The three criteria that must be met prior to Peak Week for a bodybuilder to optimize his or her peak are: being stage lean, knowing and stabilizing macronutrients, knowing and stabilizing sodium and water intake. If any one of these is lacking prior to Peak Week, your chances of peaking optimally greatly diminish. And if you are not already stage lean (the most important criteria), you will not be stage lean come show day; it’s not “magic week!”

‍

STAGE LEAN: Being lean enough for the stage before starting Peak Week is extremely important and should be your top focus. You need to be at your leanest, showing the best shape you've achieved so far, by the time Peak Week begins. If you're not lean enough at this stage, criteria 2 and 3 won't be very effective. Your body fat should be at its lowest, with muscle lines clear and prominent. We have judged over a thousand competitors over the last several years, and it’s safe to say that 80% of the athletes that reach the stage in local and National Qualifiers are not lean enough. That reduces slightly for National Shows.

‍

Many competitors mistakenly believe that they'll look dramatically different on stage after shedding water weight during Peak Week. However, this is often a misconception. Losing water weight (reducing inflammation, not dehydration) will help... if you're already stage lean!  But the real issue for most competitors is excess body fat, which can't be sufficiently lost during Peak Week. Any body-fat you do lose during the few days of peak weak you are still in a deficit is not enough to be noticed by the naked eye, standing 20-30 feet from the judging panel.

‍

NUTRITION: Knowing how many carbs, fats, and protein you consume daily is essential for proper peaking. Think of your macronutrient intake like a road map to your final destination. Or in this case, your final look. Your current location is the best indicator of the optimal path to get to that destination. Understanding the amount of protein, carbs and fats and their individual physiological effect on your physique is imperative. For example, Fats are carb sparing, carbs are protein sparing, and are independent variables that can alter your physique – the more variables you change, the less predictable the outcome Understanding the relationships and how to apply them on an individual basis can be the difference in being flat, hard, full, tight, or spilled. That can be the difference in first place or second call-outs. If your macronutrients are not known and stable prior to peak week, how can you plan and predict their effect on your physique leading up to the stage?

‍

Here is something else to consider...

‍

Carbohydrates have significantly more impact on peaking compared to protein and fat. And considering that carbohydrates take approximately 24-48 hours to fully assimilate, carb timing is crucial the last couple of days. Load too many one day out, or consume too much the day of your show can lead to spilling, soft and undesirable look on showday, with little to no time to correct.

‍

SODIUM & WATER: Managing your water intake and sodium levels is just as crucial as how you handle your macronutrients like proteins, fats, and carbs. The more stable these are before Peak Week, the easier they are to control. Water and carbs play a big role in making your muscles look full, while sodium affects how tight and defined they appear. You can think of carbs and water as big changes (like using a sledgehammer), and minerals like sodium as small, fine adjustments (like using a finishing hammer). It's important to know that water only causes your muscles to look too soft and not defined ('spillover') if you eat too many carbs. Excess carbs pull water outside the muscle cells, causing this effect. But remember, eating too many carbs can cause spillover even if you're not drinking a lot of water. So, it's not about how much water you drink (as long as you are hydrated), its about managing your carb intake.

‍

You have put in a lot of demanding work, dedication, resources and made a lot of sacrifices on your journey to the stage. If you do not meet these three criteria leading up to peak week, perhaps consider pushing your show out to a later date. If you are going to do this, do it right.