dangers of cutting water

Graig, I had a client this weekend who said, "I really think I need to do less water."  I said, "Sure, but if you notice you're getting flat or feel small or you can't get any blood flow, you need more.  If you look filmy and lose vascularity, you need more." 

Show done:  "My wife said I was much smaller on stage......"

great post joe! on show is it possible to have TOO much water? i guess what doesn't get pushed into the muscle goes into the toilet, right?

Hi I am new on this board! I am a german natural bodybuilder and get coached from Joe and his team for the next year. I am very anxious to know, how peaking is done by Joe. Allthough my next show is not before October 2011. But in past I did all the mistakes you described here. Cutting water, cutting sodium, overdone it with potassium, heavy carb-loads after depletion and so on and so on. In my first year on stage I think it worked for me. But I think it was more a lucky hit than everything else, because in my second year on stage, it fails! It really fails!!!

It was hard for me to realize that I haven´t got a final-place in 2010 after a 1st place in german championships 2009. But I got a H U G E spill-over and nothing that I have planned really worked! And this also was the reason to join Team-K! I think Joe and his team are the perfect coaches for me to get back to my "normal" stage-condition - no, wrong - I think they can get me much better and I happily look forward to the work of the next year!

PS: I hope you can understand me!? I didn´t use my english much, since my school time 7 years ago ;-)

I made the same mistakes before I started working with Joe.  I can remember being on stage and I was about to die after only being onstage for a couple of minutes.  BAD IDEA!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I hope - no I think - it will be better for me next time! But it is a long way to go!

But I am very interessted in how Dr. Joe handles the last week and I would love to know it right now, how it looks like

But I think I have to wait until next October

Article section of the site....a lot of articles that explain exactly what I do. 

Great to have you on the forum, Philipp!

I've made this mistake too and of course been a Brit I also drank the white wine the night before to dehydrate myself just that little bit more or that was the idea and then nothing to drink from 6pm the night before till after the show about 8pm the next day .

Felt weak as anything flat and not like a competitor at all ! I can't wait to see the difference water will make to both my appearance and performance next year .

I'll let you know I guess .

"I can't wait to see the difference water will make to both my appearance and performance next year ."

Same here!

You can have to much of anything, Graig. That said, if somebody is going to err with water, err high that's for sure. Joe controls the amount of water very carefully - but it's always very much in the picture at nromal (or even above-normal levels) and we don't hesitate to add it if need be.

Some people indoctrinated in bad bodybuilding myths just get flat-out scared of water come contest day. Years of hearing how evil it is (for some unknown reason). And while it's possible to have sub-Q water issues, they are almost always driven by poor carb/electrolyte choices. The majority of people thinking they are "holding water" are really just a few percentage points too fat. Look at the true freaks in the sport and they just look grainy all the time around a contest. If you are in good enough shape, the words "holding water" are not even in your vocabulary. At that point, it's just a matter of how full are you at the right time. And that is where Joe works his magic.

You can have to much of anything, Graig. That said, if somebody is going to err with water, err high that's for sure. Joe controls the amount of water very carefully - but it's always very much in the picture at nromal (or even above-normal levels) and we don't hesitate to add it if need be.

Some people indoctrinated in bad bodybuilding myths just get flat-out scared of water come contest day. Years of hearing how evil it is (for some unknown reason). And while it's possible to have sub-Q water issues, they are almost always driven by poor carb/electrolyte choices. The majority of people thinking they are "holding water" are really just a few percentage points too fat. Look at the true freaks in the sport and they just look grainy all the time around a contest. If you are in good enough shape, the words "holding water" are not even in your vocabulary. At that point, it's just a matter of how full are you at the right time. And that is where Joe works his magic.

Hey Graig I was the competitor right beside him that ended up holding him up and then helping slide him off the stage in a chair. He told me later in the pump up area that he had not ate all day and had drank very little water. So we fed him some rice cakes with PB and got him drinking water.

that is terrible! people do and listen to nutty things in this sport...not safe!

And Sam - you are a good man for helping.

Hey Sean that is probably a matter of opinion depending on who you are talking to. LOL 

Good question, Graig, "Can you have too much water?"  I would ask everyone to look at their bodies closely when dieting for a day or two.  When you're lean enough to see deep muscle separation, you're vascular.....close to the show.  I assume at that point, you're consuming as much water as you want....1.5 gallons, 2 gallons.....if your carbs are controlled, calories controlled/lower, do you ever look water-logged and soft?  Most people would say no - not due to the water.  If you're carb sensitive, you may see a little after meals, but as your body uses the carbs, you should tighten back up.  That's a function of the carb spillover from digestion; not the water.  You can spill over without a lot of water intake - there's plenty in your body to follow glucose outside the muscle cell.  Still, as Sean said, I do like to control it and then accelerate as we get closer to the stage as needed.  Most of the time I underestimate a little on purpose just so we can ramp up.

I was in 5 shows last year. I drink 1.5 to 2 gallons of water everyday. I never cut back on my water intake at all and continued to drink this amount right
up to show day. I was always one of if not the most ripped up competitor in the 5 shows I was in. I was very lean and my bodyfat was very low so water intake did not smooth me out at all.
I think if you are lean enough then the water will not be a factor. At least that is the way it worked for me.