Peaking for a PL Meet?

[Shakes]

Wondering what some of the experienced powerlifters on here do to peak for a PL meet? I am curious about carb loading, supplements, sleep routines, stretching, etc...

[GFH]

Originally Posted by Shakes

Wondering what some of the experienced powerlifters on here do to peak for a PL meet? I am curious about carb loading, supplements, sleep routines, stretching, etc...

Carb Loading - huh?
Supplements - increase test, add drol/dbol 6 weeks out
Sleep Routines - Crank the CPAP
Stretching - Nope

[RagingBull666]

WTF is carb loading? OH............... I do eat a lot of pizza!!

Supplements - Hell YES and lots of them. Pinks are great!!

Sleep- what is that? I'll get enough of that when I die!! As GFH said, crank the CPAP and hope for the best

Stretching??- Pixie will eat my lunch here but NEVER.

Go big, go heavy, stay healthy, HIT PR's!!

Open HUGE and either show up in a blaze of glory or crash in a ball of flame!! SS, RB

[Nate]

i would start tapering about 2 weeks out... cut your volume considerably, but make sure to keep the intensity high.

to quote ivan abadjiev on why you should taper volume, but not intensity:

"It is extremely important to maintain the adaptive state and keep the lifter used to the heavy poundage’s that will be experienced on competition day."

[bigdamray]

I take a full seven days off before the meet. I'll do cardio up until the Wednesday before the meet. Here is my diet and supplement routine after weigh-ins.

Weighed in at 218

We'll call this my secret drink, 3/4 gallon water, 1 pedialyte, 1 package electrolyte gold, 60grams bcaa's, 8 scoops waxy maize, 10 grams glutamine.

1 quart secret drink, 2 purecee, 5 glucorell

chicken and egg white omlette, 2 bowls oatmeal, 1 bowl fruit, 1 glass grapefruit juice, 2 purecee, 5 glucorell, 2 sesapure, 2 levorex, 2 nurogenix, 50mg win, 50mg var

2 hours later, 2 purecee, 5 glucorell, 1/2 pound burger, fries, 2 glasses of water, 1 quart pedialyte

2 hours later, 2 purecee, `10 glucorell, 2 sesapure, 2 levorex, 2 nurogenix, 1 quart secret drink, 1 large package fig newtons, 1 bag animal crackers, 2 banana's, 3 rice cakes w/peanut butter and honey

2 hours later, 2 purecee, 5 glucorell, 9oz steak, lobster tail, ceasar salad, huge bowl of pasta, bread, 2 glasses water, 1 pedialyte

2 hours later, 2 purecee, 5 glucorell, 2 sesapure, 2 levorex, 1 pedialyte, 1 large vanilla shake

Meet Day bw=225

chicken and egg white omlette, 2 bowls oatmeal, 1 bowl fruit, 1 glass grapefruit juice, 2 purecee, 5 glucorell, 2 sesapure, 2 levorex, 2 nurogenix, 50mg win, 50mg var

2 hours later, 12 red blast, 2 t-rex
1 hour later, begin warm-ups for squats, sip on 1 quart secret drink

after squats 2 purecee, 12 red blast, 2 t-rex, 5 glucorell, 4 rice cakes w/peanut butter and honey, 3 banana's, 1 quart pedialyte

After bench 2 purecee, 12 red blast, 2 t-rex, 5 glucorell, 4 rice cakes w/peanut butter and honey, 3 banana's, 1 quart pedialyte

After the contest 1 beer, honey-chipotle chicken strips, french fries, quesadias, 4 margarita's, chocolate molten cake and vanilla ice cream

bw=229

	Glucorell Glucorell R helps shuttle carbohydrates into your muscle cells instead of your fat cells by increasing insulin sensitivity and the uptake of glucose.

	Levorex Levorex enhances the natural thermogenic and lipolytic action of your body without the use of strong stimulants

	PureCEE PureCEE delivers increased strength, pump and muscular endurance without abdominal bloating or subcutaneous water retention often found with creatine monohydrate. PureCEE uses the finest and purest Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL.

	Red Blast RED BLAST contains Pure Creatine ethyl ester, black tea methylxanthines that enhance the Central Nervous System, improves oxygen uptake via bronchiodilation and anti-inflammatory effects as well as increases the NO effects of Arginine Ethyl Ester, Ornithine Ethyl Ester and norvaline.

	SesaPure Sesapure will help you get or stay lean while providing significant health benefits.

[RagingBull666]

I eat as big as possible and never stop. I take about 2 weeks off before a meet.

Example; If meet is on Nov. 1
Squat- Opener Oct. 18,
Bench- Opener Oct. 20
Deadlift- Opener Oct. 15

Some very light lifting two weeks out. Nothing for 10 days before the meet. I don't worry about cutting weight or dieting.

[G-REX]

At about 12-14 weeks the intensity of workouts gets picked up a bit, food intake gets turned up, supplement intake is changed and increased, and sleep becomes more important.This is also where I limit the use of alcohol as well. At this point, workouts are NOT missed and no shortcuts, volume is high. Sleep must be at a minimum of 7 hours(doesn't have to be continuous, but I need atleast 7hrs). Also very important to stay hydrated at this point.

At about 8 weeks, the supplements are changed again and increased. Food and water intake is kept high, sleep is vital(8 hrs or more). Weights are starting to peak, this is where the p.r.'s on my basic, heavy movements start to happen. My speed generally starts to get better here as well. No change to reps or volume yet.

At 4 weeks, I add an oral, either drol or d-bol. If any cardio was being done, I start to taper it down at this point and change to less intensive and low impact cardio(no running, no sprints, no hit). At this point, I usually drop one exercise per session from my routine, the heavy stuff stays and the lighter rep work goes unless it is recovery work, that stays.

At 2 weeks out, my heaviest squat before the meet. Work up to a max in gear. After that I go to deadifting, last deadlift session before the meet. Usually I work up and figure out what a good opener. After the pulling, I'll do some abs and go home.

At 10-11 days out, I see what the absolute lightest weight I can get to touch in my competition shirt is and decide on my opener for the bench. This is the last max effort day for the bench. Heavy tricep work follows and some light lat work.

At 7-8 days out, last heavy bench day. It's not full range, usually a high board press with the shirt on to get as much weight as possible in my hands to "prime" the CNS for the heavy weights the following week.

Monday before the meet is light blood work. Reverse hypers, ab work, that;s about it. The week before the meet I try and keep my work schedule as close to normal as possible, this is what my body is used to, no sense it changing it now. Make sure I get the sleep and food I need, stay hydrated but don't over do it. If I have to cut a couple of pounds, I plan appropriately. Keep my sups the same.

Meet day, eat a good breakfeast, but not too much. Make sure I have some form of food with me to keep my energy levels up at the meet. About 30 minutes before warm ups, I'll take a stimulant. About 10 minutes before my first squat, I pop some methyltest, just for good measure! If the meet is running long, and we're deadlifting late I'll take another stimulant at the beginning of warm ups.

[Shakes]

Awesome, thank you for all of the response. What I was looking for was those with a more scientific approach like Ray and G-Rex.

I used to sip on a gallon of "wiper fluid" (because of the neon color) during strongman contests that consisted of carbo force, isopure, gatorade, water, and stimulants.

For me sleep seems to make a huge difference but I can let it lapse a bit up until 1-2 weeks out and then I need 8-9 hours every night otherwise performance is affected. Diet also seems to play a big part and I've found that force feeding for a week or two and then cutting back to normal meals a couple of days out helps me to keep my body full and strong but not uncomfortably bloated or anything.

	Isopure Whey protein Isolate from Natures Best The elite protein elixir.

[Evidence]

Originally Posted by Nate

i would start tapering about 2 weeks out... cut your volume considerably, but make sure to keep the intensity high.

to quote ivan abadjiev on why you should taper volume, but not intensity:

"It is extremely important to maintain the adaptive state and keep the lifter used to the heavy poundage’s that will be experienced on competition day."

Why does it seem that most people do the complete opposite of this? You can't really argue with the success of Abadjiev and you don't have to just do it becasue he says it. But I just don't understand why you would bust your ass with the goal of a certain poundage to lift and then just totally back off like the week before in the gym? Wouldn't you think you'd be doing the opposite of that and having your body ready to crush that total you're going for?

	ASS Nelson Montana

[any1uno]

It's been awhile since I last competed so this is more from memory. After my wife and I adopt our daughter I plan on competing again.

My partners and I would come in the Monday before the meet and get our openers. After that depending on our weight would either eat or continue with our diet. Sleep was very important. We'd cut the cardio and ab work..although ab work was rare if any. Supps would depend on where we were in the cycle. Most the time timing the last pinning a few days before the meet.

Again..depending on where our weight was at dictated eating. For me I competed at 165 lb but trained closer to 188. The wise choice would be to have dropped 7lbs and went at 181 but for our team we had a strong kid who was blind and a decision was made that I should drop the weight for the team. It was tough.

After weigh in..depending on if it was the morning of or the evening before would also dictate the meals. Morning of after weigh in...blueberry waffles..juice and coffee.Evening before...pastas.

Alcohol was normally stopped at least 6 weeks before.

I know it's not as indepth a description as the lifters above me but they are in a class I've not reached yet. My last comp was over 15 yrs ago. I'm now 50 and 60 lbs heavier. We never heard of PCT after our cycles...just the old pyramid of doses.

Much respect to you all...a great thread and replies.

	PCT Post Cycle Therapy is used to recover one's natural testosterone production after using steroids.

[G-REX]

Originally Posted by Evidence

Why does it seem that most people do the complete opposite of this? You can't really argue with the success of Abadjiev and you don't have to just do it becasue he says it. But I just don't understand why you would bust your ass with the goal of a certain poundage to lift and then just totally back off like the week before in the gym? Wouldn't you think you'd be doing the opposite of that and having your body ready to crush that total you're going for?

I make sure my heaviest bench day is the last workout before the meet. My heaviest squat is 2 weeks out, but even the last week isn't light, I usually stop around 80%. The only one I'd say that I don't try and "stay under heavy weight" for is the deadlift.

I know most powerlifters are teetering on the verge of overtraining when going into a meet, that last week off just makes sure that your body is ready to go. If your body is fresh, your cns is much more likely to comply with the demands you're placing on it. It's a balancing act really. Believe it or not, knowing how to get your body ready for a meet without overtraining it is the key to a successfull powerlifting career. It's not as easy as it would seem for guys that have alot of experience with the iron. It's very common for guys to get crushed by weights they smashed only weeks before because they pushed to hard going into the meet. I can't tell you how many times I've heard guys make comments like " I smashed that weight 3 weeks ago", "the most unprepared I've ever been for a meet and it was my best meet", " I've hit 900 in the gym, but their best meet lift is 805". Some of that is guys not judging themselves honestly in training, but a large majority of that is guys just being overtrained by the time they got to the meet.