PEAK WEEK - 1 Day Out!!!

Forearm pump from lugging around a bro jug.

I'm shaven and ready to go!  Seriously, shaving sucks.  Thank god my Fiancee is rad as hell and helped a brotha out.  I would've given myself all kinds of cuts and scars and leaving patches of hair behind.  I'm definitely loving the feeling of smooth skin.  It feels gnarly nice!  Definitely considering waxing in 2014.

This morning, I was working on my final depletion workout and halfway through, I realized I could not get a pump for the life of me.  Though it's usually a sign of a bad work out, it was good in that it is a symptom of achieving full depletion.  I am finally flat as a pancake.  It is common practice to begin carb loading 1-2 days out from the show (back-loading), or carb load a week out and just maintain the proper fullness throughout the week for show day (front-loading).

I will be doing a last-minute back-load for the following reason.  My body is susceptible to spilling over easily.  Based on observation, I cannot seem to retain glycogen in the muscle, even smaller amounts.  It tends to spill into the subcutaneous and create bloating and decreased dryness.  Since I am not 100% confident in what the perfect amount of carbs are to achieve maximum fullness without spilling over, I will take a simplistic approach and just practice what I am sure of.   My body responds well and quickly to simple carbs, so I will load with simple cards before I step on stage and only in small increments until I feel as though I am close to the point of perfect fullness without sacrificing dryness.  70% full is better than any kind of spillover.

And to reiterate, because I've been asked again, what is my plan of action with sodium, potassium, water, and diuretics?

Simple answer to all of the above: Nothing really, and definitely nothing drastic.  If you can get lean enough, the above factors do not really need to be tinkered with.  Plus, tinkering with the above can lead to serious health issues and the results of manipulating those things perfectly (which rarely happen) can only yield you a small gain, so why risk it?  So why was my answer to the question, "Nothing really."  Let me explain:

-SODIUM--you can't just cut sodium off completely.  I may scale back just a bit, for example, all week I've been using 5 different condiments, all containing sodium.  1-2 days out, I may cut the amount of condiments I use in half or just use less amounts.  I can't stand bland food!
-POTASSIUM--what?  I guess some people load this stuff before stepping on stage.  That's how you kill yourself.  Screw that.  Tinkering with potassium has never crossed my mind.
-WATER--I typically consume about 2 gallons of water per day regularly.  It may seem like a lot but I consider all liquids as "water."  So 2 gallons of water + tea + coffee + diet sodas + etc. isn't really too much especially if you train intensely.  1 day out, I'll just drink less.  Then on show day, I'll just drink when thirsty.  Simple.
-DIURETICS--asparagus has a diuretic effect and though it makes your pee smell funny, I love the taste of it!  Instead of my usual zucchini in my veggie stir fry, I substitute it with asparagus.  Also, instead of water on show day, I'll sip on tea and coffee, since there is a natural diuretic effect in those beverages as well.

Extreme measures can create extreme catastrophes.  I'm here for the long haul and health and sustainability comes first and foremost.