Vijay Deverakonda recently spoke about a tough side of film prep as he opened up about cutting his water intake while shooting for the film Liger.Speaking to Sudhir Srinivasan on his YouTube podcast, the actor said he cut down his water intake for Liger so his body would look shredded. “I did it during Liger…where the water was cut down to make my body look shredded. It is not healthy or good at all. It starts with four or six litres of water and slowly cuts it down to 300 ml to 100 ml. 10 hours before the shoot, you don’t drink water. Was licking an ice cube. It’s a random ***t,” he said.He added, “Bodybuilders and all do it. Every second from the time I was drinking 300 ml of water a day…every minute…you are like….water…water…water. When I was licking that ice cube and was not allowed water, I was sleeping thinking of water. I knew I had to go four hours without water, and then I could drink. I asked my team for coconut water and to get four litres of it. I didn’t want food or anything,” the 37-year-old said.This brings us down to the question: why do bodybuilders even do this, and is it a healthy practise just to achieve the ‘desired look’.Let’s dig in to find out what research says about it
Why do bodybuilders dehydrate before competitions?
Vijay Deverakonda revealed that he dehydrated himself while shooting for Liger to make his body look shredded. According to the actor, “Bodybuilders and all do it.” But what are they trying to achieve?A 2018 study by Andrew Chappell and Trevor Simper, published in the journal Sports, researched this. They surveyed 81 natural bodybuilders, including 59 men and 22 women, from British competitions in 2016 and 2017. According to the study, manipulating carbohydrates, water, and sodium were the most common strategies in the final week before a contest, and only 6.2% of competitors kept to their normal diet that week.
So what does water have to do with looks?
According to Chappell and Simper, bodybuilders reduce their water consumption to help their muscles fill up with stored carbohydrate or glycogen and to get rid of extra water lying just under the skin.That extra layer can hide the sharp, clear muscle lines they want to show on stage. Their water routine follows along with their carb routine, so they drink plenty early on, then slowly cut back as competition day gets closer, which is quite similar to what Vijay explained.According to the research, a well-filled muscle also holds water inside it, and drinking a lot makes the body pass more urine, and bodybuilders try to use that effect before they restrict water.
Over-dehydration can make muscles look smaller
But it must also be noted that muscle is mostly water, so too much dehydration can make muscles look flat and smaller instead of full. Water held with glycogen may stay inside the muscle if the athlete rests, but water outside the muscle cells can still be lost, which may negatively impact the look. The authors also say these methods can go against normal sports nutrition advice. Athletes may accept weaker stamina or performance in return for the right appearance on the day.Chappell and Simper say they also looked at the possible harm these peaking methods can cause to health. Vijay himself said it is “not healthy or good at all”. So this is not something to copy at home. Anyone curious to try this, should speak to a doctor first.
