I thought long and hard about this installment—whether to combine the final two weeks into one “peak week” article, or separate them into two individual weeks: two weeks out and peak week. Obviously, I opted for the former. And here’s why: At two weeks out almost nothing is going on. You’re basically just holding your breath.
Other than some guys starting their diuretic schedule and maybe carb-depleting toward the end of the week, you’re mostly trying to hold it together while you grind—training, cardio, meal prep, posing practice, tanning bed, keeping up with your social media. It’s as robotic an existence known to man. Not to mention one of the most trying. If you’re going to lose your mind, this is where you’re going to lose it.
Also, these days, the “last week” could actually be the last 10, 12,15 days. The term “peak week” is nebulous. What I’m giving you here is the proverbial “home stretch.”
oleg_ermak/adobe stock
Respect Where It’s Due
First, let’s pay deference to the men and women who make it this far. Regardless of division or show, if you started a contest prep and ran it through all 12- to 16-plus weeks and actually stepped on stage, what you’ve accomplished is inexplicably extraordinary. Over three decades I’ve prepped athletes from every walk of life—clerical workers, doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, captains of industry—and without exception, every single one has said prepping for a bodybuilding contest was the single most difficult thing they’ve ever done. Now imagine that on the Olympia level. The order of magnitude is incomprehensible to anyone but a fellow Olympian.
So when I say something as seemingly trite as “if you’re going to lose your mind, this is where it’ll happen,” it’s said with reverence. From a physical, social, spiritual, and emotional perspective, what happens during this home stretch shouldn’t happen to any human—let alone someone willingly doing it to themselves.
The Physical Grind
This part’s the easiest to explain. If you aren’t ready now, you’re not going to be. You’re not building any more muscle during this phase. Your physique structure isn’t going to change. You’ve basically got what you’re bringing to the stage—plus or minus a little water, glycogen, and maybe a trace of fat. That’s why this period is all about manipulation.
Some guys go for radical carb depletion. Some only slightly. Some cycle. Some don’t deplete at all. Back in the Haney/Gaspari era, almost no one used diuretics. These days some guys start up to a month out. By two weeks, plenty of competitors are on some form of diuretic. Some wait until the last couple days. But in 2025, there’s a good chance that everybody’s using something.
Beyond that, the cards are held close to the vest. Olympia-level pre-contest pharmacology can include plasma expanders, anti-cortisol drugs, insulin, clenbuterol, painkillers, site oils, and other substances to mitigate muscle loss and keep metabolic rate high. It’s a Pandora’s box I’m not opening all the way with specifics. At this level the drugs, dosages, and applications are complex, dangerous, and—if you’re not under someone who truly knows what they’re doing—deadly. More than one athlete has died trying to “nail” their peak.
The Mental Spiral
This is the real killer. Psychological, spiritual, and emotional stress will ruin a champion physique faster than grazing at the Chinese buffet. Self-doubt, second-guessing, distorted self-image, reacting to negative comments online, irritability, foul moods, constipation, diarrhea, the general displeasure of every breath—this is the norm. You just want it to be over.
And then you start thinking: Back in the day they didn’t do any of this shit and some say the physiques looked better! Wind that thought loop tight enough and you’ve got a recipe for a crash. Most guys hold on. Some don’t. Some come close. At the end of the day, the strongest mind wins.
izikmd/Adobe Stock
Everything Else
During these final days the schedule ramps up. Some guys are traveling from overseas with a pharmacy in their suitcases, risking customs in the US where what’s in those vials is a federal felony. Sponsor appearances, photo shoots, interviews—some cut them off, others can’t afford to. A few even hold down day jobs. Meanwhile there’s still raining, cardio, meal prep, posing practice, tanning sessions, massages, chiropractor visits, skin treatments, social media obligations. Constant motion becomes a form of distraction from the hunger, the stress, and the waiting.
The training itself usually shifts: still intense but lighter, concentrated, careful—train it, don’t break it. One freak injury this close to show day can erase an entire year. The diet is tighter than ever, hunger at its peak, the urge to cheat unbearable. And yes, some guys do break. I’ve heard stories of trench coats and ball caps, for a Taco Bell run at 1 a.m. Hunger sets the mood. “Resting bitch face” becomes the default look.
The Home Stretch
This is the home stretch—the culmination of months of hard work, suffering and sacrifice —not just the manipulation of sodium and water, but the navigation of your own mind. The champions you see onstage aren’t just physiques. They’re survivors of a crucible that tests everything: body, mind, and spirit. And if you’re still standing, still shredded, still smiling on game day, you’ve already won something most people will never understand.
