Best Gains - Common Denominators

Here’s a question that might benefit all of us…

What were the key ingredients in your best bulking/strength phase? Specific training programs, diets, rest habits and supplements would help a lot of us put the big picture together. My training journal only tells my story. I’d be interested in what others have to say…

My best gains came when I used the Big Beyond Belief system where you manipulate training session length, training session frequency, body part frequency, exersize selection & performance, rep speed, traing volume & intensity, weight & reps, and rest intervals between sets to produce maximum gains. I used the Anabolic Diet wich consits of eating 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs mon-fri and 70%carbs, 20% fat, and 10% protein on the weekend to maximize the anabolic effects of testosterone and nandrolone, GH, and insulin. I gained large amounts of muscle, put on 60lbs on my bench, 70lbs on my squat, 90lbs on my standing calf, 15lbs on my curl (going from sloppy form to STRICT form), 30lbs on my lying tri extensions, and 40lbs on my pulldowns. I took a protein powder, glutamine, creatine, ZMASS, multi vitamin, vitamins C & E, selenium, and potassium. This all occured in a 6 week period. I recomend Big Beyond Belief and the Anabolic diet to everyone.

Thanks Michael. I appreciate your feedback.

I’ve used both too, with excellent results. Really taught me the value of abbreviated training sessions, variety and how to control insulin through carb intake manipulation. You can argue that many of the ideas in the BBB manual were non-traditional, but personally, I think the results from traditional routines/diets suck. Give these guys credit for taking that old straight line out for a curve and making us think… thanks again for your insights.

Okay, guys, you’ve piqued my interest. I’ve heard of the BBB system, but have never actually seen it in published form. Where does one go about getting it? Is it on the Net somewhere? (I hope to god it’s not in the T-Mag archives and I just missed it . . .)

Does anyone remember the Hardcore Muscle newsletter’s put out by some guy named Dante? He recommended a rest/ pause routine that simply kicked ass. I really blew up using his routine’s and a ittle help from my pal Sus250.

My best gains are coming right now! I had been on a low to medium volume program and eating a mostly low carb, maintenance diet. To shake things up, I started GVT2k, began eating above maintenance, and started a cycle of Androsol and Tribex. The combination of the three has me really blowing up.

I think most peoples best gains come after they make big changes in what they’re currently doing. Diet plays the biggest role in my opinion.

my best gains have come from combining a warrior diet/delta 1250 hybrid diet with WSB style of training. i have lifted for several years using various programs and principles outlined in MM2K and T-mag over the last few years and have made decent progress, but by far the most gains made have been by these means.

My best gains? Well, in a loose sense, It would be my first cycle on a loose and sloppy training and diet regimen (nothing like eating everything in sight an putting on 28 lbs. in 6 weeks!) but for a real ball-busting routine, I’ve made my best gains with Fred Hatfield’s microcyclic periodization programs. I no longer overtrain or undertrain as I used to, I don’t do as many sets as I once did, and I make progress with every workout. I’d been at a standstill for almost a year, and this is what brought me out of it. Definitely confusing as hell to follow the program exactly to the point, so I modified it a bit to suit my needs, and everything works well.

flaxoil, is that the program in “Hardcore Bodybuilding” with C day being holistic sets?

I think most peoples’ best gains come after a radical change in training and dieting. For example, eat a regular maintenance diet while doing a low volume training program. After a few weeks, start GVT2k and the “Get Big” diet. You’ll likely blow up. This isn’t because of some magical program, rather, the change of pace. Read the Dog Pound column in issue #100. The common denominator most cited by readers seems to involve workout and diet cycling. And lots of squats.

To the person who asked about the program…

Yep! That’s the one. I first saw it in my text for ISSA, and have since seen it elsewhere, too. Definitely worth a 6-8 week shot if you’ve never tried it before. It looks a lot more complicated than it is, but it is definitely a good program to shock your system if you’re stuck in a rut!

Later,
Flax

My best gains have come from keeping my volume low (9-12 working sets, 1-2 exercises per bodypart, compound movements), alternating exercises, and rep ranges (3x6 (2 min. rest), and 15,12,10 to failure (3 min. rest), every 4-6 weeks), and eating a little more saturated fats in my diet from 2% milk, and beef. This has proven to give me excellent gains (10 lbs. additions to exercises per workout), without overtraining and much adaptation. Simplicity tends to work the best.

Honestly, using the max-ot program produced it for me. heavy weight seems to work well for me and the low volume helped too. i tried gvt and some other stuff but didn’t get anything from them.

The best and biggest ive ever been naturaly was when i dropped back the frequency and duration of my workouts doing a Dorian type workout ,and cutting out processed carbs eating heaps of red meat ,taking vanadyl sulphate ,creatine and glutamine.In about 3 months i went from 85kg -107kg and dropped 2%fat .Unfortunatly the next 12mnths were a disaster ,i wanted to get even bigger and started eating watever i could including 2 family size pizzas every sat night i put on a nother 15kg but mostly fat ,it took another 6months to get that off but i lost a lot of my hard earned muscle .

My best gains were when I took 3 grams of test per week plus a gram of Deca and lifted weights.

Frank