How to shrink up loose skin for competition day?

Hello can anyone tell me of any ways to shrink up a little loose skin before the LoneStar show? I have a few spots that are bothersome to me and cause issues when I pose. Folds and wrinkles plus obviously not clinging to the muscle as I want it too. It is only very little at the bottom of my chest, abdomen, and back mside of my obliques.

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Permalink Reply by Alec W Dewdney on April 9, 2009 at 9:40pm

Sure wish there was an answer to this problem. The Cobourg Health Shop suggested dry brushing. I can't say it made much difference

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Permalink Reply by Chris on April 9, 2009 at 9:52pm

I know there isn't mch other than time if you are lucky that can fix it permenantly. I have heard that people have tricks that temporarily shrink the skin just for game day though. I also keep hearing that alot of it will tighten up when I initially dehaydrate for the show. Do you have ny ideas on posing to cover the issue?

Alec W dewdney said:

Sure wish there was an answer to this problem. The Cobourg Health Shop suggested dry brushing. I can't say it made much difference

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Permalink Reply by Michael Elias on April 10, 2009 at 11:38am

Hey Chris,

Your body can drop fat faster than your skin can tighten up, so it's normal to experience some loose skin during the contest prep process. How much the skin will tighten up really depends on how fast you lose the fat, and the total amount of fat and size lost.

If you have really lost a lot of weight quickly, it's possible that certain areas just won't tighten up completely on their own.
This is most common with people who were significantly overweight and who lost 10's or even hundreds of pounds.

Maintaining a weight loss rate of 1-2 lbs per week is the best way to minimize loose skin during the contest prep process.

Some competitors try to use products like Preparation-H to tighten loose skin. Products like this are local topical diuretics and they tighten skin by removing water from the local tissue. It's important to remember that the effects of these products are temporary and your body will actually rehydrate these areas quickly after the product wears off. In fact your body may actually overcompensate for the dehydration and temporarliy retain water in the areas where the product was applied. Also, I don't advise applying these types of products on top of competition color because they can cause discoloration and smearing of your color.

Bottom line, the effect of Preparation-H like products is minimal and isn't going to magically reduce extra skin.

The best way to reduce loose skin is to design your program and start far enough out so that you lose at a max rate of 1-2 lbs per week, and be in competition shape at 2-3 weeks out to give your skin some extra time to catch up to your fat loss.

- Michael

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Permalink Reply by Chris on April 10, 2009 at 5:54pm

Hello Michael, thank you for taking the time to reply with such detail. Unfortunately I am not far from the competition and have lost 25 lbs in the last 6 months, but have lost a lot in inches and have done a lot of recomposition in that time as well. Plus I stretched my skin out 14 years ago during a sympathy pregnancy and got some stretch marks. So I assume that was when it happened originally.

Do you know if the judges hold a little bit of loose skin against a competitor or is it common enough that they know what it is and look beyond that to the physique underneath? I don't have a lot and may be hypersensitive to the amount. I have attached a couple picture here to show you what I mean.

The most muscular here is older but you see the skin folding up at the bottom of my abs, and then the others poses you see the skin under the nipple? There is also a little loose skin just behind the bottom of my obliques. Is this even enough to concern myself with or am I being hyper sensitive?

Michael Elias said:

Hey Chris,

Your body can drop fat faster than your skin can tighten up, so it's normal to experience some loose skin during the contest prep process. How much the skin will tighten up really depends on how fast you lose the fat, and the total amount of fat and size lost.

If you have really lost a lot of weight quickly, it's possible that certain areas just won't tighten up completely on their own.
This is most common with people who were significantly overweight and who lost 10's or even hundreds of pounds.

Maintaining a weight loss rate of 1-2 lbs per week is the best way to minimize loose skin during the contest prep process.

Some competitors try to use products like Preparation-H to tighten loose skin. Products like this are local topical diuretics and they tighten skin by removing water from the local tissue. It's important to remember that the effects of these products are temporary and your body will actually rehydrate these areas quickly after the product wears off. In fact your body may actually overcompensate for the dehydration and temporarliy retain water in the areas where the product was applied. Also, I don't advise applying these types of products on top of competition color because they can cause discoloration and smearing of your color.

Bottom line, the effect of Preparation-H like products is minimal and isn't going to magically reduce extra skin.

The best way to reduce loose skin is to design your program and start far enough out so that you lose at a max rate of 1-2 lbs per week, and be in competition shape at 2-3 weeks out to give your skin some extra time to catch up to your fat loss.

- Michael

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