Five-time WBFF world champion bodybuilder Wole Adesemoye recently discussed bodybuilding on the Sept. 1, 2023, episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show. One major topic he and O’Hearn spoke to was peak week — the week before a competition where a bodybuilder’s diet is strict to “dry out” (deplete water under the skin to appear sharper on stage) and descend body fat level to develop a podium-worthy physique.
Wole Adesemoye and Mike O’Hearn gave a tutorial on how to have an ideal peak week for improved conditioning come competition day. Check out the entire interview here:
Wole Adesemoye’s 3 Steps to Peak Week
Adesemoye stayed with O’Hearn the week before his Las Vegas bodybuilding competition; a personal chef prepared all of Adesemoye’s food. By outsourcing his meal prep, That way, Adesemoye achieved sufficient rest and training. Just as important, he “didn’t overthink anything.”
O’Hearn’s home setup is bountiful for maximizing an athlete’s training, diet, and rest. His full gym with all the iron accoutrement one might expect, as well as two ellipticals and a treadmill, and O’Hearn himself in the same space.
1. Reduce Cardio
When O’Hearn asked about the differences between this peak week compared to previous ones, Adesemoye admitted to doing less. For this show, Adesemoye felt he would bring his best package yet and didn’t need to obsess with with a single type of cardio, like he did with the stair climber the previous year.
Adesemoye previously had higher volume to increase his heart rate as well — giant supersets of six back-to-back exercises. In short, Adesemoye trained extremely hard for minimal gain. Adapting, he cut back his workload by not combining cardio with resistance training unnecessarily.
2. Mindset Shift
O’Hearn summarized Adesemoye’s previous mindset as working the hardest in the gym and using the most complex equipment possible. However, Adesemoye has grown to work smarter.
Adesemoye switched from intense sessions on the stairclimber to working in a heart rate variability range of 120-150 beats per minute (bpm) and adding variety to his cardio. He even avoided supersets altogether.
[Related: Why Iain Valliere Prefers High-Volume Arm Training During 2023 Mr. Olympia Prep]
3. Cut Rest Times
Despite Adesemoye’s adjustments, he still trains as hard as one needs to compete with elite competition. He cut his rest times from a minute to 30-45 seconds between sets and continued to be precise — maximal contraction with each rep with a conscious mind-muscle connection or and “pushing the water out,” as O’Hearn put it. Per Adesemoye:
Nutrition will kick in. Then the training will assist with the nutrition to get the water out.
O’Hearn helped Adesemoye adjust his water intake — increasing to 12 liters daily (400 ounces) and gradually decreasing. Using O’Hearn’s protocol template, Adesemoye dried out, and his physique changed with every workout.
Adesemoye closed by saying, “I want to show people what’s possible with determination, consistency, and discipline — doing the things you don’t want to do like you love them.”
Featured image: @woleadesemoye on Instagram
