Warped Fireside Chats

Believe it or not, I get asked quite frequently about my workout regimen, my diet and innevitably, the supplements I am taking. Or as I like to call them, "THE BIG THREE!" The answers I respond with have varied over the last twenty years of my bodybuilding enthusiasm: for the most part, in-line with whatever my goals were at that time. I have done everything from low-rep, heavy-weight training to high-rep, low-weight training, followed a myriad of different diet schemes, from morphed versions of the Atkins to a full-blown See-food diet (yep, that’s the one where you eat everything you see), and have taken a plethora of different supplements, from miscellaneous herbs (some were of the recreational type..wink, wink) to all kinds of protein and amino acid mixtures.

So currently, where do I stand on these three different areas, you ask? My friends, buckle up and let’s take a ride on the "This guy is a loon-job," express: Allow me to pontificate for a brief moment, my sometimes and in someways, very warped views of workouts, diets, and supplements! Remember? THE BIG THREE!!

Over the next few blogs, I wll discuss these three imperative requirements for reaching any fitness goal.

WARNING: The following information is personal opinion only, and in no way should be interpreted as science-proven fact. The writer of this blog has been known to ramble excessively and in circles, ulitmately saying nothing, while speaking volumes. Proceed at your own risk! 

First up: WORKOUTS!

If there is one thing that I would say works for sure when it comes to meeting fitness goals and in regards to actually working the muscle, it would be to say, that there is no one (ONE) thing that works repeatedly, consistently and in a sustained manner for all fitness goals. The very first thing a person should determine before starting any type of workout regimen, is to decide what your fitness goal is. 

HHHhhmmm, let’s ponder for a moment the numerous goals that a person could decide upon:

-Build bigger muscles

-Build more detailed and aesthetically pleasing muscles

-Get stronger

-Become more anaerobically or aerobically fit

-Lose bodyfat

-Lose weight

-Gain weight

-Have a bigger noggin (sorry folks, this one can’t happen naturally, (HGH is your ticket here))

These are just a few of the available options: chances are you fit into one of these categories, and potentially, you subscribe to more than one of these. For any case, a decision should be determined before even stepping foot into the gym. Too many people determine that they are ready to get into shape. What does this actually mean? Honestly, haven’t you heard this many times before: maybe you’ve said it before. 

"I’m gonna get into shape this year, darn it!! I’m serious this time!"

Doesn’t matter: the only thing that matters, is that you now must expand on whatever shape means and ask yourself what you are truly after. Are you looking to qualify for the Boston marathon? Maybe you’re just looking to fit back into your pants that you now have to pull on with boot hooks……Either way, determine your specific fitness goal. If you can narrow your focus in on one specific goal, chances are much better that you will not only attain that goal, but you will maintain that achieved level as well. If you begin a fitness routine with no real end, chances are VERY strong that you will end up burning out well before any real hint of progress is noticed.

With that, the first and only real recommendation I can make in regards to working out is: GET A GOAL PEOPLE!!! From there, you can determine which type of training will best suit your needs. Now, just for fun, let’s zero in on one goal and explore potentially the best path for achieving successful completion of that goal………….. 

Alright……..ALRIGHT already: My current goal it is, if you’re gonna insist!

SHAPING and REFINING the MUSCLE.

Since I had previously determined that a natural bodybuilding show was imminently on the horizon for me, I supposed that it was very necessary to see what my muscles actually looked like under the blubber-laden, skin-suit I had been wearing for the last two years. With that determination and specific goal in place, I set out to work my muscles in a fashion that would push the most blood into them during each workout, as well as instill many different types of exercises for each bodypart in order to hit each muscle from every conceivable angle.

BLOOD-VOLUME training is what I decided upon. Not sure who initially developed this type of workout, or who coined the phrase, but Craig Titus is the first person I ever read about who utilized this type of training exclusively. The main tenet of the blood volume process is:

-Force as much blood into one muscle group as possible during a workout…hhmmm, almost sounds like my goal: huh?

So with that, I upped my reps into the 15-20 range for each exercise, and reduced my rest time between sets to less than 30 seconds. I also increased my exercise variety, by including many pulley and isolation exercises, such as overhead pulley-pulls / extensions and laterals: but did NOT drop any core power exercises, such as squats, deads, military’s, and flat bench.

On a side note here, if you have never done the power-core’s in high-rep, low-rest-time fashion and you love pain as I do, you owe it to yourself to try it just once…..It was love at first try for me, but then again, science hasn’t developed a cure for what I have yet.

ENOUGH already, you say…Let you off this long and seemingly never ending ride? Afraid I can’t do that. You bought the ticket, remember? However, I will say we’re almost done. Does that help? Doesn’t matter! Results from last four months: 

-More muscle shape

-Better definition

-Euphoric and stimulating pumps

-Increased vascularity

Nuff said on workouts yes? Good, I’m winded.

Next up for the Body Auditor’s personal pontification regarding the BIG THREE: Diet!

BodyAuditor out: Thanks for stopping by, peace and good will towards all peoplekind, close the door behind you and remember, If you’re not making a difference, what’s the point?

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.