peaking for figure

[j_neatherlin]

do figure athletes peak for their shows in the same manner as bodybuilders?

ie carbohydrate, sodium, water manipulation?

[SummersGirl]

Every body peaks differently. The trick is finding out your peak before the show, not the day of the show.

My 2nd national competition, my dietician wanted me to eat a small 4 oz. steak (no seasonings) the night before the morning show. She even told me it would be risky, but she wanted to see how my body would react. Not to mention that my teammate had done it at a previous show, and looked awesome. Well, I looked better 1 week before without carb or water depleting. My body sucked every ounce of it and it stayed. Never again! Now, I do manipulations weeks ahead of time.

[FitMandy]

figure girls aren't necessarily trying to reach a peak like bb's (well after the arnold figure i'm not so sure these days) but for a local or regional show, no. you just want to get the best level of BF for your bodytype (some ppl look stringy when they're too lean and some ppl look too thick without dropping more bodyfat) but sometimes after dieting for a long long time a competitor will go flat and need to carb up before going onstage, but it's not the same as a bodybuilder's peak.

[j_neatherlin]

thanks! i appreciate the insight

[SummersGirl]

Just keep in mind that you, your nutritionalist, and or your trainer knows your body best. Peaking means getting yourself to the point of being in its top form. It is different for everyone. Find your best physique, and BRING IT!

[j_neatherlin]

thanks..i'm actually inquiring about peaking my gf for a figure show. I've read a bit about peaking for bb on the main site and I have a good idea of what I will do in order to peak and I was planning on having Stace do the same, but now I realize it may be a mistake. She will have another show 3 weeks later, so she may want to experiment with peaking for one of them or maybe even both, but now I realize it may be in her best interest to be conservative and then experiment with peaking during an off contest week/period.

[SummersGirl]

My 2nd year of competition, I did 3 shows 3 weekends in a row (fitness). By my third show, I had my best physique, and was able to maintain energy levels. I was glad to be able to eat considering my birthday, and Easter all fell within those 3 weeks, not to mention, I deserved a break. I think your idea is good. Best of luck to Stace.

[j_neatherlin]

this is what I'd drawn up for myself as far as peaking is concerned. i had planned on modifying it for Stacey a bit (# of carbs, etc)

Thursday - Begin taking Taraxatnoe. Stop K+. Stop creatine. Reduce carbs.

Friday - Reduce carbs.

Saturday - Final leg workout. Reduce carbs.

Sunday - Zero carbs, Depletion workout, Increase Na+, Increase H2O.

Monday - Zero carbs, Depletion workout, Increase Na+, Increase H2O

Tuesday - Zero carbs, Depletion workout, Increase Na+, Increase H2O. Creatine load @ 20g. Final training day.

Wednesday - 400-600g High GI carbs. Reduce H2O to 8L. Increase Na+. Begin K+ at night. Creatine load @ 20g.

Thursday - 400-600g Low GI carbs. Reduce H2O to 6L. Creatine load @ 20g. Zero Na+.

Friday 400-600g Low GI carbs. Reduce H2O to 4L (no water 10 hours prior to show). Creatine load @ 20g. Zero Na+.

Saturday - Day of show. H2O intake only as needed.

[FitMandy]

when bodybuilders talk about peaking, they mean reaching the highest amount of muscle and muscle fullness with the lowest amount of bodyfat, with the most amount of water inside the muscles without being in the skin. when figure/fitness girls speak of it, they mean bringing in their physique at its "Peak" or top form. i know you're training or helping your girlfriend for figure, and it can get confusing. hope this clears some things up.

[FitMandy]

Also, I wouldn't necessarily do for her what you're doing with your water for your show. Figure athletes come in differently than bodybuilders so they needn't always be prepped like bodybuilders. The easiest thing for her to do is to get a lot of rest in her last week, eat low carbs, and do ultra-high reps to ensure good glycogen storage come show time. That, way, when she eats her carbs, her muscles will fill up better than ever. Also, drop water the last couple of days and just take sips. Don't worry about it much more than that.

[j_neatherlin]

This is my view:

when a bodybuilder peaks for competition (other than trying to minimize bodyfat and maximize muscle retention) he/she is trying to increase muscle glycogen in order to give a more muscular and full appearance while simultaneously reducing subcutaneous water retention.

is this not also the goal of the figure competitor?

[j_neatherlin]

I guess I kinda said the same thing that you said FitMandy, however I still don't really see much of a difference...maybe I'm wearing blinders, but increasing muscle glycogen and decreasing subcutaneous water is just going to make you look better....regardless of whether you're a bb or a figure athlete.

do you disagree?

[FitMandy]

yeah i defintely agree with you. i just feel that getting as precise with her is not necessary b/c those tiny differences that make a HUGE impact on how a bb looks on stage won't affect a figure girl's appearance very much at all. so just let her take it easy and sip on water, eat low carb, and carb up before going onstage. most experienced figure girls would have similar advice.