The Magic Formula: Here It Isn’t

The reason is that we’re all looking for that magic formula, the perfect training program that will make us into the next Jay Cutler or Dexter Jackson. The truth is, such a program doesn’t exist. there isn’t a one-size fits all routine. The fact of the matter is, they all work, or at least have their purpose.

In the two decades that I’ve been bodybuilding, I’ve tried dozens or training programs: high volume, high reps; low volume, low reps; high volume, low reps; low volume, high reps; one body part per week, each bodypart twice per week; 4 workout days per week; 5 workout days per week; 6 workout days per week; fast tempo; slow tempo; all heavy compund movements; mostly machines; supersets; giant sets; a lot of rest between sets; little rest between sets; ad nauseum.

Guess what, they all worked.

My wife has been training for about five years or so and to this day she still asks me about training programs, how to do an exercise, if her form is right, how does her butt look in this dress, etc. And for five years I’ve basically been telling her the same thing, “Yes, your butt looks unbelievable in that dress.” Oh, yes, and I’ve also been telling her that the program she does doesn’t matter nearly as much as whether she is challenging her muscles enough to respond and grow. In other words, as long as she is progressing then that’s what matters. Add 5lbs to the bar, do one more rep, do the same weight and reps but decrease the rest time.  Those are all ways to increase intensity, and thus, stimulate growth …assuming that proper diet and enough rest are also involved. Diet and rest are probably more important than the training itself.

It’s Just A Twist On DoggCrapp

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, I’ve gotten several questions about my training program. As you’ve already read, my program has changed over the years. I have, however, always returned to what I feel has worked best for me, and that is high intensity, low volume, and low-to-moderate reps.

Below is my current routine. It’s actually a modified version of DC Training (DoggCrapp Training) founded by Dante Trudel. You can read more about DC Training here or here.

The reason I was drawn to his style is because it made sense to me: train each bodypart more frequently using more intensity with as few total sets as possible. Pretty simple really. That is about as basic a description as I could possibly provide, but I encourage you to read more about it yourself to get the full explanation.

 While I don’t follow his program the way he recommends it, I do implement many of his principles that I feel fit best for me. I’ll post what I do below and explain my logic behind it.

What I Do And Why I Do It That Way

• First, I do a 2 on/1 off routine splitting my body up into 3 workouts. This is a fairly recent change for me. For years I did a 4-day bodypart split and it worked great, but since I’m doing fewer sets then I’m able to recover quicker allowing me to work each bodypart more frequently, which provides more opportunities for growth. It makes sense, right? If you train each bodypart once a week then you get 52 workouts in for that bodypart per year. However, if you train each bodypart once every 5 days then you get 73 opportunities to grow that muscle. More doesn’t mean better unless you’re allowing your body to recover, which is why I’m doing fewer sets (but with more intensity).
• I train only two days in a row before taking a day off  because as a natural bodybuilder I feel that after two days my body needs a rest break. You might be different, but that’s me.
• After I’ve completed the three workouts that cover every muscle group, I consider that one cycle. One cycle takes 4 or 5 days depending on where my off days fall on my 2 on/1 off routine. And I do three cycles - each cycle having it’s own set of exercises - before repeating cycle one. Actually, all my muscle groups except triceps have varying exercises. I’ve got bad tendonitis in both elbows so I have to stick with cables for now. Quads also; if you read my blog then you know I’ve had knee surgery so right now I’m taking it slow and easy on the leg movements.
• My third cycle is more or less an active recovery cycle. I still keep the same 2 on/1 off split but I drop the rest/pauses. I don’t go in the gym with an agenda other than picking whatever exercises I want for 3-4 sets and 15-25 reps per set.
• I do two exercises for each bodypart, except for shoulders, back, and legs for which I will do three.
• I do only two sets per exercise, but I do two rest/pauses within each set. So, I’ll do as many reps as I can (target is 6-10), rest for a count of 25 (which works out to about 15 seconds), do as many reps as I can do again (usually 3-4), count to 25, and do as many reps as I can one last time (usually 6-10 again. See why below), then I will hold the weight for as long as I can. That’s the first set. Then I do one more set like that and that is it for the first exercise.
• Like I said above I do two rest/pauses within each set. All my reps before the second rest/pause are done in a very slow and controlled manner, no cheating whatsoever. After my second rest/pause, I loosen up my form so that I can bang out as many reps as I have left in me.
• I write everything down. Every exercise, every set, every rep, every weight. I’m a bit anal so I’d probably do this anyway, but the reason I do it is to be sure that each time I enter the gym I am doing more than I did last time – more weight, more reps, whatever. Progression is key.

If you got lost reading that then basically it all looks like this:

CYCLE ONE
Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

• Chest: BB Incline Press – 2 sets, DB Flat Bench - 1 set
• Shoulders: Machine Lateral Raises – 2 sets, Reverse Fly on Pec Deck Machine – 2 sets, Seated DB Press – 2 sets
• Triceps: Cable Pushdown – 2 sets, Seated Cable Extensions – 2 sets (these are a modified version of what would otherwise be a Lying DB French Press)

Day 2: Back, Biceps, Abs

• Back: Medium Grip BB Rows – 2 sets, Pulldown to the Front – 2 sets, Reverse Grip Cable Row – 1 set
• Biceps: EZ Bar Curls – 2 sets, 1 Arm Preacher DB Curls – 2 sets
• Abs: a few sets of whatever I feel like doing

Day 3: Off

Day 4: Calves, Hamstrings, Quads (in that order)

• Seated Calf Raises – 2 sets, 1 Leg Calf Press (on leg press machine) – 2 sets
• Stiff Legged Deadlifts – 2 sets, Lying Leg Curls – 2 sets
• Quads: Leg Press – 2 sets, Hacks – 2 sets, Step Ups – 2 sets

/CYCLE ONE

 CYCLE TWO

Day 5: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

• Chest: Incline DB Flyes – 2 sets, Dips – 1 set
• Shoulders: Seated Military BB Press – 2 sets, Bent Over Lateral Raises – 2 sets, DB Side Lateral Raises – 2 sets
• Triceps: Cable Pushdown – 2 sets, Seated Cable Extensions – 2 sets (these are a modified version of what would otherwise be a Lying DB French Press)

Day 6: Off

Day 7: Back, Biceps, Abs

• Back: Rack Pulls – 2 sets, Behind the Neck Pulldowns – 2 sets, Reverse Grip Cable Row – 1 set
• Biceps: Alternate DB Curls – 2 sets, Incline DB Curls – 2 sets
• Abs: a few sets of whatever I feel like doing

Day 8: Calves Hamstrings, Quads (in that order)

• Calves: 1 Leg Calf Press (on leg press machine) – 2 sets, Seated Calf Raises – 2 sets
• Hamstrings: Lying Leg Curls – 2 sets, Seated Leg Curls – 2 sets
• Quads: Leg Press – 2 sets, Hacks – 2 sets, Step Ups – 2 sets

Day 9: Off

/CYCLE TWO

CYCLE THREE

Day 10: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

• On this third cycle I don’t do any rest/pause. I choose 3-4 exercises of whatever I want and do 2-3 sets. I keep my reps in the 15-25 range.

Day 11: Back, Biceps, Abs

• On this third cycle I don’t do any rest/pause. I choose 3-4 exercises of whatever I want and do 2-3 sets. I keep my reps in the 15-25 range.

Day 12: Off

Day 13: Calves, Hamstrings, Quads

• On this third cycle I don’t do any rest/pause. I choose 3-4 exercises of whatever I want and do 2-3 sets. I keep my reps in the 15-25 range.

/CYCLE THREE

Day 14: Repeat starting at Cycle One

Conclusion

So did you get all that? That’s my current routine. Who knows, I may change it, but I tend to stick with what works until it stops working.

If you have specific questions leave me a comment and I will answer it. If you try my routine please let me know how it works for you.

So if you read (LOL, or read) this blog you may have noticed that not much has happened in, oh, since January. I guess like many people who start blogs, they are motivated, post a lot, then the motivation diminishes and the posting slows down, or comes to a complete stop, such as in my case. 

Heck, my WordPress hosting was up for a renewal and I called my hosting company last week and actually cancelled it. I talked to my wife and she convinced me to keep it. She said I love to write and there are a lot of things I could share. She said don’t take it so seriously and just have fun.

That’s why I married her.

And that’s what I’m going to do. I’m just going to post whatever, whenever, and have fun.

My original goal when launching this blog was to grow it into a blog with massive readership, and eventually monetize it. Eh, still a goal I guess, but not one I’m pursuing heavily. If it happens, it happens.

So there you go.

If you remember where I left off (and if you can’t then just look at my last blog entry or two – it’s there somewhere), I told you I was having surgery on the 22nd to repair/remove a torn meniscus. I also mentioned that they actually had to do a “lateral release.” It’s a medical procedure for unfortunate schmucks like myself whose patella is tracking laterally. This causes bone deterioration and pain. 

I didn’t realize that was going to be part of the procedure, but I woke up and the “damage” had already been done. I wish I’d known because I’d probably have at least tried to seek out alternatives. I’ve read after the fact, of course, that a physical therapist who knows what they’re doing could have helped.

Yeah, so that’s what the Dr. did and 6 months later and I’m still recovering. It sucks. And it makes me an angry person. And that sucks, too. I just want to be back to normal. My knee is still weak and swollen and I can feel A LOT of scar tissue. I sometimes wonder if this is just the way it’s going to be from now on. And if that’s the case then that sucks.

Yeah, yeah, I should be happy I still have two legs that work, and you’re right, it could certainly be worse, but thinking that way isn’t easy. If I wasn’t a bodybuilder then sure, I’d be fucking thrilled that my legs just worked and I could walk. 

But when you’ve spent the last 20 years of your life being passionate about the sport of bodybuilding and achieving a big, strong, muscular, symmetrical body, then a big busted knee isn’t exciting.  

But I’m staying positive that eventually it’ll be back to looking the way it was. This whole knee thing is one reason that I hadn’t updated my blog in so long. I just wasn’t motivated to write about bodybuilding or being a bodybuilder when my outlook was a bit negative as to what the future held.

Nonetheless, I’m working every day to rehab this stupid knee. I even discovered using a foam roller. This damn thing is one of the greatest inventions ever. I plan to write a blog post soon about how unbelievably helpful the foam roller has been in rehabilitating my knee and making it feel indescribably better. I’ve used it everywhere else on my body and it’s truly been a blessing. Stay tuned. You’ll want to learn more about it.

Alright, so I’m back. I promise I’ll be updating regularly and I’m hopeful that all of you will find my blog helpful. Please leave a comment if you have a question or just want to tell me I’m a wuss and to suck it up. That’s cool, too. We’re all friends here.

Like I said, my assumption is that most of you reading this blog are not “fat” so to speak, but maybe you’re not in the shape you’d like to be in either (shit, who is). Below are 23 reasons why you are fat not as lean you you could be.

1. Eating too much  (I could probably stop right there and make that the one and only reason!)
2. Eating the wrong foods
3. Eating fast food way too often
4. Skipping breakfast
5. Not exercising
6. Lying around all day doing nothing
7. Doing too much cardio and not enough weight training
8. Eating only once or twice a day
9. Eating too many carbs
10. Jumping on the latest diet craze bandwagon
11. Drinking too much soda
12. Drinking too much alcohol
13. Snacking on sweets between meals
14. Lacking self-control
15. Not knowing HOW to make healthy choices
16. Ordering dessert far too often
17. Keeping a candy jar at your desk
18. Making excuses
19. Not caring about your body
20. Giving up
21. Accepting that this is the way you are and that you can’t change
22. Eating too many processed foods
23. Thinking that you have to give up foods you like forever

Many of these can be grouped together. I realize that. Do any of these ring true for you? Any I’m leaving out?

Stay tuned for some helpful tips to avoiding these fat traps and losing the lard!

The truth is, I’m addicted to my diet; I’m addicted to staying lean; and I’m addicted to reality television -but that’s another post for an entirely unrelated blog so we’ll focus on the first two addictions for now.

I’ve been training with weights since 1990. I discovered the weights when I dropped out of Spanish IV and chose a different elective, weightlifting. But I don’t think the class was called weightlifting. It may have been called something else. Actually, now that I think about it, it may have been an art class I replaced with Spanish IV and not weightlifting. Either way, it doesn’t matter. The point is I discovered lifting a long time ago.

I remember the first time I ever went to the gym I did so many sets and reps of bicep curls that I could not lift or straighten my arm enough to even comb my hair the next morning. It was awesome and I was hooked. However, it took me a while before I got the diet part right.  Back then I ate bananas, white rice and tuna, bagels, and Kellog’s Special K and thought that was eating healthy. Not surprisingly, I never grew on that diet.

Eventually I got it right, though, and even went on to compete in several natural bodybuilding shows and earn my NGA pro card. It was not until I learned how to eat like a bodybuilder and manipulate my diet to keep the muscle on and the fat off that things went wrong -or right, depending on how you look at it I guess.

By now more than half of my existence on this planet has been devoted to this lifestyle. I know no other way to be and that’s kind of the problem. Does that make it a habit or an addiction? Maybe a little of both?

Before I had a wife and son, I would live, breathe, sleep, eat, and shit bodybuilding. Now I live, breathe, sleep, eat, and shit bodybuilding while also being a devoted husband and father. In other words, not much has really changed as far as my passion for the sport. It’s pretty easy for me to maintain this lifestyle, though, because my wife shares my passion for fitness and eating healthy. The difference is that she knows how not to be enslaved by her diet and I don’t. …Although one might accuse her of being addicted to staying lean, too.

Why so strict?

So why the strict adherence to this lifestyle? Let me explain.

As has already been established, I’ve been living this way for 19 years now. I’ve eaten the same thing day in and day out for six meals a day for pretty much that whole amount of time. Partly because I thrive on structure, and not having to think what I’m going to eat for my next meal is convenient. But mostly because of the fact that each meal was deliberately chosen based on it’s specific ratio of protein, carbs, and fat  …and eating the same diet kept me lean. 

See, that’s the problem. I like to be lean and have a “six-pack.” Hell, I’ve had a six-pack for as long as I can remember. I fear that not knowing my macronutrient profile and not having a structured diet plan and just throwing my “diet” out the window and eating willy-nilly-style will cause me to gain fat. Don’t get me wrong, I usually have a cheat meal at least once a week, sometimes twice. But my problem is that if I don’t weigh out my food and stick to my daily diet then I tend to over eat. It’s like my brain doesn’t have that switch that tells me, “Greg, you might be approaching a state of fullness now. You’d better put the fork down.”

The decision to loosen up

About six weeks ago after many many many months of urging, my wife convinced me to step outside of my comfort zone and not feel like I have to eat exactly the same same each and every day. I agreed to give it a shot. Here’s how that is going.

At first I felt liberated, like screw it, I’m going to just eat whatever the hell I want now. I kind of did. I stopped eating my usual beef, eggs, and oatmeal concoction (“beefcakes”) every morning for breakfast and I replaced it with waffles, toast, no beef, and just ate omelets, sometimes would have french toast, cereal, etc. For lunch I pretty much ate the same thing except now I may use Shake’n'Bake on my chicken and I’ll eat Uncle Ben’s Southwestern Style Brown Rice instead of sweet potatoes. Broccoli stayed, of course. Still a ridiculously healthy meal. For dinner (meal 5) I went from 10 oz. lean ground beef and 7 oz. broccoli to a delicious medley of ground beef, broccoli, green peppers, onions, garlic diced tomatoes, black beans, Mrs. Dash’s Fiesta seasoning, cheese, and topped with a little bit of sour cream. Mmmm.

Meals 2, 4, I left exactly the same. Meal 6 I reduced the amount of protein powder I was eating.

While I changed up my breakfast, lunch and dinner a little and started adding more variety if I wanted it, overall I just began eating less. Less beef, less chicken, less protein powder.

And guess what? because I was eating less I lost a few pounds. I got leaner. And I liked what  saw in the mirror more.

And guess what that meant. My addiction intensified. And the vicious cycle continues.  

So whereas at the beginning I was saying screw it and not measuring anything and eating a cookie here and there and big bowls of cereal, etc. Now I’m still mixing up my food choices …but they are the same food choices in the same portions! I inherently fall right back into a pattern – a structure.

Now what?

So what to do? I think in order to ever eat like a normal human being I would have to quit bodybuilding altogether. I’m aware that many (most?) people go to the gym and exercise for the sole reason of being able to BE loose on their diet (and I use the term “diet” to mean simply “what they eat” not a diet in the traditional sense of the word). But for me, I go to the gym to challenge myself, to get bigger muscles, to create the body I envision in my mind. And my food choices are an important element in that journey. I guess that’s why I stay so strict with it.

And I guess that’s why I’ll always be messed up in the head.

What about you? Are you able to be a bodybuilder and still be carefree with your diet? How?! Help a brother out!

The floating buffet 

Have you ever been on a cruise? If so, then you know that they are a heck of a good time. You may also agree that they are essentially nothing but floating buffets. And floating bars. And floating casinos. Ok, and floating photography studios, too. But mostly buffets. It’s an over-eaters paradise and a bodybuilders evil, evil temptress. Last week my wife and I went on a 7-day cruise to the Caribbean. This was my second cruise and my wife’s first. We left out of Tampa, FL, which is about six hours from our home. Our first port was the Cayman Islands, the second port was Cozumel, third one was Belize, and our last stop was Isla Roatan. They were all amazingly beautiful. We had a great time and it was a much needed break for us both.

Now, to tell you that my wife, Penny, and I eat healthy is a gross understatement. Our friends and family all claim we are “not human” and marvel at our militant-like discipline to our diet. I’m not saying everyone should be like this, I’m not even particularly proud to say it, but personally I enjoy eating this way. First, I rather like what I eat. No, it’s not cheeseburgers and fries or dessert everyday but let’s face it, I wouldn’t eat the same thing every single day if I didn’t like it. Secondly, I never have to think about what I’m going to eat next because everyday I eat the exact same thing. And when you eat six meals a day like I do then knowing what you’re going to eat next without thinking about it saves a lot of time, not to mention it frees up my mind to think about other more important things, like how I’m going to pay for all the food I eat!

The pre-cruise expectation

Now, I expected to go on this cruise and enjoy myself and relax on my diet. My wife also said the same. Frankly, we were both looking forward to eating whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. Carbohydrates, bring ‘em on!

Not 30 minutes after we boarded the ship did we discover, much to our delight, that there was already food being served at the buffets (notice buffet is plural). We were like two kids walking into Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. So much to choose from and it all looked delicious – and free! (Well, I say “free”, but we paid for it as part of the cost of the cruise, of course)

I forget what I ate at that meal, but I know I had a salad. My wife had a salad, too. Nothing too exciting during that particular meal.

The first few days

Now, I warmed up quickly to the buffet-style of eating. I was pretty settled in after the very first meal. Believe me, I was making the most of it. Just my breakfasts alone consisted of 4-6 blueberry pancakes or french toast, 1-2 omelets with everything, 2-3 big serving size spoonfuls of scrambled eggs, a large bowl of oatmeal with raisins, 2 boxes of cold cereal (usually Frosted Flakes), and 1 banana. Lunch and dinner were no much different as far as quantity, plus dessert.

This is what I look like when I eat

My wife, on the other hand, it took her a while before she loosened up and started eating anything closely resembling that of a “normal” person. You have to understand that my wife is complemented nearly daily by strangers (mostly women) who all say how inspired they are by her physique and her discipline (yes, I am a very lucky guy). As human beings, we all like it when we are complemented. It feels good, of course, but it also gives you the motivation to keep doing what you’re doing. Living a bodybuilding lifestyle and eating a clean diet takes hard work and sacrifice. And, unfortunately, being complemented also creates a bit if pressure for you to maintain what it is people find so admirable. It’s not them directly putting that pressure on you, it’s just the inherent desire to feed one’s ego and make people happy at the same time. Oh, and we were basically in bathing suits the whole week so I’m sure she was fearful of gaining weight and looking like a bloated whale despite my many failed attempts to convince her otherwise.    

I was a bit dissapointed because I felt like she wasn’t really enjoying herself and wasn’t doing what we were so excited about for the three months leading up to this cruise – that is, going off our regular diet and just enjoying different foods! I knew she wanted to but she just wouldn’t allow herself to really indulge. That wasn’t stopping me, though.

Still eating

Wearing down

Mid-way through the cruise I think Penny began to wear down. She had been trying to eat relatively clean and stay away from the calorie-heavy foods, the breads, and the desserts. But I think eventually the temptation became too great. After all, she had been watching me eat like a gluttonous pig and I still had my six-pack.

Finally she loosened up and began to really enjoy one of the main activities on a cruise, eating. Lots and lots of eating.

The ship had a whole separate dessert buffet with extravagant dishes, not just your typical restaurant-style dessert options. They had those, too, but there was also gourmet desserts that you didn’t know whether you should hang on your wall for display or eat. How was anyone going to resist that for an entire week!

Conclusion

Some people may have good intentions when boarding a cruise ship of eating well and staying away from the 24-hour pizza buffet or the freaking ridiculously delicious desserts. As in my wife’s case, maybe it works out that way in the beginning but eventually you succumb. There is nothing wrong with that. You shouldn’t take a cruise if you don’t plan on enjoying the food.

So you may be wondering whether Penny and I gained any weight. Yes, we did. It wasn’t much at all …3 pounds each. And I’ve already lost two of those pounds in the four days we’ve been back. If anything, my body really probably needed that break. My muscles seemed to have filled out some and my metabolism is stoked again.

How was your cruising experience? Did you stuff yourself like each meal was your last? How much weight, if any, did you gain?