To Event Preparation EAS | Performance Nutrition Backed By Science (http://eas.com/q-a/answers.asp?Q

[Guest guest]

, see attached.

ChallengesCustomer ServiceMiscellaneousNutritionSupplementsTrainingSubmit a Question

ChallengesEvent Preparation Q & A

Q: I am getting ready to take my final photos for the Challenge. What tips and advice can you give me for the last few weeks of my program to enhance the quality of my photos?

A: Several suggestions are given below, but this total plan is fairly complicated. If you're trying to peak for the first time, it's probably best to stick with something simpler. Be careful not to try too many things at once for the first time as individuals can react differently to different techniques. If you change everything at once, it'll be hard to tell what really worked for you. Enhancing Water Balance

Bill developed what he calls a " glycerol cocktail. " It's a little different from the traditional pre-event water balance supplement:

Mix 50 ml of Glycerol with 12 oz of water and 4 oz of red wine. Add one serving of grape-flavored Phosphagen HP.

Slowly drink a full serving the night before the event and drink a half serving of the cocktail 20 minutes before you start pumping up for the event. Sip on the mixture during the photo shoot or show. The cocktail works as a vasodilator, meaning it increases vascularity. The simple sugars and creatine from Phosphagen HP may increase and prolong your muscle pump, and Glycerol may help boost vascularity and muscle hardness.

To further enhance your body's natural water balance and possibly make your muscles appear sharper the day of your event, you might try the EAS supplement called NWB (Natural Water Balance). Recommendations are to try 2 capsules 3 times daily with 16 oz of water 2 to 3 days before the event. For more information about this natural supplement visit the EAS Web site at http://www.eas.com.

Many experts also recommend limiting your sodium intake and adjusting your potassium/sodium ratio to around 4:1 beginning about 5 days before your event. That means for every one gram of sodium that is ingested, four grams of potassium should be taken throughout the day. (Foods high in potassium include citrus fruits, tomatoes, raisins, potatoes, chicken, and green leafy vegetables.)

Carbohydrates and " The Pump "

Some experts recommend a modified carbohydrate intake (called " depletion " and " loading " ) the week before your event. It's impossible to give recommendations for exact gram amounts of carbohydrates as intake suggestions are relative to specific bodyweights and activity levels. But here's a general suggestion: reduce your carbohydrate intake starting about a week before the event, then increase your carb levels as the event comes closer. For example, six days before your show or photo shoot, reduce your current carbohydrate intake by about 50% and follow that program for three days. Then three days before the event, boost your carbohydrates about 50% above your original value. So if you were ingesting 200 grams of carbohydrates during your training, you would reduce your intake to 100 grams six days prior to your event, followed by an increase to 300 grams the last three days. The carbohydrate " loading " the last few days will help replenish your muscles with the glycogen necessary for them to appear full and " pumped. " When " pumping up " for the event:

Start pumping up about 20 minutes before the shoot, performing upper body exercises only. You can perform exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, curls, and lateral raises doing high repetitions to increase blood flow. It's important not to do a lot of leg exercises as it may obscure the cuts in your legs as well as take blood away from your upper body, leaving you flat. Remember to pump up for only 20 minutes! Don't overdo it.

Calories

During the last four weeks of your program, your daily calorie consumption should be the equivalent of your bodyweight multiplied by eight to ten calories. So, if you weigh 180 lbs, you would consume between 1,440 and 1,800 calories a day. (This formula does not apply to anyone in a bulking phase.)

© 1999,2000 by EAS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Regular exercise and proper nutrition are essential to achieving your desired physique transformation. There are no typical results. EAS performance nutrition products are intended to supplement your exercise and nutrition program.