Peaking For Powerlifting

Peaking for Powerlifting - Juggernaut Training Systems - Juggernaut Training Systems
04/03/15 14:15
PEAKING FOR POWERLIFTING
When many people begin to mess around with weights for the first
time, it seems like the entire goal of the endeavor is to max out; to
see how much you can lift. This approach to lifting continues
longer for some than others, and has even evolved into a set of
training methodologies (Westside, with its emphasis on training
http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2014/08/12/peaking-powerlifting/
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maxes, comes to mind). Of course most people begin to understand

at some point that the best way to actually get stronger over the
longer term is to train and not just max out. Most will understand
that the process of getting stronger is distinct from the process of
showing off that new-found strength.
But even for more mature lifters that strive for long-term
improvements and are not obsessed with continually testing their
strength, the time comes when showing off is exactly the point. In
fact, thats the whole purpose of powerlifting competition; to be in
your best possible shape to show off all of your strength gains. So
the question of the article is; how do we best prepare for the actual
powerlifting competition? How do we transition from training to
get strong into training to show off our strength?
Why Peaking?
Isnt showing off strength easy? Dont you just take a regular
training day to hit your maxes? Well, it turns out that things are a
bit more complicated if maximal performance on meet day is your
goal. As a matter of fact, there are two distinct reasons that training
must change several weeks before your meet to maximize
performance:
1.) Fatigue masks fitness.
- As you train, your muscles become bigger, their alignment
changes, and your nervous system becomes more capable of
activating your muscles to produce higher forces. All the while, the
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hard training required to stimulate these adaptations also produces

some fatigue. The muscles run low on glycogen, their fiber types
may temporarily alter to the weaker kind (type IIb to type IIa), they
accumulate microtears and fray a bit. The nervous system
experiences ion imbalances from continual high level activation
and can become quite inefficient while its underlying capabilities
expand.
Thus, while your machinery might be getting much stronger, your
actual ability to express this new-found strength can be hidden by
the fatigue that this very training generates. In order to peak for a
1rm, fatigue must be addressed. We must find a way to lower
fatigue while keeping our strength.
2.) Training and competition are different enough to
matter.
- Basic understanding of strength training tells us that the best way
to get strong is to handle heavy weights at concomitantly high
volumes. Because VERY heavy weights (regularly in excess of 90%
1RM) cause a disproportionately high amount of fatigue and are
thus not sustainable to train with, multiple sets of 3-5 repetitions
seem best for most people looking to gain strength. The weights
used can still be quite heavy, but not so heavy as to cause a
prohibitive level of fatigue accumulation. Thus with multiple sets of
3-5 reps, high workloads with heavy weights can be performed and
strength-based adaptations can be well stimulated. While this style
of training enhances strength, its not completely specific to the
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actual display of this strength. Strength is displayed at 1 rep, not 5

reps, and there is a meaningful difference in technique,
musculoskeletal forces, and nervous system activity between the
two rep ranges. Thus, while training for strength is best done with
multiple sets of 3-5 reps, training to peak your strength in a 1rm
requires a more specific approach. Training in sets of 1-3 reps
during the final prep for a meet may be part of the answer.
So now the question becomes, how do we change training to
address these concerns and present the best possible performance
on meet day?
The Fitness-Fatigue Paradigm (Visualized)
The Process of Peaking

Time for some sport science terminology to enter the picture.
Attempting to manipulate training variables in order to express a
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high level of performance at a particular time is termed peaking

in sport science. The underlying component of the ability to peak is
ones preparedness, which is the ability of the body to actually
exert itself maximally. Preparedness can be further broken down
into the sum of fitness (how well-developed your ability to move
your body actually is, in this case your strength) and fatigue (the
depletion of energy substrates and damage to the muscles,
hormonal axes, and nervous system that impede fitness
expression). Meanwhile, specificity is the degree to which you are
prepared to exert yourself in a particular task, such as 1rm lifting. A
quick definition guide so that you can come back and reference this
later with some other important terms, in plain English and in
powerlifting context:
Peaking: The process of maximizing preparedness at THE
DESIRED TIME.
Preparedness: The sum of fitness and fatigue; how well youre
actually capable of performing.
Fitness: How well developed your body and mind are to lift the
most weight possible.
Fatigue: How beat up you are, and how much this prevents you
from being strong at a particular time.
Tapering: The process of reducing training volumes and
intensities to bring down fatigue and express maximal strength.
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Specificity: How good you are at doing 1rm attempts, rather than
just being strong in general. Matters the most as you get closer to
the meet. Specific training matches competition most closely.
Peaking for Powerlifting
From the above description of the basic science behind peaking, we
can infer that our training in the final weeks leading up to a meet
must do 3 distinct things if were to peak most effectively:
1.) Drop fatigue as much as possible.
2.) Elevate or at least maintain fitness as high as possible.
3.) Enhance specificity so that were actually ready to max out in
the big 3.
Lets look at how training changes from regular strength training
into peaking and take each of the above variables one at a time.
Dropping fatigue:
A considerable amount of research has indicated that in most
cases, volume (NOT intensity) is the primary contributor to
fatigue. So, the first move in our attempt to drop fatigue to peak for
the meet is to drop volume. Depending on several factors (lifter
size and strength, mostly), between 1 and 4 weeks before the meet,
training volume must be brought down. Volume reduction is
probably the most fundamental component of peaking as not much
fatigue will drop without it. Larger, stronger and more experienced
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(those that are closer to pushing the limits of their physiology)

lifters disrupt homeostasis (the bodys stable maintenance of
structures and functions) much more than smaller, less-strong and
less-experienced lifters, so they need more time to bring down
fatigue. This rule of size, strength, and experience applies to body
structures as well as individuals, so that smaller lifts which use less
of the body (bench vs. squat vs. deadlift, in that order) need less
time at lower volumes to drop the same amount of fatigue. Thus,
volume reduction for the deadlift of an elite 308lb competitor may
begin as far as 4 weeks out from a meet, the squat volume of a
masters class 198lber may need to start dropping 2 weeks out from
a meet, but the bench volume of a beginner 97lb lifter may be cut
as late as only 1 week before the meet. Whats the best way to cut
volume? Reduce the number of working sets well have examples
later.
Intensity is not the dominant contributor to fatigue that volume is,
but it does play an important role, especially for the larger,
stronger and more experienced lifters and lifts/bodyparts. For
fitness conservation reasons to be explained next, we want
intensity to be as high as possible for as long as possible.
Realistically, this means that intensity cutting usually trails volume
cutting by a week or so for most individuals. The elite 308lb
deadlifter may begin to take weight off the bar 3 weeks out from a
meet, the 198lb squatter may reduce weights one week out, and the
97lb bench presser may take a light day mid-week on the week of
her meet. There are many ways to cut intensity, but the most basic
is to cut it (like volume, as we shall see in the examples) in an
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exponential fashion a little at first, but more and more as the

meet approaches, until the last training session before the meet is
just a technical warmup with super light weights.
Elevating and Maintaining Fitness:
Bringing down fatigue is important, but the problem is that almost
the same things that bring down fatigue also tend to bring down
fitness. If JUST brining down fatigue was our concern, wed just be
able to take it easy and not train for 3 weeks before the meet! The
good news is that we know that fitness can be kept high or even
elevated through two ways:
1.) Intensity conserves fitness better than volume. High intensity
AND high volumes are needed to get stronger, but a lot of strength
can be maintained with even very low volumes if intensity is kept
high. Thus we cut volume first in our taper, and only cut intensity
later. This conserves the maximal amount of strength while still
allowing our fatigue to be reduced.
2.) Intentional overreaching can be used to actually elevate fitness
(strength in our case) during the course of a taper. By training
harder than what is normally sustainable right before the taper in
volumes and intensities begins, we can set into motion a
supercompensation effect of training that allows adaptations to
be expressed weeks after the hard training bout itself. Thus by
training with crazy volumes and intensities in the week before the
volume drop begins, fitness (strength) can actually reach its peak
close to the meet itself. Combined with the drop in fatigue from the
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taper, intentional overreaching is a powerful tool for preparedness

enhancement. Normally, this would be done by doubling the
volume of work in the week before the volume reduction. For
example, if a normal deadlift workout is 3 sets of heavy deads at
85% max, then the overreaching workout can be up to 6 sets of
deads, at a similar intensity or even higher.
Enhancing Specificity:
Specificity enhancement allows us to further elevate our
preparedness. Not generally, but exactly for the powerlifting meet
itself. Nobody at the meet cares how well your overhead press is
going (much to my chagrin, as its by far my best lift), and nobody
cares how much you squatted for 5s (again, to my continual
disappointment). What matters is the specific ability to perform
THE powerlifts, and for a 1rm. Thus, training during the taper
should reflect both demands, in three distinct ways:
1.) First, the bulk of your training during the taper should be
composed of the lifts themselves. All setups need to be
competition-based techniques in the final weeks. If you squat sumo
in competition, this is no time for close-stance squat work. Train
how you compete applies here big time. Paused benches, squats to
regulation depth, and fully-reset deadlifts are key. This also means
wearing your PL belt, wrist wraps, knee wraps, and using chalk,
just the same as in your meet. When volume begins to get cut
during the taper, most of the early cuts are from the assistance
moves, precisely to enhance training specificity. Toward the end of
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your taper, the last training sessions are pretty much JUST the big
3 competition lifts and nothing, or almost nothing else.
2.) General strength is the basis for your 1rm, but when the meet
gets close, its time to start practicing for the game, so to speak.
There are important physiological, psychological, and technical
differences between 3-5rm weights and truly limit 1rm weights. In
order to be the best on meet day, you must practice with super
heavy weights for the very lowest reps. This means that during
your overreach and during your volume taper, the weights on the
bar must be heavy enough to be a stimulus in the 1-3 rep range.
This is the time to for triples, doubles, and singles in your training.
Because volume gets cut incrementally through the taper and
intensity is conserved as highly as possible (intensity being weight
on the bar), sets of 1-3 reps are the norm through most of the taper
itself. The only things that change are the number of sets and the
weight on the bar.
3.) A more minor concern of specificity, but important nonetheless,
is the maintenance of maximal intent to move through the entire
taper. Move that bar with as much force as you can for all working
weights (heavy or not), and youll enhance specificity as well as
keep fitness elevated. Forceful movements not only allow you to
practice the specific technique of PL competition, but also conserve
more strength by allowing your nervous system and faster-twitch
muscle fibers more stimulation.
Real-World Peaking Examples
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Ok so weve learned some cool stuff, now lets look at applying it to

the real world. Lets take three examples of the meet prep of power
lifters that train 4x a week (for simplicity) with two lower body
days and two upper body days. Well use our 308lb Elite lifter first,
then our 198lb master-class lifter, and finally our 97lb beginner:
Elite 308lb Lifter:
From the above peaking routine for a 308lb elite lifter, you may
notice several things:
- All training except for some of the early assistance work occurs in
the 3 rep range. This is not a golden rule, as doubles and even some
singles (in the highest intensity week particularly) are quite ok to
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use as well. Ill stick to 3s here because they work well and just to
keep things constant.
- The overreaching phase occurs VERY far out from the meet, a
whole 4 weeks.
- The overreaching phase has a TON of sets (8 total work sets of
squats on Monday, for example) and all of the sets are very heavy.
This will be the toughest training youll do all meet prep long.
- Volume is cut DRASTICALLY 3 weeks out, as it contributes
heavily to fatigue. Intensity is still high. This week will be very
tough, as you are being asked to lift the heaviest weights of the
meet prep while under the highest levels of cumulative fatigue.
Make sure your technique is excellent and you give it as much
effort as you must to complete the reps.
- The last heavy deadlift occurs 2.5 weeks out, the last moderateheavy squat occurs 2 weeks out, and the last heavy bench occurs
about 1.5 weeks out a good start for many lifters of this size and
caliber. Some lifters will need more or less time for each lift to drop
fatigue but retain fitness. A one-week window in each direction will
cover most lifers.
- Two weeks out begins the volume AND intensity cut. This week
will still present some weights that feel a bit heavy (especially in
the overreached state), but the set numbers are so low that
homeostasis is hardly disturbed. Youll drop a lot of fatigue this
week. Notice that the assistance moves have been cut almost
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completely. The muscle built and maintained by them hangs in for

weeks after you stop training them (just with training the
competition lifts), so you wont lose any strength, but your fatigue
drops profoundly.
- By the start of the last week, youre gonna feel pretty good. The
last week still has SOME training in it, because light training (vs.
total rest) drops MORE fatigue, keeps your connective tissues more
limber and preserves better technique. By the end of this week,
youll be completely healed and ready to break things and hurt
people exactly where youre supposed to be before a powerlifting
meet!
Master-Class 198lb Lifter:
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Some differences to consider for this lifter vs. the 308er in the first
example:
- The whole taper only takes 3 weeks vs. 4. Because of the lighter
weights and lower volumes employed, smaller and less strong
lifters usually dont need as long of a taper. This means they can
train to get stronger for one extra week before the taper begins, so
its not a bad thing. Your favorite lifters may all do 4 week tapers,
but that doesnt mean its the best thing for you at your current
level of development.
- Youll notice that the second week out and even the final week
have some relatively heavier weights (especially early in the final
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week) than the 308lber was lifting. This is because the 198lber will
drop fatigue faster, and can afford to keep a bit more fitnessstimulus in later with the heavier weights.
Novice 97lb Lifter:
Some differences to consider for this lifter vs. the 198er in the
second example:
- Just a two week taper here. Smaller, less experienced and less
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strong lifters need less time to drop fatigue and peak, and REALLY
small and relatively less strong lifters barely need a taper at all!
Tapering must be personalized to the individual. Just because
Andrey Malanichev stops heavy deadlifts 4 weeks out doesnt meet
a 95lb girl doing her first meet has to!
- Youll notice that everything here is condensed. The overreach is
only the first part of the second to last week, as volume begins to
drop in the second half of the week. The last week is actually still
quite heavy, as the recovery of smaller and less strong lifters is so
powerful relative to their ability to disrupt homeostasis (cause
cumulative fatigue), that mostly volume reductions are all it takes
to peak. If you taper these lifters for too long, they just end up
undertraining and get weaker! For smaller, less strong and
experience lifters, the taper for a meet may end up actually looking
much like a standard deload week for most lifters.
- The final workouts are not as light (relatively) as they would be
for the stronger lifters, but this is still quite easy to recover from.
Youll also notice that the final training is done closer to the
competition date for the same reason as the above not training
novice lifters for too long can lead to more rapid fitness declines
than for stronger, heavier, more experienced lifters.
Conclusion
A quick summary of the main recommendations in this article:
1.) Choose the right taper length based on the strength, size, and
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experience of the athlete.

2.) Train mostly for sets of 1-3 in the entire peaking phase, choose
the competition lifts as your program core.
3.) Overreach by doubling training volume for one week before the
taper begins.
4.) Taper by first reducing volume (number of sets), then reducing
both volume and intensity (sets and weight on the bar).
5.) Cut volume by reducing the assistance moves first, then then
main moves.
6.) Train very light during the beginning of the last week. This is
even better than total rest.
This article only speaks in depth about the training-mediated ways
to taper. Nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle are also big
concerns. Tapering changes when more or less food is eaten, when
sports supplements are taken or avoided, and when lifestyle factors
promote recovery or alternatively cause more stress. These factors
are always going to play a role, so please consider them.
The above examples give a sort of maximum-medium-minimum
view of the tapering process. Almost every reader of this article will
be somewhere between the 97lb female beginner and the 308lb
elite powerlifter. Individualization is very important to a proper
program and certainly to a proper taper. The good news is that you
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have a cheat sheet to make your taper even better than any
recommendation I give: YOURSELF!
By noting how you respond to volumes, intensities and tapers of
various lengths and magnitudes, you can fine-tune your own
tapering process over the course of several meets. But remember:
bigger, stronger, and more experienced lifters need more profound
tapers. So as you get more of all three of those things, make sure
you make the adjustments needed BEFORE your next meet,
because after is too late. Use the principles in this article to your
advantage, and may the force (literally, the one you put into the
barbell to move it) be with you!
Further Reading:
1.) Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance by Inigo Mujika
2.) Periodization by Tudor Bompa and Greg Haff
3.) Principles and Practice of Resistance Training by Michael
Stone, Meg Stone and William Sands
Born in Moscow, Russia, Mike Israetel is a professor of
Exercise Science at the University of Central Missouri.
Additionally, he is a competitive powerlifter and
bodybuilder, and has been the head sport nutrition
consultant to the US Olympic training site in Johnson
City, TN. Mike is currently the head science consultant
for Renaissance Periodization, and the Author of The
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Renaissance Diet.
Online Training, Website, Facebook
Click the picture below to get your copy of this valuable
resource, if youre really serious about dispensing with
the fads and gimmicks to take your strength and
physique to the next level
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Peaking for Powerlifting - Juggernaut Training Systems - Juggernaut Training Systems