Although last weekend wasn't expected and surely wasn't planned, my "crash and burn" ended up being a good thing. After receiving some mental and emotional encouragement from some very dear people, I rebounded and recovered almost immediately. Last week I did workouts I actually enjoyed, instead of routines I forced myself to perform in order to try and achieve a perfected physique. I allowed myself some leeway with food, adding certain "enhancements" to my meals like larger veggie portions and a different protein source. It was all I needed to make it through the week. I also added an extra meal on Friday and Saturday to mentally prepare myself and to make sure I was ready for the final week before our first show....peak week.
Yesterday was the first day of "peak week". Peak week is the week leading up to a show. I have done research on the subject, and found quite a bit of contradicting experiences, but have developed a conservative plan to make it through the week. We are doing a carb depletion followed by a load with water manipulation. Pretty much that means Sunday through Wednesday we will consume very small amounts of carbs, about 50 grams. Thursday we will double that amount and Friday we will triple that amount. The idea is that it is suppose to give you a "fuller" look when you step on stage on Saturday. Also Sunday through Wednesday we will be drinking 2+ gallons of water, Thursday just 1 gallon and Friday maybe a half gallon before lunch time and then small sips the rest of Friday and Saturday. I have a plan for Saturday, again being conservative with our approach. I plan on eating clean foods; rice cakes, oats, sweet potatoes strategically planned throughout the day. Saturday is mainly about eating enough carbs to keep your muscles looking full. Some people will "shit load" on Saturday, with the intention of filling their muscles out and having a vascular look while on stage. Shit loading just means eating junk; doughnuts, candy bars, soda. This approach makes me nervous. However, since I am doing 2 shows a week apart, I thought it might be beneficial, for learning purposes, to approach the second competition differently and do some sort of shit loading to see if there is a difference.
It hit me yesterday, that life will go on after these shows. I have a good idea of how I want to transfer into normal life afterwards and what habits I would like to keep for my lifestyle. I also realized that I have a greater control on my willpower then I give myself credit for. How else would I have been able to progress as much as I have if I didn't have this willpower. I just hope that afterwards I can face social settings with my willpower in tact. Being away from family and friends makes it easier to eat well because there are no gatherings with food temptations.
I'm trying to air on the side of being excited for these competitions, but being that I have never done one before I am more just trying to avoid anxiety. I can't expect perfection with my first one and no matter what happens I am proud of what I have accomplished in the last 12 weeks and now know I can push myself farther and harder then I ever expected. That's the only part of this that really matters at the end of the day, having these experiences that push all of your limits, and surviving.
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