# DOMS and water retention



## jmorrison (Apr 8, 2010)

I am mid-cut, and I have found that whenever I have DOMs, the scale doesnt move or even goes up a little.  For example, Sun - 215, Monday - 214.5 Heavy squat day, Tues - 216, Wed - 215 with lots of peeing, Thurs- 213.

So does damaging muscle fiber cause it to retain water?


----------



## fufu (Apr 9, 2010)

I imagine with micro-tears in training there would be a level of inflammatory fluid released and stored around the tissue.

However, what I just stated would apply when any high intensity resistance training is done regardless of DOMS onset.


----------



## CowPimp (Apr 9, 2010)

I suppose it's possible.  How consistent is your diet and fluid intake?  If you aren't eating the exact same stuff, and consuming the same fluids, every day then it may be related to that.


----------



## sassy69 (Apr 9, 2010)

In terms of water - I'm thinking of the last days of competition as an extreme case when you can really see what causes water retention because you've already stripped out all the usual things in daily life. We stop training and cardio usually by Wednesday before a  Saturday competition, and all the way up to the competition everyone says to keep your legs propped up. The reason being, the cardio/training gets lots of the internal fluids moving and it takes a day or two for that to settle down - this just gives a watery look.


----------



## Phineas (Apr 9, 2010)

sassy69 said:


> In terms of water - I'm thinking of the last days of competition as an extreme case when you can really see what causes water retention because you've already stripped out all the usual things in daily life. We stop training and cardio usually by Wednesday before a  Saturday competition, and all the way up to the competition everyone says to keep your legs propped up. The reason being, the cardio/training gets lots of the internal fluids moving and it takes a day or two for that to settle down - this just gives a watery look.



Interesting.

Bearing this in mind, what would a pre-show pump-up look like? Obviously, the intensity isn't going to be very high, but also has to be high enough to warrant significant blood-flow to the muscles. What do you do backstage before going on? How long before and for what duration?


----------



## Phineas (Apr 9, 2010)

fufu said:


> I imagine with micro-tears in training there would be a level of inflammatory fluid released and stored around the tissue.
> 
> However, what I just stated would apply when any high intensity resistance training is done regardless of DOMS onset.



Though I usually get my pump during training, my muscles tend to appear slightly smaller the day after training (when damaged). However, upon waking up the second day they were fuller than before training.

Can someone please explain this to me? Thanks.


----------



## sassy69 (Apr 9, 2010)

Phineas said:


> Interesting.
> 
> Bearing this in mind, what would a pre-show pump-up look like? Obviously, the intensity isn't going to be very high, but also has to be high enough to warrant significant blood-flow to the muscles. What do you do backstage before going on? How long before and for what duration?



Pump may go for 5-10 min - its hard to gauge it sometimes because the timing between previous weight class call and your class isn't always consistent. But generally I try to stick w/ resistance bands & light weights. Side laterals, bent over reverse flys, kickbacks, some body wt squats. But as I think you're alluding to, not enough that you start getting watery. This is where timing becomes critical - and you're completely dependent upon the show schedule and being able to respond to any changes. E.g. a friend of mine competed in the NPC Excaliber in December - we showed up for a 7 or 8 am pre-show meeting, only to find that they decided to put ALL the women's classes before the mens. With the usual army of figure & bikini girls, my friend's classes (open & masters) didn't go out for preJ until nearly 2:30 pm. And then they reversed the order of the night show and he had to be back on stage for the night show by 6:30. This mean we sat around in very uncomfortable theater seats for nearly 7 hrs waiting for PreJ, and then zero time to relax before the night show. He came up flat because of the unexpected wait in the morning. This shit can happen any time and when you're a BB, it literally begins to matter at what time of day that day you hit your preJ - normally you expect to be on stage some time between 10- 11 am. Not 2:30 pm.

But interestingly I find I get more detail the more I pose - I like to schedule a bunch of photoshoots before a show because by the end of the day, I"m dramatically more ripped.


----------



## Phineas (Apr 9, 2010)

sassy69 said:


> Pump may go for 5-10 min - its hard to gauge it sometimes because the timing between previous weight class call and your class isn't always consistent. But generally I try to stick w/ resistance bands & light weights. Side laterals, bent over reverse flys, kickbacks, some body wt squats. But as I think you're alluding to, not enough that you start getting watery. This is where timing becomes critical - and you're completely dependent upon the show schedule and being able to respond to any changes. E.g. a friend of mine competed in the NPC Excaliber in December - we showed up for a 7 or 8 am pre-show meeting, only to find that they decided to put ALL the women's classes before the mens. With the usual army of figure & bikini girls, my friend's classes (open & masters) didn't go out for preJ until nearly 2:30 pm. And then they reversed the order of the night show and he had to be back on stage for the night show by 6:30. This mean we sat around in very uncomfortable theater seats for nearly 7 hrs waiting for PreJ, and then zero time to relax before the night show. He came up flat because of the unexpected wait in the morning. This shit can happen any time and when you're a BB, it literally begins to matter at what time of day that day you hit your preJ - normally you expect to be on stage some time between 10- 11 am. Not 2:30 pm.
> 
> But interestingly I find I get more detail the more I pose - I like to schedule a bunch of photoshoots before a show because by the end of the day, I"m dramatically more ripped.



Why is it that in so many videos I've seen of BBers pumping up before a show that they seem to really focus on isolating the delts and tris? Wouldn't you want to pump up faster with compound movements? Are certain muscles harder to pump up before a show?


----------



## sassy69 (Apr 9, 2010)

Phineas said:


> Why is it that in so many videos I've seen of BBers pumping up before a show that they seem to really focus on isolating the delts and tris? Wouldn't you want to pump up faster with compound movements? Are certain muscles harder to pump up before a show?



I can't speak for what they isolate on BB videos - most people stick w/ the smaller muscles, generally not legs. I can't speak to who does what - its more like what do you have time for, what feels right, what of all the equipment (if any- some shows don't have pump up areas & you had to bring your own DBs or bands). I also incorporate more posing-oriented focus.


----------

