Johnnie Jackson: OffSeason Diet

Diet and Nutrition
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If you’re a natural and/or you train just to look better, this thread probably isn’t for you. At the very least, I’m certainly not advocating that everyone who “can’t gain weight” give this diet a try (or even anyone). I realize genetics and drugs play a huge part in a competitive BBer’s physique. Long-term health is also a concern on a diet like this.

Nonetheless, seeing things like this always makes for interesting discussion. Observe Johnnie Jackson, IFBB pro.

This was Jackson’s daily off-season diet, posted in a magazine awhile back (I won’t say which one out of respect to T-mag). I thought it was cool that they didn’t sugarcoat it with all of the typical “chicken, rice, fruits, and veggies” bullshit like most mags do.

Meal 1 12 Donuts (6 glazed,6 chocolate), bottle of sprite

Meal 2 McDonalds - Steak bagel meal, bottle of sprite

Meal 3 eggs, potatoes, pancakes

Meal 4 McDonalds - 2 quarter pounders with cheese, fries, 2 apple pies, sprite

Meal 5 McDonalds - 2 quarter pounders with cheese, fries, 2 apple pies, sprite

Meal 6 McDonalds - 2 quarter pounders with cheese, fries, 2 apple pies, sprite

P.S. Apparently Jackson’s a fan of The Sprite.

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This is very similar to Dave Tate’s old diet (before the Berardi transformation) and a lot of competitive powerlifters eat this way.

12 donuts w/ no protein would probably put me in an insulin coma. At the very least I’d need a long nap.

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Holy sh!t ! I think I might try that :).

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Where are all the magical protein and creatine powders he endoreses? Where??

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[quote]jdrannin1 wrote:
Where are all the magical protein and creatine powders he endoreses? Where??[/quote]

All ya need is plenty of veggies and Flinstone vitamins.

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You’ve gotta be kidding me… You can’t honestly believe that an Olympia competitor eats that way in the off-season.

I guarantee you he’s eating much more healthfully than that. At least a hell of a lot more protein.

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Damn, Kobe Bryant and Johnnie Jackson both drink sprite, thats one hell of a thirst quencher.

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[quote]CC wrote:

P.S. Apparently Jackson’s a fan of The Sprite.[/quote]

That ^ was exactly, word for word, what was originally going to post.

–WS4

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5 meals at McDonalds in a row?

Shit, at least switch it up and go to Burger King once in a while. Those triple stackers kick ass.

Anyway, I take anything written in a muscle magazine about what a pro bodybuilder ‘does’ with a grain of salt the size of the Alps.

I know a lot of pro bodybuilders can get away with eating way beyond the boundaries of an ‘average’ person, but unless what is written is a hand-written letter signed by said bodybuilder with an attached picture of him writing said letter, I’ll look at it as purely entertainment.

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[quote]Bauer97 wrote:
5 meals at McDonalds in a row?

Shit, at least switch it up and go to Burger King once in a while. Those triple stackers kick ass.

Anyway, I take anything written in a muscle magazine about what a pro bodybuilder ‘does’ with a grain of salt the size of the Alps.

I know a lot of pro bodybuilders can get away with eating way beyond the boundaries of an ‘average’ person, but unless what is written is a hand-written letter signed by said bodybuilder with an attached picture of him writing said letter, I’ll look at it as purely entertainment.[/quote]

I believe it. That may not be an everyday occurence but it isn’t like they got that big from chicken breasts alone or caloric intakes under 6,000 a day.

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[quote]Professor X wrote:
Bauer97 wrote:
5 meals at McDonalds in a row?

Shit, at least switch it up and go to Burger King once in a while. Those triple stackers kick ass.

Anyway, I take anything written in a muscle magazine about what a pro bodybuilder ‘does’ with a grain of salt the size of the Alps.

I know a lot of pro bodybuilders can get away with eating way beyond the boundaries of an ‘average’ person, but unless what is written is a hand-written letter signed by said bodybuilder with an attached picture of him writing said letter, I’ll look at it as purely entertainment.

I believe it. That may not be an everyday occurence but it isn’t like they got that big from chicken breasts alone or caloric intakes under 6,000 a day.[/quote]

You can still see dudes abs in this pic. If you’re eating like that and washing it down with a bottle of sprite after every meal, I don’t give a fuck how hard you’re lifting or how juicy you are, you’re gonna put on a shitload of fat.

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[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
You can still see dudes abs in this pic. If you’re eating like that and washing it down with a bottle of sprite after every meal, I don’t give a fuck how hard you’re lifting or how juicy you are, you’re gonna put on a shitload of fat.
[/quote]

Apparently, you’ve never seen his ‘before’ (read: offseason) pictures in said muscle mags.

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[quote]AgentOrange wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:
You can still see dudes abs in this pic. If you’re eating like that and washing it down with a bottle of sprite after every meal, I don’t give a fuck how hard you’re lifting or how juicy you are, you’re gonna put on a shitload of fat.

Apparently, you’ve never seen his ‘before’ (read: offseason) pictures in said muscle mags.[/quote]

Exactly. That was from a guest posing. OBVIOUSLY, most people aren’t going to take half nude pics when in their worst shape as a bodybuilder…unless they happen to be governor of California.

He, like many of these guys, gets much heavier in the off season.

The pic above is Lionel Brown before he dieted down last spring.

Just because we don’t have tons of pics of these guys in the off season doesn’t mean they all stay in contest shape year round.

It is a little silly that so many seem to think otherwise.

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[quote]Professor X wrote:
Bauer97 wrote:
5 meals at McDonalds in a row?

Shit, at least switch it up and go to Burger King once in a while. Those triple stackers kick ass.

Anyway, I take anything written in a muscle magazine about what a pro bodybuilder ‘does’ with a grain of salt the size of the Alps.

I know a lot of pro bodybuilders can get away with eating way beyond the boundaries of an ‘average’ person, but unless what is written is a hand-written letter signed by said bodybuilder with an attached picture of him writing said letter, I’ll look at it as purely entertainment.

I believe it. That may not be an everyday occurence but it isn’t like they got that big from chicken breasts alone or caloric intakes under 6,000 a day.[/quote]

Main point being: it isn’t an everyday occurence. Of course they eat junk food in the off-season, it’s not like they’re not gonna diet down hardcore before a show. But the OP is implying that this is a daily think for J.J.

And although I agree you won’t get big eating chicken breasts alone, you also won’t get big eating junk food, alone.

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[quote]huey.ot wrote:
Main point being: it isn’t an everyday occurence. Of course they eat junk food in the off-season, it’s not like they’re not gonna diet down hardcore before a show. But the OP is implying that this is a daily think for J.J.

And although I agree you won’t get big eating chicken breasts alone, you also won’t get big eating junk food, alone.[/quote]

I’ve never needed to write or follow a diet plan, but I’m pretty sure people don’t eat the exact same food listed every meal every single day. And I’m pretty sure whomever wrote that meal plan is the same way, despite the OP’s contention that the plan is followed daily.

You can certainly get big off junk food. Just look at the picture of a future Mr. Olympia contendor above.

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I should probably state that I don’t think JoJ follows this diet, meal for meal, day in and day out. I don’t doubt for a second, however, that he eats something very close to it, in terms of caloric content and quality, a majority of the time in the off-season.

I generally don’t like to say this, as I’m sure he gets tired of all the ass-kissing around here already, but X is about the only one who has said anything in this thread that seems to understand a single thing about competitive bodybuilding at the IFBB heavyweight level.

These aren’t the 200 pound ripped guys at your local, generic, amateur contests. Do you honestly think anyone could get to the weights that these guys reach eating bland-ass food all day, every day? Have you ever watched a DVD of an Olympia competitor (or other nationally recognized heavyweight BBer) training/eating in the off-season?

Some of you all are also discounting very important factors such as genetics, juice, muscle maturity, and years of training. The guys at the top of the game are the absolute cream of the crop. They’ve been doing it, day in and day out, since their teens. They get there because they can eat pretty much whatever they want and lean out very quickly with a well-designed diet and drug protocol.

If you believe that guys like Ronnie, Jay, and Johnnie aren’t eating a lot of “junk food” (for lack of a better term) to compete at a weight close to 300 pounds*, then you are ridiculously naive. That’s just to compete; their weight is much higher when they start dieting…

*Jay came in at 286 at the last Olympia, Ronnie at 296. Johnnie has competed at 225 in the past; that’s at a height of 5’8’', however, and most agree he hasn’t even hit his prime in terms of weight yet.

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I disagree with this. I don’t doubt he’ll eat junk food, probably on a daily basis in the off-season, but to think that you can get big eating exclusively fast food is absurd. You need quality calories to perform and to grow. Not hydrolyzed protein from cow hooves as you’ll find in McDick’s burgers. Give me a break.

Have you? And if so, you’re telling me they live off of McDick’s and other fast food? Come on, give me a break.

Ya, they are the cream of the crop in terms of everything, INCLUDING discipline regarding training and diet. You can’t just ‘eat whatever you want’ and build quality muscle. I don’t doubt they all eat junk food in the off-season. Hell, they’ve earned it. However, this thread is implying that Olympia competitors get big by going to shitty fast food joints. That’s stupid.

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[quote]huey.ot wrote:
I don’t doubt for a second, however, that he eats something very close to it, in terms of caloric content and quality, a majority of the time in the off-season.

I disagree with this. I don’t doubt he’ll eat junk food, probably on a daily basis in the off-season, but to think that you can get big eating exclusively fast food is absurd. You need quality calories to perform and to grow. Not hydrolyzed protein from cow hooves as you’ll find in McDick’s burgers. Give me a break. [/quote]

No offense, but I know that was most of my diet in college as a broke student and that was when I initially gained the most mass. It isn’t IDEAL to eat that way for muscle mass, but you shouldn’t walk around believing that your body will somehow reject those calories and you won’t grow because of it. That doesn’t even make sense. You may gain more body fat than IDEAL, but your body isn’t going to reject calories which are the most important when it comes to gaining that size in the first place. Your genetics and effort in the gym will determine what happens to those calories.

[quote]
Have you? And if so, you’re telling me they live off of McDick’s and other fast food? Come on, give me a break.[/quote]

I think you are missing the point here. I doubt anyone believes that every meal is being eaten at a damn Mc donald’s for months out of a year. However, likewise, they aren’t worrying about only eating oatmeal and tuna in the off season either and the metabolisms of many of these guys is faster than the average person experiences. They can get away with it where you might not be able to. I remember reading that article when it was first published. I don’t doubt at all that he eats that way in the off season especially when he is powerlifting. It probably just isn’t as bad as he wrote there most days.

It isn’t stupid. There are college level football players in better shape than most of the people on this board who don’t pay much attention to diet at all. Genetics ARE the main factor when it comes to what one person can get away with that you can’t.

Is that a recommendation to only eat junk food? Of course not. But let’s not be that naive as to believe that all bodybuilders in the pro ranks are following contest prep diets in the off season when they aren’t competing.

Lee Priest is about the most truthful as far as that is concerned.

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What’s so hard to understand about this? Even the T-Nation’s beloved Stan McQuay has admitted to going to fast food joints often to gain mass. Getting the necessary calories at that level of weight is an astonishing feat in itself. You do what you have to do to become the best of the best. It’s not as if McDonald’s burgers have no protein at all, and nobody said top IFBB competitors have the healthiest hearts.

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I’m not one of those guys who thinks that elite bodybuilders are walking around ripped to shreds 365 days a year. I know they only maintain that contest look for a very short timeframe. But come on, bodybuilders, moreso than any other athlete, are concerned about laying down as much mascle mass as possible. Their sport revolvs around body composition, which is strongly associated with diet. Much moreso than the college athletes you’re speaking of who, in their own ways, also look great and are fit. I’ve met lots of athletes like the ones you’re speaking of who are surprisingly lax in terms of their dietary discipline, which is surprising considering how good they look.

What you said is true, genetics plays a huge role. These guys can get away with more. And their ‘supplementation’ is also a huge factor. All I’m trying to get at is that as you yourself has already stated, there’s no way this is a regular thing. McDick’s ALL DAY? There’s gotta be some more real food in there.

I don’t doubt for a second that these elite bodybuilders are enjoying their twinkie’s and fast food bruegrs and all of that. But I seriously doubt their diets revolve around fast food.

Your personal story about college gains and laid-back diet is interesting. But keep in mind that Olympia competitors are in a much different place in their training careers than you were at that time in your life.

Again, all I’m saying is that I cannot believe that an off-season diet for an elite bodybuilder is going to revolve around rubbish food.