Workout Cycling: I'm A Believer

Starting the last week of the Growth Phase -- the third and final phase of a workout cycling routine that includes "Active Recovery," "Loading," and "Growth." (Refer to earlier blogs for a description of each phase and the workouts that make up each of these.)

After this experience, I am a convert.

During the Loading phase the creators of the program said, "this phase prepares you for the Growth Phase." I didn't really know what that meant, but I do now. Moving on to heavier weight -- I mean really heavy weight -- is made possible by 4 weeks of loading -- 6 days a week, high sets, high reps.

It is not just preparing muscle and connective tissue for the added strain, but testosterone is now off the chart. We went into the gym yesterday - set new personal bests, and did the same thing today. Kelly looks like she has put on at least 5 pounds of muscle. One girl walked by me and whispered in my ear, "Is she taking HGH?"

No, she's not, but she's getting results because she is disciplined in her workouts and in her diet.

One more week of Growth and I can tell you, it is going to be hard to stop. But the same pros who came up with this routine warn, "if you continue the growth phase beyond 3 weeks, you WILL overtrain and you WILL hurt yourself." OK, I'm a believer. Tomorrow is an off day and then we have our last 6 days of Growth, all in a row.

A final note: I am glad to be back in the home gym (Fitness International) for this push before we switch routines again. While the gym in St. Louis had every piece of equipment under the sun, it didn't have one important component -- friends who push you along, who support you, who challenge you.

I believe other than a workout partner, being around other people who are supportive is one of the most important components of workout success.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

On the road . . . it is about making modifications and sticking to basics

We've been on the road for about a week now. Two more days before heading home.

Have had a good experience, including our workouts at Gold's in Fenton, Missouri (suburb of St. Louis). Great equipment, lots of it. Have been able to try some things I otherwise would not have available.

I was sick for two days and so am behind on the Growth Phase portion of this 10 week routine but we left a week's slack so that if anything happened we would finish before starting our six week cutting phase on April 15. That's still on track.

Here's an article I read today and thought you might enjoy. It is fairly basic but points we all need to remember. It is called "Lifting for Maximum Gains." Take a look at it.

http://fullyflexed.com/lifting-for-maximum-gains

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Training on the road . . . making the best of it

In St. Louis, Missouri for a week and so training and watching the diet on the road.

Both are tougher out here.

First, you're not in the home gym -- a place you know the equipment, the people, and feel comfortable. I've found the solution to be -- "do your research." Find a gym before you get there and make sure it has what you need. In this case, I researched and found two gyms close to my hotel. When I got here I visited both, made a decision, and have trained each day there since. And, I have found one advantage that I focus on -- different equipment hit the muscles differently, and that's good. So I always try to find a piece of equipment that is like, but not exactly the same, as I use at home.

Second, diet. I bring my supplements and my protein on the road. But, eventually you have to eat regular food. That means cooking yourself when you can. It is why I always get a room that has a mini-fridge and microwave. I went to Costco and got some Kirkland egg whites which takes care of a meal or two each day. I also went to Whole Foods and bought some Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain cereal that I mix with water, put in the microwave, and then add Syntha-6 in the mornings. Still, you have to eat out from time to time and that's where it gets tricky. I try to order things that I recognize on the plate -- nothing processed where they can put things into the food I can't see. Even then I know I will suffer a sodium hit each time I eat out and there is little that can be done about that.

In short, there's no place like home. But when you're not at home, you have to get creative.

I'm still in Growth Phase -- heavy weight, fewer reps and sets. Today was Shoulders and Arms. We have the rest of this week and next and we finish this series.

Kelly and I are both looking forward to April 15 to being our cutting diets again -- 6 weeks looking forward to a lean summer.

Have a great weekend!

Jim

Glutamine and the Common Cold

Bodybuilders and physique competitors have taken glutamine for many years. It helps keep the body from consuming lean muscle during periods of heavy workouts and especially when you are calorie deficient.

But now it appears it is good for everyone, including to prevent the common cold.

Here's an article from Bodybuilding.com you may be interested in . . .

What Is Glutamine?

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that is abundant in the human body and the most abundant amino acid in skeletal muscle. Though non-essential (your body can make it), glutamine can become essential during times of illness, stress, or injury, meaning you may need supplemental glutamine as needs can exceed those your body can make.

Glutamine is primarily stored in the muscle and secondly, the lungs. Like all amino acids, glutamine plays a role in protein synthesis. In addition, glutamine helps remove the common waste product ammonia from the body, supports immune system functioning and plays a role in brain functioning and digestion.


Protein Synthesis:

The process by which nitrogen from amino acids is linearly arranged into structural proteins through the involvement of RNA and various enzymes. Protein synthesis is muscle growth. The more efficient you can make this process the more efficiently you can build muscle.


How Glutamine Can Ward Off The Common Cold

Though your body can manufacture the glutamine you need when you are healthy and mild to moderately active, sometimes you need a little more of this bodybuilding supplement to boost your immune system and ward off the common cold.

Supplemental Glutamine Helps In Times Of Stress: There's a reason glutamine is used in clinical nutrition (it's given to some patients in the hospital). Injuries, infection, illness, surgery and trauma all stress your body and take a toll on your glutamine stores. And, studies show that this bodybuilding supplement can strengthen your immune system and reduce your risk of infection after surgery.

Hardcore Training Can Reduce Your Glutamine Stores: It's no secret that strenuous exercise associated with long distance running or cycling, two-a-days and other types of intense physical exercise can make you tired and decrease several parameters of your immune system functioning.

This may be partly due to a drop in glutamine stores. Studies also show that strenuous exercise decreases the concentration of glutamine in the blood. And, some studies have also found that supplemental glutamine can decrease the likelihood of illness in endurance athletes.

Resistance Training Decreases Glutamine Stores: Pump iron and your body will respond by pumping out the havoc-wrecking hormone cortisol. Increased cortisol means decreased glutamine stores. Supplemental glutamine can bring your stores back to a good range.

Dieting Can Decrease Immune Functioning: If you're training for a competition and taking in fewer calories than your body needs or dieting to lose weight quickly, your efforts may be doing more than shrinking your waistline. Dieting can also impact your immune system. To make sure your immune system is functioning well, eat plenty of quality protein, take a multivitamin and continue taking glutamine.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-glutamine-helps-fight-colds.htm

Repost: How The Pros Supplement Their Diets

I thought my dietary supplementation was state of the art . . .

Not so.
I posted this last week and I had a few e-mail and said the link below did not work. I believe this has been repaired and highly recommend you take a look. This is SERIOUS SUPPLEMENTATION!


http://fullyflexed.com/when-what-why

Will be interested in your comments . . .

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Growth Phase: Week 1: Day 1: Shoulders and Arms

Today was the first day of the first week of three weeks in the Growth Phase.

Heavy weight, fewer sets and reps. Felt a lot different. The real test will be to see how it feels tomorrow.

Weight continues to increase as it is intended to during the Loading and Growth phases. In the next 3 weeks my goal is to add another 3 pounds of muscle before starting the cutting diet on April 15.

Here's what we did today:

Weeks 1, 2, & 3 – Growth Phase

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday)

Modified Compound Superset:
Military Press 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Rear Delt Rows (Performed on T-Bar Row Machine, elbows and upper arms away from torso in order to primarily stimulate the Rear Delts and not the Lats) 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
E-Z Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Lying E-Z Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
E-Z Preacher Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Triceps Dips 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 2 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 2 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Did this and 30 minutes of cardio - keeping cardio to 3 or 4 days a week, not pushing it hard right now but focusing on building muscle.

The diet goal right now is +200 calories above BMR + exercise daily, which for me is 2254 + exercise which on non-cardio days takes me to about 2550. On cardio days, that adds another 300 - 400 calories, for a total of 2800 - 3000 calories.

We do legs tomorrow, then have a travel day on Wednesday and will be working out at Gold's in St. Louis, Missouri for the next 7 days after that. Will keep you updated!

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Why Not To Be A Gym Rat . . .

I see guys who hang in the gym for hours . . .

Talking, working out, a little flirting, fooling equipment, talking some more, and the cycle repeats.

Nothing wrong with that if you have the time, right?

Wrong.

Studies show that limiting the time between sets from 30 - 90 seconds increases the hormonal response -- that means growth hormone and testosterone.

So, when you get in, get with it, get it done -- save the social time until you're finished.

Here's one of the studies I mentioned:

GROWTH HORMONE RESPONDS TO RESISTANCE TRAINING

Goto, K., Ishii, N., Kaneko, F., Kizuka, T., & Takamatsu, K. (2004). Relationship between magnitude of acute hormonal responses and muscular adaptations during resistance training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 36(5), Supplement abstract 2085.

"Resistance exercise is a potent stimulus for acute increases in the anabolic hormone concentrations such as growth hormone (GH) and testosterone (Kraemer et al., 1990; Goto et al., 2003). However, it is not clear whether acute increases in hormonal concentrations play a role in enhancements of muscular strength and muscle volume" (p. S303). The effects of magnitude of hormone responses to a single bout of resistance exercise session on muscular adaptations during prolonged training program were investigated. Males (N = 26) were assigned to either no-rest group, rest group, or control group. The training regimen in the no-rest group consisted of 5 sets of 10 repetition maximum (RM) with 1-minute rest periods between sets. In the regimen of rest group, Ss rested for 30 seconds immediately after five repetitions in each set. The no-rest and rest groups performed three exercises (lat pulldown, shoulder press, and bilateral knee extension) at the same number of lifts (with or without intraset rest) at the same relative intensity two days per week for 12 weeks. Acute hormonal responses to each regimen were initially assessed, and then muscular strength, endurance, and cross-sectional area were determined before and after training period.

In the no-rest group, concentrations of blood lactate, serum GH, plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline showed marked increases after acute exercise, whereas those in the rest group did not. Changes in muscular strength (1 RM, isometric and isokinetic strength) and endurance were significantly greater in the no-rest group than in the rest group. The cross-sectional area of the quadriceps femoris also showed a significantly greater increase in the no-rest group than in the rest group. A significant correlation was observed between peak value of post-exercise growth hormone concentration and change in cross-sectional area after 12 weeks of training. In the control group, no significant changes were observed in all variables.

Implication. These results suggest that the magnitude of acute growth hormone response may be important for anabolic adaptations during resistance training in young men. Effects of resistance training are compromised if rest periods are too long.

Train hard; train fast; diet harder, and have a great week!

Jim

Protein: How Much and From Where?

During the 9 months it took me to lose 55 pounds, I stuck to a high-protein diet.

It worked.

Why? There's lots of reasons.

- Protein satisfies hunger more than carbs or fats.

- Protein increases thermogenesis, meaning more calories are used to digest, absorb, and metabolize protein than for either carbohydrate or fat.

- Protein helps hold on to lean muscle mass that often shrinks while dieting.

- Eating more protein (while reducing carbohydrate and/or fat intake) improves insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, blood lipids (including cholesterol), and other cardiovascular risk factors.

- High-protein helps control blood pressure and protects against age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass.

But not all protein is created equal. Where your protein comes from is important.

I steer away from plant-source protein -- almost none of it has all of the essential amino acids.

Animal sources such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt are complete proteins since the proteins they contain are made of all the essential amino acids.

Fish and fowl are best in my opinion because they tend to be lower in saturated fat. Worst is marbled red meat. Fatty meats (especially processed ones like hot dogs, salami and bacon), poultry (like fried and/or skinned varieties), and full-fat (and even reduced-fat) versions of dairy products deliver lots of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Too many of these foods (especially in large portions) can mean too many calories — and elevated blood cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.

I do eat dairy and quite a bit of it in the form of reduced or no-fat cottage cheese and yogurt and have had no adverse effects.

With due respect for other opinions, I find the government's Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein to be far below what I need to build and maintain muscle.

Their RDA's are:

Women ages 19 and older: 46 grams per day

Men ages 19 and older: 56 grams

I currently eat between 200 and 275 grams of protein a day which equates to 35-40% of my total daily calories. When I am in a cutting phase, that increases to 40-50% of my daily calories from protein.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Check Out This Killer Supplementation Program!

I thought my dietary supplementation was state of the art . . .

Not so.

Better than most, perhaps, but not of the calibre of the pros.

If you're interested in seeing what the best use and when they use it, check out this site. I'm printing it out and redoing my program.

http://fullyflexed.com/when-what-why

Today was the last day of Week 4 (final week) of the Loading Phase in the gym.

Now, we have a day off (Sunday) and back to a whole new routine on Monday.

More then . . .

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Growth Phase Begins Monday . . . Read More About It Now

171.2 pounds today.

The Loading Phase has performed as advertised.

My body fat measurement shows I've gained about 5 pounds of muscle and 2 pounds of fat in the last 45 days using a lean bulk diet (+250 calories per day over BMR + exercise) combined with a loading routine -- 6 days a week, high sets (39 sets per workout), high reps (10-12), and 6-8 meals of clean eating each day.

Now, after 4 weeks of that we're moving along to 3 weeks of the Growth Phase starting Monday.

We will get into more of how the Growth Phase looks next week, but here are the basics:

The Growth Phase

During the Growth Phase the body is not stressed by volume. This time the stimuli are heavy weights. If this phase would be kept for too long eventually the body would cease to stop making strength gains and you would plateau. This is the reason why we always need to go back to a Loading Phase. During the Growth Phase the following three things happen:

•The testosterone levels go through the roof in response to the longer rest in between sets and the heavier weights.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the actual diameter of the myofiber (the muscle fiber size) through increased protein synthesis (Note: protein synthesis is creating protein strands through DNA and RNA and it takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell.)

•Since the body’s recuperation abilities were built up to the maximum by the Loading Phase and the volume has gone down dramatically, these extra recuperation abilities are used to increase strength and build more muscle mass. The reason the body does this is in order to be prepared for another stressful period like the one it just went through. This adaptation mechanism is the one that ensures the survival of the species.

REMEMBER: Even if you are training for fat loss, your main goal should always be to stimulate muscle growth. Otherwise, if you were to drastically reduce training poundage in order to perform a lot of high reps, there would be no reason for the body to keep the muscle around. Because of this, you should always train with muscle growth in mind and let the nutrition and the cardiovascular exercise take care of reducing your body fat levels.

Right now I am down to just 3 days of cardio a week. Why? I am not trying to burn off calories. Rather, I want to keep an extra 200 - 300 calories a day around for muscle growth, understanding, of course, that there is no way to add pure lean muscle without adding some fat. It is simply the way the body works. It is a storage machine.

The next 3 weeks are going to be challenging. 6 days a week -- fewer sets (21-24 per workout) and fewer reps (6-8 per set), but very heavy weight (7-5+ of the 1 rep maximium). We believe our mental state is right, that our connective tissue will hold together, and Kelly and I are really looking forward to it. (By the way, my workout partner, Kelly, who also doubles as my wife, had a terrific leg workout today. Heaviest squats I've seen her do. Cool.)

Three weeks of the Growth Phase will take us to April 5 at which time we will do two weeks of Active Recovery and then we will start our cutting diet on April 15 sharp. Between April 15 and June 1st, I will slowly take off the fat I've added during the Loading and Growth Phases. My calculation indicates that I will need to take off about 5-7 pounds to get to sub-10% body fat (legit). I'm lucky because at 10% I am ripped and vascular so I'll know when I get there not only by the meter but by the look.

How long we maintain that state before starting to bulk again depends on how we feel. At this point, we really try to listen to our bodies and follow its lead. Right now, my body is screaming to grow and I'm trying to help it with a clean diet, high protein, relatively high carbs, and supplements like Tribulus which bumps the testosterone levels naturally.

Have a great day; train hard; diet harder. It is time to become who you always wanted to be.

Jim

5 Reasons I Supplement With Creatine

I admit it. I use a lot of supplements. Multi, HMB, Chromium Picolonate, Glutamine, NO, and more. But there are none from which I get a more immediate positive response than creatine.

See the attached article. These are 5 reasons so many use it:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/5-reasons-to-use-creatine.htm

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Recommendation: Stay Away From Sodas

It probably comes as no surprise that most athletes stay away from sugar-sodas.

High in simple carbohydrates, they add nothing to the dietary equation except hollow calories and they stop fat-burning in its tracks due to the spike in insulin that results from drinking pure sugar.

If that's not enough, 130,000 cases of diabetes have been linked to sugar soft drinks.

Take a look: http://www.naturalnews.com/028340_diabetes_sodas.html

FYI: The leading cause of death in Mexico is diabetes. Interestingly, Mexico also has the highest per capita consumption of sugar-based soft drinks. Connection? I think so.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 4: Days 3 and 6 (Chest and Back)

Last week of this cycle's Loading Phase. It has been a 4-week challenge.

Today was Day 3 of Week 4. We now have 3 more days and then Kelly and I are off Sunday before starting the Growth Phase cycle which will be 3 weeks.

I was 170 pounds this morning -- hoping to hit 172 or higher with my lean bulk diet before beginning to shave off all but the muscle starting April 15. Will do that slowly, too, over a period of 6 weeks. This is important in order not to take the muscle that we've spent the last 3 months building.

Here's today's work:

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Stiff Arm Pulldowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Incline Flyes 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Side Crunches 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

39 sets + 20 minutes of cardio.

Diet is higher than normal in carbs during this phase. Will moderate those a little to the downside in the Growth phase and really shave them beginning April 15 when Kel and I begin getting ready for summer!

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Another Great Reason to Get Into Shape? Sex!

Healthier men, no matter their age, are going to have better sex more frequently and desire it more often.

And, healthier men, in addition to enjoying more sex, are going to live longer to enjoy it, too.

This according to a paper written by University of Chicago researchers that was published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal.

At age 55, men in very good or excellent health on average gained five to seven years of sexually active life compared with their peers in poorer health.

And women in very good shape gained 3 to 6 more years of a quality sex life than women who are less healthy.

So, if you're looking for a reason -- there it is.

See the full article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/09/healthy.sex/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 4: Days 2 and 5 (Legs)/How "Lean Bulk" Is Working

Today was my strongest leg workout in several weeks.

The "loading phase" is working.

This is the last week before going to "Growth," a much different focus.

Today looked like this:

Day 2 – Legs (Tuesday/Friday)

Superset:
Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wide Stance Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Standing Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Leg Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Stiff Legged Dead lifts 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Calf Press (on Leg Press Machine) 3 sets x 15-20 reps (1 minute rest)

39 sets.

I've learned on leg days to carb up a little more before hitting it.

Meal 1 is always Syntha-6 and 5 Grain cereal. On Leg Days I go from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of 5 Grain and split a Zone bar with my workout partner about half way through this workout.

I am up to 169.4 pounds, from a low of 163 pounds. It has been a slow grind through what I call "lean bulk," the addition of muscle slowly in order to avoid putting on unnecessary fat.

We will begin a 6 week cutting diet on April 15 which will take me below 10% body fat by June 1. I am adding as much muscle as I can between now and then with a goal of being about 172 pounds on April 15. If most of the added weight is muscle (and I believe it is), then I should only have to move down to 165-166 in order to get to sub-10% body fat.

In the meantime, I'm not taking any new Plus50Fitness speaking engagements. I find that while I can maintain on the road, I can't get in 6 days of intense workouts if I'm talking about working out and dieting rather than actually doing it.

I intend to crank up the seminars again sometime in late May-early June. I have learned a lot over the last three months and looking forward to sharing it all.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 4: Day 1 (Shoulders and Arms)

This is the fourth and last week of our "Loading Phase." (Thank God! We are bordering on overtraining which is exactly what is required in order to meet the purpose of Loading.)

You will recall the purpose of the 4 weeks of "Loading" is as follows:

•The growth hormone output goes through the roof due to the short rest interval between sets and the high volume.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell. This phenomenon is called muscle voluminization.

•The body’s recuperation capabilities are upgraded in response to the stress imposed by the increasing volume of work coupled with short rest intervals.


Today was Loading Phase: Week 4: Day 1 (Shoulders and Arms)

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday):

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Lateral Raises 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Hammer Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Dips 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

39 sets plus 30 minutes on the eliptical trainer.

5 more days of the Loading Phase, a day off and we move to three weeks of the Growth Phase.

More on the Growth Phase in future blogs.

Train hard, diet harder.

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 3: Day 3 and 6 - Chest and Back

A brutal week in the gym - there is no other word that describes the Loading Phase -- especially into the second week. One more week to go before we move to three weeks of the Growth Phase.

If you are a reader of this blog, you know the Loading Phase involves 6 days week in the gym with a staggering number of sets each day. There are three different routines, each done twice a week. Today was the second "Day 3 -- Chest and Back."

With abdominals, it was 39 sets.

So exhausted at the end of this six days, I'm going back later today and get in my cardio.

Here's the routine from today:

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
One Arm Dumbbell Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Knee-Ins 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

I have a new recipe I've filmsd and will be editing this weekend and hope to put it up tomorrow.

Have a great day, train hard, and diet harder,

jim

Loading Phase: Week 3: Day 2 and 5: Legs

Third of four weeks in the "Loading Phase." This will push you to the brink of over-training. Important not to go too heavy or to failure. There's simply too many sets to get through. 41 sets of legs/calves today that looked like this:

Day 2 – Legs (Tuesday/Friday)

Superset:
Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Standing Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wide Stance Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Thigh Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)
Hack Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 4 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 4 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Stiff-legged dead lifts - 4 sets x 12 reps (1 minute rest)
One Legged Calf Raises 1 set x 15-20 reps (1 minute rest)

One more day (tomorrow) and then we get a day off (Sunday) before cranking up for the last week of the Loading Phase. Following that -- Growth -- hard, heavy, no prisoners.

Will be doing some of Growth at different gyms in the U.S. and will put up video of the growth training as we move along.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Can You Gain Muscle and Lose Fat At The Same Time?

It depends on what "same time" means.

If it means in the same day, no.

If it means in the same three months, yes, but it is tough.

For most of us it is easier to "cycle," going from "bulk" which is to add calories above needs in order to gain muscle from hard workouts, and then "cut" which is to subtract calories below needs in order to strip off the fat.

Tom Venuto has written a great article on this topic which I commend to your review. Cut this link out and put it into your browser -- well worth the read!

http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2010/03/gain_muscle_and_lose_fat.php


Train hard, diet harder!

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 3: Day 1 and 4 - Arms and Shoulders

Now half way through Week 3 in the Loading Phase. One more week after this and we move on to 3 weeks of the "Growth Phase," which I will discuss in a future blog as we get closer to the switch.

Today was, in a word, brutal. The Loading Phase includes all Supersets, high reps, and high number of sets.

Here's the way it went this morning:

Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday):

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest):

Superset:
Standing Lateral Raises 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Concentration Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

That's 39 sets in my book, followed by 20 minutes of cardio. Having to cut back on the cardio during this phase because it is too easy to end up having eaten too few calories at the end of the day.

Have a great day and train hard!

Jim

Chest and Back: Loading Phase (Week 2)

You will recall we are in an 8 week undulation routine that involves three phases:

- Active Recovery
- Loading
- Growth

We are in the "Loading Phase" now. During the Loading Phase the body is stressed with an increasing high volume of work that if kept for too long will eventually result in overtraining and injury.

During this phase, three things will happen:

•The growth hormone output goes through the roof due to the short rest interval between sets and the high volume.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell. This phenomenon is called muscle voluminization.

•The body’s recuperation capabilities are upgraded in response to the stress imposed by the increasing volume of work coupled with short rest intervals.

This phase prepares the body for 3 weeks of the "Growth Phase." Important to keep your calories above BMR+exercise during these phases in order to insure muscle growth.

Today was Day 3, Week 2 of the "Loading Phase."

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

On Week 2, we added:

Superset:
One Arm Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Knee-Ins 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

What's More Difficult Than Losing The Fat? Making The "Turn"

It was challenging to lose nearly 60 pounds last year but altogether worth it. I look better and feel better than I have in 25 years.

What, interestingly, I have found more challenging is what I call "making the turn."

This is the point at which you achieve what you believed to be your ideal weight and then decide you want to put on more muscle.

Sounds easy.

All you have to do is add calories or slow down on the cardio, right?

Not so fast . . .

After spending day after day, week after week, and month after month rewarding yourself mentally for getting on the scale and finding you've lost weight, it is difficult, very difficult, to just change -- to suddenly believe that gaining weight is a good thing.

Indeed, after I decided to put on 5 - 10 pounds of muscle three months ago, I couldn't do it. I simply would not let myself have enough calories to gain weight. And so, on the one hand I'd get on the scales and be "disappointed" on one level but breathe a sigh of relief on the other when I saw I had gained no weight.

It has taken that long for me to get comfortable with the idea that it is OK to gain some weight, and I have carefully crafted a way to do it so that I only add a minimum amount of fat as I put on more muscle.

It is called "lean bulk."

The process is simple and straightforward: I upped my calories above my BMR + exercise calories by about 250 calories per day. If I'm working out hard and tearing up the muscles, this will give them just enough to take those extra calories and work with them, turning much of those calories into muscle.

And that has happened. I look bigger, more muscular. But I also look smoother.

Which means not all of those calories are going to muscle.

Indeed, it is impossible to add muscle and not gain some fat, just as it is not possible to lose fat without losing some muscle when you are in a calorie deficient state.

It is a matter of controlling it but mostly a matter of accepting it.

So, where am I in the process?

I tipped the scales at 170.0 pounds this morning. That is about 7 pounds above my all-time low of 163 during the period of time I was taking 1,000 calories a day out of my diet.

The good news? I still wear the same pants, no problem with the waist, and I am looking more like I want to look. That said, I would be less than honest not to say that I still experience a twinge of disappointment each morning when I get on those scales and find I've put on weight -- even though it is what I'm trying to do.

Strange.

The way I have been able to deal with it is to keep a watch in the mirror. I understood I would lose some of the cuts and vascularity that comes with being very lean, but I also promised myself that I would "lean bulk" until April 15 and then diet for 6 weeks to slowly, ever so slowly, take off whatever fat I added, trying to minimize muscle loss.

By June 1, I fully anticipate I'll enjoy the best of both worlds, -- 5 or more pounds of pure muscle with less than 10% body fat.

Stay tuned and train hard,

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 2: Arms and Shoulders

Still in "Loading Phase," and this week we add 9 more sets per workout.

The "Loading Phase" is 3 weeks and is a 6 day a week routine, with increasing sets each week.

We have this week and next week, and then move from the Loading Phase to 3 weeks of the "Growth Phase" which I will discuss in a future blog. We're keeping calories about 250 a day above BMR + exercise. This is part of our "lean bulk" effort, which means we are adding muscle and thus body weight while adding the minimum amount of fat.

When we finish this 2 month routine in early April we will go to our cutting phase and cutting diet for about 6 weeks in order to be really ready for summer!

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday):

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Bent Over Laterals 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Concentration Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

If you have questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me: jimkarger@plus50fitness.com