Question: I am competing in my first figure competition in a few months and was wondering how I should handle sodium intake? Should I cut out sodium altogether from my diet?
Before getting into specific recommendations, it’s important to understand sodium’s role in the body. Among its many functions, sodium regulates extra-cellular (outside of cells) fluid balance. Excess sodium in the body will pull water out of your cells and deposit it beneath the skin, giving you a puffy, bloated appearance. Because of this, many fitness pros counsel aspiring competitors to cut as much sodium as possible throughout their pre-contest period. Although this advice might seem sound, it doesn’t jibe with basic physiology.
Understand that sodium is an essential mineral. Since your body needs it for survival, there are internal mechanisms in place to maintain its presence. When you severely limit sodium intake, your body increases levels of a hormone called aldosterone. Aldosterone acts on the kidneys to conserve sodium and secrete potassium (which regulates the body’s intra-cellular water balance). The net effect is that any added salt you
take in which you’re bound to do will puff you up like Water Woman.
So how should you handle sodium during a pre-competition diet? For starters, just be sensible with consumption until the last couple of weeks before your show. Sodium levels are very labile and can affect your body’s water balance in a matter of hours. This means adjustments in water retention can be made fairly quickly. Remember, the only thing that counts is how you look on contest day.
While you should strive to avoid food high in sodium, don’t be afraid to eat something with a added little salt (sea salt is preferable to common table salt due to its high mineral content). By simply maintaining a reasonable sodium intake—in the range of 2000 mg a day, your body will decrease aldosterone production and keep water balance within an acceptable range. Beginning ten days out from a competition, I’ll typically put physique competitors on a sodium load/deplete regimen. When properly implemented, this helps to achieve a super dry and hard look on the day of the show. Here’s a blueprint for the approach. Beginning on day ten before a contest, double your intake of sodium while keeping water intake high (at least a gallon a day). Maintain this schedule for a week, until you reach three days out from your competition. At this point, cut sodium down as low as possible, aiming for consumption of below 1000 mg a day. Water intake should remain high on days three and two. Then, the day before competition, cut water intake back to a bare minimum (a quart or less, if possible). Continue this strategy until contest time, where you should sip water only as needed. You can use this protocol for a wedding, vacation or other event if your goal is to achieve optimal hardness.
