I’m entering my second competiton this Saturday for Men’s Physique Novice.
this is my second contest prep and I experimented on my body during this prep. Carbs were always high 260-280g range most of the time, protein 180-190g and low fat 45-50 mostly. I seem to be able to take in carbs fairly well.
I used Layne Norton’s contest prep as a base last year and again this prep.
I did a 680g Carb load with (220p/60f) for the first day of Peak Week (July 1st)
My body did not change whatsoever, does this mean I have to load more for the next few days? Or just be safe and slowly lower the carbs by 50-60g carbs per day til Friday?
Maybe I’ve been doing too much cardio? (50mins everyday est ~300 calories burned + 8-12k steps) I’m planning to lower cardio by 10 mins til the day before contest.
Also I cut out Test at 3 weeks out
On Mast/Tren, Anavar and Winny only til show day.
Thanks
Here are some photos of the day prior
July 1st and 2nd after waking up.
On June 28,29,30 I went slightly higher than my carbs 330g, 330g and 317g before loading it by 680g on Monday just to see if I could “spillover” and adjust, but when I woke up I didnt notice anything different 
.
1 Like
I’d lower it down to between 300-400 over the next few days, and then do like 400-450 on thursday, see how you look friday morning. plan on doing at least another 400-500 friday, and if in the evening you think you can handle more, go all the way up to 600.
Thank you for the feedback.
Is it normal to be able to handle this amount of carbs during the last few days without spilling over?
My average the last 4 weeks prior to peak week was at 310g too
You look smoother in the second picture
so i guess i spilled over? I’ll lower my carbs starting Wednesday 3 days out
Maybe I overlooked this, but did you deplete carbs before a 3x baseline load?
If not, “Loading” carbs when your glycogen stores are already topped off won’t have the effect you want.
S
2 Likes
No I did not follow the traditional depleting and loading as John meadows’ video stated that you are technically depleted already through the past few weeks?
Did i just waste my time loading up?
Ill assess myself tomorrow and see if i should just maintain or drop my carbs
Oh geez… I’m not talking down, but pay very careful attention to the basic human biology in about to explain: the human body, especially a muscled one can store a pretty good amount of glycogen. If you’re eating carbs every day and not doing 6+ hours of cardio you are in no way carb depleted -lol. Even if you were low carbing it, ingesting high protein will prevent adequate glycogen depletion as well…
I’m about 200 lbs, I competed a hair under 180 and I had to make a serious daily effort in terms of diet and training for 4 days to try and deplete my glycogen stores… even at the end of. 20 week contest prep.(@BrickHead)
S
2 Likes
Alright ahhh but I dont look bloated or anything so i guess i can still make adjustments.
My comp is in 2 days. Any advice please?
Exactly! I did a 22 week prep with you and it seemed like an eternity. I only ate 80 to 100 grans of carbs per day with a good amount of cardio each day, which was followed to with an actual depletion week!
@pasica33 I don’t know why Meadows would say someone is depleted simply because they’ve been prepping for a long time with no context of what they’ve been doing for all of the prep and how lean they are at the specific time. If someone is eating carbs daily, they’re not depleted, unless, like Stu said, they are doing enormous amounts of activity.
There are even specific guidelines for depletion and loading put out by the ISSN for endurance athletes.
There’s an actual protocol for this, whether it’s for bodybuilding or sports.
Honestly I’m damn confused about how lean they want competitors for physiques but lately I’ve seen them shredded! A friend of mine is in IFBB classic physique and he competes shredded. You are lean but for a carbup to work as intended you need to be shredded and depleted.
1 Like
My carbup started the day before the show for the full day on the end of a depletion week. I don’t think much can be done in two days, regardless of how you eat.
1 Like
Thank you so much for your input and advice!
I’m 2 days out now. Show is on saturday. Any advice for the mean time? Just keep carbs normal and just cruise through?
I was thinking of going 65% of my daily carb intake (roughly 150g) for today with high water and assess tomorrow (Friday) morning
I think stick with a little less than what you’d normally take in, keep water and sodium normal (water can be high just to ensure proper hydration. You won’t retain unless you’re on certain PED), and assess Friday.
S
Thank you so much!
If I look drier friday morning, how much carbs would you suggest to be safe for Friday and Saturday Morning?
If you’ve been consistent at a certain amount for the last few weeks of your prep, stay around that figure. You won’t magically be able to force more than your body can handle in just because you’re doing a contest. Of course if you try to, you risk ruining your current level of leanness. Imo keep carbs a safe amount and hope that adequate salt and water will help you get a good pump and show some vascularity in the process.
Less carbed up is much more preferable to too much!
S
3 Likes
Thank you so much Stu.
I really appreciate the help.
How do you adequately measure sodium intake on show day though? Sprinkle salt in meals?
This was me the morning of the day before my show. This is what a truly depleted body looks like.
1 Like
Just hours, three high carb, low fat meals, and a super compensation-pump workout later.
3 Likes
Don’t forget all the salt I had you eating backstage -lol.
you know you did everything right when two top Olympians ask what you did. #secretsofthepros
S
3 Likes
