June 25, 2006

#7: Carb-Loading

Q: Hi Autumn,

Great article on tanning! I tried what you said and it worked perfectly. Thank you.

I have a question. Do you carb-load for competitions? I’ve tried and tried and I can’t seem to get it to work properly. Any advice?

...Stephen

A: Hi Stephen,

You’re welcome! I bet you look great with your new tan. Now, to answer your question on carb-loading, I first want to explain to you what carb-loading is, and why it doesn’t usually work.

Carb-loading is a process bodybuilders do at the end of their diet, right before a competition. Just before a show, they would begin to eat more carbohydrates to help "fill out" their glycogen-starved muscles. This, in turn, makes their muscles bigger and fuller, or so you would hope. The problem with carb-loading begins when an athlete tries to eat too much and the dreaded "spill-over" happens. Not knowing exactly how much to eat, many athletes err on the side of excess, and this is when things start to go wrong.

In the major muscle magazines they often publish what this pro and that pro does to "load" before a major competition. The theory that a 250-pound pro uses might work for another 250-pound competitor. But too many competitors take what King Kamali does for his 250-pound body and try to apply it to their own body, when they’re nowhere even near that. This isn’t to say that a carb-load won’t work, but that the amount needed to get good results is dramatically less with lighter competitors. For this reason, you should not follow what a 250-pound pro does, but what will work for you with your bodyweight.

Now I will explain some of my own thoughts. When you are dieting, you will be trying to get your bodyfat to its lowest possible levels. If you have had a successful diet, you should look great one week before the contest. If you look great one week before, then you should really ask yourself, "Do I really want to change anything at this point?" However, most competitors panic during the last week because they feel small and depleted, thinking they have very little muscle left, and that’s when they get into trouble, thinking carb-loading is the answer. I know, because as a competitor, I never look at myself during the last week, because I will start to pick myself apart and would probably panic too. Instead, I have my trainer/husband assess my physique and tell me how I look. However, it’s important to have someone you can trust to be objective with this – someone who is not afraid to hurt your feelings by telling you how you really look. (Also, be wary of the gym "gurus" who will advise you to eat this or eat that. Outside interference can undermine your confidence, so stick with your diet as this has worked for you up to this point.)

There’s more. If you are trying to make a weight class, you have to ensure you make it through the weigh-ins and into your class. Once that is done, take a good look at yourself and ask "If I eat a lot of carbs, will I really look better tomorrow, or should I take the ‘safe’ route and stay on my diet like usual?" It is a very big gamble doing any loading, whether it is a carb-load or a fat-/sodium-load. I have seen too many competitors weigh in on Friday looking great, and then show up Saturday morning smooth and flat. They were pumped and full for an hour after eating, but throughout the night their body changed, spilling over and making them look nowhere near as good as they did 12 hours before.

In summary, if you look great the week before the contest, then one more week of strict dieting will make you look even better. If you want to do something, though, here’s a little bit of advice. Once you finish your weigh-ins, go to the nearest steak house and get a big steak and baked potato (plain, with no fats add), and have that. In the morning of the big show, eat your diet food as usual – but pack some chocolate for backstage to eat before going out, but don’t overeat! You can let loose after the contest is over and you’ve picked up your trophy!

Good luck!

...Autumn Raby, IFBB Pro

If you would like to ask Autumn a question, please e-mail: askautumn@seriousaboutmuscle.com.

SeriousAboutMuscle.com contributor Autumn Raby is from British Columbia, Canada, and is the 2005 CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Championships Women's Middleweight and Overall Champion. Autumn's win at the Canadian Championships earned her an IFBB Pro Card. Autumn plans to make her pro debut in 2006.