Making weight for a Competition

I reckon I have tried every method

Sheiko #37 Week2 Day2

Sheiko #37 Wk2 Day2 Deadlifts and Bench Day
Deadlifts to knees were interesting, I accidentally locked out a couple of times. I found these to really help my "liftoff" and my lift off form.
Bench was easy, I'm thinking of increasing the 1rm but might stay conservative. Week 3 apparently is a killer. Current bench 1rm is set for 62kg.
Deadlifts weren't as voluminous as I thought they would be. Flew through these, 1RM for dead is set to 130kg. My hands are still a problem, I ripped every callous off tonight, I stopped moisturising to hopefully get them to toughen up. Accidentally did an extra set. I also went beltless most of the session.
Lunges 5x5, 11kg nice and controlled. Could not walk afterwards!!

Video: Deadlifts to knees 90kg x 4

Sheiko #37 Week 2 Day 1

Squats/Bench/Squats
Squats felt good, I have raised my 1rm to 90kg on the program as part of my gradual increase back to 100kg+ raw. Form felt good tonight, no tightness or tipping forward.
Bench felt strong, paused alot of the heavy reps
Assistance was done heavier than last week, 5kg Fly 5 x 10, Good mornings 30kg 5 x 5
Unfortunately my shoulders said no to the 5 x 10 Weighted push ups, I did push out 2 x 10 but that was enough, and i was pushing up from my knees, not toes!
Session took just under 2hrs but had a small intermission for dinner.
Squats 72.5kg x 2

Making weight for a Competition

The following is from my own experience only, I am not anything but a Powerlifter.

In my experience
I reckon I have tried every method to cut weight prior to a competition. And what have I discovered works best? Living, breathing and walking around at the weight you need to be when you weigh in or a Kilogram out. If you are training week in week out, you get to your final week where you pull your 1RM's, you eat up for energy because you know it going to be a tough week, then pull your 1RM's at full energy. Why should a comp be any different? Why drain energy when you know you are going to need every part of it?
I've tried - Steam Rooms, Saunas, wearing a garbage bag, fasting, water loading, laxettes, spitting whilst chewing gum.
Why bother? You plan your year ahead for competitions, organise your weight also!

If you're a powerlifter who is cutting for a specific record in a weight class:
Diet up to 4 weeks out from Competition. The final 4 weeks should be maintenance, your working in the heaviest part of your program and need every ounce of your strength in training. The first 8 weeks should be dedicated to weight adjustment. Don't be a powerlifter who feels they need to consume every calorie in sight. I have lost weight while gaining strength, how? Dieting in the hypertrophy and volume stage of the program, eat maintenance on lifting days, eat calories you would normally eat when dieting on rest days, incorporate cardio 3 times weekly. For eg, my BMR is 1150 calories, my daily expenditure is 1900 calories. On training days I eat 1600-1900 calories depending on what I feel I need, rest days, I eat 1400-1500 calories. Split calories into P40%/C30%/F30%. This is just how I do it and find it works for me. There are days after a big session where I feel I need to eat everything in sight, I keep control and throw in a Protein Shake/Smoothie of some sort, I don't go an order a pizza!

If you find out last minute you need to cut weight, if the weight you need to be exceeds 4% of your total body weight, it will hurt your performance.

My only method I now use: Water loading
Every gram lost gives a better score in a powerlifting competition, so I water load to help remove any excess subcutaneous fluid prior to weigh in. For me, it starts 8 days out.
How I do it:
8 - 6 days out: I start by drinking 6-8L of water, I carry around a 2L jug and all my daily fluids come from this one jug. Mine is pretty pink!
*DO NOT drink all this water at once! Drink through out the day!
I eat lots of salty foods for the first 6-8 days (Sausages, cheese, add salt to hot chips)
5 - 3 days out: I maintain salt intake for a couple of days, 2500mg is the recommended dietary intake. I drop fluids to 3-6L
48hrs prior: Drop carbs to <80g, and salts to virtually none. Steak and salads, protein and oats. Don't use seasonings etc, foods must contain 120mg or less per 100g
24hrs prior: I consume 1L of fluid maximum (I use a 1L jug for this also)
12hrs out: I fast. Nothing, nil, nada!

This method works for me, you may need to trial it yourself to see what works for you. The body requires water daily to sustain normal life so don't think you can fast for more than 12hrs. Consume Powerade or Gastrolite straight after weigh in for immediate rehydration. Your body will also require potassium and other vitamins daily during the flushing part of water loading as excess vitamins are flushed out during the process, so maintain multivitamin intake.

If you really need to use a Steam Room or Sauna
My first bit of advice, if you have access to both, go for the sauna.
My second bit of advice, use the Sauna the morning of weigh in, extended hydration on the body takes it toll. Dehydrate - weigh in - then rehydrate as immediate as possible. If you use a Sauna the night prior, you will have a terrible nights sleep, you'll feel irritable and crave thirst all night. I have found 15mins drops 250g - 300g on me personally.

If you need to lose a really small amount...
Whilst sitting on the lounge watching television, wear a garbage bag on the largest surface area of your body, this will be your torso, bum and thighs. Go for a walk with your fashionable garbage bag under a track suit, light the fireplace or start the heater if its shitty weather. Wear it while doing daily activity. Work with it under your uniform.
Chew gum and spit. Only do this in the hour leading up to weigh in. I used to drive to the weigh in with an empty water bottle, chew a mouthful of gum and spit it into the bottle. I don't think I have ever lost a massive amount from this but if you're sitting around toget weighed in or have a decent drive, you may as well let it work for you!

Horror stories I've heard about people cutting weight:
*Fighters who have been that dehydrated they have had to be carried to the scale and supported whilst trying to stand steady on the scale.
*A lifter who could pull a 300kg deadlift on any day of the week, reduced to 170kg in competition after missing every squat and bench attempt, because he cut too much weight prior to competition.

Dont get added to the list! Stay smart, tweek and organise your methods!

Here is a West side Barbell Method of diet and sodium loading prior to weigh in
http://www.muscle-insider.com/content/pre-competition-diet-powerlifters

Belt Placement

A great article on using belts and wraps for lifts.
The Little Things Add Up | Elite FTS

Sheiko #37 Week 1 Day 3

Bench and Squats Holy Sheiko Batman! Tonight I found out what pyramid sets are by way of Sheiko Bench. The sets climb and then go back down again! Haven't done these before! Squats were feeling easy so I increased the weight, form was feeling good and I feel have the right spot of the bar on my back, directly over the feet and hips as I'm driving up. Belted up for the last 3 sets, I was feeling the fatigue kicking in! No wrist wraps today for bench, wrists felt good and strong. Flat bench flyes - alternated 2.5kg and 5kg sets. Seated good mornings - 16kg with short bar.

Sheiko #37 Week 1 Day 2

Deadlifts and Rack Pulls
Flew through the deadlift sets with minimal rest. Feeling fit and strong! Incline bench completed with 6kg Dumbbells. Rack pulls felt funny and not sure if I'm doing them wrong or they're meant to feel funny. Used the orange band for dips, slow and controlled making sure I dead stopped at the bottom to avoid that bounce that makes dips so easy! Lunges were done walking holding a 4kg medicine ball overhead, my legs were fried!

Foam rolled at the start, my hamstrings have been so tight and saw, have been using cricket balls in all my sore spots and has sorted my tight trap. Its a bit niggly from Mondays bench session.

Today's session took 1hr 30mins. I'm soaked in sweat and I reckon the session would have been shorter if i didn't have to stuff around with rack pull heights and reorganising the gym to get the safeties out of the rack!