Hey Timbo. I’ve yet to compete, but I would like to. The guy I used to work for has competed-actually in his very first show he won the novice overall at the Heartland Classic, and he also was a runner-up in the EAS contest that same year. He took his bodyfat from 24 down to under 5. He was doing monster amounts of cardio and cal restriction, not to mention taking “unhealthy” amounts of ephedrine stacked w. yohimbe. He was pretty gaunt by the end of his diet but was rock hard, and his before and after pics were incredible. He was the one who really inspired me to get serious about lifting/diet. Post-workout, I think you are right on the money as far as what you’re doing. It only makes sense that total reps be considered as well as exercises, although in the grand scheme of things it’s probably irrelevant not to mention-dare I say it again-anal- if you’re just trying to get big and are taking in sufficient amts. Right now what I’m doing amounts to approx. 40 g. protein and 50 or so carbs. When I did my keto diet last year, I cut for about 8 weeks, then switched over to a 4 week maintenance/slight mass phase before finishing off w. another 6 weeks of dieting. I did the original GVT but used the intermediate routine (10/6). I upped my cals to 3800 on lifting days and 3000 to 3300 on off days. On lifting days I was really packing it in post-w. If memory serves correctly I was doing a MRP w. 500 cal/33 pro and 75 carbs, MetRx’s ADS Creatine/Lipoic Acid/glutamine (another 90 carbs), and a bowl of Corn Flakes (before I found out about Biotest of course). The rest of the meals were low-glycemic and moderately low-carb. And I’ll be damned-I gained less than a lb. of fat during the 4 weeks and got stronger. On the subject of competing, you guys have any favorites for posing music? I’m thinking something slow and graceful. A few that I really like include Dido’s Here With Me (Roswell theme), Alanis Morrisette’s Uninvited, Sarah Maclachlan’s Angel, or maybe even that untitled song by D’Angelo.
Hey, Teddy. Again, I appreciate the “4-1-1” on the nutrition scene. I just finished training and just guzzled my post-workout shake…hold on, I’m getting light-headed, sweating, unbelievable pump…naw, just messing. But I can’t wait till our boys from Biotest release the goodies. Sounds like one helluva product. Man, that’s some pretty awesome progress your buddy made. Too bad he didn’t go about it a little more intelligently…but it reminds me of myself a couple years back. When you don’t know jack and the numbers on the scale are dropping and you start to see your abs, it really doesn’t matter about long-term effects or if you’re dropping lean if you don’t know better. When I was following Poliquin’s recommendations, particularly when I did his GVT at toward the end of November, I was getting a ton of calories like you said your were. I think it came out well near 800, with ~40g protein and close to 120g carbs from Cytomax and a couple bananas. But all that liquid left me pretty bloated and I was a fire hose. Your calorie targets were pretty much what I’m shooting for now: ~3800-3900 on training days and 3000-3200 on off days. Again, I know a lot of people will say you have to be consistent with your calories if you want to mass up, but I just don’t see the point in overfeeding more than 500 cal/day max. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m even to that point. Posing music…man, I have to laugh out loud because all I can imagine is that crap they play on those ESPN Fitness America contests…that bouncy aerobic type music. Right on though about slow and graceful. The body’s a work of art and it’s not your average Joe who can chisel away like we bodybuilders can. How about something from Shaggy like It Wasn’t Me or maybe something smooth and emotional from Creed.
Wow thats a tough question to answer in one small colum, but I will try. No I dont live in NE < I just love the Huskers,power, speed ,strength, tradition, and run run run the ball.
Here are some recomendations.
I’ll start wit the workouts:
You must concentrate on building base strength especially powerclean,deads,chinups, squats, incline. I like to cycle things into 3 month phases / each into totals sets, volume , and time under tenstion. I’ll go a month of powertraining concentrating on a couple of corelifts powerclean, squats on leg day(big fan of poliquin) using a protocol like 1-6, than the next month I bomb, going on a hypertrophy protocol with lots of time undertenstion, staggered sets, supersets, etc, higher reps. 8 to 12 . than the next month I go back to a powertype protocol but different from the first one I also change the lifts, maybe I’ll do front squats, and snatches or hangcleans instead of the previous, i’ll use something like wave loading, or cluster training, than I go back to a hypertrophy phase changing exercises and protocol.
Every once a while when I feel so strong and perfect I do two weeks of twice a day training, heavy in the morning no more than 6sets of 4to6 reps , and hypertrophy in the evening 10 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Nutrition: depends on if your worried about fat gain. Not worried=1.5-2g of protein, six meals divided up. carbs at each meal, red potatoes, yams, oats, fat at each meal usually udo's , salmon, or olive oil, nuts, postworkout shake will be high quality whey, 50g +ultra fuel 80 g taken in two doses 1/2 right after training and 1/2 right after. I use ala, corosolic acid, d pintol (inzitol), to help me clear carbs out. I don't over eat anything I jsut let the weight dictate my mass (IE must get stronger). If worreid about fat gain: I alternate 6 meals, 3 with carbs low fat moderate protein , 3 higher protein and essential fats, veggies meals. My postworkout will count as a carb meal. protein still stays the same as first diet.
If possible , bcaa’s and glutamine during workout(protein factory mixture).
I just did some crappy shows, out here in cali I hate bodybuilders I just use it to push me to get into lean shape which doesn’t come easy. I look more like Mike Alstott (fullback type body) than arnold schwarzenegger! I’m impressed with your 5% BF!
Husker…thanks for all the input, buddy. As a Poliquin-neophyte myself, I pretty much train the same way that you have outlined: alternating phases (3-4 weeks) of accumulation and intensification. I am currently doing a hypertrophy phase that can be likened to GVT somewhat. Instead I do 3 sets of an exercise, going for 10 reps/set, lowering weight on subsequent sets (each set to failure), and minimal rest (60 sec) between sets. Generally, I’ve been doing 10-13 sets/bodypart/workout using a Poliquin split of 2 on/1 off/2 on/1 off. After this phase I will move on to 1/6/1 or Max Weights protocol. Like you mentioned I change exercises often. One exercise I would like to incorporate is Power Cleans. I’ve got NSCA journals that describe the movement and I’ve seen it done, but without a strength coach or experienced lifter, I’m hesitant.
As far as nutrition, fat gain is a big worry, and way overemphasized and surely inhibits the potential gains I could make. However, I’m slowly overcoming it. I like the idea of staggering meals, as far as fat and carbs go, but I don’t think I could get enough calories that route. So right now I pretty much do six equal meals, except for the last, which is predominantly protein (an MRP and some extra cottage cheese and tsp of Udo’s or PB). For fats, I use Udo’s, fish oil caps, olive oil and tuna. Carbs include oats, fruit (only in the morning), brown/white rice, whole wheat pitas, and tons of veggies. Protein is standard 1.5-2g/lb–no prob there. Post-workout is what I’ve been playing around with. It’s confusing to me with all the opposing views (some say base carbs on reps; Dr. Berardi says no more than .8g/lb of carbs). I personally love glutamine: recovery rates improve, mental and physical energy levels increase in the gym, feel stronger. Thanks again, Husker. Lots of valuable info there, buddy. Keep pushin’ hard, big dawg. I’ll be doing the same (and I’ll let you know when I catch up with ya!).
BTW, I like the comparison to Alstott. Not only is the A-Train rumblin', stumblin', bumblin' and THE man in Tampa, I'm also partial to him as he ran for my Boilers.
Hey Husker, what dosages of your glucose disposal agents, in particular ALA do you use, and at what times? I found ALA to be of major benefit post-workout in high dosages as well as during carb-ups. I also used it the first two days after carb-ups to reinstate ketosis. I have to admit ignorance on corosolic acid or whatever it is, and when I used to work at GNC they were touting d-pinitol but most still don’t know about it. Are you familiar w. gymnema sylvestre?
Teddy…just checking in with you to see how everything was going with the training and nutrition. Haven’t heard from you in a while and was interested. Thanks, buddy.
Come on, boys, how long have you been reading this site? Everyone knows that 4-1-1 is for rep tempo!!!
teddykgb, i’m curious. have you ever attended a poliquin or king seminar ?
I haven’t had the chance to attend a seminar by Poliquin or King, but I am planning on making the Vegas one in October for sure. Any info I have learned has either come via T-Mag, the books and other websites/magazines. Why do you ask? Timbo, I’ve been really busy w. work and I didn’t want to bore everyone w. daily updates. I haven’t done any body comp test but the scale shows me 14 lbs. heavier (162) from my last low-carb diet week. Obviously a good portion of that is water as I’m on higher cals and slightly higher carbs, plus I’m back on creatine, but the good news is my strength has improved nicely in the 2 weeks I’ve been on Poliquin’s Maximal Weights routine. Every single lift has gone up each workout. And it’s getting done on a low carb level too. I want to put some hardcore bulk on but I have my 10 year class reunion this summer so I can’t get too out of control. I’ll probably bulk up to 10-11% b.f. before going back to a cutting phase. I’m seriously considering that monster 11-day cycle by Poliquin. If I can just make it past that first killer leg day it’s relatively smooth sailing from there. The good thing is that the high school I’ve been training that allows me to go in before school starts so if/when I yak there will be no one else there to see it.
Hey Teddy, how’s it going? As far as the carb-up post-workout. Poliquin says to take in between .5 up to 2g carbs per lb of LBM, dependent on how lean you are tand the type of workout involved. The 5th day high carb day is also effected by how lean you are. If you still arent extrememly lean he’ll recommend one carb meal every 5 days. If you’re really lean and it’s not a training day, he might go as high as 70%calories from carbohydrates that day. At a seminar I was in in NY he said if you want to eat one whole section of the Entimines store, go for it. Although i’m sure theres an advantage of eating clean carbs on the high carb day. One thing that puzzles me is he says grape-juice post-workout. Wouldn’t that only refilly liver glycogen stores. Seems maltodextrin would be more appropriate. Don’t know what articles you’ve read but at Poliquin’s website there a couple Q&A’s that give some more input on his diet advice. Also Eric Serrano has a sight called Peakhealth, there’s a 2-part interview with Poliquin on his diet strategies.
Hey flex-thanks for the info! Actually I have those interviews from PeakHealth but I didn’t know if he had different recommendations for his 11-day cycle, nor were there any recommendations for calorie amounts. Grape juice has a fair amount of glucose in it so your muscle glycogen would get refilled too, although malto is a good option too. Now it seems the maltodextrin/dextrose combo is the way to go according to all this new post-workout hype.
Teddy…great to hear from ya, bud. More importantly, great to hear about the awesome progress you’re making both in and out of the gym! You have got to be absolutely stoked–I mean, the psychological edge must be thru the roof considering the lean weight gain and strength gains. Truly admirable, bro. As far as the popularity of dextrose, I think it stems from the fact that it has such a high glycemic rating (same as malto) and I believe it’s a shorter-chain structure carb than maltodextrin. I think grape juice is high in dextrose (not fructose) and therefore is so popular, especially for purposes of creatine uptake and muscle glycogen replenishment. Teddy, I was glad to see that someone else was interested in that 11-day cycle offered up my man, Poliquin. It may look eccentric to some, but I personally like testing out the waters and doing things a little new and differently. However, I definitely need a little more info than that which was posted. I definitely would like to give it a go. Actually I have attempted to email Coach Poliquin via his website regarding it, but I highly doubt I will receive any feedback, as I’ve emailed several times without a response (much to the contrary of the good guys here a t-mag). That kind of training/dieting just sends exciting chills down my vertebrae. Again, Teddy, great to hear the awesome progress. I am seriously considering adopting a lower carb approach to dieting, with a slightly higher carb intake after training.
I know the exact 11 day poliquin cycle if anyone wants it. (from Vegas seminar).
Personally if you want to go crazy and you eat and sleep perfect I think his 3 times a day training protocol works better.
Tapper…I’d definitely be interested in both protocols! Not only am I a Poliquin-neophyte–I think the world of the guy–but I like crazy training and diet parameters. BTW, I have spent the whole day at the gym doing his One-Day Chest cure, and I plan on enjoying the One-Day Arm cure in the future. These obviously pale in comparison to the programs you have at your disposal. However, I would be genuinely interested in the juicy details of the aforementioned programs. I don’t know if you want to post the info on the forum, but like I said, I’d be really interested in learning about them.