Synergy93 - Fill Us In

PB_Andy · July 21, 2010, 7:01pm

[quote]synergy93 wrote:
Not enough Try to get 7 per night, but I’ve never been a good sleeper.

I’m using Z12, glycine, phospatidyl serine, and Elite pro mineral lately…takes the edge off and seems to be helping.

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Man that nutrition post was full of win. I do something very similar but I am going to make a few changes based on what you wrote. I especially like that shake you make with chia seeds… going to have to start doing that for my snack between classes. Do you use cocoa nibs at all?

How much sleep do you usually get? I’m asking 'cause I’m about to get a solid 7 hours, got 6 hours yesterday. By ‘solid’, I mean I’m gonna feel like ass tomorrow.[/quote]
[/quote]
Cool… one thing that I’ve noticed lately is taking Epsom salt baths 30-45 minutes before sleep. It has magnesium in it which is better absorbed through the skin. Deep sleep.

Also, do you have any sample workouts that you’ve done lately for a push/pull/leg? I’ve seen you post in Thib’s question forum, and was wondering if it was similar to those sample workouts that Thib posted. Where do you work arms in?

John_Schlecht · July 21, 2010, 11:02pm

Like I said in one of my previous posts:

I consume nutrients based on the daily energy demands I’m placing on my body. If you’re working out everyday (weights or conditioning for boxing), you’re going to need a much higher energy intake, especially carbs. However, your carb intake (at least mine does) depends on how high the demand, how well you tolerate them (there’s a spill over point for everyone…mine isn’t that high, mostly due to the fact that I’ve been 300 plus pounds before, and my body has the tendency to gain fat very easily if I go above a certain carb level…this is also the case with overall calories), how “fueled” you feel during workouts, and how well you’re recovering. This is different for everyone.
Athletes (endurance athletes especially) do a need a higher intake of daily carbs, depending on their sport. Distance runners obviously need more than shot putters. As a football player (linemen), I did need a higher energy intake due to the daily demands of the sport and to keep my weight up, but if I would have eaten better and trained smarter ( I knew that most of the training our strength coaches had us doing was idiotic, but had to follow their program), I could have “gotten by” on less overall calories, and definitely less nutritionally worthless carb choices, while carrying a high bodyweight, that was comprised of more functional mass.

So, to answer your question more directly…NO…I didn’t follow a “carb cycle” diet back then. I didn’t follow any diet…just ate a lot, all the time. I wish I knew then what I knew now about the importance of nutrition. It’s funny because out of 53 guys on the team, there were maybe 3 that were very serious about nutrition and supplementation. There’s also the fact, that at the professional level, everyone has fantastic genetics, so they can “get away” with less than optimal training and nutritional habits.

Only you can decide what approach works best for you. That’s why I recommend keeping a food log for a while. Track your intake, pay close attention to how you feel and perform, and then make adjustments off that.

Plus, if you need to fight in a certain weight class, this will effect your training and nutrition.

[quote]rasturai wrote:
Synergy did you implement that kind of diet routine after being an athlete? Or did you always cycle carbs and what not? I only ask cause I don’t really have “off days” if I’m not doing some type of lifting (which isn’t much lifting at all anymore) everyday its conditioning for boxing which means I need quite a bit of calories cause a lot gets burned from training that conditioning to get in shape for a fight.
I often hear athletes training at higher levels are un-able to implement that kind of diet and pretty much have to eat day in and day out a lot of calories to maintain weight and recover enough for the next session.[/quote]

John_Schlecht · July 21, 2010, 11:03pm

Thanks. I hope it can help someone.

[quote]ds1973 wrote:
Synergy, thanks for taking the time to post about your training, nutrition and background. Lots of good advice in only a couple pages.

You have an inspirational physique and it’s even more motivating to hear how you’ve had to overcome some serious injuries along the way.

Thanks for posting![/quote]

SkyNett · July 21, 2010, 7:19pm

Yea - it’s nice to hear from someone with your background - Division 1 athlete, into powerlifting as well as bodybuilding, and totally bricked…lol…

Definitely some great advice in here.

ALX · July 21, 2010, 10:00pm

You have one of the best physique I saw on this web site. Your arms are also very impressive.

Do you have some advices you could share about arms and how you bring them to that level and especially what did worked for you?

Thanks!

Doyle · July 21, 2010, 11:59pm

[quote]synergy93 wrote:
I’ll start with my basic nutritional habits, as I believe this is the most critical part in attaining any health, performance or body composition goal.

I keep things as simple as possible to ensure I’ll be as compliant as possible. I really don’t do anything “special” when it comes to diet. However, I am very methodical day in and day out. I don’t ever deviate from my plan, unless I have it scheduled into the weekly plan. A simple example would be cheat meals. I always plan them ahead of time, and won’t eat anything because “I feel like it.” I plan the next day’s meals, the night before, and plan cheat meals on a carb up day, which always fall on my most intense training day (usually legs or an olympic lift based workout).

If I’m trying to add size, I usually have 3 cheat meals per week. These consist of a huge chicken, rice, and bean burrito from a local mexican place, a homemade pasta meal, and one meal out, usually on Saturday nights. That’s it. Otherwise, every single other meal is clean and part of my plan.

If I’m focusing on fat loss, I don’t have cheat meals, ever. I’ve gone as long as 4 months without a single cheat meal. This fits my personality.

I typically follow a carb cycling approach (for both adding strength and size and for fat loss). This allows me to take in enough calories to continue to add size, not feel deprived, and train hard.

I keep protein intake about the same each day, fat intake will be according to carb intake on that day, and the carbs will fluctuate according to my training schedule. Nothing fancy here.

Here’s a typical day of what I’m currently doing.
*I finished up a 12 week max fat loss focus about 6 weeks ago. I started at 260 lbs. @ 10% BF, and finished up at 235 lbs. @ 5%…didn’t want to get any leaner. I used a 12 site biosig assessment throughout the entire process. Yes, it looks like I lost quite a bit of muscle in the process, but I didn’t lose ANY strength, and looked way bigger at a lean 235 versus a soft 260.

My goal right now is to maintain a BF of 7% or so, at around 240-245 lbs.

NOTE: I don’t require very many calories to maintain my current levels of lean mass…about 3200-3800 per day for maintenance.
I push that up to about 4000-4500 when focusing on gaining

Fat loss…varies…too complex to get into

I’m currently following a Push-pull-legs split

Monday (Pull 1)
Daily Macro Goals:

Pro–400 grams (43%) I’ve found that about 45% of my total calories from protein works best for me
Carbs–200 grams (23%) **I’m a former fat body, so I’m fairly carb intolerant, so I keep my carbs moderate to low most of the time. On carb up or days I cheat, I bump this up to about 500 grams per day, but will keep fat intake very minimal, basically not adding any fat to meals, except in the form of FA3 and Flameout
Fat–140 grams (34%)
Total calories about 3700
Yes, I’m anal about percentages, but I’ve kept a food log for so long, that I know exactly what percentage of my calories should come from each macronutrient for my goals at that particular time

Workout Nutrition: 3 FINiBARs, 3 scoops ANACONDA, 2 scoops MAG-10 (89 grams protein, 117 grams carbs, 27 grams fat, 1052 calories. This equates to just over 25% of my daily caloric intake. I’ve learned in the last few months, that this is the key to to maintaining leaness

I consume 50 grams of carbs (2 slices of Ezekiel toast, 100 grams (food scale grams) of strawberries and 100 grams blackberries at breakfast. The rest of the carbs come from a ton of vegetables at every other meal.

Breakfast:
2 whole eggs
3 ounces of chicken breast
3 organic chicken sausage links (I also have all natural turkey bacon on some days)
2 slices of ezekiel toast
100 grams each of strawberries and blackberries
2 tablespoons of low fat organic sour cream
4 FA3 essential fatty acid capsules

Pro=57 grams
Carb=46 grams
Fat=27 grams
Calories=697

Workout:
ANACONDA Protocol
3 FINiBARs, 3 scoops ANACONDA, 2 scoops MAG-10
Pro=89 grams
Carbs=117 grams
Fat=27 grams
Calories= 1052

Lunch:

6 ounces pork tenderloin
6 ounces Flank Steak
1 ounce mozzarella cheese
tons of veggies…usually cucumbers, tomatoes, and green and red peppers
4 FA3 capsules
pro= 78 grams
Carbs=Trace from veggies
Fat=24 grams
Calories=550

Mid-afternoon snack
3 scoops Grow
2 tablespoons Chia Seeds
2 scoops Superfood
4 FA3
pro= 66 grams
Carbs=Trace from protein powder
Fat=15 grams
Calories=450 calories

Dinner:
12 ounces of Tilapia Fish
1 tablespoon Lemonaise lite
1 tablespoon real butter (the yellower the better, mine is a european brand)
veggies
3 Flameout
Pro= 64 grams
Carbs=Trace from veggies
Fat=26 grams
Calories= 540 calories

Pre-Bed

3 scoops Low-Carb Metabolic Drive
2 tablespoons All-Natural Peanut Butter
**also add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and real cocao
3 Flameout
**I use a ton of ice and make this in the Magic Bullet
Protein=68 grams
Carbs=Trace from protein powder
Fat= 24 grams
Calories=580 calories

Daily Totals
Protein=422 grams
Carbs**Only count those from workout nutrition, fruit, starches and grains…I leave a little wiggle room to account for the trace carbs from veggies, nuts, protein powders, etc
Carbs=163 grams (117 from ANACONDA Protocol and 46 from breakfast) I definitely get another 40 grams from veggies and the other trace foods
Fat=143 grams
Calories=3869

My first advice to anyone serious about changing their physique is to keep a food log, at least for a few weeks. It’s impossible to “eye ball” and estimate your daily nutrient needs. By having record of what it is exactly you’re consuming, you can make adjustments based on your progress. It’s the same thing as a training log. I believe in them and will probably always use them. I may not track all my nutrition for the whole year, but if I’m focusing on fat loss, I count every calorie that goes into my body. It’s always worked, and I don’t plan on changing it.

I’ll end with this. Take your nutrition MORE SERIOUS than your training. It really is that important. I’ve always trained hard and consistently (haven’t taken more than 10 days off in a row besides when I’ve been injured), but it wasn’t until I took the nutritional aspect of things seriously, that I made any significant aesthetic improvements.

If you can squat till you puke, you can plan your meals ahead of time, give up some of your favorite foods, and not be a lazy ass in the kitchen.

I’ll talk about some of my training beliefs in my next post

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
I’ll start with an easy one…

What do you eat on a typical day?[/quote]
[/quote]

That days diet looks pretty good to me

I am not very precise with my diet (never count calories or keep a food log) and I am often put off by the diets of guys who are as meticulous as yourself. Too often they eat very plain food and the same thing all the time.
I would like to improve my diet and keep better track of it to see what things work best for me but I think if I were to weigh everything and count calories I would end up eating the same things all the time aswell just out of conveniece.

Do you eat very similar types of foods each day (I realise the amount depends on your requirements) or have you been counting calories and macros long enough that you know the breakdown of a large variety of meals?

John_Schlecht · July 22, 2010, 3:13am

I suppose I should make this known before talking about how I approach training…

I am not “on anything.” I’ve been blessed with a pretty good set of genes, take my training very seriously, and have a genuine passion for all things related to health and performance.

While I have built a nice physique over the years, I’m not anything close to the behemoths you see these days who are using. It’s flattering to hear the nice comments from some of you guys, and I’m humbled that some of you have an interest in what I’m doing. I’ve thought about where I could take my body if I did choose some form of “assistance”, but to me it’s never been worth it. I’m no longer playing professional sports (didn’t use then either…the NFL has a hardcore testing system…got tested multiple times per year), I have no wish to compete (for what? Risk my health for a local show that is politically biased anyways?), and I value life and family.

I think it’s important for anyone interested in the sport of bodybuilding, that your training approach can be dictated by drug use. Natural guys simply cannot train the same as assisted guys. That’s why I cringe when I see dudes following routines out of Flex. You’re not Jay Cutler, so you shouldn’t be training like him. **Even if I were using an absurd amount of drugs like the pros do, I still wouldn’t train like them, it doesn’t fit my personality, and I think you can get even better results doing more athletic-style training programs. I’ve done it both ways, and for me, it’s a night and day difference in the way my body looks.

Having said that, here are the basic things I consider when designing my own programs:

Where am I and where do I want to go? I do a pretty thorough self-analysis every few months. I’m a very goal driven person, so I figure out what I want to achieve next, and then DECIDE to achieve it. Wanting and deciding are two different things. We’re all driven by different internal and external things, but “Physiology Follows Psychology” every time, meaning you’ll always gravitate towards the things you think about most often. In fact, you’re all doing this already and may not even realize it. It’s also very important to mention that while you should think about what it is you want to achieve, you can’t actually achieve it, if you think about it for too long. KEEP THINGS SIMPLE AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IT DONE.
How much time and resources do I have at that particular time in my life to dedicate to reaching my goals? It has to be both realistic and worth it.
How do I make at least some of my program fun? I’m as hardcore as they come, but some of my program has to involve something I take joy in. Like a lot of you, I do “enjoy” squats and welcome the pain, but I’m talking more about trying a new exercise, new rep bracket, new loading method, etc. There’s more than “looking jacked and being the strongest guy in the room” that keeps you coming back to the gym. Find a couple of things each new program you embark on, that will keep you coming back to the gym, day after day.
CONSISTENCY IS ONE OF, IF NOT THE MOST, IMPORTANT FACTOR IN ANY PROGRAM (AND DIET PLAN). Figure out what it is that you’ll do on a consistent basis. A “horse shit program” followed consistently day after day with ball busting intensity, will yield better results than some super program designed by some super strength coach.

Those are just a couple of ramblings about my “pre-program” behaviors…sorry if they’re boring, but I’ve found if I put some actual thought into where I’m at, where I want to go, and having at least a little bit of fun doing it, I’m much more likely to achieve my goals.

Training Program Methods of Design

Intensity
Before I choose a single exercise, rep range, weekly split, etc. I figure out what kind of intensity I’ll be able to put into the program day after day. My definition of intensity in this case, is what kind of program can I design, that will make me wake up in the morning, foaming at the mouth, feeling like I’m going to bust out of my skull in anticipation of that days workout!? I get more nervous before some of my workouts than I did playing in front of 100,000 people…that’s a sign I’ve written a good one.
INTENSITY TRUMPS EVERYTHING! You could have a program designed bicep curls, but if you do it with every ounce of passion and fire you have, it will yield positive results. Sort of kidding about the “bicep program” , but you get my drift.
Specific goal of the program
I’m a huge believer in focusing on one MAJOR variable at a time. If your goal is bigger arms, the spend most of your time on that particular goal. Anyone who’s been in the iron game for long enough, knows that at some point, this has to happen. It doesn’t mean you can’t improve in other areas as well, but a large majority of your program should be comprised of achieving this one major goal.
It’s why I’ve always favored specialization programs, and is why when the I, BB program came out, I didn’t think it was some futuristic program that hasn’t been done before. it was more or less a program that focused on 1-2 body parts at a time, while reducing the overall work of your others.
**I will say that CT’s “The Perfect Rep” method and some of the loading parameters in the program are truly impressive, yet simple. He’s one of the brightest minds on this site, if you ask me.
Progression
While I don’t write out programs months in advance, I ALWAYS make sure to progress in at least 2 categories each time I repeat a workout. What areas of progression? Depends on my goal at the time. If I’m looking to add additional size, I typically focus on volume and density. Your strength will hit a ceiling at some point (especially if you’re a long time lifter and have decent lifts), so adding more volume as you make your way through the program, will lead to additional stress on the body, specifically time under tension and total poundage lifted. I’ve actually tracked the total poundage lifted for certain exercises over a number of weeks and have found a direct correlation between size and total pounds lifted. ***Note…they can’t be loads that don’t require a fair amount of force production and intensity. I’m talking about challenging weights that require you to bust your ass to lift on most sets of a workout. This for me typically falls in the 75% and above of 1 RM category. Experience has taught me that, if you can lift more total poundage (increase in volume) in the same amount or less time (increase in density), you will add lean muscle tissue, assuming your supplement and nutritional habits support new growth.
Performance
I’ll keep this one short. Focus on improving performance, and body composition will follow. I treat every workout like it’s “game day.” I give the absolute best effort I can give ON THAT DAY. The performance may be better on some days than others, but that’s not the most important factor. The most important factor, is that you’re mentally prepared and focused to give it your all. Some days you can give a lot, and some you can’t. I’m not satisfied if I feel like I could have given more. Now, that doesn’t mean beat yourself to hell every workout. You have to be smart and realize your own personal diminishing point of return each workout, but once you feel you’ve hit that point, the workouts done.
Reps
This is a touchy and debatable subject, but here’s what I’ve found to work best for ME.
Lower reps with both light and heavy loads. I’ve pretty much tried every kind of training philosophy and program out there (Trial and Error is the best teacher in my opinion), and I always find myself coming back to this. I’ve naturally gravitated towards this type of training since I started lifting 17 years ago. It’s based mostly in part to my background as an athlete and I’m built for explosion. My performance drops dramatically with sets lasting longer than a few seconds, no matter the load being used. Plus, I find that I can’t stay focused mentally for sets lasting a long time. Mental aggression and focus are a VERY VERY, yet often, overlooked part of the training process (physiology follows psychology). The last thing I’ll say about reps, is that the execution of each rep is very important. Check out CT’s “The Perfect Rep” article if you haven’t already. I can’t explain the importance nearly as good as he does.
Volume of the program (this relates to Intensity)

As I said in the beginning of this ridiculously long post, you need to devise a program that fits your personal physical abilities. If you have poor recovery (assuming diet, sleep, supplementation, life stress, etc are all in check), then it will do you more harm than good to devise or follow a program that’s high in volume. Training and changing your body is very emotional, but you have to know your limiting factors.

While I do go through periods of very high volume, they are short lived. I progressively work up to it, kill it for as long as I can, then work my way back down. I don’t do traditional deloading weeks, because I train smart, and have done this long enough to know when I can push it, and when I need a break. If you’re training smart, listening to your body, paying attention to performance, and doing everything you need to do outside the gym, you shouldn’t have to take extended periods of time off. Know your limits, push them hard, but back off a little when performance or motivation to train suffers.

Ok, I’ll shut up now. Most of you probably stopped reading anyway

I’ll talk about some of my personal exercise choices next time.

[quote]Vejne wrote:
One can find many diamonds in your post regarding your diet. Could you share more on your training split, excersise choices, experiences?

excuse my ‘pushinground’, but I’m eager to learn from the more developed dudes! Keep your posts coming!.<[/quote]

GluteusGigantis · July 22, 2010, 8:39am

Thank you very much for an insightful and interesting post. Lots of great commonsense points, and discussion for the ‘attitude’ of training.

TD54 · July 22, 2010, 9:24am

Wow synergy… That last post was one of the most well thought out and perfectly written posts I have read in a long time. This is something everyone interested in lifting or bodybuilding should read, and then read again. Thank you for taking the time to post such well thought out information, I REALLY appreciate it, as I’m sure everyone else does.

greggio · July 22, 2010, 11:44am

[quote]synergy93 wrote:
I treat every workout like it’s “game day.” I give the absolute best effort I can give ON THAT DAY. The performance may be better on some days than others, but that’s not the most important factor. The most important factor, is that you’re mentally prepared and focused to give it your all. Some days you can give a lot, and some you can’t. I’m not satisfied if I feel like I could have given more. Now, that doesn’t mean beat yourself to hell every workout. You have to be smart and realize your own personal diminishing point of return each workout, but once you feel you’ve hit that point, the workouts done.

[/quote]

It should be mandatory that everyone read this before asking questions on this site.

Awesome post, didn’t stop reading until the end and would have read more! Keep it coming synergy this is good stuff.

John_Schlecht · July 22, 2010, 7:18pm

Yeah, epsom salt baths work wonders.

Here’s an example (Just the horizontal push day…the second push day was comprised of mostly vertical push exercises) of a 6 week phase I just recently finished up. I was able to hit a new PR in almost all exercises…numbers I hadn’t sniffed in quite a long time)
**It’s a ton of volume, but I worked up to it over time. Surprisingly, I was able to maintain this much volume for most of the 6 week phase on all workouts. The reason I believe I was able to maintain such a high volume or work, was due to having just finished a 3 month cut in which I dramatically increased my work capacity. I also took a few days off after the cut, so I’d be recharged and ready to hit the ground running when I started this Push/Pull/Legs phase.

I did use some of CT’s guidelines, but as I said before, I’ve been training very similar to this for a long time. It’s always worked very well for me.

Here was my basic set up:

Week 1:
Monday…Push A
A. Top 1/2 press bb bench from pins…cluster activation…2-3 sets x 1 rep (3 reps total)…worked up to my max load point (425 lbs.)
B. BB Bench…Normal Micro ramp…3 reps (60%-90%) (13 sets total) top weight reached…385 for 3 reps
C. BB Floor Press…4 sets of (1/3) ratchets + one max rep set
D1. Decline BB Skull Crushers…Force Spectrum (FS)…5 reps per set + 1 max rep set
D2. Restart DB lateral raises…FS…5 reps per set + 1 max rep set

Week 2:
A. Same as week 1…reached a higher load on third set (435 lbs)
B. BB Bench…Normal Micro Ramp…3 reps…did 16 sets total (last two sets were only 2 reps each)…top weight reached 395 for 2
C. Same as week 1…15 lb. increase on last ratchet set + 10 lb increase on max rep set, plus did one more rep than the week before
D1…same as week 1…increased top weight used on last set
D2…same as D1

Week 3:
A. Same as Week 1…reached a higher load on third set (450 lbs)
B. BB Bench…normal micro ramp of 2 reps each set (instead of 3 and used the exact same weights as previous week, but added chains to increase the overall poundage), used chains for the first few sets until I hit my max power point (until I felt a fairly significant drop in explosive power), then dropped the chains and kept ramping up…top weight reached…405 for 2 reps
C. Same as Week 1…4 sets of 1/3 ratchets plus one max rep set…reached a higher weight used on the last set
D1…same as week 1…increased top weight used
D2…same as week 1…increased top weight used

Week 4:
A. Same…Cluster Activation…only did 2 sets…top weight of 455
B. Extended Micro ramp…3 reps per set until max power point (with chains), then dropped off the chains and dropped to 2 reps per set…top weight reached…405 for 2
C. Same set up…hit a higher last ratchet set
D1…same, reached a higher top weight
D2…same, reached a higher top weight

Week 5:
A. Same…2 sets…top weight of 465
B. Extended Micro ramp…3 reps per set with chains to Max Power Point (MPP), dropped to 2 reps per set until Max Force Point (MFP), dropped to singles at just below my max load point…ended up doing 5 sets of 1 at 410
C. Switched from 1/3 ratchets Floor Press to 5 sets of 5 reps at 85% of MLP of regular bench
D1 and D2…same

Week 6:
A. 2 sets of Cluster Activation…top weight of 465 (so went from 425 in week 1 to 465 in week 6)
B. Extended micro ramp…focused on getting as many perfect reps as I could…ranged from 4 reps per set down to 2 reps per set…15 sets total, but kept the chains on for the first 11 sets…top weight reached 420 for 2 reps
C. Incline DB press…1 Max rep set…gym only goes up to 100 lb. DB’s…did 25 reps
D. Dips…Max Reps…bodyweight only…54 reps
E. Standard Seated DB lateral raises…one set of max reps
F. Fat Bar Attachment Tricep cable pushdowns…one set of max reps
**choose to max reps sets because I was baked after all the BB Bench, and I felt I had hit my “High Point” for the phase. I knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain that kind of performance, so I used this last week to “actively deload.”

As you can see, the volume basically stayed the same over the course of the phase, but total poundage lifted was significantly more by the end of the phase. I also tried to complete the workouts in less time, which added a bit more density.

I’m continuing to use a push/pull/legs split currently, and used my experience from the first phase to design my current one. I made some changes, and so far, I’m seeing very good results. My body weight has continued to increase (I’ve added about 7 lbs. on the scale, but body fat has remained constant…using the carb cycling approach I spoke of in a previous post). At this stage of my physical development, I’ll take a 7 lb. gain every time!!!

[quote]PB Andy wrote:

[quote]synergy93 wrote:
Not enough Try to get 7 per night, but I’ve never been a good sleeper.

I’m using Z12, glycine, phospatidyl serine, and Elite pro mineral lately…takes the edge off and seems to be helping.

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Man that nutrition post was full of win. I do something very similar but I am going to make a few changes based on what you wrote. I especially like that shake you make with chia seeds… going to have to start doing that for my snack between classes. Do you use cocoa nibs at all?

How much sleep do you usually get? I’m asking 'cause I’m about to get a solid 7 hours, got 6 hours yesterday. By ‘solid’, I mean I’m gonna feel like ass tomorrow.[/quote]
[/quote]
Cool… one thing that I’ve noticed lately is taking Epsom salt baths 30-45 minutes before sleep. It has magnesium in it which is better absorbed through the skin. Deep sleep.

Also, do you have any sample workouts that you’ve done lately for a push/pull/leg? I’ve seen you post in Thib’s question forum, and was wondering if it was similar to those sample workouts that Thib posted. Where do you work arms in?[/quote]

John_Schlecht · July 22, 2010, 7:54pm

I hear what you’re saying and admit that I’m a little obsessive about tracking my food intake. However, nothing has worked more effectively in my experience, for both fat loss and weight gain and I don’t always keep a food log. I don’t have that kind of time or patience most of the time.

I basically log my foods CONSISTENTLY when I’m focusing on fat loss and when coming off a fat loss phase, with the goal of maintaining most of the leanness I acquired. If I’m not that concerned with my body composition, I don’t track them. I basically just aim for about 50-70 grams of protein per meal, strategically time my carb intake and choices, and keep fats at a moderate level. Because I’ve logged my foods so much in the past, I can approximate things very easily. If I never logged my foods, I’d end up under or over eating most of the time.

In my opinion, most guys greatly underestimate the amount of food they’re eating or not eating.

Log for week or two, figure out what your approximate intake is, and adjust from there. It really is that simple…most people are just too damn lazy to do it. I never understood that…guys can work their ass off everyday in the gym, but can’t take 10 minutes out of their day to track their food. That 10 minutes will dramatically increase their efforts in the gym.

I’ll be the first to admit, I do eat a lot of the same foods, BUT most people eat the same 20 foods each week anyway. Think about it…how often do you eat foods that you haven’t eaten in a week or two? Not very often, with the exception of eating out. We’re all creatures of habit, especially gym rats, so you end up doing this any way. I use spices, oils, dressings, and other condiments to add variety to my overall meal composition.

Here’s a quick list of the top of my head of some of the foods I eat each week:

Protein
Chicken, eggs, bison, flank steak, turkey, chicken sausage, tilapia, salmon, whey and casein protein, pork tenderloin

Carbs (starches/grains)
Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, oats, potatoes, beans

Veggies ( I need more variety in this category)
cucumbers, green and red peppers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, spinach, onions
**I do use 2 scoops of Superfood everyday

Fats
Organic extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, all-natural salad dressings, nuts, cheese, flax and chia seeds, egg yolks, all-natural nut butters, real butter, Flameout and FA3
**I also take into account naturally occurring fats in meats…especially red meat

That’s about it. The simpler I keep things, the easier it is to stay on track.

[quote]Doyle wrote: