Chapter 8 | That Night, I Tried Believing in Myself

It's finally one week before the competition.
From here on, I'll begin the final adjustments.

[What are Carb Depletion & Carb Loading?]

[1] Carb Depletion (Carbohydrate Depletion Phase)

• Duration: About 3 to 5 days

• Extremely cut carbohydrates

• Diet centered on protein and fats

• Use up all muscle glycogen in the body through training
  → The image of emptying the muscle's "sugar tank"

In my case, I depleted from Monday to Friday.

[2] Carb Loading (Carbohydrate Replenishment Phase)

• Duration: 1 to 2 days before the competition

• Consume large amounts of carbohydrates (centered on easily digestible sugars)

• Keep fats low

• Training is light, just enough to get a pump
  → Sugar and water rush into the emptied muscles, increasing the pump sensation

I started carb loading on Saturday.

■ Expected Effects

• Muscle fullness, firmness, and definition stand out

• Subcutaneous water decreases, resulting in a sharp and dry finish

• On stage, you look your absolute best

Of course, this final adjustment was also a first-time experience in my life.
The weight loss was tough, but this depletion was a whole different level of tough.

I have no strength in my body (seriously)

I'm just, so exhausted that even my speech is getting weird.

School? What are you talking about?
The lessons aren't sinking in at all.

In P.E. class, I could only stand there like a stone statue (lol).

In that state,
I did two cardio sessions—morning and post-workout—plus training.

The weight I could handle naturally dropped, but
Mr. Nakamura told me,

he said.

Wow... lol

By the way, I was taking the subway to the gym, but
in the latter half of the depletion phase, my brain wasn't working enough to even know which station I was at, and I still remember
freezing in front of the ticket machine (lol).

—

At this point, I entered hermit mode.

"I can eat carbohydrates on Saturday"—
that was my only hope.

By Friday night, I was completely a wreck, but when I thought, **"I can eat rice tomorrow!"** I was so happy I couldn't sleep.

Carb-up, and water loading/unloading

Starting Saturday, carb-up begins. At the same time, **"water unloading"** also starts.

This is to thin the skin and make muscle definition and veins pop out.

Actually, since Monday when I started the depletion,
Mr. Nakamura told me to gulp down 6 liters of water a day.

This is to train the body to get into **"excretion mode."**

From there, I gradually reduced the water intake,
limiting it to 500ml to 1 liter the day before the competition.

Some athletes also adjust their salt intake, but
if you cut it too much, your muscles won't look full, or you might get leg cramps.

I was told not to adjust sodium this time and that the usual amount is fine.

Carb-up meals (surprisingly tough)

200g of white rice + 150g of chicken x 5 sets
I will eat this every 3 hours.

—

For the first 1 or 2 meals, it tasted incredibly delicious.
I even felt moved by the carbohydrates after such a long time.

But...

Since my water intake is restricted, my mouth is bone dry. lol

Before long, the white rice just wouldn't go down my throat.
I genuinely thought, "Is white rice really this hard to eat without water?"

From around the 3rd meal, it actually started to become painful to eat.

—

My body felt like it was filling out, or maybe not...
honestly, I couldn't really tell myself (lol)

And then to Tokyo

I arrived in Tokyo from Sendai and went to the hotel where I was staying the night before.

Nakamura-san checked my body, and

—

At night, I took a 1-hour half-body bath to shed water.
After that, I applied baby oil all over my body
and wore long sleeves and long pants to let it soak in.

—

Finally, Nakamura-san said to me:

—

When I was alone in my room after hearing those words,
I deeply felt that I had finally made it this far.

Everything was a first

Before I knew it,everything was a first-time experience.

Starting with home workouts, joining Gold's Gym, meeting Mr. Nakamura, deciding to enter a bodybuilding competition, and the first high school tournament being held—

—

I really thought that life is full of things you can't predict.

—

In my life up until then,
I had never once felt that my choices were 'right'.

But for this one moment,
I was able to feel just a little bit of confidence in my own decisions.

And so, I quietly waited for tomorrow

Even though it was my first competition,
strangely, I felt no nervousness.

—

Perhaps it was because I had the feeling that I could proudly say,
'I did everything I could do as I am now.'

I think that confidence was what kept me calm.

—

Tomorrow, how will that effort be evaluated?

—

For the first time,it was a night where I thought, 'Let's try to have expectations for my life.'