1 Week Out — Peak Week
Finally here.
Peak week.
I'm sitting at 202.2 lbs and I feel pretty good about where I am right now.
I'd still like to lose a little more over the next few days, especially since I need to be under 202 for Classic Physique, but I'm close enough now that I'm not worried about making it.
At this point my life pretty much revolves around prep.
I'm either training, doing cardio, eating, cooking, posing, or trying to recover enough to do it all again the next day.
It's tiring, but there's only a week left.
Current Status
Division
- Men's Physique
- Classic Physique
Weeks Out
1
Current Weight
202.2 lbs
Starting Weight
216.4 lbs
Total Change
-14.2 lbs
Phase
Peak Week
Weekly Check-In Photos
Front
Side
Back
What Changed This Week?
I'm definitely feeling the fatigue now.
I'm still doing 35 minutes of cardio and switching between the stair stepper and incline walks depending on the day.
With lifting added in, I'm spending close to two hours in the gym some days.
The weird thing is my energy comes and goes.
Sometimes I'll get a burst of energy and feel completely normal.
Then later I'll be sitting on the couch and feel like getting up is a chore.
I've done enough preps now that I pretty much expect this at this point.
Once I actually get to the gym and start training, I usually feel better and can get through everything I need to do.
It's more the rest of the day where I notice it.
I'm tired, I'm moving slower, and I definitely don't have much interest in doing anything I don't need to do.
But this is it.
There's a week left.
I'm just pushing through and getting everything done.
Hunger
I've been eating a lot more vegetables and drinking a lot of water lately just to keep myself full.
Surprisingly, I really haven't had that many cravings.
They'll show up every once in a while, but I'm not sitting around thinking about all the food I want to eat after the show.
Most of the time I'm just hungry for more of what I'm already eating.
I'd happily eat another bowl of rice or another plate of potatoes right now.
Adding more vegetables to my meals has helped a lot because I can make the meals bigger without adding many calories.
At this point I'm basically just doing whatever makes the diet easier to get through without changing the plan.
This Week's StageLab Recommendation
Peak Week
StageLab works a little differently once peak week starts.
I can keep following my normal plan, put in my own peak week strategy, or use one of the strategies it gives me.
I've done this a few times now and I already know what has worked pretty well for me in the past.
I usually like bringing carbs down at the beginning of the week and then bringing them back up toward the end.
I've always felt like I responded pretty well to that, so that's what I'm going with again.
I'm not really interested in experimenting with something completely different a week before the show.
One thing I am changing this time is water.
I've done the whole water manipulation thing in the past.
This time I'm not going to bother with it.
I want to see how I look just keeping water normal and letting the carb changes do their thing.
Maybe I'll decide I liked the old way better.
Maybe I'll realize messing with water wasn't really doing much for me.
I'll find out this weekend.
My Thoughts
I'm happy with where I am.
I don't think I'm completely finished yet, and I'd still like to tighten up a little more over the next few days.
But I'm close.
At 202.2 lbs I'm basically right at the Classic cutoff and I expect to be under it before weigh-ins.
More importantly, I feel like I'm finally getting the look I was chasing for most of this prep.
I'm leaner.
I'm harder.
I'm starting to see more of the detail I felt like I was missing earlier.
Now I just need to not screw anything up during the last week.
That's probably the biggest thing on my mind.
I've already done the hard part.
There's no reason to suddenly start doing a bunch of crazy stuff because it's peak week.
I'm going to follow the plan I've chosen, keep watching how I look, and see where I end up.
Current Plan
Calories
2310 kcal
Protein
227 g
Carbs
210 g
Fat
63 g
Cardio
5 × 35 min
Peak Week
Carbs: Lower at the beginning of the week, higher toward show day
Water: Keeping it normal
What Happens Next
This is the last week.
I'm still training.
I'm still doing cardio.
I'm still eating exactly what I'm supposed to.
I'm practicing posing a lot more.
And I'm basically just trying to get through these last few days without doing anything stupid.
I know I'm tired.
I know I'm ready for the show to get here.
But I'm also trying to enjoy this part because I know how quickly it's going to be over.
I've spent months thinking about getting to this point.
Now I'm here.
I'm focused and I'm really looking forward to seeing what I look like next weekend.
Current Snapshot
Weight: 202.2 lbs
Starting Weight: 216.4 lbs
Total Change: -14.2 lbs
Weeks Out: 1
Phase: Peak Week
Classic Physique Weight Limit: 202 lbs
Peak Week Approach: Lower carbs early in the week, bring them back up toward show day, and keep water normal.
Current Focus: Get under the weight cutoff, finish tightening up, practice posing, and don't overcomplicate the final week.
Next Update
Prep Files #19 — Show Day