Disclaimer

The information in this blog post is based on my personal peaking protocol and is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not be substituted for individualized guidance from a qualified healthcare or fitness professional. Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified coach before making significant changes to your diet, training, supplementation, or peak week protocols. I assume no liability for outcomes related to the use or interpretation of this content.

If You Want to Learn More

Before diving into my own strategies, I highly recommend reading this evidence-based paper for a comprehensive overview of peak week protocols in natural bodybuilding:

Escalante, G., Stevenson, S.W., Barakat, C. et al. (2021). Peak week recommendations for bodybuilders: an evidence-based approach. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 13, 68.

What is a “Peak Week”?

A “peak week” or “peaking protocol” is a period where training and nutrition variables vary from the training for a single event. Most often they are used when a single, crucial event is the foundation of competition in a sport. For example, an Olympic sprinting event or boxing match. In the context of physique-related goals, peaking protocols are used in bodybuilding competitions, photoshoots, or movie sets for example.

The goal of a peak week in a bodybuilding context is to bring your best look. It’s the time where (hopefully) no more major changes to the physique need to occur. At this point, all the changed variables should be going into taking a physique that has completed all the necessary work and timing it to be at its best come the day of the competition.

The Two Most Important Notes on Peaking

Peaking is highly individual.
Athletes respond differently to variables like carbohydrate loading, water manipulation, or training taper. What works for one person may flatten or bloat another. The prep leading into peak week also influences how you should approach it.

It’s temporary.
The stage look is fleeting. Understanding the temporary nature of peak week changes is essential to protect your mental health. I’ve known many athletes who struggle post-show, chasing a look that can’t realistically be sustained.

My Context

For context, I’ve documented my full 18-week prep in previous bodybuilding logs. If you'd like to understand how I got to this point, you can find those posts here.

One important factor affecting my peak is renal function. I experienced renal failure and acute tubule necrosis as a child due to complications from spherocytosis. While it was stable for most of my life, a 2024 contest prep—where I aimed to reach <7% body fat—triggered a decline in kidney function and forced me to withdraw from prep.

This time, my primary goal was to protect my kidney while still presenting the best physique I could. That meant using conservative methods that preserved renal health without sacrificing the experience I needed to one day coach athletes through this process.

Phase 1: Fat Loss — 7 to 4 Days Out

Why I Continued Fat Loss into Peak Week

Unlike many competitors, I didn’t enter peak week at my target body fat. I aimed to get closer to 7.5% body fat during the first few days of the week. Besides visual estimation, I did get 3 types of testing done as I entered the peaking process. Below are the results:

Skinfold Caliper (4-site Durnin and Womersley): 6.0% (+/- 5%)

This is usually off +/- 3%, especially in very lean or athletic populations.

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA): 8.3% (+/- 10%)

This can be off +/- 5-10% depending on levels of body water, time of day, food, etc.

Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA): 11.8% (+/- 3%)

This is generally regarded as “the gold standard” of bodyfat testing, and is usually only 2.5-3.5% off

DEXA can be skewed by body water, food, and time of day.

Given these variances—and knowing my renal condition can cause water retention—I estimated my body fat to be between 8–10%. To err on the safe side, I assumed I was closer to 8% and aimed to lose roughly 2 pounds of fat over these four days to land closer to 7%. To be safe, this was the value I targeted. However, I could have very well begun this week at 10% and only dropped to 9% throughout this fat-loss phase.

There’s a margin of error in this approach, but ultimately, judges don’t see your data—they see your physique. Decisions in peak week must be guided by numbers but finalized by visual feedback and physiological responses.

Additional Protocol Adjustments

Removed lactose, gluten, and high-FODMAP foods
→ To reduce GI distress and bloating ahead of posing.

Reduced artificial sweeteners by 50%
→ Personal preference; helps minimize water retention and bloating.

Limited caffeine to 200 mg per day

Bodyweight change: 181.5 lbs → 179.5 lbs

Below is a table summarizing phase one.

Phase 2: Glycogen Depletion & Minor Water Load — 4 to 2 Days Out

**Water Loading & Glycogen Depletion**
Let me be clear: **I do not support aggressive water manipulation** in peak week. Many athletes attempt dehydration to “tighten” the physique. In reality, this reduces intramuscular fullness, impairs carbohydrate storage, and increases health risks.
Instead, I implemented **gentle fluid and electrolyte manipulation** to support my kidney function and regulate water retention based on my individual needs. The goal was to maintain hydration for glycogen loading, not eliminate water altogether. This is something I’ve practiced and deemed relatively safe for me—but **I do not recommend others attempt it**.
There is stronger evidence supporting carbohydrate manipulation. By depleting glycogen and then loading strategically, athletes may achieve **supercompensation**, where muscle glycogen levels rise above baseline—enhancing fullness and muscle hardness. This was my rationale for depleting for two days.
Read more on supercompensation: link 1.

Fatigue Taper

Reducing fatigue is critical late in prep. Lowering allostatic load can improve vascularity and posing performance, especially in the legs, where inflammation can dull detail.

To taper fatigue:

I removed the calorie deficit by increasing fats

I eliminated all LISS cardio

I reduced steps

Training volume and load were also lowered (estimated RPE: 14/20)

Below is a table summarizing phase two.

Bodyweight Change: 179.5-177.5

Phase 3: Carbohydrate Backload & Minor Water Cut — 2 to 1 Days Out

Recap

At this point:

I had reached the lowest body fat I could achieve safely

My digestion was consistent

Glycogen was depleted

Fatigue was reduced

This positioned me well for the supercompensation phase.

My Carb-Loading Strategy

I want to really emphasize this. Bodybuilding is dangerous. In this depleted state, just loading carbohydrates can cause major shifts in fluid and electrolyte balance that can cause lead to serious damage to one’s health, let alone those with preexisting implications like me. Just monitoring sodium, water, and carbohydrate isn’t always enough to keep it safe.

Therefore, my carbohydrate loading strategy was modest.

Every coach has a different strategy, and every athlete is different. The amount, type, and timing of carbohydrate loading should be based on trials done with the athlete leading up to the competition. These practices can also grant an athlete the sense to make sure electrolytes are controlled in conjunction with fluid and carbohydrate. Natural bodybuilders can carb load on anywhere from 3-12g of carbohydrate/kg of bodyweight depending on the athlete.

I chose a 2-day carbohydrate back load to both slowly taper up carbohydrate if needed, along with giving myself a corrective day.

Other Nutrients During The Carb Load

Protein is reduced during carb loading to allow for more of daily calories to come from carbohydrate. Also, to reduce the chances of distention, bloating, or GI upset. Fiber and fats were reduced to increase GI transit time. This is essential especially with excessive carbohydrate intakes to assure they are processed in time for competition.

Training During the Carb Load

During the carb loading process, the goal is to lower fatigue. Therefore, no cardio was performed other than light walking (15 minutes) between meals.

Resistance training were 30-minute upper-only sessions on each day. The first day was shoulders/arms focused, the second was chest/back focused.

*This order was determined because of my show-day pump plan, which was shoulder/arm focused. This way, on day one of carb loading, I could see how my physique looks in response to that pump plan.

Day 1: Thursday – 2 days out

Carbohydrate: 400 g

Calories: 2500 kcal

Fats: 33 g

Protein: 150 g

Extra Notes for Day 1

Meals were dispersed in 6 portions, evenly spread.

The meals before and after the resistance training session had 50% of the day’s carbohydrate.

Check-in photos and physique assessments were done every 3 hours to readjust the plan.

Sodium was balanced with potassium in a 3:2 ratio by using potassium-rich food sources like potato, banana, spinach, etc.

Day 2: Friday – 1 day out

Carbohydrate: 300-800g (variable)

Calories: 1800-3800 kcal

Fats: 20g

Protein: 100g

The nutrition of Friday was determined based on the biofeedback of Thursday. These were the metrics used to gauge the decision:

Visual appearance (vascularity, muscle fullness)
Skinfold thickness
Urine output
Urine color
Training “Pump” acquisition
Bloating, digestion, and vacuum practice

Meal Timing

Meal timing on Friday looks different than other days. Firstly, I do not want to be consuming excessive carbohydrates in the evening hours, which could impair sleep. Secondly, I am competing in the morning Saturday. Therefore, I want the meal timing of Friday to reflect the necessary peaking timing of Saturday. I theorize this will improve the epigenetic timing of the mechanisms involved in the nutrient partitioning process. For example, the translocation of GLUT4 to muscle for glucose uptake. However, to my knowledge there is no research on this. Also, this may not be enough time to significantly alter epigenetics. But there is evidence to support food metabolism and sleep timing. Given I will be waking and eating before the show at 4am-8am, I want to make sure my body is ready to not only wake up at that time, but digest at that time.

Friday’s carbohydrate loading completed at 4pm, and a final meal of a low-caloric chia pudding was used to add soluble fiber before sleeping to aid in clearing the digestive track.

My Decision

I decided to increase my carbohydrate intake to 500g on Friday. I decided this as I woke up visually flat, urine output was still relatively high, and I could not get a pump during my resistance training session Friday morning. This also allows for a middle-ground in carbohydrate intake. This means it could be further modulated Saturday morning with rapid-digesting carbohydrates from sources like honey, jams, and rice.

Extra Notes for Day 2

Meals were dispersed in 6 portions, evenly spread.

The meals before and after the resistance training session had 50% of the day’s carbohydrate.

Check-in photos and physique assessments were done every 3 hours to readjust the plan.

Sodium was balanced with potassium in a 3:2 ratio by using potassium-rich food sources like potato and banana.

Water Cut

As mentioned earlier:

In no way, do I support the manipulation of water in a peak week. There is nothing that can correct for an athlete's level of adiposity at this point. To appear leaner than they are, many competitors will force excessive dehydration. All this does is prevent glycogen from being properly stored, carbohydrates from being properly partitioned, and puts the athletes at an unnecessary risk of serious health complications.

This gentle water manipulation was decided by me to flush excess water my kidney could potentially be retaining. This was done through increasing diuresis naturally through increasing my fluid and electrolyte intake, then rapidly, but modestly, dropping it off – retaining hydration for glycogen storage and health but removing excessive fluid. This is something I have practiced and have decided to be relatively safe for me. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.

Timing

Water was normal through the morning, where majority of the carbohydrates were consumed. Upon roughly 75% completion of carbohydrate intake, water intake is limited to doses of 150-250 ml for comfortability when observing signs of dehydration.

Below is a table summarizing phase three.

Bodyweight Change: 177.8 lbs -> 180.5 lbs

Phase 4: Compete! - 0 days out

**The Morning Meals**
A balanced meal will be consumed as the first meal of the day, to begin the digestion of proteins as early as possible and optimize the anabolic stimulus of all macronutrients. Following this, the look achieved following the Friday final carb load will dictate the nutrition leading up to the competition.
If waking up flat, a second large meal of primarily high glycemic index carbohydrates, will be consumed.
If waking up full, a second small meal of primarily low glycemic index carbohydrates, will be consumed.
**Extra notes on these first meal**
Dark chocolate was used for its nutrient profile – as well as it’s **possible** vasodilatory effect.
Caffiene intake was as normal to encourage circadian regularity.

**Water**
Water was sipped based on comfortability.
As a self-coached athlete, there are times to worry about the intricacies of everything you do, show day isn’t one of them. This is what elected the choice to remove meticulously tracking water intake objectively from the list of priorities.
*I am experienced in this process, which gives me added reliance in my ability to subjectively assess my hydration levels. **Do not attempt this.**
**Between Classes**
Finally, from 1 hour before the show until the end of competition, 90-120g of carbohydrates will be consumed per hour, along with electrolytes and fluids, to keep the muscles full of glycogen. This will come solely from high glycemic index sources, such as honey, rice cakes, and jam. Sodium came in the form of salt packets, and potassium was ingested through bananas.
I was careful with this amount of carbohydrate, as it can stress the GI tract if you aren’t trained for processing this much food. If I felt bloated, carbohydrates were lowered to 60g.

Bodyweight Change: 180.5 lbs -> 182.5 lbs

Conclusion

I hope this was interesting and possibly gave you some areas to explore on your own time when it comes to athletic or physique nutrition! Remember to always prioritize your health when peaking, discuss with a doctor before engaging in any sort of change to your diet or lifestyle, and have a qualified professional to consult throughout the process.

Also, if you have doubt about your coach's peaking strategy, reach out to another qualified person for a third opinion.

Bodybuilding Log 2025: Peak Week