My Experience On the Anabolic Diet Part III

Nutrition
721

[quote]smithers584 wrote:

[quote]Soulja874 wrote:
Hey all, I’ve been on the AD for 4 days now and I’m loving it so far. I was wondering tho, should I be on the AD if I’m not weight training at the moment? I don’t have access to a gym at the moment and have been doing body weight exercises and cardio (I’m cutting at the moment trying to get into the Air Force)[/quote]

So you weigh too much for your height? It all depends, how quick do you want to get in the USAF? There are some quicker ways to cut weight. If you are looking to cut the weight quick, I would go another route (like the velocity diet). That might cost you a bit of money, but it would get you meeting the regs the quickest, at least that is my opinion.

BTW, I am prior USAF, now in the Mississippi Air National Guard while in school, working on my 8th year time in service.[/quote]

I would love to get in asap but I need some more college hours before I can go (I have a GED) and I want to go pararescue/PJ (I want to be a physician assistant eventually) so I need to get my fitness better than the average airman. Plus cash is kinda tight at the moment, that’s why I’m not lifting anymore.

722

Ok, well then I think the AD will work fine, if you stick to it. However, I am only finishing my second week, so I dont have a lot of experience with it. From what it seems for some people, we have all felt like we are leaning up while gaining strength as well, so that would be win/win for you.

Do you meet USAF height/weight requirements to be in? Or are you just trying to get in shape for PJ training?

723

so i just wanted to state my experience with my first carb-up.

Friday morning I weighed myself at 174.5#. I started loading at about 3:30pm on Friday until I went to sleep Saturday night at about 2am. So it was about 35hrs. When I woke up Sunday morning and weighed myself I weighed in at 190#!! Normally weight gain scares me but seeing this on the scale this morning was one of the greatest feelings. Because i knew that the diet was doing what it was supposed to. I then went to the gym…initially I didn’t feel any different, except I was worried I might shit myself from all the fiber I got this weekend…lol. After one set on the bench press I felt the pump that people keep describing. It was one of the best pumps I have even had in my life. I hit 315 on the bench…up 30# from starting the AD…I will admit that I had done 315 before (months ago), and I think it is easier to get strength back than to increase your career PR, but it felt great. I couldn’t even talk on the phone when I left the gym because my arm was so pumped that I couldn’t get the phone close enough to my ear. Other people’s success on here has really inspired me so I just wanted to share my own success with you all. Now back to the steak :).

LONG LIVE THE AD!!!

Brian

724

Brian - Sounds awesome man! Keep it up, more gains to come!

So Ill debrief you guys on my first carb up.

Friday 1530: Started Carb Up with post workout Surge, ohhhhh do I miss it.

Saturday: Carbed up all day. Slammed in ~550g carbs, went 60% carbs, 25% fat, 15% protein.

Sunday: Back to low carb, heavy back and chest day. While I got an awesome workout in, lifted heavy and hard and felt great, but did not feel anything special other than having a good workout. Did not get any great pump or anything, but I was very motivated and felt good.

I did not feel any different when I carbed up, which I expected to. I used to crash hard after heavy carb meals (like a bowl of chili), but did not crash at all this weekend. Hopefully that means I am headed in the right direction.

However, I did find it a little harder to get out of bed in the mornings, I just kinda felt tired. Last week though, I was jumping out of bed. I didnt have class until 1000, and I was still up at 630-700. So that is the only change I noticed.

Also, weighed in today (first day post carb up), 199.5 lbs. Thats up about 5 lbs from 194.8 lbs. Expecting to drop back to 194 lbs by Tuesday.

725

I lifted with AirBoren today and was with him when he was freaking out about the pump haha. It was great. We were both doing curls and had the craziest pumps ever. I had my CHO up start Sat morning at 9 so I’m gonna have my last CHO meal at 7 tonight and then have my P F pre-bed shake and go right back to low CHO tomorrow. I feel sorry for anyone not on the AD.

726

^^ I know, I love how I started back on the “diet” today, and for dinner I just ate 12 buffalo wings (skin on, fried in canola oil). 45g of fat, 52g protein, 0 carbs, awesome. Add in some Ranch Lite (about 3 tbsp) and you only add 4.5g of carbs.

727

If you guys don’t mind checking out my plan for a little body-recomp/very slow fat loss plan i would really appreciate it. I’m just starting out Wendler’s 5/3/1 and have been on the AD since January 1st so I’m just a couple of weeks past the induction phase.

I’m roughly 6’1" and 170 lbs upon wakening on FRI before CHO up. I would just like get a decent six pack before my trip to Cancuun the first week of June.

Mon - Bench HIIT/sprints if I get the chance (2,400 cals)
Tue - Off (lots of on campus hill walking) (2,400 cals)
Wed - Deadlift (2,600 cals)
Thu - Off (lots of on campus hill walking) (2,400 cals)
Fri - Squat (2,800 cals)
Sat - Military Press (CHO up 4K cals)
Sun - Off maybe HIIT/sprint (2K cals)

Assuming maintenance ~ 3K

This should put me at a net loss of ~2,500 cals so I’d be losing a little under a lb a week. Sunday’s cals are dropped to take advantage of the stoked metabolism from Sat’s CHO up.

Do you guys have any suggestions? I was thinking after another month or so I would try the Wed meal and Sat CHO the DH says is better for fat loss. I really don’t want to lose any muscle though. Should I change it to a 2 day CHO and make it a little less intense or keep as is? Or do you think I should just eat maintenance and up cals on CHO up and drop them the day after for a body recomp?

Thanks everybody!

EDIT: Also, I have a BCAA product that I will try taking in between meals 2-3 times a day that has 7.5g BCAAs per serving.

728

Larry,

Dont take this the wrong way, but at 6’1" and 170 lbs, dont you think adding a little more mass to your frame will benefit more than abs?

729

[quote]smithers584 wrote:
Larry,

Dont take this the wrong way, but at 6’1" and 170 lbs, dont you think adding a little more mass to your frame will benefit more than abs?[/quote]

Yeah, I agree. It sucks, one part of me is saying “Get that six pack for Cancuun” the other is saying “Don’t be a bitch!” lol. I should probably just stay focused on gaining cause that’s what I’ve been doing. BTW, i was slightly under 140 less than a year ago, had a bad eating/running problem so I’ve come a long ways and everyone has been telling me lately that I’ve filled out a lot. Just miss my abs but I’d rather not look like a twig. I’m thinking I should suck it up over the summer and keep eating/training like a beast.

730

I need to stop eating so dirty on refeeds…that is all.

731

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:

Yeah, I agree. It sucks, one part of me is saying “Get that six pack for Cancuun” the other is saying “Don’t be a bitch!” lol. I should probably just stay focused on gaining cause that’s what I’ve been doing. BTW, i was slightly under 140 less than a year ago, had a bad eating/running problem so I’ve come a long ways and everyone has been telling me lately that I’ve filled out a lot. Just miss my abs but I’d rather not look like a twig. I’m thinking I should suck it up over the summer and keep eating/training like a beast.[/quote]

I think that would be a wise decision. I think if you kept up with the diet, and ate maybe 250-500 cals above maintenance, that you could put on some mass and keep fat gains in check, and possibly even lose some fat in the process.

I am somewhat experimenting with myself right now. What I am trying to do is lift heavy 3 days a week, and on those days I eat about at my maintenance.

On days I dont train heavy, I do two lactic acid workouts (only one per day, twice a week) followed by 30 mins low cardio. On these days, I am 500 cals below maintenance.

And on days off, I am typically 500 below maintenance and one day off is a carb up.

If I were you, I would try upping the carbs a bit on heavy days but only post workout, stay under 50 grams or so total, and stay under 30 grams on non heavy days. I think this combo would slowly add mass while slowy burn fat.

But like I said, its kind of an experiment. Its all based off the same principles that apply to carb cycling, and there are probably a ton of programs out there describing something like this.

732

[quote]smithers584 wrote:

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:

Yeah, I agree. It sucks, one part of me is saying “Get that six pack for Cancuun” the other is saying “Don’t be a bitch!” lol. I should probably just stay focused on gaining cause that’s what I’ve been doing. BTW, i was slightly under 140 less than a year ago, had a bad eating/running problem so I’ve come a long ways and everyone has been telling me lately that I’ve filled out a lot. Just miss my abs but I’d rather not look like a twig. I’m thinking I should suck it up over the summer and keep eating/training like a beast.[/quote]

I think that would be a wise decision. I think if you kept up with the diet, and ate maybe 250-500 cals above maintenance, that you could put on some mass and keep fat gains in check, and possibly even lose some fat in the process.

I am somewhat experimenting with myself right now. What I am trying to do is lift heavy 3 days a week, and on those days I eat about at my maintenance.

On days I dont train heavy, I do two lactic acid workouts (only one per day, twice a week) followed by 30 mins low cardio. On these days, I am 500 cals below maintenance.

And on days off, I am typically 500 below maintenance and one day off is a carb up.

If I were you, I would try upping the carbs a bit on heavy days but only post workout, stay under 50 grams or so total, and stay under 30 grams on non heavy days. I think this combo would slowly add mass while slowy burn fat.

But like I said, its kind of an experiment. Its all based off the same principles that apply to carb cycling, and there are probably a ton of programs out there describing something like this.[/quote]

Thanks for the advice man. I think i’m gonna stick with the <30g weekdays for another month or so JUST to make sure i’m fully fat adapted, then I’ll try out some mide week spikes after a workout or something along those lines. Right now i was thinking of like you said, slightly above maintenance on lifting days, and right at maintenance on off days.

I’m thinking I should stick with the 36 hour Sat, Sun CHO up though, what do you think? I’ve seen some people on some forums have pretty good results from supplementing with BCAAs throughout the day as well so I think i’ll do that. I don’t eat out, drink, or smoke so I definitely have the money for it.

733

I dont know about the CHO days, its up to you on how to feel you are responding to the carbs.

BCAA’s are always a good idea, and like CT says, the more you can afford the better. I think I would concentrate on making sure I supplemented with them pre, during, and post workout properly before I would take them “throughout” the day.

Trust me, if you follow some of the protocols on this site for BCAA supplementation, it can get pricey.

734

DH, has posted his views on taking BCAA’s between meals to reinstate?? protein synthesis, from the substrate hanging around from the last meal…but you have to ensure that there is at least 2 hours after the last meal you ate. I did this when restricting my food intake, when cutting and IMHO it helped me keep alot of lean mass! I know this, because I used the same diet for a short stint at the start of this year WITHOUT the aminos, and lost much more lean mass:( I pulsed with leucine, creatine, glutamine, 5g of each throughout the day, before meals…I typically ate 4 solid meals in the end of my diet down…but I am VERY certain BCAA would work as well.

From Layne Nortons work, you should certainly benefit from this during a lean mass gain as well, but I am simply eating every 2-3 hours instead…same ol, I know, but keeps me full and results are positive.

GJ

735

I’ve been doing 30g split pre/during/post for a little while and have been having some really good results so I think I’ll keep this up. I know of a place that sells cheap BCAA for around $26 for 200 servings of 5g so it’s actually pretty cheap. It’s nasty as hell and doesn’t mix for shit but it does the job haha.

736

Don’t the this great thread die out!

Anyone have any good results of body fat/muscle gain/strength gains they want to share while on the AD?

I’ve been making decent gains since starting lifting around 6 months ago but the gains have been CRAZY while on the AD. I was skeptic at first and thought my workouts would suffer but it has been the opposite. Also, I’ve gained around 5-6 pounds since Jan 1 and it might sound crazy but I’m the same amount of lean, if not, a little bit leaner than before. LONG LIVE THE AD!

737

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
Don’t the this great thread die out!

Anyone have any good results of body fat/muscle gain/strength gains they want to share while on the AD?

I’ve been making decent gains since starting lifting around 6 months ago but the gains have been CRAZY while on the AD. I was skeptic at first and thought my workouts would suffer but it has been the opposite. Also, I’ve gained around 5-6 pounds since Jan 1 and it might sound crazy but I’m the same amount of lean, if not, a little bit leaner than before. LONG LIVE THE AD![/quote]

I have been at the AD for a few months now. I was using it to gain before and I have never tried to use it to cut some fat. I am still training for strength using 5/3/1 with some extra conditioning work. I am anxious to see how it goes. I am basically starting by just decreasing some fat calories a little and eliminating all the crap on my refeed except for one meal. I will probably just stick with a one day refeed now too.

738

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
Don’t the this great thread die out!

Anyone have any good results of body fat/muscle gain/strength gains they want to share while on the AD?

I’ve been making decent gains since starting lifting around 6 months ago but the gains have been CRAZY while on the AD. I was skeptic at first and thought my workouts would suffer but it has been the opposite. Also, I’ve gained around 5-6 pounds since Jan 1 and it might sound crazy but I’m the same amount of lean, if not, a little bit leaner than before. LONG LIVE THE AD![/quote]

Im exactly the same. I initially started the AD with intentions of losing fat, but I think I am gaining muscle without gaining fat. Here is the rundown:

  • First 12 days on AD: Weight 194.5 lb, +/- 0.3 lbs
  • Carbed up half of day 13 and all of day 14: Weight, unknown
  • Day 15 (first day post carb up): Weight 199.2 lbs
  • Days 16,17, and 18 (today): Weight 195.8, no deviation

So, I definately feel leaner, my friends are commenting on my calves and face being more “toned” and commenting on my traps looking bigger.

I also am having insane lifting sessions. I switched to CT’s perfect rep method and my weights are way higher at the last few sets than they have ever been. I mean, 30-40lbs heavier on my last sets (of course the total amounts of reps per set is lower, but still). I love this method because I leave the gym feeling like I got the best session, and my CNS does not feel tired. I dont feel exhausted, I just feel like I beat the shit out of my muscles and I am dripping more sweat than ever.

Curious as to the weight gain though, you think its possible to gain 1-1.3 lbs of muscle after first carb up? Weekly pics are showing no evidence of any fat gain, but suggesting some evidence of muscle (in my shoulders and back). This could be do to minor fat loss in those areas, making the muscle more pronounced.

Any thoughts? Lets here some more results, we need to keep this thread alive.

739

[quote]ajweins wrote:

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
Don’t the this great thread die out!

Anyone have any good results of body fat/muscle gain/strength gains they want to share while on the AD?

I’ve been making decent gains since starting lifting around 6 months ago but the gains have been CRAZY while on the AD. I was skeptic at first and thought my workouts would suffer but it has been the opposite. Also, I’ve gained around 5-6 pounds since Jan 1 and it might sound crazy but I’m the same amount of lean, if not, a little bit leaner than before. LONG LIVE THE AD![/quote]

I have been at the AD for a few months now. I was using it to gain before and I have never tried to use it to cut some fat. I am still training for strength using 5/3/1 with some extra conditioning work. I am anxious to see how it goes. I am basically starting by just decreasing some fat calories a little and eliminating all the crap on my refeed except for one meal. I will probably just stick with a one day refeed now too.[/quote]

I also just started Wendler’s 5/3/1 and plan on doing a little bit of conditioning (complexes or sprints probably once a week). I think I’m going to continue slowly bulking before probably a month out from my trip to Cancun and try to lean out just a tad. Who knows, maybe with the help of the AD, i’ll be lean without needing to cut calories :slight_smile:

I’m at 174 right now ± a few and hope to be in the mid 180s by the next 2 months. Gotta go, gonna whip up some keto-pancakes. MMMMMMMMMMM

740

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:

[quote]ajweins wrote:

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
Don’t the this great thread die out!

Anyone have any good results of body fat/muscle gain/strength gains they want to share while on the AD?

I’ve been making decent gains since starting lifting around 6 months ago but the gains have been CRAZY while on the AD. I was skeptic at first and thought my workouts would suffer but it has been the opposite. Also, I’ve gained around 5-6 pounds since Jan 1 and it might sound crazy but I’m the same amount of lean, if not, a little bit leaner than before. LONG LIVE THE AD![/quote]

I have been at the AD for a few months now. I was using it to gain before and I have never tried to use it to cut some fat. I am still training for strength using 5/3/1 with some extra conditioning work. I am anxious to see how it goes. I am basically starting by just decreasing some fat calories a little and eliminating all the crap on my refeed except for one meal. I will probably just stick with a one day refeed now too.[/quote]

I also just started Wendler’s 5/3/1 and plan on doing a little bit of conditioning (complexes or sprints probably once a week). I think I’m going to continue slowly bulking before probably a month out from my trip to Cancun and try to lean out just a tad. Who knows, maybe with the help of the AD, i’ll be lean without needing to cut calories :slight_smile:

I’m at 174 right now ± a few and hope to be in the mid 180s by the next 2 months. Gotta go, gonna whip up some keto-pancakes. MMMMMMMMMMM
[/quote]

5/3/1 is magic man. I must admit, I am hesitant to be on the AD with all the high intensity stuff I do during the week. I feel like I will drain all the glycogen out of me early in the week with training heavy four days a week and HIIT. But I just considering this a test for the AD. I am anxious to see how well it works.