The Hunger Game: Eating for Satiety and Sanity in a Pre-Contest Diet

For the next ten or so weeks, many bodybuilders and figure competitors will be dieting down for the MABBA Novice Championships on March 23, 2013. There is so much anticipation of what everyone hopes will happen at this contest, particularly that everyone comes in as peeled and shredded as possible--or at least as much as necessary. And, for the most part, to get there, they're gonna have to be a little hungry.

If you want to figure out how to combat this, you can try a few of these techniques:

Coffee

In addition to acting as a stimulant and keeping your energy levels up, caffeine also acts as an appetite suppressant. Be careful though, as this can cause you to get a little bit of a crash (this may vary from person to person).

Veggetables

Any kind of high volume, fibrous veggetables that add volume to a diet are a friend. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, asparagus...all reasonably low in calories, and high in volume.

Protein

Yeah, I know, I'm sure most of you are getting your share of protein, but try including some kind of whole food protein in a decent amount. While for most people, this should be common sense, there is also a learning curve for what specific amount will work the best. Someone eating around 1 gram per pound of bodyweight (a fairly standard amount for naturals) in the off season may find themselves much hungrier come contest time, once calories are dropped down. Increasing it to 1.25 or 1.5 per pound might help diminish this--or even more on a lower calorie diet.

Fat

It seems very counter intuitive, that something that doesn't even really take up space on your plate would be so filling. However, this is more of a systemic thing. Even though the higher carb diet will have more volume of food, usually, one effect here is that low fat diets, aside from being sub-optimally healthy, will cause far more hunger issues than low carb diets. Even if you don't feel it right away, depriving yourself of dietary fat (less than 0.2 grams per pound of lean body weight, and that's already approaching suboptimal amounts) will usually lead to binges and mental failure before the diet can become effective. See this video Q and A by Eric Helms and Matt Ogus:

That being said, being too low on carbs will have a similar effect--so any dietary imbalance can do this sort of thing.

This article is short, however I'll also be posting about another interview soon enough. Anyway, make sure to go to bodybuilding.ca for more info on the MABBA Novice Championships on March 23, 2013. It's going to be a blast for everyone involved, so just keep pushing through guys! I'm rooting for all of you!

No Bullshit Bodybuilding: Why Ian McCarthy Is Relevant

Today, in place of my normal training article, I'm going to take the time to discuss a popular Youtuber named Ian McCarthy, under the Facebook and Youtube name of No Bullshit Bodybuilding. I really don't have a lot to say about his world view, other than that it is a breath of fresh air.

I often hear a lot of stuff that goes around about this kid, and truth be told I quite like him. I think his information is great, and even if his actual credentials are not anything to write home about, there is definitely something to his information, as he is a very well read person.

What I'm interested in, though, is the recent debate between him and Dave Pulcinella of the Raising the Bar DVD series--the debate video was directed by Dave's brother Mike Pulcinella, the director of said video series (you can view the debate at both Ian and Mike's page). To say that I and others haven't been looking forward to this for a long time would be a gross understatement--this is the ultimate battle between "bro-science" and "real science"! However, for those who watch the debate, I think that you'll find there is much less disagreement than expected.

https://www.facebook.com/nobullshitbodybuildingverified

Why, pray tell, them, am I bringing this up? The fact is that Ian is a divisive figure and also, influential--one who's effect deserves to be seen on a population here Manitoba where there is a far more tightly knit bodybuilding community. I'm often surprised at how few random people involved in bodybuilding know who he is (though I may just be asking the wrong people)--which really says a lot about people who consume bodybuilding media. Oftentimes, it isn't necessarily the people who are most involved in the sport that watch them--they are usually (not always though) stuck in their ways and aren't always looking for new perspectives on things. It's the "noobs" who really need a lot of this information, so they are more perceptive of it.


As far as my thoughts on him, while I think he is an intelligent young man who deserves our attention, there are admittedly times when he seems a little on over his head, and could perhaps be brought down to earth. I feel in the above debate Dave and Ian kind of do that to each other. However, I truly think people like Ian are needed in society--or any subculture really. Sometimes you need a sacrificial lamb to bring to the alter and take the jeers and the booing, in favour of getting the word out on the truth.

It doesn't have to be that way--but generally speaking, it is that way.

Why You're Still Fat

One of the absolute killers of motivation is self-acceptance.

It's unfortunately one of our cultures pervading trends--"Fat Acceptance", and the like, where people look at the themselves, and say that they'll never improve, because really, they don't want to improve. They are dead convinced that there is something okay about putting their health on the line just for the sake of satisfying their fragile ego--of course, naturally, they're right. Bodybuilders do the same.

Let's look at bodybuilding--not bodybuilding, the general lifestyle, but bodybuilding, the competitive sport. How, pray tell, are you to tell a normal person that this is a healthy lifestyle? People at the top levels of untested--and, perhaps, even tested--shows running boatloads of steroids, and whole cocktails of diuretics--it's never a surprise when I hear of a competitor cramping up and in some rare cases, going to the hospital. Plus, even when drugs are not involved, being that lean, in the 4 or 5% bodyfat range, is not healthy in the long term--there's a reason most people stay at least 8 to 10%.

However, there is another thing to consider--bodybuilders are taking these risks, because to not do so, would relegate them to neutrality. Nothing. Zero. Not terribly fat, not terribly lean, not terribly muscular. Just, normal.

Just normal is the worst.

That is what bodybuilding is about.

An overweight or obese person who accepts themselves as fat, or a skinny person accepting themselves as skinny, is doing exactly that--they are who they are, and there's nothing wrong with that, if the person is truly happy that way. However, they have to be willing to accept that there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Someone who's muscular, but with a fair amount of fat, is naturally going to be stronger than someone who is much leaner, because of leverages. If they're too lean, they're not going to feel very good, and at that point there can be certain types of hormonal imbalances. 

A bodybuilder says, "what is it that I want to achieve? Then I will get there, regardless of how I do so--I wasn't made to look a certain way, I will make myself look a certain way!" Granted, this isn't entirely accurate--genetics still count when it comes to building muscle. However, the will has to be there.

Be the person you truly want to be, not the person you are.

Metabolic Adaptation and How to Make It Work For You, Part 2: Off Season

A while back, I spoke a lot about metabolic adaptation and how it can help (or, usually, hinder) a person coming into a cut and ways that we can minimize this metabolic slowdown. Now, however, I'm going to talk about maintaining this sort of thing on a bulk.

While it might seem counter intuitive that we'd want a higher metabolism in the off season, this is still ideal, as this is all setting the stage for maintaining at a higher intake, which is naturally going allow you to cut at a higher calorie diet. However, there are a few keys here:

Slow, Gradual Increase in Calories

When I came out of my first show, I intelligently started around 2300 calories a day, while cutting back on cardio. Several months later, I'd worked my way up to 3500 calories (and still being less active!) While I had gained a little more than I should have along the way, by the end, I was in a very good place metabolically. I went from being ravenous to being barely able to finish enough food to maintain weight!

Cardio: Should You, or Shouldn't You?

This is one question that has very few hard answers. I'll leave aside the heart health reasons for doing so (though some might argue that there are reasons that weight training alone would be adequate for this). One issue I'd have is that it's better to drop down cardio in the off season to a certain baseline, and not deliberately add it just for the sake of eating more food. At this point, it's not because that doesn't work, only that it makes controlling those variables harder when it comes time to remove the cardio, and then you become dependant on it.

Carbs: Keep Them at a Reasonable Level

I've often seen people try too hard to focus on absurd methods of setting up a diet, such as the typical 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. Never mind the flaws of using percentages when figuring out amounts of each macronutrient, it also requires that protein is unnecessarily high (and carbs unnecessarily low). This is a problem, because when your body is used to more carbs, you won't have to cut them as hard, and your performance in the gym (not to mention NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis) will be much higher. Someone who's off-season carbs are at 500, while still lean, may only have to go down to 300 or 350 when dieting (provided protein and fat aren't too high).

This is, of course, only a look at the ways that we can help to maintain a healthy metabolism to avoid the problems associated with following a "dreamers bulk" with a "fever dream cut", starving themselves, and destroying their metabolism.

Training Frequency: How Often Is Best?

The issue of training frequency is often discussed by trainers and bodybuilders without discussing the context in which the purpose of the training is understood--it's very easy to say, "training legs/chest/whatever once a week is the best way to get bigger/stronger", or "any beginner trainer has to be squatting 3 times a week, has to!". It's important to remember who your advice is really targetted towards. I'm going to be discussing the issue of how often to train, for what purposes, and why one might pick a certain frequency. This is, however, only a very basic overview.

Keep in mind, that my knowledge of this subject is directed primarily at natural, drug-free athletes--it is outside my range of knowledge to advise drug-enhanced bodybuilders, or to understand the mechanisms of how this affects their training, except in the most basic way possible.

Full Body Split

This would be the most basic sort of split that one could do--one in which you do basic, full body, compound movements at least twice, if not three times a week. The catch being that you're only sticking with really basic moves, with the goal being to add strength as quickly as possible. This is generally the sort of thing recommended for:

-complete beginners
-competitive powerlifters

However, you would still be surprised as to how long lifters can benefit from full body splits. For example:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/training-frequency-for-mass-gains.html

As in Lyle McDonald's article, "Training Frequency for Mass Gains", it was not unheard of for early top level bodybuilders to follow full body routines which involved hitting each body part once per week; the idea here is to keep muscle protein synthesis elevated for a longer time, a benefit which enhanced athletes have little need for--which brings us to:

Once a Week Body Part Split

Here, we are entering the realm of the so called "bro split" which involved blasting each body part or set of body parts once per week with a number of different exercises. This is largely the realm of the bodybuilding magazines which promote the kind of training most beneficial to, as discussed before, professional bodybuilders who are "most likely" (i.e, certainly) using performance enhancing drugs, which can allow for this sort of training to be more effective. As said before, the mechanisms of this are beyond my realm of knowledge, and if you wish to learn more about that, it is not my place help you.

However, can a "bro split" work for naturals? The answer is, absolutely! However, whether it is more effective is up for debate. What is not up for debate are the psychological benefits. If someone knows they are not going to be training for a full week, it's much easier for them to train very heavy and hard with maximum effort, as opposed to scaling their efforts back, to "save energy for later", and possibly not benefit as much from the training session.

Ultimately, it is up to the person training to understand the best way to train, with regard to their experience, genetics, and "biological" status. Don't think because one person got biggest off squatting only once a week that it's the best way for you to do so.

Sleep Tight: Keeping Recovery in the Best State Possible

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of bodybuilding (or, for that matter, life) that people sometimes ignore. One of the last things you want to do is wake up feeling like death on the day you have to squat. I won't bore you with the details on exactly how much sleep you need, because this is going to vary so much from person to person--however, what won't vary is the fact that you need it at all.

Sleep allows your body to do all of the necessary things you need it to: repairing muscle, regenerating your nervous system, and keeping your brain in good function.

I'm not going to get too much into the nitty gritty about how all of this stuff works--what I will do is help you to figure out how to get the most out of your sleep.

Habits

1. Sleep at a regular time.

One of the most important steps to sleeping well is sleeping well often--specifically, as often as possible. When you're used to sleeping at a certain time, you're body naturally is just inclined to sleep then. It will become all the more easy to fall asleep that way.

2. Reserve the bed for it's purpose.

Your bed should be ideally meant for sleep alone...as well, of course, as other "bedroom" activities. While this is not the same for everyone (I can comfortably read or study in bed at any point), for many people this is the case. When the bed is strong associated with waking activity, your brain is naturally going to make that association--this is problematic for falling asleep easily.

3. Minimize light and stimulation.

Bright lights like computer screens can keep you up--you know that feeling where the eyes just stay wide open, and just won't shut? Counteract that by avoiding this sort of stimulation around 20 minutes to 1 hour before bed--you'll naturally start to fall asleep quicker. Try reading a book instead--not something too interesting either. The last thing you want is to get too hyped up about that book you've been dying to read and staying up all night.

Nutrition/Supplementation

1. Eating before bed.

This is one area where I won't give any kind of prescription because, well, it's different for everyone. For me, I have a lot of difficulty sleeping on a super full stomach, so unless I have to, I'll try to eat more during the day. Other people might not like going to bed hungry. I leave this up to preference--anything about the need for protein before bed, or no carbs after a specific time, is largely unproven. Daily nutrition is far more important.

2. ZMA

This is a particular supplement I have always been fond of, whenever I can afford it. It is a mixture of Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B6 which can greatly deepen your sleep. I have found it much easier to only sleep, for example, for six hours, and feel like I slept eight (though sleeping the normal amount--whatever that is for you--is still ideal). Generally, the recommendation is two to three tablets 30 minutes before bed. You will note, however, that you're dreams are often very vivid and strange when taking ZMA. This has to do with the longer sleep cycles your body (and brain) are going through.

These are, of course, only some of the things you could do to maximize the effectiveness of your rest. As long as you keep stress in your life to a minimum (and only the good kind of stress, ideally!), you shouldn't have any problem resting, recovering, and ravaging the weights every week.

Stay safe!

Jason Eggleston Interview

Though it's been a long time coming, we've finally got the interview with Jason Eggleston! As the former 2008 Overall MABBA Provincials winner, he was one of my first choices when it came to interviews. I could not have been happier to speak with a bodybuilder of his caliber, and it was an immense honour.

https://soundcloud.com/manitobanmuscl/jasonegglestoninterview-l

He and I spoke at length about how he got started in the sport, his experience working as a male nurse (and larger than average!), and we also discussed his clothing company X2X Canada. Good luck to Jason in all his future endeavours!

All Photographs courtesy of Kelly Morton Photography.

www.kellymortonphotography.com