Carb spillover

[Android]

Am keen to hear descriptions of what happens with carb spillover.

Here's what we all know...it describes someone who eats too many carbs and comes in looking soft.

Sure, but what is going on to look soft.

Tell me what the excess carbs are doing to push water out to the skin.

Are they responsible for that or is that a water issue?

So we all know that excess carbs go to the liver for later storage as fat...how does that make you look soft?

Can a person who is 'dry' spillover from excess carbs?

If excess carbs are responsible for that soft look please tell me why and how.

I've heard how to avoid it (less carbs duh), but I want to know the science behind eating more carbs than what your body can store in your muscle in relation to the soft look.

I assume everyone who bulks up is continuously in spillover mode since they consume way more carbs than they burn...?

Cheers, have read as much as I can on the interweb about 'cause and effect' but nothing describing the 'actions' taking place.

[Optimass]

I have never personally experiened it ... my first thought is that its a water or hormonal issue ... why would carbs cause you to be flat in such a short period of time?

Flat = small and no to little seperation/striation.

Carbs go into muscle with water = bigger muscle bellies > bigger muscle stretches skin = better seperation.

Less water under skin = more striations as skin sits on muscle (water manipulated by a number of means Water Loading/Sodium/potassium/medication/dehydration)

... then consider sex/genetics etc

I have heard it discussed but IME I have always looked better ... most of the time ... after a big feed of burgers and fries on show day :nod:

[HarryB]

My understanding is that when you "spill" it's due to the water you had hoped to have bound to glycogen in your muscles "leaks". Usually caused by aldosterone (stress inscreases this) or incorrect balance of sodium/potassium and magnesium/calcium. This can be exacerbated by lasix and stronger non discriminatory type diuretics (not fixed as some would assume)

If you are depleted enough and shredded then you can eat some crap sodium loaded food on the day of the show and be full hard and vascular, however you should have spent some time and energy loading your muscles full of glycogen up to this point. You can eat something fatty and sodium loaded at this point because you should already be dry and as long as you aren't taking in any water you won't spill (shouldn't)

If you find you are over and.. your options are a) eat loads of dry carbs with little to no water or b)eat just protein, lot's of protein... I suggest b) generally. Processing the protein requires a lot water so your body automatically drags that from everywhere. I normally use a 3 day protocol whereby I load for 2 days giving myself a day to either keep loading but back off or if I am over I switch to straight protein to get all the water out. I always think dry and harder is better than full and softer. (yeah I am usually full as a bull and softer lol) Taking a lot more diuretics or upping the potency isn't going to help at this stage too much.

Maybe for interest sake do some reading on what minerals etc help with osmosis across the cell membranes and see if that helps you get a better understanding of the process.

[Android]

Thats been most helpful Harry, cheers.

It's what Dorain Yates and others suggest and all say it's simpler than relying on the timing of a carb-load to be contest ready.

Agree with u to, while full and dry is the ultimate for all, dry is better than failing to be full on stage.

Seems that spillover is too easy to accomplish, partial fullness and super dry should be the safe bet for most I'd imagine. Have really been impressed by the fat loading technique, I mean the body can hold way more fat than it can carbs and it can also store it in the muscle. It also doesn't affect water, and combining with carbs makes carb-loading safer. It slows down the carb digestion so u don't rush your body with glucose, even low GI carbs go thru slower again when there is fat in your gut.

Interesting, wealth of practical knowledge u r mate

[Nato]

Hey Android

Good to meet you and congrates on your class win!

NOW, you are going to hate me for saying this, SORRY! But after watching you eat back stage, listening to what you have been eating to "carb up" you have got no idear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! carbs will never ever make you spill over............end of story (that I have proved to myself more than once). Its what your eating mate!!!!!!!!!!!!! go get some good help, pay for it and pay good money for it to. It will make you look a hole lot better!and be worth every penny! Its far more simple than you think :nod: AND NO I'm not gonna post it on here as it has cost me alot of time and money to figure it out myself and after this show I know the next one I will be even sharper, harder, dryer, as I have learn't that little bit more from this last show :nod:

Have fun now

[I Declare War]

Hey Android

Good to meet you and congrates on your class win!

NOW, you are going to hate me for saying this, SORRY! But after watching you eat back stage, listening to what you have been eating to "carb up" you have got no idear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! carbs will never ever make you spill over............end of story (that I have proved to myself more than once). Its what your eating mate!!!!!!!!!!!!! go get some good help, pay for it and pay good money for it to. It will make you look a hole lot better!and be worth every penny! Its far more simple than you think :nod: AND NO I'm not gonna post it on here as it has cost me alot of time and money to figure it out myself and after this show I know the next one I will be even sharper, harder, dryer, as I have learn't that little bit more from this last show :nod:

Have fun now

Shit, and here I was clicking on this thread seeing Nato's posting the day after the comp.. hoping he'd share his secrets! lol

[Nato]

Haha............ yep! I feel like a real ass hole :oops: but that info has cost me so much to obtain! and its gold! It makes the biggest difference in the way you look! and I don't think I would be telling anyone how and what I do in the last week before a show if they were to pay me $500 an hour to sit there and spill my guts. I have in the past and then gone "what the f*ck did I tell him for" :doh: giving away info that has cost me thousands of $ and hours, even years! of trail and error to find out what works.

All I can say Is the info is out there and you gotta find it, try it all, find what works, and then tweak it untill you are dialed :clap:

[Android]

Haha............ yep! I feel like a real ass hole :oops: but that info has cost me so much to obtain! and its gold! It makes the biggest difference in the way you look! and I don't think I would be telling anyone how and what I do in the last week before a show if they were to pay me $500 an hour to sit there and spill my guts. I have in the past and then gone "what the f*ck did I tell him for" :doh: giving away info that has cost me thousands of $ and hours, even years! of trail and error to find out what works.

All I can say Is the info is out there and you gotta find it, try it all, find what works, and then tweak it untill you are dialed :clap:

It's all good Nate.

Seeing what is achievable meeting you was a real eye-opener and you understand your bodies needs extremely well. I've never even attended a Nationals comp let alone compete so not been exposed to any of this b4...Waikato was my first Open class comp after a Novice comp 3 years ago. Seeing the bulk of mature muscle on muscle of Joe Ulberg was also inspiring and given me a new appreciation of workout goals and direction.

I went over my weekly measurements and Waikato was prolly 6.5% bf. We measured 5.5 on Tuesday b4 show but that was end of carb depletion so skin fold not true and explains why after Waikato I was 6.3%.

At Nats I was prolly 5.5% tbh so I need to learn how to get leaner as well which is not information readily available. Lots of info on bulking and workouts but pre-contest...? and everyone goes quiet...

All good.

HarryB has been extremely helpful and shared and supported the lead up to the show for myself and others like SoundsGood, without him it could have turned out different. Huge thanks to Harry, and he's passed info on to Supry who is just as helpful and Harry should be proud that his advice is still helping others through Supry. Awesome!

[HarryB]

Man if I helped then thats awesome. I think we ALL learn a lot through trial and error and I don't mind telling anyone what I have done or what works for me. I WANT to see people do well.

I think Android and Supry looked awesome, both could have been a bit drier and bit harder, Nato is just a straight monster and had an awesome combo of size and awesome conditioning. Joe Ulberg looked the best he has in his more recent outings and I love that guys physique... He's been away for a while but if he goes again next year we all better be on our game!

From what I have seen the show while small was a really high quality turn out and makes me proud to be a kiwi and glad I didn't show up lol