Peaking..

[JohnboyF]

I tried to do a search but couldn't find anything really..


What is Peaking too "early" pre-contest?



How and Why does it happen?


How can you prevent it?


Thanks

[*Narkissos*]

What is Peaking too "early" pre-contest?

Peaking = getting in contest shape: "day of the show" condition.

Peaking too early means the individual got into contest shape too early and could not maintain that condition.

Some individuals who peak early may fade before the day of the contest.

Fading may have different manifestations in different individuals.

It may be: being unable to get a pump; being flat; lacking vascularity; looking 'soft' although being shredded to hell.. etc.

The competitor just looks 'off'.

How and Why does it happen?

A number of reasons could be attributed cause.

Mistiming the prep is usually the main cause.

Though 'mistiming' may cover a list of variables including: not listening to one's body; having a contest prep coach who has no idea what he's doing.. or listening to too many voices and losing direction; cutting calories too low too fast; doing too much cardio.

One possible ocurrence is change.

Simply put.. we change from year to year...from contest prep to contest prep.

Somethings one may've done previously to get in shape may not work.. somethings may work too fast.

This goes back to what i mentioned above about not listening to one's body. In this case 'listening' is represented by 'seeing and knowing change'.. assessing where you are v.s. where you need to be at that specific point in your prep.

This brings me to another point... peaking too early may simply occur due to inexperience.

How can you prevent it?

Get a coach who knows what he's doing

Seriously there is no short answer.

Gaining experience and being able to reapply it is one way.

Experimenting in the offseason is another.

Narkissos

[Undecided09]

However, Listening to ones body is probably the most valuable piece of advice there, that was the most important thing that I learned from my prep. Your body is telling you where ur at, you just have to listen...

[timtim]

Experimenting in the offseason is another

best advice out there. guy i know competing in the masters class at the national level does this every year (6 month intervals on average, the second being show time). always says that the diruetics will get you all f'ed up if you dont know how you respond.

[*Narkissos*]

However, Listening to ones body is probably the most valuable piece of advice there, that was the most important thing that I learned from my prep. Your body is telling you where ur at, you just have to listen...

You know i couldn't see your post and leave it alone.
It was just begging for a reply.

Honestly on your first prep you really have no idea what to listen for.

Heck, the body sends so many signals that it's easy to get lost.

For those new to competing my advice would be to get someone to work with you.. someone who knows what they're doing..and listen to them. Do whatever they tell you... as counterintuitive as it may sound.

Early in your career, trying to listen to your body is a fundamental error.

Heck they're guys who've been training for 10 years and still don't have a sound grasp of the signals

Honestly i'd hope that the most valuable piece of information you would've gleaned from your first prep would've been "I can do it".

[MIKE_XXL]

Peaking = getting in contest shape: "day of the show" condition.

Peaking too early means the individual got into contest shape too early and could not maintain that condition.

Some individuals who peak early may fade before the day of the contest.

Fading may have different manifestations in different individuals.

It may be: being unable to get a pump; being flat; lacking vascularity; looking 'soft' although being shredded to hell.. etc.

The competitor just looks 'off'.





A number of reasons could be attributed cause.

Mistiming the prep is usually the main cause.

Though 'mistiming' may cover a list of variables including: not listening to one's body; having a contest prep coach who has no idea what he's doing.. or listening to too many voices and losing direction; cutting calories too low too fast; doing too much cardio.

One possible ocurrence is change.

Simply put.. we change from year to year...from contest prep to contest prep.

Somethings one may've done previously to get in shape may not work.. somethings may work too fast.

This goes back to what i mentioned above about not listening to one's body. In this case 'listening' is represented by 'seeing and knowing change'.. assessing where you are v.s. where you need to be at that specific point in your prep.

This brings me to another point... peaking too early may simply occur due to inexperience.




Get a coach who knows what he's doing

Seriously there is no short answer.

Gaining experience and being able to reapply it is one way.

Experimenting in the offseason is another.

Narkissos

Aman to that...as for listening to your body is very difficult to d in the last week of prep, you what i call "mind fcked" and it is very easy to make a wrong decision and do last minute change that will have you look like shiat...listing to to many people in my opinion is the worst thing anyone can do last week, stay of these boards and follow the plan...this is where a good coach will come in hand as he will listen to your body for you and you will not be able to make fcked up adjustments and distroy your conditioning...XXL

[timtim]

as for listening to your body is very difficult to d in the last week of prep, you what i call "mind fcked" and it is very easy to make a wrong decision and do last minute change that will have you look like shiat...

i helped a guy i work with do a show. he was natural but got super sliced and dry. the last 2 weeks he kept saying i just want to add alittle oatmeal to my day, i think i could use it. i kept telling him stop listening to yourself, listen to me. after he won his class he thanked me for keeping his head straight. very funny to watch someone rationalize something they know would not help them, on a daily basis nonetheless.

[IBdmfkr]

Best advice is to stay away from these boards for the remaining 4wks out from your show.. You'll get all kinds of fuked up advice from jackasses on the internet.
Get a good coach (preferably) locally or by phone/email and do everything they say.

[spound]

Yes, listening to your OWN body during your prep can be VERY difficult. It is very hard to think rationally in that state and when that much is on the line. THis is the main reason why many Prep gurus have others prep gurus do their preps, eventhough they are fully capable of doing their own. I am like that, I could prep someone else better than I could prep myself...simply because an outsiders point of view is usually the more rational one compared to that of the carb-depleted, worn-out competitor, if you know what I mean. I honestly do not ever see myself doing my own prep. I jsut second guess myself too much when it comes to my own plans b/c my mind plays tricks on me in the mirror. However, I can put together a plan for someone else and sit back and watch some great results.

[bigsd67]

One thing I would like to add....peaking really should only happen when you are absolutely shredded and ready for the show. If you have a last little bit of fat (honestly it's really not that much water retention) you will not look 100% no matter what kind of tricks you try to pull. Alot of people fool themselves, if you are going to try a peak week method make for d@mn sure that you have zero bodyfat left to diet off. If you do, just keep dieting and chalk it up as a loss if you aren't at your best.

[spound]

One thing I would like to add....peaking really should only happen when you are absolutely shredded and ready for the show. If you have a last little bit of fat (honestly it's really not that much water retention) you will not look 100% no matter what kind of tricks you try to pull. Alot of people fool themselves, if you are going to try a peak week method make for d@mn sure that you have zero bodyfat left to diet off. If you do, just keep dieting and chalk it up as a loss if you aren't at your best.

GREAT post! I get so sick of people saying "i was holding a little water" as their blame for not looking their best on stage or looking soft. 9 times out of 10 water was not the issue, but rather they were still carrying too much bodyfat. If you are 100% shreaded you aren't gonna look bad either way.

[Undecided09]

You know i couldn't see your post and leave it alone.
It was just begging for a reply.

Honestly on your first prep you really have no idea what to listen for.

Heck, the body sends so many signals that it's easy to get lost.

For those new to competing my advice would be to get someone to work with you.. someone who knows what they're doing..and listen to them. Do whatever they tell you... as counterintuitive as it may sound.

Early in your career, trying to listen to your body is a fundamental error.

Heck they're guys who've been training for 10 years and still don't have a sound grasp of the signals

Honestly i'd hope that the most valuable piece of information you would've gleaned from your first prep would've been "I can do it".

Even still, there are different extents to which one knows their own body...and those more experienced obviously know more, are more specific, and can accomodate/adjust accordingly...

So while my knowledge isn't to the extent of yours Nark...I beg to differ that I couldn't tell what my body was doing...just not to the extent or level to which you can understand your body...

But I could feel differences in how I reacted to different things, and my appearance was evidence of such as I changed throughout the prep....I just can't adjust/analyze myself nearly to the extent with which you can, but i could tell...

[bigsd67]

Even still, there are different extents to which one knows their own body...and those more experienced obviously know more, are more specific, and can accomodate/adjust accordingly...

So while my knowledge isn't to the extent of yours Nark...I beg to differ that I couldn't tell what my body was doing...just not to the extent or level to which you can understand your body...

But I could feel differences in how I reacted to different things, and my appearance was evidence of such as I changed throughout the prep....I just can't adjust/analyze myself nearly to the extent with which you can, but i could tell...

I see what your saying here...even though I prep with a coach, I can still tell when my body is responding to something. Sometimes it's appearance (more cuts, vascularity etc. other times loss in inches or boost in energy) I definitely don't really know what to adjust as of yet nor do I want to know. My coach is very knowledgable so I don't really have to be, but I do agree that over time you definitely develop a good sense of what is going on when you make a change in diet/training.

[*Narkissos*]

Best advice is to stay away from these boards for the remaining 4wks out from your show.. You'll get all kinds of fuked up advice from jackasses on the internet.
Get a good coach (preferably) locally or by phone/email and do everything they say.

Agreed

Yes, listening to your OWN body during your prep can be VERY difficult. It is very hard to think rationally in that state and when that much is on the line. THis is the main reason why many Prep gurus have others prep gurus do their preps, eventhough they are fully capable of doing their own. I am like that, I could prep someone else better than I could prep myself...simply because an outsiders point of view is usually the more rational one compared to that of the carb-depleted, worn-out competitor, if you know what I mean. I honestly do not ever see myself doing my own prep. I jsut second guess myself too much when it comes to my own plans b/c my mind plays tricks on me in the mirror. However, I can put together a plan for someone else and sit back and watch some great results.

Agreed x 2

Nark

[*Narkissos*]

I think maybe as usual you missed the point of the post.

It wasn't a battle of knowledge.. It was a clear statement.

Feeling a difference is different from pre-emptively knowing what particular response a particular signal requires.

Even still, there are different extents to which one knows their own body...and those more experienced obviously know more, are more specific, and can accomodate/adjust accordingly...

So while my knowledge isn't to the extent of yours Nark...I beg to differ that I couldn't tell what my body was doing...just not to the extent or level to which you can understand your body...

But I could feel differences in how I reacted to different things, and my appearance was evidence of such as I changed throughout the prep....I just can't adjust/analyze myself nearly to the extent with which you can, but i could tell...

And this is the point.

You can't 'listen' to your body.. and do what needs to be done if you can't aptly interpret the feedback your body is giving.

e.g.

A competitor's musculature appears flacid.

One voice may tell him he's losing muscle and should increase his protein intake.

Another might tell him he's looking fatter/bloated that's why he looks this way.. He needs to up cardio or play with his electrolytic balance.

One voice may say... i'm over-training.. i need to cut back.

One may say.. heck i need more carbs.. no no.. more fat.. Vitamin C?

shit!!!

There are an infinite number of voices which could surface..and nearly all contradictory.

Courses of actions are equally infinite.. and it takes intuition and understanding to take the right course.

That was the point of the post.

When i had a coach i found myself in a conflicting position in an early contest prep... years ago

He looked at me and told me.. "Corey you're on track. Listen to me.. and stop obsessing cus you're just shooting yourself in the foot."


That's it.. and he was right.

We can't see ourselves as others can.

Even with pics.. we can't see details like an audience can.

That's why we don't judge shows.

Narkissos

[Random]

To continue the thread....which method do you guys feel is better?

1) dieting longer in an effort to be Ready before the show--then try to maintain that condition and cruise to the show

or

2) Dieting with just the amount of time to "peak" for that wk/day of the show?

Obviously its nice to be prepared early going into a show, but for the most part is it taking 1 step forward and 2 back trying to hold condition and preserve muscle mass?

CD

[bigsd67]

To continue the thread....which method do you guys feel is better?

1) dieting longer in an effort to be Ready before the show--then try to maintain that condition and cruise to the show

or

2) Dieting with just the amount of time to "peak" for that wk/day of the show?

Obviously its nice to be prepared early going into a show, but for the most part is it taking 1 step forward and 2 back trying to hold condition and preserve muscle mass?

CD

Some of that depends on whether or not you are prepping natural. Using certain fat burner/steroids can help you diet shorter and harder and keep your musclemass IMO

Dieting natural takes more time because it is so much easier to lose muscle in the process.

Also, I like dieting longer because you don't have drastic cuts in calories or increases in cardio. To me losing slow just makes it all that much easier to "diet". I am definitely interested in learning what some of the others have to say though.

[spound]

To continue the thread....which method do you guys feel is better?

1) dieting longer in an effort to be Ready before the show--then try to maintain that condition and cruise to the show

or

2) Dieting with just the amount of time to "peak" for that wk/day of the show?

Obviously its nice to be prepared early going into a show, but for the most part is it taking 1 step forward and 2 back trying to hold condition and preserve muscle mass?

CD

I would msot definately say option number one. In an ideal world, I would be ready to step on stage at 2 weeks out...every time I competed. The less you have to change at the end, the better simply because changes bring on uncertainty.

[Undecided09]

I think maybe as usual you missed the point of the post.

It wasn't a battle of knowledge.. It was a clear statement.

Feeling a difference is different from pre-emptively knowing what particular response a particular signal requires.



And this is the point.

You can't 'listen' to your body.. and do what needs to be done if you can't aptly interpret the feedback your body is giving.

e.g.

A competitor's musculature appears flacid.

One voice may tell him he's losing muscle and should increase his protein intake.

Another might tell him he's looking fatter/bloated that's why he looks this way.. He needs to up cardio or play with his electrolytic balance.

One voice may say... i'm over-training.. i need to cut back.

One may say.. heck i need more carbs.. no no.. more fat.. Vitamin C?

shit!!!

There are an infinite number of voices which could surface..and nearly all contradictory.

Courses of actions are equally infinite.. and it takes intuition and understanding to take the right course.

That was the point of the post.

When i had a coach i found myself in a conflicting position in an early contest prep... years ago

He looked at me and told me.. "Corey you're on track. Listen to me.. and stop obsessing cus you're just shooting yourself in the foot."


That's it.. and he was right.

We can't see ourselves as others can.

Even with pics.. we can't see details like an audience can.

That's why we don't judge shows.

Narkissos

But like I said, I can make adjustments, you're making it seem like I have no clue what is going on and how to correct things...just no clue compared to you thats all

[JohnboyF]

Thanks guys...

another newbie/gungo question...

Say your 2 weeks out... and you have peaked what can you do... diet wise in particullar? or are u pretty much screwed...

(i would think ud change the diet/cardio around but i could be completly wrong)

[*Narkissos*]

To continue the thread....which method do you guys feel is better?

1) dieting longer in an effort to be Ready before the show--then try to maintain that condition and cruise to the show

or

2) Dieting with just the amount of time to "peak" for that wk/day of the show?

Obviously its nice to be prepared early going into a show, but for the most part is it taking 1 step forward and 2 back trying to hold condition and preserve muscle mass?

CD

I prefer (and use) option 2.. (and i don't use anabolics as i'm a drug tested athlete)

Peak condition is ultimately very stressful on the body.

I don't believe 'true' peak condition can be maintained for 2 weeks.

That's like trying to maintain a boner for 2 days comparably.

It's counterintuitive and dangerous imo.

A serious system crash can result from trying to hold peak condition for too long.

Conversely.. one must define 'peak condition'.

Because by 'peak' most mean contest shape.. as opposed to 'ultimate condition' as is relevant to the individual.

For example, individual A might be in what others consider 'uber-shredded' contest shape 2 weeks out.

But on contest day he's even harder.

If you can get 'harder' you're not @peak condition.

So technically he wasn't in his contest shape @2 weeks out...and subsequently he wasn't trying to 'hold condition'.

While i shoot for being in competitive shape 2 weeks out... i won't attempt to peak @ that time.

It'd be counterintuitive.

[spound]

Thanks guys...

another newbie/gungo question...

Say your 2 weeks out... and you have peaked what can you do... diet wise in particullar? or are u pretty much screwed...

(i would think ud change the diet/cardio around but i could be completly wrong)

You don't change anything, unless you are still losing weight, in which case you would throw some carbs back in slowly to help you maintain. Cardio would probably be lowered to maintenance levels as well, unless like I siad, you are not losing weight, yet have reached the condition you would like. If I was already completely ready to step on stage, I would just increase water drastically leading up to the show, completely cut it the day before, and then do a smal shitload the night before and the morning of the show with some extra carbs...nothing drastic. If you are happy with where you are at, why go and change things which could risk your appearance to change?? Many guys try to make it way more difficult than it is. Once you start changing a million things, it turns into one big crapshoot.

[Random]

While i shoot for being in competitive shape 2 weeks out... i won't attempt to peak @ that time.

Yea i agree with that, trying to peak that early could mean disaster...


CD

[*Narkissos*]

Thanks guys...

another newbie/gungo question...

Say your 2 weeks out... and you have peaked what can you do... diet wise in particullar? or are u pretty much screwed...

(i would think ud change the diet/cardio around but i could be completly wrong)

It'd depend on what type of prep you used: e.g. low carb w/ HIIT cardio; Low carb w/ no cardio; Mod-carb w/ HIT training no cardio... etc.

As such it isn't a 'cut and dry' question.

Honestly the last thing i'd adjust at this point would be diet.


Any changes would occur with regard to training and cardio..specifically cardio.

If i'm doing HIIT cardio.. i'll switch to MIT cardio.. or drop cardio completely and just pose in its place.

[chief_willie]

I think maybe as usual you missed the point of the post.

It wasn't a battle of knowledge.. It was a clear statement.

Feeling a difference is different from pre-emptively knowing what particular response a particular signal requires.



And this is the point.

You can't 'listen' to your body.. and do what needs to be done if you can't aptly interpret the feedback your body is giving.

e.g.

A competitor's musculature appears flacid.

One voice may tell him he's losing muscle and should increase his protein intake.

Another might tell him he's looking fatter/bloated that's why he looks this way.. He needs to up cardio or play with his electrolytic balance.

One voice may say... i'm over-training.. i need to cut back.

One may say.. heck i need more carbs.. no no.. more fat.. Vitamin C?

shit!!!

There are an infinite number of voices which could surface..and nearly all contradictory.

Courses of actions are equally infinite.. and it takes intuition and understanding to take the right course.

That was the point of the post.

When i had a coach i found myself in a conflicting position in an early contest prep... years ago

He looked at me and told me.. "Corey you're on track. Listen to me.. and stop obsessing cus you're just shooting yourself in the foot."


That's it.. and he was right.

We can't see ourselves as others can.

Even with pics.. we can't see details like an audience can.

That's why we don't judge shows.

Narkissos

not everyone is a mental nutjob during prep...YOU CAN LISTEN TO YOUR BODY....Some cant, but it works for me.

[bigsd67]

not everyone is a mental nutjob during prep, like yourself.

Really no need to insult here.

edit: good man

[chief_willie]

yeah, my bad...edited.