17/10/2025
One from the Archives which I only discovered last week.
For this peak, we actually struggled to fill up as we’d expected. We had pushed Carbohydrates around 20% above that of the previous Regional Show - meaning we took in around 2600 Carbohydrates across 48-hours, with a day at baseline and a 16-hour diuresis.
I’ll never forget how crisp I was the morning of the show - filled with confidence, only to realise I was becoming flatter by the hour.
300g Carbohydrates and 1L of Water around 2-hours before stage, with little to no dint on the objective.
While I’ll stand by that fact that I felt this was an improved package on my previous show, the mark was clearly missed as reflected in the placing.
Do I feel I could have done better? Potentially. But the lack of density is additionally, quite clear.
Too often, I see Competitors fear they’ll “spill” with set intakes. Hell, I’ve spilled clients before.
But what I’ve come to realise is that it’s often a case of not setting up well enough for the peak - particularly, in depleting the Athlete prior to loading.
Well truly “Fat Free” and depleted, your capacity to load will increase exponentially.
I’ve run Photoshoot and Competition Prep “Peaks” and spilled on less than a third of that intake. You could argue it’s a tissue-related issue, but in hindsight it’s quite obvious that’s it’s a Body Fat and Preparation issue.
Peak Week isn’t necessarily a science, but you can take the right steps to make it far more predictable.
For me, this was a great learning curve. Not only for me, but for those under my wing in the future.
