Week 12: The Final Push – Peak Week Adjustments & Competition Prep
Church of Gainz Family!
Peak Week is officially here, and it’s time to execute the final details before stepping on stage. After a week in Spain, juggling work, travel, and prep, I’m back in the U.S. and locked in for competition mode.
This is the final stretch. The months of hard work are done. Now, it’s about refining, maintaining, and stepping on stage in the best condition possible.
The Week in Numbers
Weight: 173 lbs (down from 177 before Spain)
🔥 Calories: ~3,000 calories/day, adjusting for carb-cycling through the week
💪 Training:
✔ 4 lifting sessions, prioritizing muscle activation over muscle breakdown.
✔ Refining posing routine, focusing on stage pacing and peak conditioning.
✔ Cardio reduced to minimize stress and preserve energy.
Spain Recap: Maintaining While Traveling
Last week, I was in Madrid, Spain, balancing work, travel, and bodybuilding prep. This wasn’t just a trip—it was a test of discipline, flexibility, and adaptation.
💡 Key Takeaways from Spain:
Training: Stayed consistent, hitting late-night gym sessions after work and morning cardio, sometimes swapping the treadmill for runs through Madrid.
Diet: Since I couldn’t cook, I relied on restaurant meals and carefully tracked portion sizes to stay within my targets.
Hydration Struggles: With constant movement between meetings, flights, and late nights, measuring water intake accurately was difficult.
Energy Fluctuations: Between long work hours, travel stress, and lack of sleep, some days I felt completely drained, but I still got my training done.
Catching Norovirus: At the end of my trip, I got hit with Norovirus, which dropped my weight significantly due to dehydration and loss of appetite.
Despite getting the set backs, I stuck to the plan. My goal wasn’t to lose weight—it was to maintain. And I did just that by controlling my portions, keeping workouts consistent, and not making excuses.
Would I have done anything differently? Maybe found a meal prep service, but options were limited. At the end of the day, I controlled what I could, and that’s what mattered.
Peak Week Adjustments
As soon as I landed back in the U.S., it was time to lock in.
Peak Week Strategy
Carb Depletion → Loading Phase
Early in the week: Low-carb days to deplete glycogen stores.
Mid-week (Tuesday & Wednesday): High-carb intake (~1.6x baseline) to fully reload muscles for fullness.
Friday: Lower-carb day to tighten up before stepping on stage.
2. Water & Sodium Management
Kept water high early in the week to stay hydrated, then adjusted based on fullness and conditioning.
Sodium manipulation played a role in balancing water retention to achieve a sharper look.
3. Training Adjustments
Lighter volume, higher reps → Maintaining muscle activation without causing breakdown (no time for recovery).
No cardio from Friday onward → The focus is on minimizing stress and preserving energy.
4. Tanning, Rest, & Stress Management
Focused on hydration balance, posing practice, and keeping cortisol low to avoid any last-minute bloating or stress retention.
💪 Show Day Strategy & Mindset
Now, the big question: What do I eat before stepping on stage?
Right now, I don’t have an exact plan. But I’ll stick to what my body is already used to:
🍳 Eggs & rice—a good balance of protein, carbs, fats, and sodium.
✔ Easily digestible.
✔ Light on the stomach.
✔ Keeps me full without bloating.
Mentally? I Feel Ready.
I’ve put in months of effort. The training, the posing, the discipline—it’s all done.
I’m not really nervous, just excited to show the work.
At this point, it’s about:
🔥 Trusting the routine.
🔥 Feeling confident in my presentation.
🔥 Having fun on stage.
🏆 Final Thoughts – The Work is Done
This week is about executing the final details. No more drastic changes. No more overthinking. Just showing up and putting the work on display.
Key Takeaway: Peak Week is about refinement, not overdoing it.
👉 Work smarter, not harder.
👉 Stick to what works.
👉 Trust the process.
Question for You:
What’s the best way you’ve ever prepared for a high-stakes event? Did you focus on relaxing, refining details, or just trusting your preparation? Drop your insights—I’d love to hear them.
Thanks for following along. Showtime is here. Let’s do this.Thanks for following along. Peak Week, here we come!
Much Love, Pastor Quest
