I always dropped sodium completey the Monday before shows. I'd never really load the sodium on, but dropped it completely the week prior and I've come in ripped in the past, just something that has always worked for me. And that last week I'd go from 1.5 gal of water on Monday to 2 gal on Tuesday, 2.5 gal Wednesday, 3 gal Thursday, 3.5 gal by 5 on Friday and stop. Then just let it works itself out until show time. That was shown to me by one of the guys at my gym and it's also worked out along with Super Dieter's Tea at 11pm the night before the show. I always took a natural diuretic the last 4 weeks as well.