Do you have a favorite that works for you? I'll be doing my first contest and have no idea how much is too much or not enough. Do I rotate all bodyparts in circuit fashion (I do know not to pump-up legs)? Etc.

Anything on the site that would provide this type of information?

thanks in advance!

Fireproof - this is an interesting question. I'll be looking forward for answers from Sully, Fitdoc, Aram and others who have competed successfully.

I used to think that the pump-up process was an important piece, but honestly never found what I felt was the right mix for me. Then this past year an experienced friend told me that he does not really pump up at all, and that he thinks it can even be counter-productive. His theory was that if you time all of the carb/water and sodium manipulation correctly your body will be ready without having to undertake any last minute exercise. He also suggested a last minute drink formula that I tried and which worked well. Sully also gave it a whirl and liked the affect - I think that he called it his maddog cocktail - lol. Have you ever had the experience of getting very vascular after eating ordrinking certain foods? I think that we have all had that experience. The affect is always greater when you are warm as opposed to being cold. So one trick is to stay covered up keeping your body temp warm as long as you can before going on stage. That and what you eat or drink during the final hour before going on stage probably makes much more difference than any pump-up routine that you may follow.

Perhaps a better theory is that if you have aced the timing of your carb-up, water, sodium, etc. most anything that you do to pump up will work well. The flip side is that if you are off in one of these other areas, most anything you do to pump up won't really help a lot. What do the other board members who have gone down this path think?

VA MadDog

I'm sure others will chime in also - but I only do a light pump with an exercise band/tube. Side laterals, some bicep curls, a few pushups and that's about it. You don't want to do a 'workout' and get so exhausted that you are too tired to pose properly. Just get your muscle warm and the blood pumping, to show more vascularity. I normally apply the hot stuff spray, do a brief pump - towel off the excess and hit the stage. Best of luck to you in your upcoming show!!

I use the world famous VA cocktail and just walk on stage. I actually do no pumping except a set or two of push-ups and perhaps a set of light curls. I get vascular from a light spray of hot stuff applied from a airbrush on my dream tan and the maddog cocktail (as discussed above) I actually find it hurts my muscularity if I pump up.

Sully

Thanks for the feedback, so far, guys! Keep it coming! And please tell me what's in this magic cocktail...sounds like I need to have that recipe handy!!

Not Sully.. but the Sulcop and Va maddog "cocktail" consists of 1/2 of a Carboforce liquid drink (by AST?? I think.. sully?), 2 scoops of glutamine select and 1 teaspoon of salt. Sully drank this prior to going on stage for pre-judge. In another post - Sully stated with his 3 back-to-back shows he did best "when he cut the water to 32 oz. or so after pre-judge - but had some carbs w/no extra salt." He didn't bloat then by evening show! Sean did 3 in a row last Fall and ended up ANBC National Champion for 2003! !!

I used the Beverly recipe for muscle goo. This stuff is so good it becomes addicting. Spray pam worked well for me over dream tan.
I did 1-2 rounds of this:
1-Pushups
2-curls
3-side lats or d.b press
4-bent rows or lat pulls
5-calve raises
Ask your bev. advisor on contst prep-Jeremiah sent me a great plan to follow..

lifter

I hardly pump up anymore. Maybe some partner assisted towel pulls and isometric contractions, but too much pumping up can be counterproductive.
As you go through the prejudging, you'll be doing enough pumping just by going through the mandatories.

Aram

You are going to laugh at this. I love Mucle Provider goo. My recipe is 3 scoops MP, 4 TBS peanut butter, honey, and chocolate chips. I would then pump up with push ups and pull ups only. I would do more pull ups since my lats are my lagging bodypart and try to get the best pump in my lats. Then I would do a some theraband lateral raises for shoulders. The funny part: Kevin Burger discovered that wine gives a great pump, although it is not looked favorably to have alcohol backstage at some events. Sipping on red wine gives a little relaxation, some vascularity, and it would always give my skinny, depleted bum a good buzz! Hope that helps.

SEAN

Almost forgot the wine thing. I did that for show #2 & #3 if nothing else it helped me sleep like a baby and led to a nice romantic moment with my wife the night before my last show (that was nice as I usually and too... tired that last few weeks before a show) I did notice some extra dryness in the am so the wine is now on my will do list.

Sully

give my skinny, depleted bum a good buzz!

OH MY too funny! Yeah I got bombed off of a hotel size glass (4 oz.) of red wine the eve before my show -- it gave me diarrhea of the mouth. Tom passed out cold and I had no one to talk to. I too had a banging hangover the never morning and was dryer and tighter. Guess it worked.

When you booze backstage how much are you drinking and when. I assume it's before you pump up -- but is that in conjunction with your Goo or whatever?

Vanessa

W/ the red wine, I think just sipping is enough to get the vascularity to come out (15-20 minutes prior). I would guess I ended up drinking maybe a shot or two worth of it for that one contest Sean and I did back in 2001.
It does help to cool the nerves a bit also. I have never done the "night before" trick before, but I've heard pro's and con's to that technique.
My last contest I used a little bit of red wine and sodium free applesauce and it seemed to work pretty good for me.
Lol, nothing will be the day after pumps though. But when you eat the whole left side of the Perkins Menu, I think just about anything would give you a pump.

http://www.geocities.com/kburger10/KEVINBURGERBIO.html