[quote]MinusTheColon wrote:
[quote]facko wrote:
Good to see this thread still going![/quote]
Blast from the past.[/quote]
I’m still alive
[quote]ghost87 wrote:
Stu
Thoughts on this?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150413110632.htm[/quote]
Interesting read, but as with most write ups (or “studies”), you have to really look at what the authors are saying, or what was studied and its relevance if any to what they’re trying to apply it to.
First, there’s a big difference between creatine and andro. Creatine is naturally ocurring in a lot of foods, and I personally can’t understand why its still a negative target for a lot of people doing studies.
While I’m no expert at chemistry aside from what I like to think is a decent understanding of how most PEDs work, I do have a difficult time with the notion that
“researchers defined “use” as consuming one or more supplements at least once a week for four consecutive weeks or more.” I’ve seen plenty of people make use of actual steroids for years on end, and yet never come down with any horrible diseases. On the other hand, I’ve seen plenty of people do their best to live a perfectly clean and healthy life, and yet suffer horrible maladies.
There are always plenty of contradictory studies out there, and all that means is that
correlations and causation continue to confuse the scientific community as much as it does thre average reader of media hyper reports.
The write up mentioned even states:
“Our study found that supplement use was related to a higher risk of developing testicular cancer.” The word RELATES, while possibly scaring the hell out of people, is sort of a disclaimer noting that they’re still not sure despite how their one study played out.
I would be curious to see more, but as ther author writes early on in the piece, Testicular cancer is still elusive in figuring out controllable factors that can play a role.
What were your thoughts?
S
I agree with you Stu on your assessment. Study is flawed in many ways
So, even though this wasn’t the “final form” (for you DBZ fans) and our goal show is still about 9 weeks away, this is how one of my clients looked when he “accidentally” won the overall at the Wnbf NorthEast American show this past Saturday.
We’re hoping to bring some seriously scary and disturbing conditioning come June 
While I am damn proud of how hard this young 23 year old has worked, I could do without his hashtagging “Dumbledore” on his IG/FB photos because I “worked magic” during the prep -lol.
S
1 Like
Dude, your client is going to shine in his next comp. He already looks top notch and stage ready, even though you said he has 8 weeks to go (or so). Well done to both of you!
I could see Stu “Dumbledore” Yellin really sticking.
Lol, yeah, I guess it could be a lot worse. I went out to grab a bite with Mike and his supporters after the show, and as they were all in their early 20’s, when the check came and the waiter put it in front of me, I just couldn’t help but feel “oh sure, give it to the oldest guy at the table, he’s probably someone’s Dad.”
The crazy thing with his winning is that there is a lot of discussion now about whether to do the Hercules or not. There have been insatnces in the past where a competitor wins his pro card at one contest, but then still does another amateur show he had already comitted to. If Mike wins, the guy taking 2nd to him wins his card as well. If memory serves, Shaun Clarida did this back in '06 or so. So some parties are saying he’s goods to go, others are saying he’s not, and that “winning the card” makes you a pro even before you sign the paperwork or step on a pro stage.
So what we decided, was that if need be, he’ll actually turn down the Wnbf Pro Card from the NE American, and go into the Hercules, where he feels his win will mean much more. Yes, this may seem crazy, but I totally understand it. When I won my first Card in '10, my weight class wasn’t that impressive, so had I not won the Overall, and actually felt like I had truly fought for it, sure I would have been a “Pro”, but it would have bothered me inside, like I was kind of full of sh-t compared to guys who had unquestionably earned theirs. When I won the Hercules in '11, I knew it was by a small margin, and looking back, and seeing that 4 out of the top 5 guys in my weight class turned pro within a year of that show, makes me damn proud of that win.
This, in my opinion, is where the sport is heading. Where certain shows are going to mean a hell of a lot more than specific federations, because for anyone following along, there seem to be new organizations popping up every day, and as they need to fill their ranks, the quality of the entire “Natty” BBing landscape is being watered down horribly. I belong to a small FB group of some seriously respectable (and damn impressive!) Pros, coaches and promoters, and this is something we routinely discuss after the results and photos from different federations’ contests come out each weekend.
S
Hi Stu! I have few questions to You. I will be grateful for Your answers.
-
Have You ever lifted 6-7 days a week? If yes, how Your split looked like?
-
What is Your typical Carbs intake in Your off-season?
-
“I don’t believe in following any one training style. I couldn’t tell what DC or H.I.T. or FST-7 entail. I have no clue and really don’t give a ****. I go to the gym to train hard. I don’t need to follow a ****ing “program” to do that.” - Evan Centopani
Do You agree with Evan?
[quote]Abkol wrote:
Hi Stu! I have few questions to You. I will be grateful for Your answers.[/quote]
Well, I’ll do my best. [quote]
- Have You ever lifted 6-7 days a week? If yes, how Your split looked like? [/quote]
Yes, I have. Something I learned about myself over the years is that I can train 7 days/week, but only if I’m aware of my recovery. That means paying careful attention to diet, sleep, and not going so completely crazy with every possible “intensity technique” out there that guys screaming about how hardcore they are feel the need to use every set of every workout. It’s all about finding that balance that allows you to continually move forward, even if it’s only with small steps. They all add up.
The way I like to split my weight work is usually in 4 different days:
1- Chest/calves
2- Back/Biceps
3- Delts/Traps/Triceps
4- Legs
So I could very easily just cycle through these, going back to the start upon completion, or if need be (I’m pushing 42 here!) take a rest day and then repeat.
Of course I would usually throw in 2 extra days based on if I was prepping for a contest, or if I was focusing on weak points during an off season.
My usual contest prep split would breakdown like this:
1- Chest/Calves
2- Back/Bis
3- CORE & INTERVAL WORK <—
4- Delts/Traps/Tris
5- Legs
6- CORE & INTERVAL WORK <—
This allowed me to still kill my usual relatively heavy weights, but then keep cardio work on a different day, altering my nutrient intake for the day accordingly.
For a typical off season, taking into account that my quads and chest were perceived weak points, I would adjust it like so:
1- Legs I
2- Chest/Calves
3- Back/Bis
4- Legs II <----
5- Chest II <----
6- Delts/Traps/Tris
For the 2nd chest and leg sessions, I would always have different exercise selections. With leg work, I was careful not to excessively load my spine. As such, one session was more squat-centric (front squats, back squats), while the other was anything but (extensions, walking lunges etc)
[quote]
2. What is Your typical Carbs intake in Your off-season? [/quote]
It’s funny, but I tend to eat less carbs during off seasons when I’m not so laser focused on adhering to such a rigid plan like I do when cutting. If I had to guess, I probably get around 200 - 250g on an average day. During preps or cuts though, I go over 300, which is quite a change from when I first started. I don’t know if I should chalk it up to being smarter about the whole process, or if the greater amount of muscle mass I accumulated over the years really had such an impact. Regardless, I think most people first trying to cut up tend to be a little scared of loading their plan with carbs, even knoiwing full well that they’re in a caloric deficit. Just years of half stories and bad advice out there I suppose.
[quote]
3. “I don’t believe in following any one training style. I couldn’t tell what DC or H.I.T. or FST-7 entail. I have no clue and really don’t give a ****. I go to the gym to train hard. I don’t need to follow a ****ing “program” to do that.” - Evan Centopani
Do You agree with Evan? [/quote]
Lol, I do agree that things seem to be overly complicated the way some people need a magic program to follow, or even the latest cutting edge approach from their favorite “fitness celebrity” who read a study online. If you delve into the science behind muscle growth, you’ll see that there are several different real reasons for progress, and none of them have clever names or sound gimmicky. Understanding the machanical approach (creating muscle trauma), the hormonal angle, hydration etc, that’s what you need to understand when devising a program with actual support behind it.
Sure exercises that “work” for you are important, and yes, anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time in the gym will attest to the importance of exercise order in certain instances, but the degree of overcomplication I routinely see - and this is from writers and coaches, not just folks on a forum - just seems ridiculous to me.
S
Stu,
Can you give us an idea of the volume you dedicate to certain parts over your split?
Also, how about the volume for the weak points when they got the extra sessions?
Thanks,
Tim
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
Stu,
Can you give us an idea of the volume you dedicate to certain parts over your split?
Also, how about the volume for the weak points when they got the extra sessions?
Thanks,
Tim[/quote]
Hey Tim,
Sorry for the delayed response, I always try to actually put a little time into questions in this thread and not just respond real quickly before running off to teach a class.
I really liked the whole 5x5 approach that was popular way back when for a couple of reasons. Not that 5 reps is magical or anything, but I always felt that I got more out of “middle range” reps (6-8) than any other range. Also, while I think we all take from Muscle and Fitness magazines the premise that we should be doing 3 sets of each exercise, itg just never felt enough for me. So doing a bit more, taking as long as I feel I need to between each set, and staying close to the 6-8 rep range, was a very common trait in my training during what I consider my most productive periods.
Now, obviously the number of exercises you do will play a role in how much volume each body part will receive during each session. Something like back, for which I might employ 4 or 5 different movements is going to contrast quite a bit with something like calves. The comparatively limited number of exercises you can do for calves (basically all variations of either straight leg work or bent knee work) allowed me to not worry so much about a certain number of sets, but instead, I would go by time. If I was doing seated calf work - usually after upper legs - I would check the clock, and give myself 15 minutes. Taking as long as I needed to feel each successive set was productive, I would just go, without even worrying about how many sets I was knocking out.
If I was doing an extra full session for a weak point, I would keep the volume pretty much the same, as it was a different day, and due to the different exercise selection, I figured so long as my nutrition and rest were covered, my body could handle it.
If it was a “half session” (ie. throwing a few sets of just shoulder laterals and rear delts in after another bodypart, but in addition to the session of a full delt routine), I would usually just keep the same number of sets for each exercise that I would use on the full day, but on ocassion I would alter rep ranges for some variety.
S
Thanks for taking the time to give a detailed response.
No worries on the delay. I realize we all have lives outside of T-Nation. : )
And just to add a thought related to what you were saying about enjoying more sets (than the typical 3 per exercise). I have found, that I’d much rather do 2 exercises that I know work really well for me, for say 6 sets each, than to do 4 exercises for 3 sets just for variety sake, even though volume is roughly equivalent.
So as I like to share little things that I come across, or hear, I thought this was an interesting statement.
I read a lot of stuff on social media, and of course plenty of fitness folks (competitors, coaches, even the ocassional scientist) like to voice their opinions on various things. This statement - I don’t have the exact quote - was that the best coaches are usually only average, or middle level pros. The rationalization being that at the Pro level, genetics really are what seperates the placings more often than not.
While just reaching the Pro level is amazingly difficult (usually -lol), for someone with ok to good genetics, they’ve seriously got to know what they’re doing, and be willing to cover all of their bases (smaller variables etc). Of course once they reach that professional platform, they’re only going to go so far.
I know that I certainly learned a hell of a lot from very careful monitoring of my own preps when I started, but I also realized full well that I was never gonna be a real threat to certain other Middleweight Pros like Shevon Cunningham.
Thoughts?
S
That makes sense to me Stu. It happens in a lot of other sports also - the best players rarely make good coaches. It’s usually the average or below average guys (relative to the best pros) who make the best coaches - mainly because they really had to work and grind to improve enough to make it to the pros. A lot of times they need to learn how to do everything just right, in order to reach their full potential and make the pros in the first place. The guys with the best genetics can “skip” some of these steps.
[quote]swimmer2500 wrote:
That makes sense to me Stu. It happens in a lot of other sports also - the best players rarely make good coaches. It’s usually the average or below average guys (relative to the best pros) who make the best coaches - mainly because they really had to work and grind to improve enough to make it to the pros. A lot of times they need to learn how to do everything just right, in order to reach their full potential and make the pros in the first place. The guys with the best genetics can “skip” some of these steps.[/quote]
That’s a big point that I think most people overlook. How many times have we heard of the “big guy” in the gym who seemingly does everything “wrong?”
Some people succeed because of what they do.
Some people succeed DESPITE what they do.
Of course you must also consider that in some sports, you’ll have amazing coaches who didn’t walk the walk themselves as athletes or competitors. I think with bodybuilding though, most guys who end up coaching start off simply as the really analytic and methodical competitors, and things just evolve from there. I would certainly be more willing to listen to someone who I had seen made amazing progress over time, overcoming personal weaknesses and shortcomings in terms of their physique than someone who simply spent hours memorizing pubmed studies. Yes, I’m all for evidence based approaches, but the armchair expert seems too rampant these days for my personal tastes.
I think in past years it may have been more common for a genetically blessed bodybuilder to get by “despite” what they do, because less of a priority was placed on the level of conditioning seen at shows lately. I have yet to see a competitor accidentally get into that seriously lean, dry and crisp conditioning that just drops every jaw on the judging panel as well as the audience.
S
So here’s something I’m filing under my “thats pretty cool” file.
I’ve been approached by a handful of different supplement companies over the years, some that wanted me to hype their stuff in some sort of barter system, others with some BS line about how I’ll be “sponsored” but I have to use my social media outlets to push their crap with a daily message and give people my “discount code” (I love this approach -lol, it’s such an f-ing outright lie that people buy and basically end up providing a free workforce for as smaller company that wouldn’t reach people otherwise!)
It;'s always been a nice compliment, and I save the e-mails to chuckle at, but as I always used whatever supplements I wanted to, or simply believed in, without any concern over how it looks, or any PR angle, I politely declined.
As I mentioned in another thread, I spoke at a seminar this past weekend and a fairly new company provided handouts and products to raffle off to attendees. When speaking with the owner (who previously owned aother supplement company which he sold for profit, is constantly flying all over the world, and who seems to know just about everyone in the industry) he mentioned the little following I’ve gotten over the years, and as we talked he said that if I wanted, he’d fly me out, all expenses paid, to the Olympia this coming year.
Obviously I’m no IFBB Pro, nor am I holding the size I did when I was competing, but apparently, he appreciates having knowledgeable and enthusiastic folks around, and I’m certain that the expense isn’t much of an issue for him either -lol. (He also expressed an interest in using some of my older articles online, certainly a nice bit of PR for me if that pans out as well!)
I’ve always been a fan of the sport, and every year, there’s some reason, whether practicality within my real life, expenses, something that always made it just unfeasible to go to big shows like the Olympia or even the Arnold. Well, this may just be the year that I find myself in Vegas come September! Guess we’ll see what’s what over the next several months
S
Dude that’s awesome, I really hope you can put everything together and make that work for you.
I’m sure some of the serious folks on here will understand when I say that over the years, I’ve always tried to keep a lid on my enthusiasm, even fandom, of bodybuilding around certain people in my life. Yes, I always stressed that bodybuilding wasn’t the totality of who I was, it was just part of what I enjoyed doing, and following, and that many of my friends and family understood but didnt really share in it. While that is perfectly ok, it did make me always appreciate just how excited you can get when you meet others who feel similarly.
This past weekend was a real bodybuilding focused for me. From hanging out with serious competitors in a social setting to being at an amateur contest, I was just reminded that despite my not competing anymore, I still love this stuff.
On Friday, the wife and I went out to dinner with a few friends, two of which are very high level (one especially well known) IFBB Pros, and suffice to say, Catherine was very cool with the nonstop discussion of nutritional science, training methodologies, and even contest placings, politics, and just about anything you could associate with the sport.
Then, after a few hours of sleep, I drove to CT to judge the Mr. CT contest for the Wnbf. As the judges were having their usual pre-show Pow-Wow with the promoter before getting started, I was informed that the head of the federation texted earlier and wanted me to “call” a few classes because she had plans for me to move into the Head Judge slot in the future… a little daunting, but one hell of a compliment!
And of course, one of the things I truly love about the sport; over the day a few of the competitors and coaches recognized me and introduced themselves. We discussed their plans, how they or their athletes did, and usual pleasantries when you meet enthusiastic and like minded people.
Just an all around good weekend, for a guy who with an 8 month old son, a 9-5 job, and plenty of “real life” responsibilities, who still absolutely loves this sport.
S
Awesome to hear Stu! I love hearing about good things happening to good people. You’ve helped a lot of people here, myself included (as a long time lurker), and you truly deserve whatever you get. A trip to the Olympia, potentially moving up to head judge, a young son, it sounds like things are going great!
[quote]swimmer2500 wrote:
Awesome to hear Stu! I love hearing about good things happening to good people. You’ve helped a lot of people here, myself included (as a long time lurker), and you truly deserve whatever you get. A trip to the Olympia, potentially moving up to head judge, a young son, it sounds like things are going great![/quote]
Thanks man. It’s always nice to hear things like this. As a teacher, I’m used to just doing my thing and finding my own reasons to constantly work hard, and on the rare ocassion that I do find myself the subject of thanks, it’s a nice reaffirmation indeed. I guess the same goes for my passion for bodybuilding. I started off doing something I love, and somewhere along the way, I grew from the guy asking all the silly questions to the guy answering 'em.
I’m just lucky that things went as well for me as they did. I’m sure if I got my ass handed to me in every show, there’s no way I’d have so many coaching clients, be a Wnbf judge, or even get the special little “perks” that I have over the years (how many of you T-folk have ever gotten a phone call from Tim Patterson to check in on how your contest prep is going? -lol).
Just last night, I threw up on social media a pic of one of my guys who is competing next Saturday. Two different coaches (who I respect, and who probably have their own guys entering the show) expressed interest in what weight class he’s entering. To me, that’s always a good sign
S