Larry Wheels Gained 53 Kilos in 5 Days After Ending Second at 2023 Novice Olympia

Publish-contest physique modifications present the ability of correct vitamin.

Written by Stephen Sheehan, CPT Final up to date on Nov 10, 2023

Larry Wheels might have seemed leaner than ever within the leadup to the 2023 Novice Olympia, nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy for him to maneuver the needle in the other way after falling in need of securing his IFBB Professional League card.

Coming off a formidable efficiency on the 2023 NPC Final Warriors by which he received his Traditional Physique debut, the uber-popular powerlifter-turned-bodybuilder nonetheless needed to trim a number of inches off his sizable body. Sadly for Wheels, his peak week efforts to go from 240 to 232 kilos didn’t lead to a first-place end in Orlando, FL, as Ejike Enwereuzor Jr. captured the Novice Olympia Traditional Physique championship on Nov. 2, 2023.

Lower than every week later, nevertheless, Wheels’ physique appeared vastly totally different than it did when he stood on stage on the Orange County Conference Middle. On Nov. 5, 2023, a noticeably bigger model of the versatile energy athlete shared a video on his YouTube video detailing how he gained 53 kilos in 5 days after competing within the Novice Olympia. Not solely did Wheels talk about his use of diuretics, however he additionally delivered an entire breakdown of the cheat meals he consumed that contributed to such a considerable bounce.

Having final stepped on stage at round 265 kilos, Wheels went on a critical reduce to get contest-ready for the Traditional Physique class. Moreover severely decreasing his energy and basically eliminating carbohydrates from his food regimen for a number of weeks, his weight-loss course of additionally concerned using diuretics, which bodybuilders usually use throughout peak week to scale back muscle water retention, improve urine output, and excrete sodium to current a extra aesthetic physique. (1)

“This was my first time getting absolutely depleted for a present,” Wheels defined. “I did use diuretics to make weight and to have that dry, onerous look on stage.”

Regardless of falling in need of his aim of incomes his IFBB Professional League card, the record-setting powerlifter-turned-bodybuilder actually proved how highly effective combining diuretics with a calorie-restrictive food regimen might be for shortly reworking your physique. But after tipping the scales at 231.4 kilos throughout weigh-ins on Oct. 30, 2023, and competing within the Novice Olympia at 238 kilos two days later, Wheels stunned himself by ballooning as much as 284 kilos by Nov. 4, 2023.

“I don’t assume I’ve consumed sufficient fluid and stable meals so as to add as much as 40 kilos,” he stated. “I don’t perceive the place all the burden got here from.”

Whereas Wheels’ large weight achieve could appear stunning, it shouldn’t be primarily based on each his diuretic use and his post-contest food regimen. After using diuretics twice inside three days to make weight for each exhibits, it will solely be pure for his physique to start retaining fluids as a substitute of shedding them. Plus, whenever you cease taking diuretics and begin binge consuming like Wheels did, you’re sure to see the quantity on the size go up as you replenish your muscle glycogen shops.

In a traditional instance of the results of a post-contest cheat meal spree, right here’s what the social media star ate that left him 53 kilos heavier.

Larry Wheels’ Full Cheat Meal Lineup

After abstaining from any kind of consolation meals for fairly a while, Wheels went all-in over two days with 9 calorie-dense cheat meals:

Day One

• Cheat Meal One: Two bacon double cheeseburgers and one massive fry (5 Guys)
• Cheat Meal Two: 16-pounce ribeye steak and candy potato mash (Ruth’s Chris Steak Home)
• Cheat Meal Three: One bag of Pop-Tarts
• Cheat Meal 4: Two cups of noodles

Day Two

• Cheat Meal 5: Cinnamon roll pancakes, hash browns, and sunny-side-up eggs
• Cheat Meal Six: Cinnamon roll bagel with cream cheese, orange juice, and a bowl of cereal
• Cheat Meal Seven: Bacon double cheeseburger with French fries and lemon cookies
• Cheat Meal Eight: Fried hen sandwich, six bone-in wings, three hen tenders, and French fries — plus chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert (Buffalo Wild Wings)
• Cheat Meal 9: 14-inch margherita pizza, garlic knots, and a salad

In the end, Wheels estimated that he consumed about 20,000 energy inside the first 24 hours after stepping on the Novice Olympia stage. However after taking a no-holds-barred strategy to consuming and seeing the quantity on the size shoot up by greater than 50 kilos in such a brief period of time, he sounded able to get again to a extra disciplined way of life.

“It’s time to screw my head again on straight and eat clear,” he stated.

Featured Picture: Larry Wheels / YouTube

References

1. Escalante, G., Stevenson, S.W., Barakat, C. et al. Peak week suggestions for bodybuilders: an evidence-based strategy. BMC Sports activities Sci Med Rehabil 13, 68 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-021-00296-y