I was recently inspired by a friend of mine who was competing in the Arnold Bodybuilding competition in Columbus, OH. She placed in the top 10! WOW!
It reminded me of how crucial that final week before a competition is.
The infamous “peak week.”
Let me shed some light on the subject…
A TBT “ironbikini” post from November 2013:
“Happy peak week!”
This is something you often hear bodybuilders saying to each other during their final week of contest prep.
What? Peak week? What is that?
“Peak week” is the term used to refer to the last week of prep leading up to a competition. The purpose is to come in with full muscles and tight skin to reveal maximum muscle definition. Depending on what division you are competing in, of course. Obviously, peak week for a bodybuilder is much different than peak week for a bikini competitor.
It isn’t an exact science and varies from person to person. Really, it’s just a big experiment. You don’t really know how your body will respond until you actually do it. A lot of trial and error. Rarely does someone get the desired result on their first attempt.
But something to always remember is that there is not much you can do during the last week that is going to fix something you haven’t already accomplished during your prep. It’s almost as if you want to be ready to step on stage one week out.
That being said, the variables that are generally played with are:
water intake
carbs
protein & fat
sodium & other minerals
cardio & training
Just google “peak week bodybuilding” and you will come up with MASSIVE amounts of information. It can be rather confusing as a lot of it may seem like conflicting material.
Even in my own experience. During my spring prep, I drank over 2 gallons of water during the first half of the week to put my body in “flushing” mode. This time? Normal. Just my usual gallon. Have I noticed a difference? I don’t know. I just know I don’t have to go to the bathroom nearly as often! I still go down to half a gallon Friday and sip throughout the day Saturday (show time). That much has stayed the same.
I also ate more carbs during my spring show prep where as now I eat carbs every 18th meal. Have I noticed a difference? For sure! I have a lot more definition coming through and am seeing things in certain areas I have never seen before! The major drawback is weakness and low energy, of course.
Cardio. Last time I was doing a whole lot more than I am now and came in looking really lean. I would venture to say that I was on a verge of having a “flat” look and didn’t have quite the fullness in muscle that I do now.
So, lots of different variables and I can’t really say which one is the one that makes the biggest difference. Quite honestly, I don’t really understand the science behind it yet (so fascinating!) so I still feel like a total newb in this department. Just doing what my coach tells me to do. 🙂 But I find this all incredibly intriguing and plan to educate myself more in the off-season.
But that’s just the physical aspect. Let’s get down to the good stuff: the emotional and psychological ones. Now here’s where it gets really juicy. I definitely have the self-doubt that creeps in. ALL THE TIME. The moodiness. The irritability and anxiousness. The exhaustion. Both emotionally and physically. The moments of just wanting to throw in the towel and fall face first into a delicious gooey molten hot fudge brownie sundae (OK. maybe not. Sometimes I just crave deliciously prepared sweet potatoes. For realz).
That’s why it’s important to have a support group and people you can reach out to and lean on. And bitch and complain to. At least for a little bit. People who get it. People who’ve been there. Because this sport is really difficult to understand unless you’ve actually been in contest prep before.
So when I read posts on Facebook by pros that I follow, athletes who have been at this much longer than I, I am deeply encouraged. Like just today. The amazing Brooke Erickson wrote:
“I learned that it is in our nature to never be satisfied. And although that is okay – it is important to be able to know the difference between striving for self satisfaction and striving for an unattainable comparison. I didn’t necessarily compare myself to other individuals, but rather, I disregarded myself because I felt that me at my best wasn’t as good as someone else at their best. This was and still is an unfair way to view myself because I am not that other person and regardless of what I do- I will never be anyone other than me. This is why I have adopted the concept of “I am enough.” My ten is my ten and it is enough. I lost those three words for awhile and in the process I started to lose sight of why I do what I do…
If you find yourself in a place of self doubt or self comparison- always remember that your ten is your ten… no one else’s. You are perfect just the way you are… You are enough.”
This was exactly what I needed to hear today. It really hit home. I was really struggling today. Ready to be DONE. Say f**k it. (btw, just had a carb meal – this post is riding on the energy of that! LOL)
But then I remembered why I am doing this. And know that NO MATTER WHAT, I am bringing my best self to the stage. Each time. I am enough. My ten is my ten. And that is enough.
So I keep plugging along, doing what I need to.
Getting my workouts in.
Getting my meals in.
(funny side note: I had to squeeze in a meal during one of my private piano lessons this evening and had the kindest dog patiently waiting for a taste of tilapia & asparagus. he got bored. too cute!)
And knowing that I am only competing with myself and bringing to the stage a better version of me.
(abs 4 weeks ago in competition vs. today, 4 days out)
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
* * * * * * * * * *
The result of peak week:
(the Sunday before to the day before)
Day of:
BAM.
Today’s workout:
Do what makes you happy.