You'll want to read this!

[VASCULAR VINCE]

Ronnie...questions from competitors at my gym...does cutting salt n water day before contest... make you more ripped or soft???

[Ronnie Rowland]

Ronnie...questions from competitors at my gym...does cutting salt n water day before contest... make you more ripped or soft???

Everyone's reacts a little different due to their metabolism. The higher the metabolism the more carbs, water, fat and salt that's needed to fill out the muscles.

To answer your question-Dropping all salt the day before a show causes you to look puffy not hard! When you drastically cut salt your body increases aldosterone levels (a hormone that causes subcutaneous water retention). In addition, salt helps glycogen to become absorbed in the muscles.

In regards to water, your muscle are mostly made of water so if you dehydrate yourself you will go most certainly go flat and look puffy. That's why so many people have screwed up their hard earned conditioning by taking diurectics.


A good plan is to cut water on friday evening before a saturday show. On the day of the show just sip as needed to fill out the muscles. The combination of carbs,fats, salt and water fill out the muscles on show day. Salt should never be maniplutated and you must not go into a show dehydrated! Not to mention it's very dangerous when hemocrit levels are high from taking all the anabolics. The combination of being dehydrated and having high hemocrit levels causes the blood to become sludgy and can cause a stroke.

Note: All too often competitors talk about how they looked puffy and flat the day of the show even though they carb loaded 3 days prior. Following the show they go eat a cheat meal and they not only fill out but become harder and more dense. Why is this? It's because the cheat meal contained enough sodium ,fat and water to fill them out.

[VASCULAR VINCE]

thank you ronnie from everyone!!! best explaination we've ever heard...you really do know your shit bro...further questions...should diurectics ever be used??? should one carb deplete before 2-3 day carb load???

[Ronnie Rowland]

thank you ronnie from everyone!!! Best explaination we've ever heard...you really do know your shit bro...further questions...should diurectics ever be used??? i don't believe diuretics are ever needed to look your best! A strong anti-es like letro can be used during the last 2-3 weeks prior to a contest if you decide to keep testosterone in the equation on the day of the show. The body regulates itself by lowering water retention to a large degree when using testosterone long term (throughout 12 week contest prep). If you go with non-aromatizing drugs like tren/winnie/masteron there is no physiological reason you should hold noticeable amounts of water while on these drugs. Anti-es are safer and more predictable than diurectics from what i have seen. My observations have shown that cutting water the night before a show along with some letro is best for drying out while remaining full. Diurectics like dyazide can work when used with precision (especially when using test going into show) but you always run the risk of going flat so I would just learn to peak without diurectics. Should one carb deplete before 2-3 day carb load???if you mean should one go into ketosis before carbing loading, then the answer is no. You should already be carb depleted enough by just taking in fewer carbs/calories. You should never do anything drastic as it will sabatoge rather than help! Carb loading is for athletes more so than bodybuilder's. Too many carbs late in the game causes you to spill over. I believe if you plan to do a big carb load it's safer if done earlier in the week to allow water retention to dissapate.

answers above in bold.

[VASCULAR VINCE]

as always...great info ronnie..thank you!!!

starting slingshot cutting program...we need recommendations on sets...reps..rest periods between sets...

[Ronnie Rowland]

as always...great info ronnie..thank you!!!

starting slingshot cutting program...we need recommendations on sets...reps..rest periods between sets...

1) I have my clients max out work sets for major muscle group when cutting for a show! This means 12 sets per major body part like arms, chest, delts, quads, etc. I usually do only 8 for back width and 8 for back thickness which is actually 16 sets total for back. Some have went as high as 24 sets total. A high amount of intense work sets will burn off more calories/body fat.

2) Reps stay around 10 and above! I do not go over 15 unless its calves, abs or forearms. I sometimes hit the 20 rep mark on those movements. Higher reps in the 10-15 range helps prevent injury when less water and fat is cushioning your joints during a dieting phase.

3) Rest between sets remains the same! If you try and move faster between sets while dieting down for a show it will cause you to use a lot less weight-hence you will lose density. Forget super-sets and such!

[VASCULAR VINCE]

1) I have my clients max out work sets for major muscle group when cutting for a show! This means 12 sets per major body part like arms, chest, delts, quads, etc. I usually do only 8 for back width and 8 for back thickness which is actually 16 sets total for back. Some have went as high as 24 sets total. A high amount of intense work sets will burn off more calories/body fat.

2) Reps stay around 10 and above! I do not go over 15 unless its calves, abs or forearms. I sometimes hit the 20 rep mark on those movements. Higher reps in the 10-15 range helps prevent injury when less water and fat is cushioning your joints during a dieting phase.

3) Rest between sets remains the same! If you try and move faster between sets while dieting doen for a show it will cause you to use a lot less weight-hence you will lose density!

awesome info as always ronnie......do you think we competitors should start out with a keto diet when preparing for out show 12 week out....or... keep carb in????