TheGoodDoctor’s BodyBlog

Well guys, i am going to keep this brief:

I am starting to get tired of being hungry 24/7 and i am starting to get tired of feeling fatigued. Having spent the last 6 months eating cleaner then i have ever done in my entire life (by a mile) my body is STILL mutinying against me. I have proven to myself that i am able to get ripped, but what i have found is that i am unable to stay lean unless:

i) I am doing a lot of high intensity cardio

ii) and consuming very, very little calories ie (a measly 2000ish)

iii) I monitor every morsel and calorie i consume

Having come from a powerlifting background and having been much, much bigger and stronger in the past, i am starting to tire of constantly feeling hungry and weak. I tried my heart out to keep super lean this off season but failed. If you have read my blogs, my body seems to want to hold the fat at the 13-14% mark, but once it gets there, seems to resist all effort to go over that mark. On the downside though, unless i absolutely BRUTALISE myself, i am unable to get super lean. In fact, if most of you knew what it took me to rip up, i doubt a lot of you would try to be honest. There are foods i have not eaten in so long i am starting to forget what they taste like and to be honest, i miss them. And i am just about over weighing, measuring and monitoring every ounce of food i consume in the persuit of ultra leaness.

Genetically, i seem to be predisposed to be a bigger, stronger more powerful guy, not a super lean individual who is cut to peices. 

Basically, i am not an ectomorph, or even an ecto-mesomorph. I am much more endo-mesomorph and far more suited to sheer size and strength

I will think about it overnight tonight guys, but this may be the end of bodybuilding for me. I miss enjoying my food, and i miss being bigger and stronger. Powerlifting may just be a better fit, but we shall see

The good doctor

Hey everyone!

Today i want to talk about training of abdominals.

Personally, i think a lot of people are way overtraining when it comes to abdominal work. Essentially, the abs, are like any other muscle, and thus, will develop the same as any other muscle. They need rest and recuperation in order to grow and develop. Daily training in my opinion simply leads to catabolism and adaptation, two things any bodybuilder wants to avoid at all costs. A lot of my friends, who are also bodybuilders train abs daily, which i think is needlessly excessive. I mean, would you train biceps every day? of course you wouldn’t! Training a bodypart every day is far too much in my opinion, and this goes for the abdominals as well

A lot of people forget, the abs are the key stabilisers of the trunk. when you do free weight training, in particular overhead work (ie, a shoulder press) the abodominals are already working in order to stabilise the core. Most likely each time you go to the gym, they are very likely getting a workout. Thus, specific daily abodominal training on top of that seems way excessive to me, and as with most types of overtraining, is most likely counterproductive.

Myself, i train my abs like any other bodypart, once a week. No more, no less

The excercises i do are as follows:

i)Hanging knee raise

ii)Standing cable crunch

iii)Jacknifes

iv) Twisting crunches

Contrary to popular belief, a ton of abdominal training will not give you ripped abs! i repeat, will not give you ripped abs!

Will you develop the core by abdominal training? Yes

Will you get a shredded core? No

This will only come about via dropped your bodyfat % into single digits. So next time you see another gimmicky ab machine on tv for sale promising to give you a shredded core, please, dont believe the bullshit. 

Now a lot of people are going to read this and say, i train abs every day and look at my abs. Fair enough. But, then look how much time you have spent doing that. Myself, i have got a sliced core just doing maybe 20 minutes of ab training per week. But hey, look at my profile pic and you can be the judge

Ultimately what i am saying is that less if often more, and i think the abs are a good example of this. Keep ab training to once, maybe twice a week and focus and getting your bodyfat down. Then, and only then, will you have the ripped six pack you have always dreamed of 

On a side note, one week down of contest training and i am feeling good. Already starting to harden up a fraction which is good but a little unexpected, for this contest, i should peak nicely in the last six weeks. 11 weeks, and on that note, its time to train

Seeya everyone

The good doctor

Hi everyone

Well, the time has rolled around again, time to get into contest shape. I have exactly 12 weeks to get into peak physical condition, and it has already begun! I’m kinda excited, because i know how crazy i will look at the end of it all This time, I am starting my carb cycle at 200gms, with a high day every forth day of approximately 330gms of carbs. Gradually, i will chop down to 100gms of carbs per day, but this time it should only be for the last month (last time, i dropped my carbs too low too early and was one mean, mean SOB!). Thankfully, this time my staff will only have to put up with me eating so few carbs for the last month! haha!

I will gradually up my cardio too. I am starting off for 40 minutes per day but will gradually build to 2 sessions per day totalling 90 minutes. I am generally a fan of the stationary bike but i might do some work on the elliptical traininer too. occasionally, i will go for a long walk if i have the time (I quite like walking, the only problem being is that it is low in energy expenditure)

In the next 12 weeks, i will eat no cheat meals, and consume no sugar. Thats hard for me because i have a bit of a sweet tooth but i will manage

I will also try to post some progress photos if i can every 3 weeks

Wish me luck guys, I want to win the title this time! (so close last time, finished second by a fingernail!)

The good doctor

Hi everyone!

Been a long time since a posted a blog so now that things are not as hectic now that the new year is over i though it’d be a good time to post one.

Today i want to talk about a phenomena nearly everyone on this site would be aware of, that being "the pump"

The pump is something everyone who bodybuilds will talk about at some point or another. Some bodybuilders go to the gym specifically to get a pump, some bodybuilders live and die for the pump, hell, some even talk about a pump like its some sort of orgasmic experience!

Am i missing something here?

Never in my life have i been interested in the pump to be honest. Now i am fully aware of the studies about blood volume training ect, many bodybuilders live by this rational, and thats fine. Hey, whatever works for you is my philosophy! But me, its never been my focus in the gym. I focus on strength, pure strength. In essence, i go to the gym to get as strong as i am able. The reason for this is because i know if i am getting stronger, i am getting bigger. I mean, has anyone heard of reduced muscle size whilst getting mass strength gains? I haven’t.

Maybe its my powerlifting background coming out but i think about it like this: Both a powerlifter and a bodybuilder can be big. The difference? you will not find a powerlifter who is not strong, yet on the flipside, I have seen many bodybuilders lifting pitiful weights. Many elite bodybuilders figures are rather pathetic i must say

Now this is not to say that there are not some stong bodybuilders, because there are. Guys like Ronnie Coleman, Johnie Jackson and Branch Warren are some of the strongest men around. It interesting to note though that Jackson and Coleman, perhaps the two strongest bodybuilders alive, are converted powerlifers. Coincidence? Maybe

I guess what i am saying is that the pump is no point of interest to me. Lifting a light weight for a bicep curl until its engorged with blood has never stimulated growth in my body, rather, I get good growth out of intense, super heavy rep in about the range of 4-7.

People speak about the pump in bodybuilding terms like its of vital importance, but to be honest, i dont see the appeal

Am i missing something?

The good doctor 

Hi everyone! Welcome to the latest blog from the good doctor.

Well, i have decided not to abandon bodybuilding just yet. I am been talked into doing another contest April 4th, 2009 so i will start to cut for it after the new year.

This off season, i have been pretty good. put on some quality mass, kept pretty lean. All in all a good effort for me. And this time (unlike last time) I actually know how to properly create a calorie deficit! I think this time, i should be able to come in even more ripped then i am in my profile photo, my goal is 3% bodyfat this time (last time i can in dead on 5%). Hopefully this time i should retain more muscle too.

At the moment, just biding my time. Training hard, eating right and sleeping a lot (all the things one should be doing in the off season!) No way am i going to start cutting before christmas and new year, there is just too much fun to be had! I will keep you all posted to the state of my physique after the new year as i cut, including my bodyfat % and hopefully some progess pics as well. I am allowing 12 weeks, and that SHOULD be plenty of time hopefully

Well, i will keep you posted at any rate. Wish me luck

The good doctor

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the latest blog from your favorite chiropractor, the good doctor

Today i want to talk about growth, or more specifically, eating to get big!!

So many bodybuilders i know and read about eat like birds! I mean, i personally know of a 170 pound bodybuilder eating 2700 calories and wondering why he isn’t growing. like duh! For gaining muscle, eating (and quality of food) is the most important thing in my opinion, particularly if you are and ectomorph. When i started bulking, i was eating about 3300 calories per day. Now let me tell you, i am not a huge guy, i mean i made bantamweight class for my last contest (70kgs)! Now at the start, i made some gains eating that quantity of food. However, over the last few weeks i have hit a plateua, so i have now upped my calorie consumption to 3600 a day and i am growing again. If i keep growing, i very possibly may even increase my calorie consumption to 4000 calories a day (provided bodyfat does not get too high)

At the moment, my bodyfat is good. currently maintain about 8-9% without too much difficulty and gaining some size which is the goal over this period. Doing a little bit a cardio for fitness and bodyfat control but trying to keep it at a bare minimum if i can (i did not do any cardio last week for example).

But this is my point, 3600 calories of food is a LOT of food. but, that is how much i need to grow. If you are not growing, you may simply not be consuming enough calories to be able to do so. I know of an ectomorphic bodybuilder eating nearly 5000 calories of food at the moment! But, that is how much he needs to grow.

I dont advocate eating any old thing, i am still eating super super clean. Nor do i random guess calorie intake either, i use the katch/mcardle formula as a starting point and go from there accordingly. if i gain too much bodyfat, i reduce. If i am not growing, i increase calories.

This is what i ate today and is a good example of my off season diet. a lot of people on this site are going to gasp when they see the ammount of carbs i am consuming but again, it works for me. I would also encourage people to read my blog cardio phobia and high protein madness

Diet sample

3600 calories

410gms carbs, 310gms protein, 80gms fat

Meal 1:

6 egg whites

2 slices of rye bread (toasted)

1 tablespoon low fat peanut butter

70gms oatmeal with water

 *training*

Meal 2: postworkout

1 scoop protein powder in water

2 wholemeal muffins with jam

Meal 3:

1 scoop protein powder in water

70gms oatmeal in water

1 tablespoon low fat peanut butter

Meal 4: (lunch)

4 slices of rye bread

6oz of turkey breast

1 tomato

1 tablespoon fat free mayo

Meal 5:

1 wholegrain toritalla

4oz chicken breast

1 tomato

Meal 6:

2 slices of rye bread

6oz round steak

Meal 7

peanut butter sandwhich

1 scoop of protein powder in water

As i said, a lot of food! Now a lot of people are probably horrified that i eat that much bread, but again, that works for me. As i have said in previous posts, you DO NOT have to go low carb. I am keeping lean and growing and eating a ton of carbs without too much problem. Experiment, find what works for you and go ahead accordingly.

But again, you got eat big to get big!!

Hi all, time to write another blog

Now i must admit, part of the reason why i have not been blogging as of late is that i have been partying like a rockstar! haha! Yes, i admit it! Life is too short not to have fun in my opinion. still eating super, super clean but the weekends are my time to party! Life is too short not to and as i have mentioned before my physique is not the be all and end all for me

Now, the topic of todays blog relates to carb sensitivity. High protein diets have without doubt, gone mainstream. Hell, there are a lot of people using them in some form or another. As i have mentioned in the previous blog "cardio phobia and high protein madness", in my opinion they are WAY overdone! Some folk are using diets that are 70-80% protein year round!! I could think of nothing worse! I think of lot of this goes with the "go with the crowd mentality" too, people see everyone else using them and think that they must rather then testing the waters with a more balanced diet first.

Let me tell you something a hell of a lot of people on this site may not even be aware of: You CAN build a lean, hard body without a high protein low carb diet! Now i admit, to get SUPER ripped, i use one for competition purposes. But the bulk of the time i use a diet that is high in carbohydrate, moderate in protein and low in fat and am building muscle and keeping lean without much problem  

A high carb diet should be everyones first point of call in my opinion. The reason: to determine carb sensitivity.

Now carb sensitivity if you will basically relates to tolerance of carbohydrate. Your muscles have a saturation point or threshold for stored glycogen: after that point is reached, unless there is sufficient activity, the glycogen excess will be stored as body fat. The problem with high protein, low carb diets is that they asssume everyone is carb sensitive: not true! In fact, the vast majority of people will be able to consume a large ammount of carbs when resistance training without putting on body fat.

By starting with a diet high in carbohyrdrate, you are able to determine how many carbs you can consume without gaining much fat. For example, right now i am consuming nearly 400gms of carbs per day. That is a lot of carbs! but i know that is how much i am able to handle. I personally know of ectomorphic bodybuilders who eat around 600gms of carbs per day in the off season! Most people on this site are probably choking reading this, but, they stay lean. And that is my point, determining carb sensitive FIRST gives you a point you are able to come back to in the off season. Also, remember as your lean mass increases, your capacity to consume greater quantities of carbs will also increase. 

The other problem, i have with high protein/low carb diets is what i call metabolic adapation: You see, when you go for prolongued periods eating low in carbohydrate your body becomes lazy and inefficient at process carbohydrates. The result? A reintroduction of carbs results in large increases in bodyfat levels, and people WRONGLY assume they are therefore carb sensitiive.

No, you are not carb sensitive, rather, you have become metabolically inefficient at processing carbs!!

A classic example of this is a friend of mine: He had been eating a high protein low carb diet for approximately 25 weeks. He then went on holidays for 2 weeks to italy and as such was eating food high in carbs. the result? he gained 10kgs (22 pounds) in two weeks!!! He is not alone, i have seen bodybuilders blow up massively in a matter of days after a contest due to chronic high protein, low carb dieting!

Myself, i use a high protein, low carb diet for competition purposes and then move back to a diet high in carbs for maintence and growth. All transitions on and off a high protein/low carb diet must be carefully planned and monitored. Unless you plan on never eating another carb again for the rest of your life, high protein, low carb diets are not viable long term solutions in my opinion

The other thing, high protein low carb diets are not really balance in my opinion. I mean, in my pre contest diet there was no fruit or dairy, and that is no fun. Remember, dairy and fruit are health foods, and should never be forsaken permanently for want of a lean physique.

There are some classic bodybuilders who NEVER went high protein, low carb either. Mike Metzner is a classic example, he typically used a diet that was 60% carb, 25% protein and 50% fat.

Clarence bass (who is still ripped to this day and has been recorded on numerous occasions at 2.4% body fat) started off using a high protein low carb diet but found he lost muscle mass. He switched to using a balanced diet and was able to get leaner, faster whilst holding more muscle!

The point i am trying to make here is start with a balanced diet first. Work out how many calories you need each day and then create a calorie deficit with diet, cardio or both. This WILL get you leaner and harder. High protein, low carb diets should only been used for breaking a plateua or competition purposes, then you can move back to a balanced diet for growth and maintence whilst stay lean.  Determining how many carbs you are able to handle is valuable information, and will give you a point you are able to refer to at later periods. And, to reiterate what i said eariler:

IF YOU HAVE GAINED A LOT OF BODYFAT AFTER REINTRODUCING CARBS AFTER PROLONGUED LOW CARB DIETING YOU ARE NOT CARB SENSITIVE, RATHER INEFFICIENT AT PROCESSING CARBOHYDRATE!

Started with a balanced diet first and go from there accordingly

Yours sincerly

The good doctor 

Hi everyone!

Because i am not as busy at work i have the time to put down another training blog.

Now today, as has been the case over the last few weeks, i have been on an ongoing mission to increase leg mass. To date, i have not had much success. As i have mentioned in previous blogs, since i have altered leg training a few things have happened:

i)My legs have gotten stronger

ii) they look more toned

iii) They have gotten more vascular

But

To date there has been no real increase in leg mass.

The other annoying thing is that ever since i have changed my routine, everything has been hurting, EXCEPT for legs! Last week i repped out doing squats and my legs were like jelly at the end, i could hardly walk at the end! And yet, no soreness the next day. 

Still, i am not one to give up so easy, so rather then change my leg routine again, i decided i was going to take things to the extreme: Basically, i was going to do an all out, half an hour effort: very little (if any) rest between exercises, and just work my quads until i could do no more.

So what i did, I put a moderate weight on the squat rack and just kept repping, after i could do no more, i move immediately over to the leg press and did the same, then straight over to the seated leg extension for more of the same and finished off with a weighted set of sissy squats. Now by this stage, my legs were feeling like they were on fire! But i wasn’t done yet. I called over one of the gym instructors called jeff and said to him straight up: "Jeff, i am just going to keep repping out on one final set of sissy squats, basically if you can, catch me, because i am seriously going to keep going until i can no longer stand up"

So Jeff (his eyes wide) agreed. By this stage, even though there where not that many people in the gym when i was working out, most stopped to have a look at the madness that was about to follow. So i picked up a 25kg weight, held it to my chest, and started.

At about the 10 rep mark, particularly after all i had done previously, my legs started to burn

At the 20 rep mark, my legs started to feel like jelly

But i was determined, I was going to rep out till that quadricep was no longer able to fire

At the 30 rep mark, I was starting to see stars, but by this stage because of my lunatic intensity, everyone was shouting words of encouragment.

In the end, i busted out 39 reps before people thankfully caught me. I was exhausted. Nor could i stand, the quadricep was completely and utterly worked till failure.

The funny thing is, i am only a few hours removed from that training session, and finally, for the first time, my quads are finally starting to ache! Now obviously i am not advocating this type of training day to day, i mean, it was extreme! but the point that i am trying to make is that it worked, and sometimes, you have to be able to push yourself well beyond your limits in order to achieve the results that you seek.

Well, i’m off to eat and recuperate! I will be very curious to see just how sore my quads pull up tommorow! At any rate, i will blog it and keep you all posted.

Remember, train hard, train heavy

The good doctor 

Hello everyone!

As i have mentioned in some of my previous blogs, the key bodypart i am trying to address right now is legs. In my last contest, my legs were probably the difference between first and second place (I got second). I found out later i only lost the contest by two measly points! Comparitively, the guy that beat me had supreme legs, whereas mine are average, at best.

So in the off season i have made it my mission to not only try to bring my legs up to scratch, but to make them one of my best bodyparts. The last time i went on a mission like this was in relation to my abs (they were once my worst bodypart), now they are arguably one of my best, if not my best.

I changed tactics a lot too, incorporating stuff that is not typically "bodybuilding" per se: bench squats, box squats, speed sets and a bit of plyometric work have been incorporated to try to shock my legs into some good growth.

Though its early days in the routine change, i can make a couple of observations:

i) The size increases to date, have been minimal

ii) My legs are looking more toned, there is definately some seperation now that is occuring within the quadriceps

But the really noticable thing is:

My legs are looking far more vascular. I’m starting to get some large, deep veins showing in the quad, but particularly the calf. In fact, the calf the other day was REALLY vascular, which surprised me, because my calves are rather ordinary in my opinion.

But again, no real great growth to speak of

So, i’m wondering, is that potentially a sign of growth to come?

Obviously an increase in muscle mass and activity requires an increased blood supply, hence the increases in vascular size, so it will be interesting to see in the coming weeks or months what gains i am able to make in the legs. At any rate, i will certainly keep you all posted  

Training today was the best session i have done in ages! Very happy with todays work. For the last couple of sessions (with the exclusion on sunday), i must admit i had been rather slack. Today though, i trained back and forearms and trained like an animal!!

Interestingly, last week i ran out of tribulus and didn’t start taking any again until yesterday. Now tribulus, for those that dont know, is meant to be a herb that naturally increases testosterone production. I mentioned under supplements on my profile page that i dont know if it works, but i seem to feel more aggressive when i take it. Sure enough today, there was the aggression back in the gym.

Maybe its just a placebo effect or maybe its just sheer coincidence, who knows! at any rate i will keep supplementing it in the short term just to be sure. Maybe i can get a friend to secretly replace the capsules with something else to really test it: if he replaces it with something else and i am still all aggressive when i go to the gym then we know that the aggression increase is simply all in my mind

Gotta keep moving people, work to be done.

Train hard

The good doctor

Afternoon everyone! (Well, it is here in australia at any rate )

Today i want to have a talk about cardio and fat loss, in particular, as it pertains to walking.

I’ll cut to the chase: personally, in terms of fat loss, I dont like walking as an activity at all. BUT, that is not to say under the correct circumstances it isn’t an acceptable activity for fat loss.

Currently, i am doing some walking as part of my cardio. In my opinion, it is a great WEIGHT MAINTENCE activity, but in terms of ripping up, i give it a wide berth. There are a couple of reasons for this:

i) Most people simply do not walk fast enough or long enough to burn a significant ammount of calories, nor reap any (or very little) cardiovascular benefit because their heart rate is insufficient. Fundamentally, when all is said and done, fat loss is essentially calories intake vs calorie expenditure. Let me ask you something, what do you think burns more calories, a 40 minute walk that leaves you fresh as a daisy at the end, or an all out interval training session that leaves you in a pool of sweating and breathing heavily? The answer is obvious. Now before someone goes and mentions that lower intensity cardio does burn more calories of fat, this is true. BUT, you would have do to a lot more of it to reap the same result. Ie, walking briskly for an hour, will burn similiar ammounts of calories to a hard 30 minute session on the elliptical trainer. Also, the cardiovascular benefits (ie, reduced resting heart rate, increased V02 max) and not nearly as great

ii) I like a challenge! Walking to me is NOT a physical challenge in comparision to high intensity cardio. To me that would be like going into the gym, finding a nice little pair of dumbells, doing a few easy sets then leaving the gym without breaking a sweat!

From a clinical perspective it is interesting too. 99% of patients that i see who are overweight or obese have this in common: when I ask if they are exercising, if they are, they will be walking. This is either: a) a remarkable, remarkable coincidence or b) in a day to day sense, a good illustration that walking is insufficient for fat loss. No boxing, no rowing, no cycling, or no running. Funny thing that. Why? comparitively its just too physically taxing. A lot of doctors prescribe walking for overweight patients because essentially they are working under the rule that walking is better then doing nothing, and it is. But as per was afforementioned, in terms of fat loss from day to day, I think there are better activities available.

Now i know that this point is sounds like i am bashing walking, but not true. I am just illustrating my own views and observations. As i said earlier, i am currently doing some walking for day to day in my cardio. Walking WILL work for fat loss, in fact there is a hell of a lot of bodybuilders who walk for their cardio, but the common denominator here is they ALL have super strict, pre contest diets and a calorie deficit to be able to achieve this. In conjunction with a strict diet, walking will be sufficient. But personally, I’d rather do high intensity cardio, save time, and reap great circulatory and cardiovascular benefits.

Pros of walking:

-Its easy, and you can do it anywhere

-It relaxing. I often walk to clear the mind

-In conjunction with a strictly monitored diet, it will work for fat loss

-Its low impact, and thus easier on the joints of the lower limb

Cons of walking

-It does not burn as many calories as higher intensity activities

-To burn equal ammount of calories, you will have to walk for far longer, thus taking up more time

-Unless you are really, all out speed walking, the cardiovascular benefits will not be as great 

-Personally, i dont find it nearly challenging enough

If you are going to walk for your cardio and fat loss regime, remember this:

-You have to walk fast, and hard! Exagerate the swing of your arms, pump those legs, and get your heart rate up to a decent level. You dont have to come back from your walk drenched in a pool of sweat, but you should be breathing a little hard and a least know that you have done a decent workout.

-Walk for a decent duration: 40-60 minutes in my opinion. But if you can get away with doing less, all the more power to you.

-You will get best results in conjunction with a strict diet with bears a decent calorie deficit rather then trying to create that deficit via walking.

Of course, opinions vary, and mine is certainly not the be all and end all! None the less, i would rather partake of higher intensity cardio to achieve fat loss , as opposed to lower intensity, but that is just me

Will talk to you all again soon

Your favorite chiropractor

The good doctor