15: Peak Week Strategies For Both Natural And Enhanced Athletes: Debunking The Myths And Delivering The Science with Guest Dr. Guillermo Escalante and Co-Host Vassilios Metropoulos

Welcome back guys! This week I’m very excited to have a guest on the show to shed some light on "peak week" and talk about a recommended protocol from a scientific viewpoint. 

Today with my special co-host, and husband, Vassilios Metropoulos, we interview Dr. Guillermo Escalante who has a doctorate in science, is a professor of Kinesiology, an athletic trainer hired by bodybuilding promotors to oversee the health of the athletes on show day, and is a high level bodybuilder.

Together we deep dive into the history of peak week, we talk about the different variables used in peak week protocols, the misconceptions, and Dr. Escalante shares his recommended strategies for a peak week protocol outlined in the published paper he co-wrote with other scientists and PHDs. 

The direct link to the paper on peak week and the specifics on the protocol can be found here:

Escalante G, Stevenson SW, Barakat C, Aragon AA, Schoenfeld BJ. Peak week recommendations for bodybuilders: an evidence-based approach. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2021 Jun 13;13(1):68. doi: 10.1186/s13102-021-00296-y. PMID: 34120635; PMCID: PMC8201693.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34120635/

Key Takeaways:
*Introducing Guillermo Escalante (2:30) 
*Dr. Escalante talks about his experience pulling people off stage at a show (5:20)
*How Dr. Escalante got into bodybuilding (7:48)
*Where “peak week” started and the concept of drying out came from (12:45)
*What does it mean to actually “dry out” (14:43)
*What it means to be “flat” versus “spilled over” versus “holding water” on stage (17:00)
*How healthy is this sport? (21:25)
*How much of the “peak week” protocols out there is actually necessary and scientific…and where did they originate from? (25:10)
*Deep dive into Dr. Escalante’s evidenced based paper on recommended peak week protocols and how he and those who co-wrote the paper with came to their conclusions (36:04)
*How “peak week” differs depending on the division you are in (52:39)
*Does Dr. Escalante’s peak week recommendations apply to every bodybuilder regardless of age, whether you are on PEDs or not, etc. (58:36)
*Dr. Escalante responds to high versus low carb diets (1:05:14)
*How to address flying on an airplane as a variable in your peak week protocol (1:11:20)
*Dr. Escalante and his wife are getting ready to compete (1:16:33)
*The worst bro science move Dr. Escalante has ever done when preparing for a show (1:17:38) 
*Whether you are on PEDs or not…Do you need a diuretic? (1:22:16)
*Find Dr. Guillermo Escalante on social media at @doctorgfit on instagram and Guillermo Escalante on Facebook (1:24:11)

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