The question of how to dry quickly in bodybuilding is a complex one, because the time factor is specific to each individual.
At the risk of disappointing you: it's difficult to dry off quickly AND healthily, unless you resort to doping, which is highly inadvisable because of its dangerousness.
The key to successful muscle toning is to design it as an individual journey, combining sport and nutrition.
Without a balance between nutritional intake and suitable exercise sessions, it's difficult to envisage fat loss in favor of muscle mass. Is it possible to optimize the lean period with a healthy, clean approach? Yes, and here's how.
Contents
Drying quickly in bodybuilding: how to optimize your dryness?
Successful muscle drying
What is bodybuilding drying? At first glance, it looks like weight loss, but it's actually weight optimization. The aim is to reduce body fat in favor of muscle mass.
To succeed, you need to optimize your caloric intake and match it to your training sessions. Diet and sport are therefore two inseparable factors in effective weight loss.
Calculate your macronutrient requirements easily with our simulator:
Why do a bodybuilding dry run?
Dry weight training is very important for bodybuilders who want to build muscle mass for aesthetic reasons, to show off in front of a jury. It can also be used to optimize weight loss and sculpt your figure by shaping your muscles.
Last but not least, dry weight has its place in the quest for sporting performance. In combat sports, for example, the challenge is to reach the upper limit of one's weight category with a maximum of muscle to gain strength and explosiveness.
Nutrition for a healthy, efficient dry
Personal nutritional intake
While part of the weight loss process takes place on the plate, it's impossible to set precise quantities of fats, carbohydrates and proteins to be eaten each day. Each food plan is individual and has two objectives:
- gradually reduce daily calorie intake;
- modify the distribution of nutrients and the rhythm of meals.
Be careful with the low-calorie diet: if the reduction in intake is too great, counter-productive effects can occur, such as fatigue or muscle loss.
The calorie balance principle
The calorie balance is the difference between what is consumed on the one hand and what is spent on the other. In a fat-free diet, the aim is to achieve a caloric deficit, i.e. to spend more calories than you take in, in order to tip the balance.
To find out your daily calorie count for the dry season, you need to :
- calculate your daily energy requirements, based on your basal metabolic rate and your level of physical activity;
- gradually reduce this caloric energy requirement from 200 to 500 kcal per day.
As with any change in diet, it is advisable to monitor its effects in order to adjust your diet and avoid health risks.
The principle of the high-protein diet
To develop or avoid the loss of muscles, which are made up of proteins, it is essential toincrease protein intake¹. Proteins form a reservoir from which the body draws for its vital functions and for energy in particular situations, such as low-calorie diets.
Conversely, excessive protein consumption (over 3/4 g/kg/d) is not without consequences for health ². Their breakdown can be saturated and produce counter-productive effects (increased adiposity, risk of muscular injury).
Food plan and foods to avoid
For a successful dry run with the right diet, we recommend aiming for :
- An increase in protein, to consume between 1.5 and 2 g / kg / day;
- maintenance of lipids, particularly essential fatty acids (rapeseed oil, olive oil...) or a slight reduction;
- a reduction in carbohydrates, without however stopping them.
Taking more than 2.5 g / kg / day of protein is of no nutritional interest, even in the context of a dry diet ³.
As for food, deli meats, sweetened drinks, alcohol and processed products should be avoided when you're on a diet. Beware of so-called "empty calories", such as those found in fast-food outlets, which contribute nothing in terms of energy or nutrition, and beware of sweeteners, those fake sugars which, on paper, provide a sweet taste without calories. Their use is highly inadvisable because of their potentially harmful long-term effects, particularly in terms of metabolism and altered perception of sweet taste.
The importance of hydration
To assimilate and transform proteins, the body needstrace elements andwater. A water intake adapted to the effort and context helps avoid proteolysis, the cause of muscle wasting⁴.
Conversely, dehydration promotes the oxidation of certain amino acids such as leucine¹. The consequences of dehydration have major repercussions on the body, diminishing the quality of physical effort.
Training to optimize dryness
Effective muscle-building exercises for weight loss
Muscle strengthening helps maintain or even optimize muscle levels. As adiposity is lost, muscles are better defined.
For a successful lean phase, the number of sessions can be increased to 4 or 5 per week.
When training, it's advisable to perform 2 or 3 exercises to strengthen the same muscle (deadlift, vertical pull-up, barbell rowing, etc.) and increase the number of repetitions. The idea is to do longer sets, with fewer recoveries between each set.
Last but not least, polyarticular exercises increase caloric expenditure while soliciting several muscle groups at the same time.
Integrating cardio-training into your sports schedule
For a successful weight loss program, you need to supplement your weight training sessions with cardio exercises.
The benefits of cardio vary according to the intensity of effort.
For high-intensity sessions, thecaloric impact during and after exercise will be very significant. The fatigue induced by exercise makes strengthening essential, to continue stimulating the muscle fibres.
With low-intensity exercise, fewer calories are burned, but lipid consumption is stimulated, so fat is lost. Even though less is burned per unit of time, it's still worthwhile and makes it easier to follow up with muscle strengthening.
The key to a successful training plan
The most important thing to remember when creating a dry training plan is to vary the exercises to avoid stagnation.
Another tip to keep in mind is togradually increase the intensity of your sessions to optimize fat loss.
4 complementary factors for a successful dryer
Give priority to sleep and rest
Even if you're aiming for an increase in intensity, trying to do too much and neglecting recovery can be deleterious.
In the event of fatigue, you need to know how to readjust your training plan to increase recovery times or adapt your session. Neuromuscular fatigue affects both physical and cognitive performance ⁵.
Sleep therefore plays a fundamental role in dry periods. We recommend sleeping between 7 and 8 hours a night (preferably between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.) and avoiding screens 30 minutes before bedtime.
Monitor and evaluate progress
As with the dietary aspect, it's important to objectively monitor your dry phase to measure its effectiveness and, above all, to readjust it.
To achieve this, it's essential to define certain starting metrics, such as weight, body fat and body measurements.
Weighing can be done weekly, while measurements can be taken monthly.
Before and after photos can also be an interesting and motivating indicator.
Consider food supplements
Certain dietary supplements, such as whey, can be useful during a lean period, in particular to provide sufficient levels of protein. Of course, whey is not compulsory, but it does help you achieve your goals in a healthy way.
It is important to check the origin and traceability of dietary supplements to ensure the absence of additives or other substances harmful to the body.
The duration of a successful dry run
As each dry-down is unique to the person doing it, there is no ideal length of time. It's important to remember that an effective, healthy workout takes time, on the order of 2 to 3 months, depending on your starting level and your goals.
Conclusion
The question of how to dry out quickly in bodybuilding is no longer relevant. We know that it's important to respect two essential and inseparable elements: the right diet and regular physical training. Without a minimum of 3 sessions a week, combining cardio and strengthening, it's pointless to imagine losing fat without losing muscle. Similarly, a varied, balanced diet containing proteins, lipids and carbohydrates is the key to healthy muscle loss, with no yo-yo effect. It's all a question of dosage, and each individual is unique, so don't hesitate to meet with professionals, such as qualified coaches or competent dietician-nutritionists, for individual support in your lean phase.
Sources :
