individual case this should be approached individually. It is much easier to give a general recommendation.

There are some simple calculations to be made. Every athlete knows how much carbohydrate he consumes daily on average. The content of this macroelement in various products. If the second stage lasts, for example, 30 days, then the daily carbohydrate intake limit should be divided by 30. Thus, on the first day of loading, you need to provide the body with 1/30 of the daily carbohydrate intake, on the second - 2/30, and so on. By the last day of the loading period, the body will begin to receive its usual portion of the macronutrient.

During this period, special attention should be paid to the quality of products, more precisely, the quality of the carbohydrates they contain. Thus, glucose is well absorbed by the body, but fructose tends to be deposited in the body in the form of glycogens. For this reason, it is better to use honey instead of regular sugar. It is also worth paying attention to dried fruits, which are not only a storehouse of carbohydrates, but also a source of vitamins and minerals. Moreover, some dried fruits have greater value than in raw.

When it comes to how often you should use this technique, then you should turn to practice for the answer. Previously, it was used once a year, and its duration was two weeks. Gradually to carbohydrate loading and unloading began to come running more and more often. As a result, many professional athletes now use it throughout the year, not just before competitions. Each cycle and break duration is one month. It will also be interesting to note that development of a protein load-unloader is currently underway. Experts predict that in the future the two methods will merge into one.

Video about carb loading before competition:

To put it as briefly as possible, it is a diet based on eating large amounts of lean meat, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and healthy fats.

We have always said that it is worth keeping your carbohydrate intake as low as possible, as they can raise blood sugar levels, insulin levels and create the possibility of developing various diseases; and as a result, they negatively affect performance in the gym.

Personally, I have already felt the full benefits of reducing the amount of carbohydrates in my diet, it helped me as a CrossFitter, but there is whole line athletes from other sports who, on the contrary, have to increase the amount of carbohydrates to improve performance.

Athletes who require excellent endurance - triathletes, runners, swimmers - need to carbohydrate-load before competitions in order to be able to perform at their best for an extended period of time. This fact got me thinking - could carb loading be an effective strategy for the competitive CrossFitter?

And in general - the presence maximum quantity the energy that will allow you to train several times a day should bear fruit. But what is carb loading? How does this happen? And would this work for a CrossFit competitor?

Carbohydrate loading is a strategy that involves changing the functioning of the digestive system to raise the maximum level of carbohydrates stored in our body, such as glycogen (carbohydrate stored in the muscles and liver) - all of which allows us to produce more energy.

Muscle glycogen – main source energy, which is used during moderate and high-intensity exercise, and it is the depletion of glycogen stores during exercise that leads to bouts of fatigue.

The carbohydrate-loading technique dates back to the late 60s, when Swedish physiologist Gunvar Ahlborg discovered a positive relationship between the amount of glycogen in the body and the endurance of athletes. Alborg developed special program for athletes whose results directly depended on their endurance. First there was a 3-4 day “exhaustion phase”, during which the athlete trained hard every day, but at the same time consumed few carbohydrates.

The stress of lack of glycogen as a result of heavy training and low carbohydrate intake triggered an adaptation mechanism in the body, which led to the body reducing the amount of carbohydrates that it “stored” as fat and increasing the amount of carbohydrates that was sent to the muscles and liver , turning into glycogen.

After the “exhaustion phase,” the “loading phase” began, which also lasted 3-4 days. At this time, the athlete trained on a lighter program and rested, and the diet consisted of a high-carbohydrate diet. The combination of these two phases was shown to double the amount of glycogen stored and increase endurance in athletes during exercise that lasted more than 90 minutes.

However, this method, especially the “exhaustion phase,” has its drawbacks for athletes. Maintaining 10% carbohydrate diet over 3-4 days (as required by the Alborg method) has Negative consequences, including lethargy, obsession, irritability and excitability, lack of concentration and increasing susceptibility to illness. Today this method became a little more thoughtful, so that carbohydrate loading became more adaptable to the specific athlete. In addition, it has already been proven that it is possible to do without the “exhaustion phase”, since athletes can increase the capacity of the “glycogen storage” without emptying it first.

How to Carb Load

By latest research for 1-4 days the athlete should switch to light loads during training. As a general rule, 1-2 days before an event, an athlete should begin taking 8-10 grams of carbohydrates for every 2 pounds of body mass. You can look at it from the other side - just try to ensure that carbohydrates make up 70% of your diet these days.

So what foods should you lean on to load up on carbs? Of course, you should stay away from products containing a large number of“bad” fats, such as fatty sauces, mayonnaise, cheese, butter and vegetable oils. Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, rice and pasta are all options. light food for digestion.

Should you do this before a CrossFit competition?

It may be better to ask yourself whether carb loading will improve your performance. Unfortunately, it appears that there are no scientific research on the impact of carbohydrate loading on performance in CrossFit competitions. But there are studies related to this tactic in other sports, focused primarily on the endurance of athletes.

Research published in the journal Sports Medicine shows that increasing the starting amount of muscle glycogen "delays the onset of fatigue by 20% in endurance events lasting more than 90 minutes." These studies also suggest that "increasing starting muscle glycogen levels before a moderate-intensity run or bike ride for 60 to 90 minutes does not provide any benefit."

If you dig deeper, you will find that research from the International Journal of Sport Nutrition (IJSN) Sports Nutrition) emphasize that while carbohydrate loading may improve endurance and therefore certain performance, it does not improve the speed an athlete can maintain during high-intensity exercise (exercise that uses more than 70% of your V02 max ( V02 max is an individual value indicating the maximum aerobic performance or the maximum possible oxygen consumption during intense loads)), the duration of which is 2 hours or less.

In fact, starting glycogen capacity plays a role in longer races. A previous IJSN study from 1995 found that muscle glycogen content in carbohydrate-loaded athletes after 2 hours of cycling at 70% of VO2 max did not decrease as much as in those who did not.

Well, I hope I haven't blown your mind with all this science talk, and if you're still here, the bottom line is that the benefits of carb loading start to show up within an hour and a half to two hours, depending on whose data you trust more. There is only a certain circle physical activities, in which you can realize such an advantage.

And by advantage, I mean that you won't get tired as quickly as you would in in good condition, not pre-loaded with carbohydrates. That is, you can show high level physical productivity longer before the inevitable moment of its gradual decline occurs.

Competitive period

So how does this apply to CrossFit competitions? Of course, CrossFit routines (especially during one-day competitions) test various abilities of the athlete - not just endurance, which was the focus of the research.

There is almost no research on the effect of carbohydrates on power, strength, coordination, etc. And since CrossFit routines typically don't last more than an hour, you won't reap the benefits of not getting tired as quickly. Or can you? If you have to perform several complexes in one day, you will definitely be under physical activity more than 2 hours.

Maybe not at once, but in total it will come out exactly that much. Depending on the break between stages of the competition, carb loading can greatly help you with energy loss during a long competition day, during which your endurance will definitely be tested.

Yes, perhaps none of the competitions will be aimed specifically at endurance, but would you really dare to say that a day filled with WODs is not in itself a test of your ability to recover and maintain energy?

Either way, carb loading has its downsides that are worth keeping in mind. Every 1 gram of glycogen stored in muscles is another 3 grams of water. This means that if you fully load with carbohydrates, your weight will increase by 2-3%.

This can make you feel heavier and slower at the start of a competition, which isn't a problem in endurance events where athletes need to maintain a steady pace, but can be a problem in the shorter, faster paced events that CrossFit abounds in. Carbohydrate loading also requires the athlete to learn how to stick to the diet, which can be difficult for some people. However, it's not as hard as trying not to crave any food when you're trying to load up on fast-digesting carbohydrates.

Ultimately, it is an individual decision as to whether the potential benefits of carbohydrate loading outweigh the potential disadvantages for an athlete when we're talking about about CrossFit competitions. But now that you have the knowledge, it seems to me that there is only one way to test it!