alek wrote: ↑Fri Sep 02, 2022 9:22 am
I'm not really sure how to peak for a meet, mock meet, whatever. In the past, I've very clumsily done some things that were probably really stupid leading up to a test of 1rm strength.
I've got the BBM free peaking template, and I was planning on running out the JuggAI app through my upcoming meet--it includes a peaking block. However, I give myself about a 60% chance of ditching the app before then.
Is peaking one of those things that is lifter dependent, and everyone kinda has to figure out how to do it for themselves? Or are there some general guidelines that one should usually follow to successfully peak at the target time?
In the past, I've usually just trained normally up to about a week or two before-hand and then start doing more heavy singles and cutting volume. Is that it? Are there better strategies?
It isn't lifter dependent at all in terms of how peaking works. Everyone peaks through supercompensation. How you get there is up to you, but the vast majority of peaking systems that work all are very, very similar when you look under the hood. Bar how they feel, all humans work pretty much the same way so that's not surprising.
The problem, such as it is, is that compared to general training there is relatively little information out there about peaking. It's very simple, but also very misunderstood.
Like
@KOTJ said, most peaks only take four to six weeks. All they do is make you overreach, then recover fully and that induces supercompensation. They're all set up so that this happens on schedule, because supercompensation doesn't last. You get a relatively short window (a couple of days) where you are capable of around two to five per cent more than you would normally be.
Let's say you have a five week peak. That's what I learned with Greg Panora. I think 5th Set uses something very similar.
Week one, you do two to three singles at 90% of your working max, followed by three to five paused or deficit triples at 60%. No assistance work.
Week two all you do is work up to a small PR, five pounds or so. This will be attempt two on meet day.
Week three you do two to three singles at 90% of your new PR followed by two to four paused doubles or triples at 65%. For deadlifts that drops to 50%. Those singles are your openers. No assistance work
Week four you do three to four singles at 80%. No assistance work.
Week five is meet week. Assuming meet day is Sunday you do something like 5x2x50% squats, 5x3x50% bench and 6x1x50% deads. No assistance work. The remainder of the week you rest. Do nothing.
The two biggest mistakes I constantly see when powerlifters try to peak fall into two main categories.
One, mistaking peaking for training. It isn't. You don't get better during peak, you just maximise your capacity to display what strength you've built. That's why you don't do accessories or assistance during peak. At most you'll do little stuff like prehab work that you always do and doesn't have a significant impact on fatigue.
Second, not prioritising recovery. The success of your peak lives and dies by how well you recover in week five. I've lost count of the number of people I've seen torpedo their peak by failing to stay the hell out of the gym during meet week. The only group larger than this is the ones lifting too heavy too close to meet day.
The other thing that throws a lot of people during peak is that they get worried when they feel like crap. That's normal, and is actually beneficial. It means you've accumulated plenty of fatigue so you're going to be sure to overreach, and that means supercompensation is going to be maximised. If you go through peak feeling amazing that's often a cause for concern, because there isn't going to be anything to recover from.
Ideally, you'll have built up a ton of fatigue in the period leading into the peak, so you go into peak fatigued. That way, you're guaranteed to overreach.
For a lot of people, five to seven months is a good interval between peaks. You get a decent amount of time to rebuild work capacity after peak (because you detrain) and a good period where you can do some solid work and accumulate fatigue to lead into your peak.