Shiftin into Second Gear

by: Pm - April 7th, 2008

I’m no stranger to weight manipulation. My “off season” weight might vary by as much as 40 lbs from my “competition” weight. Of course, unlike many of you, I don’t compete in sanctioned bodybuilding shows or power lifting meets. My stage is the beach. And, my judges are the people on that beach. Some might call this vanity, I think of it as reality. When all you’re wearing is swim trunks, it’s difficult to hide imperfections. So, the thought of being a beached white whale out there in front of everyone is what drives me to clean-up the ol’ diet and sprinkle some more cardio into the training routine.

Though I’m not a real bodybuilder, this year I’m going to start acting more like one. My dorm room stats haven’t been updated to reflect all of the body comp. changes since last Fall yet, but with the help creatine, beta-alanine, ZMA, and lots of dairy protein of I’ve packed on some significant size over the last 4 months. Unlike years past, I don’t plan on squandering all of my hard fought gains on crash diets. Yes, it’s possible to lose 7 lbs (or more)/week, but to do so is mentally and metabolically costly. (Trust me, I have quite a bit of first hand experience in this area.) This year, I’m taking the tortoise approach. Instead of shifting right from 1st gear into 6th, I’m shifting into 2nd.

What’s second gear? A gradual clean-up of the diet – less processed foods, an additional protein shake (to keep me at 1 g/lb BW/day), more green leafy’s, fewer late-afternoon/early evening starches, plenty of fluids, etc. …basically, things that most of you already know and do. Calorie reductions will be moderate in this phase. My goal is only to shed about 1.5 lbs/week for at least the first few weeks. Any more and there’s a chance that my metabolism could get shocked into starvation mode.

I’m also planning on increasing the cardio from twice to three times per week. Strength training will continue to be centered around the Box & Grow routines that I’ve mentioned in the Forum and in my previous blog. I intend to keep the total training volume about the same, but plan on increasing the number of workout days from 4 to 5. There are two reasons for doing this. First, I fully expect my muscle endurance to fade a little as I start restricting calories and starchy carbs. So, shorter, more intense workouts are easier for me to get through (mentally & physically). Second, being in the gym helps reinforce my goals and reminds me of how much work it takes to burn off that bag of chips or candy bar that’s always callin’ my name. I guess in certain ways, dietitians and personal trainers can be like auto mechanics: we know just how far we can let things go before we need to fix them. Being in the gym more often helps, keep things in perspective.

No big changes in the supplement department – at least not yet. A daily multiple, some beta-alanine, CLA, and a whey protein shake in the morning, my Speed Stack and a hit of beta-alanine 20 minutes before workouts, whey protein plus CGT-10 and beta-alanine right after training, CLA with dinner, and casein + ZMA before bed. As the weeks progress (gears 3, 4, and 5) and my diet becomes more restrictive, I plan on reintroducing some BCAA/EAA powder to help protect the lean muscle mass. Some L-Carnitine might find its way back into the mix as well. We’ll see…

Time to get back to work. Competition season is right around the corner and I hear that the judges are tough again this year.



…till next time.

Happy Heaving,

PM

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