Anyone doing depletion workouts a la Lyle McDonald? Looking for some advice because I’m 2 weeks into Lyle’s UD 2.0 and I’m not a huge fan of his workouts and have been designing my own. However, given the programme entails TBT 4 times per week, it is a fine balance getting the depletion workouts correct (not to mention the cardio) prior to the strength session following the carb-up. Anyone experience of this type of training?
Yep - I’ve done ud 2.0. Overall I lost about a pound a week which I can achieve with less effort carb cycling and without such wild swings of water/glycogen weight. The carb ups are fun but the lack of flexibility about what you do each day means I found it difficult to keep it going around regular life and probably wouldn’t use again.
I typically train heavy and low rep so it was a real shock to be doing six sets of 15 reps for 10 exercises. Despite being depleted I would get mega-pumps and I’m fairly confident that I added muscle in the first few weeks just because it was such a radically new stimulus. My arms and chest loved it.
I’m not a huge fan of his workouts and have been designing my own
How are you changing the training? Are you keeping the depletion ultra high-volume fullbody? I do think you can vary the parameters/exercises of the depletion but people change them for the wrong reason - because they’re hard. I would do them as written until you are confident about the feeling you are aiming for. If you’ve only done them for a couple of weeks then you will be a pussing out to change them.
My tips are:
i) I would take a glucose tablet before and halfway through which avoided low-blood sugar nausea. The tablet halfway though was quite important psychologically - basically a sweetie for being a good boy.
ii) Vary the exercises. 12 sets of a single machine each week would start to cause aggravation and major boredom. I needed to use more cables and vary grips/angles etc.
iii) I couldn’t complete the training on ECA - destroyed my work capacity. It might have made me more depleted going into the workouts but not sure - pretty miserable though.
iv) If you carb up hard on sugary stuff then the guilt makes the depletion workouts almost welcome self-flagellation.
Btw - I would go as heavy as I could and frequently to failure. I don’t think that’s recommended but its survivable. I didn’t find the depletion workouts they impacted strength\power work outs at all. The rep/set scheme is too different. I didn’t do cardio, that might have been too much. IMHO energy levels are more delicate than strength levels when dieting.
Hope that helps.
Cheers mate. I appreciate the input.
Basically I moved the cycle one day forward, so the low cal/carb days commence on Tuesday. Training-wise, I’m using a Bob Gajda-style circuit on Tuesday. Workout is using a pair of measley 14kg DBs - doesn’t impress the ladies but does the job of kicking one’s own ass!
A1) Floor press x 15
A2) Squat x 15
A3) Renegade Row x 10
A4) Romanian DL x 15
A5) Crunch BW x 12
I’ll rest 1 min between each circuit and usually collapse in the 6th round. This gives around 19mins of training, which gets the lactate going. Afterwards I’ll do 20mins or so walking.
Wednesday - more convential TBT with 60 secs or so between sets. After a few warm ups, I’ll pick a weight and grind out the following:
A) Squat or BB alternating lunges (killer) 3-4 x 10-12 reps
B) Weighted step-up 2 x 15
C) Push-up 4 x 10-12 reps
D) Low Pulley Row 4 x 10-12
E) Lat Pulldown 2 x 10-12
F) EZ Curl 2 x 10-12
G) Ab exercise
Thursday - off, maybe some cardio but usually DOMS plus diet restrictions puts this on the back burner
Friday - maybe 20-30mins very easy cardio in the AM. PM is another TBT session. Similar to Wednesday with bit heavier weight in the 8 rep mark with 60-90s RI. Maybe employ some supersets a la Charles Staley, e.g. alternating lunges and inverted rows.
Sunday TBT is a 90min affair using more basic compounds, e.g. trap bar deadlifts, in the 3-6 rep range using the ramping method and heaviest weights I can lift. Usually feel great throughout this shift and makes the preceeding carb up all worthwhile.
You are also right about the pumps. I get great pumps during the Tuesday/Wednesday sessions. Don’t know how long I’ll keep it going either but hopefully another 2-3 weeks before holidays. The abs appear to be returning from the dark, flabby recesses, so I’m happy with it so far.
Cheers again for the feedback.
Hmm, my depletion workouts would take up to two hours of pure isolation work. I don’t doubt that you can kick your arse in 20 mins but I would be skeptical it does quite the same job. Depletion work outs might be proven to be bunk but their goal is different from the fat burning circuit you are doing.
You might find its just as effective for you but this is why IMHO its important to do UD 2.0 as written for say four weeks before tinkering with it so you have something to compare against.
Sounds reasonable. Sometimes I really struggled with this day - the impending carb up was all that got me through it.
Sounds good. I too really enjoyed this work out. Well fed and lifting heavy.
[quote]
You are also right about the pumps. I get great pumps during the Tuesday/Wednesday sessions. Don’t know how long I’ll keep it going either but hopefully another 2-3 weeks before holidays. The abs appear to be returning from the dark, flabby recesses, so I’m happy with it so far.[/quote]
Good stuff. I think you can balls up the UD 2.0 but still lose bf while above 12%. It might need more precision the lower you get.
If you’re not doing UD2.0 as written, you’re not doing UD2.0…