JUAN ROJAS
JUAN ROJAS
8 COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID FOR YOUR 1ST SHOW
Bodybuilding is more than lifting weights or eating chicken and broccoli— it is one of the purest forms of self-expression. A sport where our body transforms into a living sculpture, molded through discipline, shaped by sacrifice, and polished with precision. Each rep, each meal, each sleepless night is a brushstroke in a masterpiece painted not with ink, but with blood, sweat, and tears.
To prepare for a show is to embark on a journey that will change your entire perspective on life. It becomes a spiritual test, a psychological battle, and an artistic pursuit all in one. If you approach it with heart and intention, you will find it to be one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences of your life. The lessons learned— about perseverance, resilience, self-control, and delayed gratification— are carried far beyond the stage. loading, or sodium manipulation without truly understanding how their body responds. The result? Flat muscles, poor vascularity, or a“ spilled over” look due to excess glycogen and water. This leaves you looking like you undid weeks of progress in a matter of days. Oftentimes people seek to come in 5 % better in peak week and end up looking 20 % worse trying to gamble in this process.
Avoid it: Test your peak week protocol weeks in advance. A mock peak week helps you understand how your body reacts to changes in carbs, sodium, water, and training. Remember: peak week is about fine-tuning, not reinventing your prep. Usually small changes if needed will lead to the best look. In a perfect scenario, you wouldn’ t even have to do a peak week. You just drop fatigue and follow the daily plan to the day of the show if you look great.
But in the pursuit of perfection, many competitors( and I have been a victim of this myself) fall victim to small, preventable mistakes that undermine months, sometimes years, of hard work. These aren’ t just technical errors— they’ re mental distractions, strategic missteps, or emotional lapses that can turn a potential win into disappointment. Worse still, they can strip the joy from a process that should be empowering and adding value to your life.
Whether you ' re stepping on stage for the first time or chasing your next level as a seasoned competitor, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. Below are 8 of the most common mistakes made by physique athletes— avoid them, and you allow your journey to remain not only successful, but truly unforgettable.
1. Improper Peak Week Strategy Peak week is often misunderstood and overcomplicated. Many competitors attempt drastic water depletion, carb