Contest Peak Week – Less is More

There is much mystique and secrecy associated with the magical ‘Prep Week’. And yet, it arguably messes people’s end product up just as often as it enhances it. Never mind the additional fact that it doesn’t seem to have an exactly repeatable effect even doing the same thing. The more variables you introduce, the more things can go wrong.

Tricks, quackery, voodoo are part and parcel for the traditional PEAK WEEK. But shhh, I can’t tell you.

From sodium loading and depleting, to all sorts of weird and extreme dietary adjustments that are just flat out unnecessary and well, ridiculous (you can’t catch up in a week; if you’re not in shape, you’re not in shape), to cutting water 2-3 days out, to irresponsible diuretic use, to even better, tapering water down over the course of a few days but measuring your urinary output and drinking back half of what you lost via your bathroom trips, the list goes on and on. No, I did not make that up! I swear.

You know what? More girls would be MUCH better off DOING NOTHING in their final week but what they’ve been doing their entire diet. Meaning what? Dieting right on through to the contest. NO adjustments! None!

I mean hey, you look great a week out? Why go all voodoo introducing all these jacktard adjustments and variables that you haven’t yet practiced your way through? Risky no? 12+ weeks of dieting and training up on the chopping block to try to get a little ‘extra’ something? Fullness? Dryness?

And yet again, you look great a week out and you KNOW that following your diet through the final week will likely have you looking at least as good if not slightly better due to the additional dieting week. Why risk it? If you’re good a week out, there’s no reason you won’t be good the day of. If you’re NOT good a week out? No retarded voodoo is going to make up for not being in shape, trust me. Your coach is lying.

Bikini competitors? Listen up! Coaches who apply bodybuilding peak week strategies to bikini competitors are simply clueless. There’s a reason why I say to all LBC bikini competitors – “there is no peak week”. Now this is occasionally met with some version of, “Whut?!? But, but, but, what about carb loading, cutting sodium, cutting my water, sauna, etc?”

Yes, what about it?

Listen, if you are at the DESIRED level of bikini conditioning to be successful at your show, then your body fat simply is not low enough for any of this nonsense to make a real difference. And this is not a bad thing – it’s a good thing! Bikini competitors don’t have to be as lean as figure/fitness girls, who don’t have to be as lean as physique and bodybuilder competitors. The leaner you are, the more the effect peak week strategies have on your body. The converse is thus also true.

I mean hey, I’m not lean; I could execute every single peak week shenanigan strategy this coming week and you know what? I’D LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME!

It is body fat dependent.

And I say this with confidence as one who has a good track record with the final week before a show. Why? Because I take a MINIMALIST approach.

Less is more people. Down with the voodoo!