Tweet
CARBING UP BEFORE A CONTEST
Tom Venuto
Lets start with "WHAT CARBING UP MEANS".Carbing up is a method of depleting the muscles of glycogen through carbohydrate restriction and excercise and refilling them into a super staurated state-imparting fullness and size to the muscles prior to contest time.We have several guys on board that no oh too well what this means firsthand.Guns & B2J for example.LOL
Most competitors undercarb,and that can't be rectified at the last minute.Overcarbing however can be rectified with a diuretic.The amount of time to carb up is usually 3 days.
Three quarters of your carbing up should be done within 24 hrs after your last carb-depletion workout because thats when your body is primed for carbs.After that 24 hr period glycogen storage slows as muscle soreness sets in and glycogen levels begin to rise.Once the soreness starts, the glycogen oming into the muscle is primarily diverted to muscle repair,not stored as glycogen.To remedy that, keep your carb-depletion work-outs light in weight,without a lot of slow negatives or forced reps.You want the glycogen to be stored,not used.
You also dont want to be training while carbing up because that just depletes carb stores.
For the first 24 hrs you should eat every 2 hrs,reservingthe first 6 hrs for liquid simple carbs (sugars) ,glucose polymers (maltodextrin is a good choice) and complex carbs.Your total carb amount for tis 24 hr peroid should be 16g per kilogram of lean bodywieght.
For example,if your estimated LBW is 100 kilos (220lbs),you need to eat 16 X 100 kilos or 1,600 grams or 6,400 calories of carbs.You will also need protein as well as some essential fats.You should always use a liquid protein source if you can.Whey protein works great here with your carbs.That will help boost insulin.
A completely saturated muscle occurs when the glycogen content reaches 200 or more millimoles of glycogen per kilo of muscle.A depleted state will leave you with about 8 millimoles of glycogen per kilo;however,after 24 hrs on the plan,you should reach normal levels -about 150 millimoles of glycogen per kilo.Practice will determine how fast you can 'top off" to go over 200 millimoles.
You should be able to reach a fully loaded state in 3 days.Most bbing competitors don't acheive full saturation-thats why many look better a day or so after their contest.You should experiment with various carb amounts after the initial 24 hr to find out what works best for you.Everyone reacts differently to different stimuli so you have to fine tune your own needs by trial and error.Usually ,after the first carb up day you should switch to taking in more complex carbs than simple carbs but in overall lesser amounts ( 9g per kilo vs 16) during the next 2 days.
You will need to experiment a few times before your cntest until you get it right.Like I said,its all about trial and error with this game.But once you do get it right,you wont believe what a difference it will make in your physique come contest time.
Good luck with the contest!!!
Tom Venuto
Lets start with "WHAT CARBING UP MEANS".Carbing up is a method of depleting the muscles of glycogen through carbohydrate restriction and excercise and refilling them into a super staurated state-imparting fullness and size to the muscles prior to contest time.We have several guys on board that no oh too well what this means firsthand.Guns & B2J for example.LOL
Most competitors undercarb,and that can't be rectified at the last minute.Overcarbing however can be rectified with a diuretic.The amount of time to carb up is usually 3 days.
Three quarters of your carbing up should be done within 24 hrs after your last carb-depletion workout because thats when your body is primed for carbs.After that 24 hr period glycogen storage slows as muscle soreness sets in and glycogen levels begin to rise.Once the soreness starts, the glycogen oming into the muscle is primarily diverted to muscle repair,not stored as glycogen.To remedy that, keep your carb-depletion work-outs light in weight,without a lot of slow negatives or forced reps.You want the glycogen to be stored,not used.
You also dont want to be training while carbing up because that just depletes carb stores.
For the first 24 hrs you should eat every 2 hrs,reservingthe first 6 hrs for liquid simple carbs (sugars) ,glucose polymers (maltodextrin is a good choice) and complex carbs.Your total carb amount for tis 24 hr peroid should be 16g per kilogram of lean bodywieght.
For example,if your estimated LBW is 100 kilos (220lbs),you need to eat 16 X 100 kilos or 1,600 grams or 6,400 calories of carbs.You will also need protein as well as some essential fats.You should always use a liquid protein source if you can.Whey protein works great here with your carbs.That will help boost insulin.
A completely saturated muscle occurs when the glycogen content reaches 200 or more millimoles of glycogen per kilo of muscle.A depleted state will leave you with about 8 millimoles of glycogen per kilo;however,after 24 hrs on the plan,you should reach normal levels -about 150 millimoles of glycogen per kilo.Practice will determine how fast you can 'top off" to go over 200 millimoles.
You should be able to reach a fully loaded state in 3 days.Most bbing competitors don't acheive full saturation-thats why many look better a day or so after their contest.You should experiment with various carb amounts after the initial 24 hr to find out what works best for you.Everyone reacts differently to different stimuli so you have to fine tune your own needs by trial and error.Usually ,after the first carb up day you should switch to taking in more complex carbs than simple carbs but in overall lesser amounts ( 9g per kilo vs 16) during the next 2 days.
You will need to experiment a few times before your cntest until you get it right.Like I said,its all about trial and error with this game.But once you do get it right,you wont believe what a difference it will make in your physique come contest time.
Good luck with the contest!!!