Guest Forum: Dr. John Berardi

Training Bodybuilding
201

[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
Jb,

I’ll be sure to send that information along to my friend who has the AC Sprain.

Thanks for the tip on the lunch meat.

Now wait a second though doc. :slight_smile:

On the coordination and not dropping balls. Were you being facetious?
Surely there must be something to work on to improve hand eye coordination… How did I develop the coordination to catch footballs in the first place? At the college level I expect more so I am always looking for ways to improve. Does grip have something to do with it? FOCUS I would say is a factor in catching Fballs. Hence, why I mentioned power drive. I thought it may have something to do with focus/concentration.

You must be a little worn from answering all these questions, but if there is anything at all you know of that could help with hand & eye coordination(specifically catching footballs) I would appreciate.

Thank you again Doctor JB, :slight_smile:

-Get Lifted[/quote]

Seriously, I was a db in University. In all receivers Ive seen have success, the common denominators were

A) An ability to put themselves in the position to make an easy catch - every time. This means mastering where their bodies are in space - putting themselves between the defender and themselves.

B) Seriously big paws.

C) They’re always catching footballs.

#1 is the most important. You won’t drop easy catches.

(Sure, focus is important - but only if you’re going from a low level. Again, I dont think nutrition or supplements can help much with this type of skill).

202

dr. berardi,

you asked for suggestions for future articles. i would actually really like to see an article where you tie all your previous articles together.

for instance, link up the ME, nutritional timing, & 7-habits on the nutritional front. then recovery - PWO, sleep, etc,-- as well as training (recommed particular training programs for particular goals perhaps) … it could be an article full of links to all your other great articles interdispersed amongst interstial information that makes a complete, cohesive, and self-consistent system of it all. a lil disertation presenting alot of the intresting ideas you’ve been throwing around.

thanks

hiro

203

[quote]RipStone wrote:
Hey JB,

Congrats on you phd and thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.

Regarding pwo nutriton, for my high-gi carbs I have gatorade powder. The first two ingredinets are sucrose and dextrose. I realize that most people think that gatorade powder is not ideal and dextrose would be a better option. However, is consuming gatorade powder rather than having dextrose going to have a noticeable effect on my gains?? Or is it as ling as one is having some quick-acting high-gi carbs all that matters in the long run? [/quote]

In talking optimization:

Surge>gatorade+protein

You’ll get benefits with either, though. But I always recommend the better option, not the worse of two.

204

[quote]wing wrote:
Beer…alcohol
Okay, now that I have 100% of the T-Mag members’ attention…

If you KNOW you are going to go for a drink or five, how would you minimize getting fat off of the carbs?

(I usually drink red wine and dark beer)

I have tried taking 300mg Alpha Lipoic Acid (your above reply indicates it might not be so effective for most people), I have tried working out before drinking, I have tried taking creatine after drinking.

Best advice?[/quote]

It’s not necessarily the carbs (unless you’re drinking girly mixes) it’s the alcohol. Alcohol has 7kcal/gram making it almost as dense (caloric wise) as fat.

As far as “minimizing the fat” - don’t drink at all. Then it will be minimal.

If that’s not an option for you, don’t drink alot. One drink or two probably won’t lead to massive fat gain as long as you adjust your calories down for the rest of the day (which most people don’t do - they drink 500-600 calories in alcohol and then go pig out on crap food).

Or use your alcohol as your 10% food. Read my 7 habits article or my upcoming top 10 article for what a 10% food is.

205

[quote]RIT Jared wrote:
So if you don’t cook with oils… how do you cook? Just with a nonstick pan? No (for fear of sounding gay) lubricant?[/quote]

Nonstick pan with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil Pam spray.

The rest of my fats come from uncooked oil, nuts, and what ever else is in my foods.

206

[quote]jcampos wrote:
Congrats Dr. Berardi!
Any meal replacement bars worth a crap?
Thanks and keep up the good work![/quote]

Meal replacement bars - I cant speak for all of them. Most of them on the market I steer clear of.

Instead of a bar, why not put two scoops of Low-Carb Grow!, some oats, and some fruit in a blender?

Much better nutrient profile.

You could also make your own. See here

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/recipes/index.htm

207

[quote]Monster Wong wrote:
Dr John, thanks for your answer, but i’m confuse now. you said i should get rid of that fat before it going back to rebuilt, and your method is “exercise”, is that means i should do exercises on the “the rest of day period”? because that time period the insulin level should be low, and fat is going to break down, then i can use it. but shouldn’t exercise(cardio/weight training) happen at “energy phase”,“anabolic phase”? those time insulin level is high, so fat is not going to breakdown like “the rest of day” period, any idea?[/quote]

Sorry for the confusion…This is a complex topic - I wish you were at one of my seminars to benefit from the full lecture on this topic.

Basically fat cells are ALWAYS releasing fat into the body. The more you exercise, the more that fat is burned before it goes back into the cell. Insulin slows the rate of breakdown but doesnt shut it down altogether.

During exercise, all bets are off. Even if insulin is high, other counterregulatory hormones (catecholamines) are MUCH MORE POWERFUL than insulin and you still get a ton of fat released and broken down. Even immediately after exercise fat is broken down and carbs are stored (even with a pw drink).

What people don’t understand is that the effects of insulin in the body are DIFFERENT during and after exercise as opposed to the rest of the day.

Hope that helps.

208

Hey JB…

Thought I’d put a picture of my Harley quick for you too…

LJ

209

[quote]Alexandar wrote:
I would like to see more information pertaining to women.

[/quote]

Picking up women or training for women?

:wink:

210

[quote]KingsRevenge wrote:
I"m tryign to gather some info and I was wondering what your opinion on the best type of workout for sprinters? On top of that how much do oyu believe tempo and rep ranges should correlate with practices?[/quote]

There is no “best workout for sprinters”. I need to know alot of stuff about the sprinter to determine what the best workout is.

As far as the second part of the question, not sure what you’re asking.

211

[quote]MiniTank wrote:
Hi Dr. JB,

To start I’d just like to say congrats on your degree.

  1. I am personally trying to bulk at the moment. I want to do a similar diet to ME but I have some problems. Maybe its just me but it seems like you have to have almost no social life to be on a strict diet. Like if I go out for a few hours, then I just missed a meal. How do you manage to keep all your meals in check while at the same time have a social life?

  2. What if you want to get smashed, I attend parties that involve alcohol and I want to enjoy myself, what would I do to not totally ruin my body? A party is a great example of a scenario where it is hard to keep up with a ME type diet especially if you are drinking.

  3. I noticed that I have a very good metabolism but I am not a hard gainer. I can basicly eat whatever I want without getting fat. This makes me think that if I just kept everything in check, all proper fats, and large amount of carbs, and protein, then I could gain muscle and stay pretty lean without a very strict diet. Could you give me some general guidelines to follow? macornutrients? total cals? I think this would be the 50-carbs 35-pro 15-fat type ratio.

  4. Lastly I live in Toronto, I would like to educate myself as much as possible in terms of nutrition. What can I do to learn about basic nutrtion? books, seminars, DVDs?

Your help is greatly appreciated. [/quote]

  1. It takes discipline, bro. You don’t have to remove your social life. I’ve got a great one. But it’s balanced with eating well and disciplining myself to eat when it’s cook, and hang when it’s time to hang. Don’t blame your social life for your inability to get it done. It’s your discipline, time management, etc. If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way. If not, why not drop the charade that you’re “bulking” and just tell everyone you’re lifting for fun.

  2. Not get smashed. Seriously…this is like saying Im married to this chick. She’s great but my fucking other broads really puts a strain on our relationship. What can I do (without remaining faithful) to improve the relationship? See what I mean?

  3. This will change, bro. This will change. One day you’ll wake up and “eating whatever you want” will lead you to the classic middle aged couch potatoe pose - rubbing your fat gut - reminising about the days you had a 6-pack. Now, you don’t have to be superstrict. Im not. But you have to make good choices, learn about which foods are best and when, and take some responsibility and control for your physique and health.

  4. I’ve got a seminar in TO next weekend. Attend if you want to learn more.

http://www.johnberardi.com/seminars/index.htm

212

[quote]KingsRevenge wrote:
One more question, this is regarding post workout nutrition. I was studying for my biology test tommorow and as I was reading about cell permiability. I saw that in the text it said that without water cells would die, meaning the process of osmosis is definately needed for water to be passed through permeable membranes. My thought/question is what is the rate or time period when new muscle tissue actually grows. Or does muscle tissue just repair as time goes by and as it repairs they grow new issued sporadicly. Based upon either one of those thoughts it appears to me that water could ply a vital roal in gaining muscle mass if it will help keep the new baby cells from dieing if you give them water. So is there an optimum amount of water soemoen shuold drink to aid in muscle growth or a certain time to make sure you get in a certain amount of fluid?

Hope this isn’t to annoying but I don’t feel like asking my teacher about it tommorow he sucks at teaching :).[/quote]

Cell swelling is a strong stimulus for growth and cell shrinking for atrophy. Therefore adequate hydration is critical. However, I don’t think you can do anything specific short of staying well-hydrated.

Creatine helps maintain cell volume so it’s a good thing too.

But like I said, you just need to be sure that you’re well hydrated and you’re cool. Check the tips archive for my thoughts on water intake.

213

[quote]Monster Wong wrote:
MiniTank wrote:

you have to have almost no social life to be on a strict diet.
Like if I go out for a few hours, then I just missed a meal.

I’m no JB, but i can share my experience with you. i’ve social life, i can go out eating with friends, i think nowadays most restaurants have foods that can fit into P+F/P+C, eg.steak+veg or rice+lean-chicken breast+veg. That shouldn’t be a problem, and if i know i will go out for a few hours without food supply, then i’ll bring water,shaker, and meal replacement powder. sometimes i also eat protein bars too, i hope that help.

if I just kept everything in check, all proper fats, and large amount of carbs, and protein, then I could gain muscle and stay pretty lean without a very strict diet. Could you give me some general guidelines to follow? macornutrients? total cals? I think this would be the 50-carbs 35-pro 15-fat type ratio.

i think JB’s ME article have given the macronutrient guideline already. For basic nutrition guideline, may be you can also look at
“7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs”
by John M. Berardi

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459493

hope that help

[/quote]

Thanks for the help, monster!

214

John,

I am as big as I want to be and have been doing 5x5 rep scheme for cutting. My question is besides diet, to not gain any more size, and just cut what I have, should I stick with the 5x5, or go a little higher like 8-12, or does it really matter? Would 12-15 reps to failure be a good idea? Thanks

215

[quote]John K wrote:
Article Suggestion

I like profiles. Choose 2 or 3 athletes with different goals, and profile their training and nutrition strategies, the factors that went into individualizing their programs, the timeline, the result, and the lessons learned.

JOHN[/quote]

You read my mind. My head strength coach, Carter Schoffer, and I are working on this very thing right now. Probably be out in Dec.

216

[quote]Agathos wrote:
Eating for the Graveyard

Eating while on the graveyard shift that is.

I work (7pm-7am) 2 week schedule (5 days one week, 2 days the next week, then repeat).

What exactly happens to the metabolism in this situation? How dependent is it on your body’s natural sleep (circadian?) cycles? Does your body eventualy “shift” it’s natural cycles or does it simply continue to exist in a jacked up state from the sleep deprivation?

Additinally is there truth to the idea that your metabolism “slows” or changes during the night?

Any additional advice for eating or training tips?[/quote]

My advice would be just speculation…

Yes, your circadian and hormonal biorythms are going to be thrown off. How badly will be based on how well you make efforts to eat well, train well, and sleep well.

Here are a couple of articles on sleep (and Im sure where you know where to find training and nutrition info).

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/training/sleep_1.htm
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/training/sleep_2.htm

217

[quote]ransomed wrote:
Dear John,

Long time fan. Congrats on the Dr. prefix! My question deals with injury and nutrition. What type of caloric intake do you recommend during an injury related layoff, and what percentages should you aim for as far as macronutrients are concerned? Would you recommend cardio while not lifting (specifically, low impact), or no? Thanks![/quote]

The best advice for a “layoff” is this…continue to exercise. ALWAYS. Do something. Move. Do low intensity stuff. Work around the injury. Do cardio. Whatever you can do, as often as you do it.

As I posed above - energy flux is important. The secret to a good physique (when healthy or injured) - make sure you’re burning alot of energy and eating alot.

Always adjust nutrition to the energy expenditure!

218

[quote]LJ4174 wrote:
Hey JB…

I think you missed my one question so let me get that out there again quick…

On your, “It’s Not About the Food” article you just wrote you said to prepare different meals. Is it bad or not a good idea if I basically eat the same stuff for breakfast and lunch, and then change up dinner a bit?

For instance… I usually eat egg whites and oatmeal with Low-Carb Grow! first thing in the morning. For mid morning I have a low fat cheese omlete. For lunch I have a salad with chicken… I do change up my snacks, but is this method hindering me in any way? I’m looking forward to grabbing that recipe book you’re coming out with… Maybe I’ll help buy you that BMW…

OK, enough of this nutrition stuff… I’d be interested in hearing some chick stories from you too… I’ve been married for a little over a year now so I must live vicariously through others…

We talked about bikes before and here’s a picture of my wife and I on my buddy Stu’s custom old school chopper… Maybe you should get one of these instead of that yuppie BMW… :wink:

Thanks again…

LJ

P.S. I said it before and I’ll say it again, you should probably do a guest atomic dog sometime or occasionally write an article on T-Nation that doesn’t apply to nutrition or training.

P.S.S. It’d be way cool if you did this guest forum thing again too… Maybe like once or twice a year, maybe every quarter or something… There’s a lot of good information up here so far and you are only half way through the week…[/quote]

Nice bike, bro. Crazy, though. Cant see myself taking the ausin hairpins on that.

Thanks for the suggestions also!

As far as your question, I think your plan is fine. I did answer it above. However, simply, do what you’re doing. Mix it up every 6 months or so though.

219

[quote]Mufasa wrote:
Another “Udo’s Oil” Question, Dr. B:

That was a great article you wrote comparing Udo’s to Plain Flax.

However, where I get confused is when you compare Udo’s to just taking Fish Oil ALONE.

If one is consuming adequate EPA/DHA (via fish oils)…what is the advantage of adding Udo’s?

Mufasa

[/quote]

Overall fat balance in important in my dietary scheme.

I believe that total fat intake should be split up into thirds. 1/3 sat, 1/3 poly, 1/3 mono.

Of the poly, 50% should be omega 3 (whatever kind) and 50% should be omega 6.

So here are some specific examples (although you don’t have to be so anal - these are for expalnation only)

If you’re eating 120g fat, you’ll be getting 40 sat, 40 mono, 40 poly.

Of the poly 20g should be 3s and 20g should be 6s.

This fat balance in important.

Also important - getting some DHA and EPA (since conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is quite low in some people).

So here’s what Im saying…

Make sure your total omega 3 intake is consistent with the rules above (50% of poly intake; poly intake being 1/3 of total fat intake) AND make sure you’re getting some fish oils (EPA and DHA).

There are independent benefits of EPA and DHA and total poly (3-6 ratio).

220

John, I’ve seen you recommend that aerobic training be done at 84% of max heart rate for 30 minutes (“The Winning Formula, Part II”). In your “Mad Max” article, you recommend training at 70-75% of your measured VO2Max if the goal is to improve VO2Max. Knowing that MHR and VO2 Max do not directly correlate, here’s my situation: I can achieve an adequate energy balance with diet and lifting alone, but I would like to incorporate cardio simply for the sake of keeping my heart healthy. At what intensity should my aerobic sessions be performed?