Layne Norton's Peak Week Official Q&A Thread

[hpdcoop]

Layne, I used portions of your series back in April with great success. Results are in sig, pretty sure I placed 2nd overall show at my first competition, so close to the pro card! I did 12 weeks last time, and lost a lot of LBM. This time Im doing 18 weeks keeping cals higher, still following Game Over, it worked well for me since I am carb sensitive and a Meso. Currently I'm 12 days out at 6'1" and was 186 yesterday morning, fully hydrated and depleted. Calipers say I'm 7% (could be, booo!!!), hand held says 9% (I don't read too much in to that). Drinking about 1.5g/day and taking in around 4g sodium. Calories are about 1700 149g P/50g C / 100g F (carbs are only from avocado, almond butter, and 11g from raisins pre-workout). I do a carb meal every 18th meal (150g from asparagus, oats, alm butter, grapefruit, sweet potato, avocado in that order) last meal of the day. Doing 2-a-days, cardio only AM, then lifting and cardio after work. I'm looking to get down to 5% or less...will it be possible without losing too much LBM? Last time I came in at 174 show morning when I woke up, very dry. I'd like to be at 178-180 this time. Also, I need my coffee!! I drink it black, should I cut it out at all? Not taking stims other that pre-wo in the PM. Any recommendations? I want that pro card BADDD!!!

[JeremySchein]

Layne,

Loved the series! Read what your nutrition is during peak week as well.

My question is: What were your macro numbers? I tried calculating the amount through the grams you provided, but I couldnt figure it out because I didnt know your current body stats. Was protein 1g-1.5g per pound of body weight? Were fats .25g per pound, and carbs 1g on low, and 3g on high?

[str8flexed]

you mean before my peak week?

[str8flexed]

Layne, I used portions of your series back in April with great success. Results are in sig, pretty sure I placed 2nd overall show at my first competition, so close to the pro card! I did 12 weeks last time, and lost a lot of LBM. This time Im doing 18 weeks keeping cals higher, still following Game Over, it worked well for me since I am carb sensitive and a Meso. Currently I'm 12 days out at 6'1" and was 186 yesterday morning, fully hydrated and depleted. Calipers say I'm 7% (could be, booo!!!), hand held says 9% (I don't read too much in to that). Drinking about 1.5g/day and taking in around 4g sodium. Calories are about 1700 149g P/50g C / 100g F (carbs are only from avocado, almond butter, and 11g from raisins pre-workout). I do a carb meal every 18th meal (150g from asparagus, oats, alm butter, grapefruit, sweet potato, avocado in that order) last meal of the day. Doing 2-a-days, cardio only AM, then lifting and cardio after work. I'm looking to get down to 5% or less...will it be possible without losing too much LBM? Last time I came in at 174 show morning when I woke up, very dry. I'd like to be at 178-180 this time. Also, I need my coffee!! I drink it black, should I cut it out at all? Not taking stims other that pre-wo in the PM. Any recommendations? I want that pro card BADDD!!!

I'm not sure man, it sounds like you may not be lean enough? but I'd really need to see pics

[Inklined]

hey layne any particular place for the Sub or name of the sandwhich (2 hour before prejuding) looking at seeing how thing work out following the prep week you have? This is my best condition yet and i dont want to screw things up this time around.

[str8flexed]

i typically just make it myself since i'd rather not chance it.

[joshuadelapenha]

What u said in the series seems different than what you have said in your other sticky article. How come layne?

[str8flexed]

the sticky article is 8 years old dude. It's still a good guide however and if you read through the sticky, you'll see where i say my thoughts have changed on certain aspects over time

[joshuadelapenha]

Oh i wasn't sure if your thoughts have changed or not. Its just so hard to believe that i should still be drinking the same 1-2 gallons of water up until show day. But i trust what u say and ill try it out. Same with sodium.

[-=Ac3=-]

Hi Layne,
Quick question, whats your take on using foods such as low fat yoghurt for sources of carbohydrates during peak week loading? I know most of them are derived from sugars but i just enjoy a serving or two of yogurt which comes to around 20-30grams of carbohydrates mainly from sugars. Should i just take it out completely?

[swiffty]

Hey Layne..... Awesome video

Question is how are we able to cut the water weight if we dont manipulate either the sodium or the water intake ?

Sorry I tried to find the answer in the thread but I couldnt see it.

Steven

[str8flexed]

Hey Layne..... Awesome video

Question is how are we able to cut the water weight if we dont manipulate either the sodium or the water intake ?

Sorry I tried to find the answer in the thread but I couldnt see it.

Steven

You are trying to make a lighter weight class I assume?

[swiffty]

You are trying to make a lighter weight class I assume?

Its actually an open class my second comp and is a Novice class. Makes perfect sense how you explain it and looking back on my last prep explains a lot to me. On not changing, messing about with creatine levels and so on.

I was eating alot of beef and getting my creatine this way as I felt it kept size well and the little fat also helped. Sodium was at 2grams if that and still cramping ?
If im honest water intake was poor up until peek week. Im just puzzled to wonder why if I can leave my sodium and creatine levels alone. That when I was training I would sweat a lot ? Is this the creatine I did think it was sodium levels were high but on watching and reading your stuff it doesnt seem it...

[swiffty]

You are trying to make a lighter weight class I assume?

Apologies for my last post............ I was just been lazy. I am a personal trainer and have been body building for 7 years. I listened to typical views and what I should do; when at the time I was actually questioning them... As in why I should load potassium when it will disrupt the balance!! Thinking also that beef has quite a high potassium content and this would have caused the water to be held and why when training I would sweat more than usual. It was my first show and doing my personal training course at the same time. Was overloaded with workload and stress. Any way after reading your article and that I also do a cut and bulk cycle as well its made me more confident in my knowledge.

Thank you I did have a best friend & training partner who passed who knew all the ins and outs and we where planning to do that show together He had already won it before and was making a come back.... Since then ive bounced from gym to gym and the little I know would get me so far. But the knowledge you've shared is helping a heap load so thank you dude and keep doing what your doing.

steven

[str8flexed]

you are welcome steven but i'm not sure I understand your sodium/creatine question?

[swiffty]

you are welcome steven but i'm not sure I understand your sodium/creatine question?

Not to worry I think the question in it self didn't make sense lol..... I still had that Bro science floating around still in my head at the time of posting it. As in I'd been told to cut sodium very low and as for the creatine question I was trying to find out why I was sweating so much.

For 8 hours of the day I was in class no excuse but getting up and getting water so on was hard so I would say I wasnt passing water through urine as much as I should have been. It was an intense course so I didnt want to miss a thing. Any way with the creatine question was trying to find out why I was sweating much more than normal....

I had it down to creatine or sodium intake at the time which I thought was high... As I was told by the "Bro's" to cut it down to virtually none at all. I did this even taking source's out at one point but switched carbs which gave me more sodium about 2grams . This obviously lead to cramps. I was eating average 1200-1500grams lean beef a day. It was strained in hot water and I felt the little fat in it helped me keep size. So with the beef was thinking Natural creatine and now thinking a high amount of potassium ?? and this would have made me hold water causing sweats.

Its was a big mess really Layne lol and I think it was any one of these things that was making me sweat so much. And further more I was told to load on potassium in peek week. Ha

A better question might be to ask "How much beef do you think would be good to eat in order to keep creatine levels optimum and at the same time not mess around with the sodium/potassium balance. If that in itself is makes sense to take in to much potassium through beef.

Thanks for taking the time steven

[str8flexed]

you are going to have to eat quite a bit of beef to get sufficient creatine for ergogenic results. I guess I'd suggest supplementing with it really

[Trent100]

why don't natty pro's do full body routines anymore? the bodybuilders pre steroid era had just as much muscle as the natty pros of today...just look at reg park in 1950. i cant gain any strength at all in once a week body part splits which means i dont gain muscle. how does everyone else do it so easily?

[Vanguard1965]

why don't natty pro's do full body routines anymore? the bodybuilders pre steroid era had just as much muscle as the natty pros of today...just look at reg park in 1950. i cant gain any strength at all in once a week body part splits which means i dont gain muscle. how does everyone else do it so easily?

Most natual bodybuilders work their entire body at least 2 times a week. Layne specifically promotes his Power Hypertropy Adaptive Training system. http://www.simplyshredded.com/mega-f...ated-2011.html I use this and have made great gains on the program.

Many think its a routine but you can switch out the execises and modify rep ranges to fit your spefic training goals, give it a try!

[str8flexed]

why don't natty pro's do full body routines anymore? the bodybuilders pre steroid era had just as much muscle as the natty pros of today...just look at reg park in 1950. i cant gain any strength at all in once a week body part splits which means i dont gain muscle. how does everyone else do it so easily?

nothing wrong with full body routines if you periodize correctly

[Incubusfan18]

Hey Layne, I'm currently 5 weeks out from my first show. Here's a pic of me taken a week ago, hams/glutes/lower back are my problem areas so I'll post a rear double bi pose. The lower part of my glutes are still holding fat, but I have lost weight and become leaner since that picture.



You said in your article which you wrote awhile ago that refeeds twice a week are beneficial for those sub 10% bodyfat, do you still stand by that? I'm currently refeeding every 3-4 days but after reading your article I'm thinking of switching to twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays, days I train chest and arms which are my weaker bodyparts). Do you think this would be a good idea? I'll post my current plan as well.

Nutrition:

180/180/40 Low Days (1800 kcals)
160/360/35 High Days (2400 kcals)

Cardio:

Monday: 450 kcals MISS
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: HIIT
Thursday: 450 kcals MISS
Friday: Off
Saturday: 450 kcals MISS
Sunday: HIIT

[edmclan]

Ok so I have read your artical and watched the video series maybe I missed this some where. However, when calculating one's diet; for the carb section should u use total carbs or net carbs?

[rountreesj]

Hi Layne, I have a few questions:

I am about 4 weeks out from show day this weekend, so essentially 3 weeks out from when I need to be ready for peak week. I have watched the videos about 4 times each and feel like I understand pretty well. My question regards Carb cycling during peak week. Should i follow your protocol on a front load early in the week if I am pretty sensitive to carbs, or wait till Thursday or so to load? normal carb cycling is p190c100f40/p170c300f40

I am currently taking the c4 preworkout 2 scoops preworkout and taking lipo6black. I had planned to stop the lipo6 on peak week but continue with the preworkout sup. should this be ok? i dont drink coffee regularly, but if i am having an especially bad day with sluggishness etc, i might sip on 4-8 oz black coffee(once or twice per week). should i stay away from coffee like the plague on peak week?

Next, what should i do for the morning of the show if i am on track the night before with cars (no spill over looking good etc)? maintain carbs? sodium? I understand the high sodium meal a few hours prior to the show as I have experimented on a day carb loading and had extreme vascularity when adding salt in high quantities before a workout.

[str8flexed]

i think front loading is even better for people who are 'carb sensitive' as if you overcarb it gives you much more time to tighten back up

[str8flexed]

Ok so I have read your artical and watched the video series maybe I missed this some where. However, when calculating one's diet; for the carb section should u use total carbs or net carbs?

'net' carbs are marketing garbage made up by companies to sell you more crap

[marcosbaez]

Hi Layne,

Would you use this peak week strategy for a female figure competitor?

Thanks
Marcos

[str8flexed]

sure, however i'd wouldn't load or deplete carbs as drastically but it depends on the organization. Some organizations like the OCB/NANBF like their competitors very full and tight, others like the NPC prefer a softer look, so it's all relative to the individual

[marcosbaez]

sure, however i'd wouldn't load or deplete carbs as drastically but it depends on the organization. Some organizations like the OCB/NANBF like their competitors very full and tight, others like the NPC prefer a softer look, so it's all relative to the individual

Thanks Layne.
I was thinking the same thing. Refeeds are currently at about 1.5 times the highest carb day.
So carb up would be higher then that.
Deplete wouldn't be lower then 30g carbs, which is currently the lowest carb day.

Thanks for the advice.

Marcos

[str8flexed]

best of luck!

[srt33]

Layne have your thoughts changed since your original article in regards to sodium depletion? Do you still feel that you should taper sodium as the show gets closer and then have your meal 2 hours prior to stepping on stage that has between 1000-2000mg of sodium? Thanks