Okay, getting photoshoot ready in 7 days may be a little bit deceiving if you’re not already in decent shape.

This is mainly speaking to the people who are already in great shape and are just looking to manipulate their body further to “dry out” and look as ripped and lean as possible on camera.

When I say ‘great shape’, I mean single digit body fat % levels for males and body fat % levels in the teens for females.

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Also, every one’s bodies are different. Just because something has worked for me, doesn’t mean it will work for you, and vice versa. You need to test each variable and manipulate when needed.

My best work on camera has been when I am pretty well depleted of carbs and water. So the carb loading phase that I’m going to talk about didn’t provide my best results. What worked for me was going into the shoot depleted, and then have a small amount of high glycemic carbs a few hours before the shot.

Test, test, test…find out what works for you and stick with it. This article will discuss one of the more popular versions of carb depletion and loading within a 7 day window before the shoot.

So here we go…

Photoshoot ready in 7 days - 7 Day Depletion & Loading

First, lets work back 7 days from the day you want to look the best.

Saturday is photoshoot day. This means you need to start this 7 day process the following Sunday to give yourself enough time to deplete and load.

 

 

There are two ways to deplete your muscle glycogen (fuel stored in the muscle from carbohydrates).

The first is to lower your carb intake over a 3 day period, and the second is to train with a rep range of 15 to 20 over the same period.

Carb Depletion:

Sunday/Monday/Tuesday:

Workout:

• On day 7, 6, and 5, begin to train each body part, using half the weight you would normally lift.
• Aim for 3 exercises for small muscle groups such as biceps, triceps, shoulders, calves, and abs, and perform 2 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions
• For the large muscle groups, such as quads, hamstrings, chest and back, do the same as you did for smaller muscle groups, except do 3 sets instead of 2.
• Some people say to cut cardio out 10 days before your shot. I personally find it helps to do cardio all the way up to the shot. Test and find what works for you.

• Carbs/Water/Sodium:
  • The best way to reduce your carb intake is to halve the amount for each of the 3 days.
  • Sunday (day 7):if your usual daily carb intake is 200g, then on the Sunday (7 days out from the day you want to peak), you will have:
    • Carbs 100g
    • Increase water intake (1.5oz per pound of bodyweight) at regular intervals throughout the day. So if you’re 175 lbs, you’d take 8 litres
    • Cut Sodium
  • Monday (day 6):
    • Carbs 50g
    • Same water intake as previous day
    • Cut Sodium
  • Tuesday (day 5):
    • Carbs 25g
    • Same water intake as previous day
    • Cut Sodium

Carb Loading:

It’s time to fill up the depleted muscle cells by eating a higher carbohydrate intake.

• Workout:
  • This is the time to let your muscle glycogen replenish. No workouts are recommended for Day 4 & 3. On day 2 you can do a quick, very light program of 1 set of 12 to 15 reps for each body part with very light weights (up to 70% lighter than your usual weight). Your muscles will be depleted and are like sponges as this point. Rather than further deplete them, allow the glycogen from the carb load to replenish and fill out your muscles.

• Carbs/Water/Sodium:
  • Wednesday (day 4):
    • To work out how many carbohydrates to consume multiply the amount of carbs you were eating on your baseline diet (just before you started to deplete for 3 days), by 2.5 – 3. In this example it would mean 500g of carbs.
    • On the first day of carb loading, you should use a 50:50 mix of fast acting carbs, and complex carbs, with the first meal consisting mostly of high glycemic carbs to help start the glycogen storing process.
    • Carbs: 500g – this includes foods like bagels, muffins, pancakes, dried fruit, and jam.
    • Cut sodium
    • Water intake: 4 litres (50% of previous day)
    • To help with glycogen absorption and sodium excretion you can supplement with Potassium, Chromium, and Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) with each of your meals during the loading phase. (Check with your physician first).
    • Also be sure to take Omega-3 Fatty Acids (throughout the day).
  • Thursday (day 3)
    • After the first day of carb loading you should stick with exclusively low glycemic carbs such as sweet potato.
      • Decrease carbs by up to 50%. 250g.
      • Cut sodium
      • Cut H20 in half. 2 litres.
      • Sauna (twice a day until you begin to sweat)
      • Eat lots of asparagus to help further dry out. Asparagus is a natural diuretic.
      • To help with glycogen absorption and sodium excretion you can supplement with Potassium, Chromium, and Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) with each of your meals during the loading phase. (Check with your physician first).
      • Also be sure to take Omega-3 Fatty Acids (throughout the day)
    • Friday (day 2):On the final day of loading, eat less carbs so that you don’t risk holding on to water or even spilling over.
      • Decrease carbs by up to 50%: 125g
      • Cut sodium
      • Cut water almost completely. Just sip throughout the day.
      • Drink a glass of Wine the night before to help improve vacularity
      • Sauna (twice a day until you begin to sweat)
      • Eat lots of asparagus to help further dry out. Asparagus is a natural diuretic.
      • To help with glycogen absorption and sodium excretion you can supplement with Potassium, Chromium, and Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) with each of your meals during the loading phase. (Check with your physician first).
      • Also be sure to take Omega-3 Fatty Acids (throughout the day)
    • Saturday (shot day)
      • Eat light and just sip water.
      • Perform body weight exercises to increase the pump.
      • Enjoy the moment. You made it!

There you have it. There are many different ways to do this, and everyone’s body reacts differently. Give this plan a try and see if you can get photoshoot ready in 7 days!

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