Photoshoot Ready In 7 Days!

Are you making some great gains in the “12 Week Transformation Challenge” and you want to look your best for your progress photos? Or do you want to look extra lean and shredded for an upcoming event? Then continue reading as I will be revealing my secrets to becoming photoshoot ready!

First we will discuss a method that is used by many bodybuilders to look show-ready the day of a competition. The whole idea of this method is to deplete carbs and saturate your body with water throughout the week, and at the end of the week you carb load and cut out water consumption. Once we discuss this method, we will then go over more tips on how to look your best for an upcoming event or progress photo.

Carb Depletion & Water / Sodium Loading:

In bodybuilding this method is called “Peak Week” and it will give you a vascular/dry look and will take 7 days to complete.  For the first 5 days add sodium to your diet.  This can be done by adding table salt to each meal every day, but do not go too crazy.  During these 5 days you will be increasing your water consumption by 50% of your daily water intake every day (add approx. 1.5L per day).

Day 1 - 2: Lower your carbohydrate intake to 50% of your daily average. You can increase your protein and fat consumption to compensate a bit for the decrease in calories.

Day 3 - 5: Decrease your carbohydrate intake to 25% of your daily average.  If during these days you do not feel carb depleted, try to do a high volume full body workout to force glycogen out of the muscles.

Day 6 - 7: Now the fun begins! Increase your carbohydrate intake to 150% of your daily average. At the same time limit your sodium intake as much as possible and decrease your water consumption to a max of 50% of your daily average intake on the 6^th day, and try to drink even less on the seventh day.

Here is an example on how this could look like for a person eating 2500kcal (300c, 200p, 55f):

7 TIPS To Look Your Best!

1. Get A Tan: When you have color on your skin, you tend to show a lot more definition in any type of lighting. The last thing you want to happen is to arrive at an event or photo shoot pasty white and have the lights “flush out” all your muscle definition so start getting a tan ahead of time.
   
   
2. Shave Body Hair: Depending on the amount of hair you have naturally in certain areas, or the look you are going for, some of you may need to do more shaving than others.  For example, if you want to look as shredded as possible on stage or in a photo, you will want to shave your chest, back, arms, legs, torso, etc.  But if you are going for a more casual look and do not have much hair to begin with, usually shaving just your chest and maybe torso is enough as the hair on your arms, back and legs is not that thick to begin with.
   
   
3. Pump up. Before jumping on stage or in a photo shoot be sure to get a solid pump. If you are not at the gym or do not have any equipment available, perform push-ups, pull-ups and variations of lateral shoulder raises with a weighted bag.
   
   
   
4. Find A Spot With Good Lighting. Lighting is very important when it comes to showing muscle definition in photos.  Always look for downward lighting such as spotlights from the ceiling. Or sideways lighting from a window.   It is always a good idea to take a few test photos before starting your photo shoot.  If you have the option to set-up your own lights, that would be your best option.
   
   
5. Practice Your Posing.  The last thing you want to do is show up to a photo shoot and have no idea what you are doing.  Spend some time practicing in front of a mirror so you know how to look your best in every photo.
   
   
6. Film A Video Instead Of Taking A Photo. If you have trouble taking a good photo, try filming yourself while slowly performing your poses. You can then take snapshots of the video afterwards.
   
   
7. Final Tip: The best way to look good in a photo is to actually look good and be lean. If you do not want to use the depletion method, you can still look great and use the tips given in this article with the right meal plan and workout program.
   
   

If you have an upcoming photo shoot or are currently taking progress photos, be sure to post them below and let me know if these tips helped you look your best!  Train hard!