Memoirs of a reluctant Bulker

Overweight, Chunky, Big boned, Thick, Unpleasantly plump and /or slightly on the Flabby side and looking to lean out for the summer, for that reunion, for that new outfit, for that certain individual who well, lights your inner fire or just sick of being out of breath after scaling that less-than lengthy set of stairs? Exactly four months ago, I was any one of the above descriptive icons, and was in search of any one of the defined goals above. More specifically, I weighed in at 220 pounds and 26 % bodyfat and was at the point I come to every year when the heat starts to ramp up outside and the shirts start to come off: Cutting time!!

For the past twenty-one years, I have subscribed to the commonly accepted tenet of: You must bulk in order to gain true muscle. So, for the better part of said twenty-one years, I have bulked during the Winter and cut during the Summer. While I had dreams early on of competing and ultimately of course being Mr. Olympia, it became readily apparent somewhere in there that I would most likely fill the much needed role of local neighborhood muscle head instead of the gleaming chunk of monster mass that perpetually graces the covers of Muscle and Fitness, MuscleMag, and / or FLEX. With that in mind, I offer my complete diet and workout program that is applicable for any average ordinary neighborhood muscle head looking to refine that hard worked for muscle. 

For our purposes here, I’ll start off with beginning and ending stats, go over the workout program requirements complete with sample workout, and then cover my basic diet requirements, complete with a daily nutritional sample.

Buckle up folks, it’s probably gonna get bumpy, discombobulated and down right Nasty (sweaty). An emotional roller coaster, you’ll laugh out-loud while simultaneously crying inside (this has probably never happened to you, huh? Me either). Let’s get started…..

THE STATS:

April 2007….Weight…220 lbs…..BF…..26%.

August 2007….Weight 192……BF…..10%.

THE WORKOUT PROGRAM:

NOTE: The following regimen is for muscle refinement purposes only, and in NO WAY is intended to promote muscle growth.

SIDE NOTE: I will be starting a bulking program in late September and will outline the muscle building tenets I follow at that time.

-For the first two months of the program I rode the Recumbant bike seven days a week for 30-60 minutes, period (No and’s, no if’s, no but’s, no run’s, no error’s, no pass GO and go straight to jail…no excuses). After two months, my very clean diet (see below) had started to take affect, and any cardio at that point only left me feeling flat. So, I ditched the cardio and the fat continued to fall off in conjunction with the much sought after, full muscle feel.

-For Abdominals, I complete fifty crunches and twenty FEEL (repeat FEEL) leg lifts every night, right before bed (generally takes five minutes max). I can’t stress enough the feel component. You have to feel your abs working for this to work. During the day, I will periodically complete various ab tightening movements as well as vaccuum the midsection. You’d be surprised how gratifying it feels to tense up those abs while sitting behind the wooden control device (DESK).

-Iron-moving sessions last 45 minutes (max) and are blood volume training in nature (push or pull as much blood into target muscle as possible). Rest between sets ranges from 30-45 seconds and the rep range is between 12-20. I move the iron five days a week (Sun - Thurs) and take the weekends (Fri - Sat) off. The daily breakdown is as follows:

Sunday - Chest

Monday - Back

Tuesday - Legs

Wednesday - Shoulders

Thursday - Arms

-Lactic acid build-up is my key objective which identifies two things: 1) I’m working the targeted muscle 2) I am fatiguing the target muscle. IE, I feel lactic acid building in the biceps, and I am completing standing dumbell curls…..SUCCESS!!

Now for a sample routine, and for no particular reason, let’s outline BACK…..Yes it’s true, I love to work the back…..Especially the deads……Love me some DEADS, people!!!

3 sets of Warm-up, wide-grip pull downs….20 reps minimum

NOTE: I can’t stress the importance of getting blood into a muscle group before starting in with the heavier stuff enough….So, again….WARM THE TARGETED MUSCLE UP FIRST. Besides getting the muscle ready to work, these lighter sets really warm up the neuro-pathways responsible for getting the targeted muscle group to work…So WARM UP, my very-impatient, and ready to move the heavier stuff FRIENDS!!

DID YOU WARM UP? Okay, then on to the heavier stuff. Just because our goal is to move as much blood into our targeted muscle group, it doesn’t mean we’re here to just move some sissy weight, right? RIGHT!! We’re here to ultimately just fry out the muscle and pump it up to darn-near explosion levels. So remember to use enough weight to where you FEEL the target muscle working.

CAUTION: Using too little weight will result in the target muscle not getting stimulated….Especially in your larger muscle groups…IE, Chest, Back, Thighs…

5 sets of Close-grip pull downs…..12-20 reps (I work up to 250 for 12 reps)

5 sets of Low-pulley rows…..12-20 reps (I work up to 200 for 12 reps)

5 sets of Smith machine shrugs….12-20 reps (I work up to 365 for 12 reps)

5 sets of Deadlifts (MANDATORY)……12-20 reps (I work up to 315 for 12 reps)

BACK NOTE: Folks, if you really want a big thick back, YOU MUST DO DEADLIFTS!! Nuff said.

Alright, there’s my muscle refining workout tenet’s with a back workout regimen sample for you. On to the diet stuff…..

DIET STUFF:

BE WARNED: You may have to sacrifice a bit-o-taste in order for the fat to begin falling……

My diet thoughts are actually pretty simple and pretty straight forward. I have a beautiful wife, two fantastic son’s, am a home-owner, work a more-than full-time job and enjoy living life. So, for me, in order for a diet to stick, and much like my workouts, it has to be realistic and simple.

-I cook all of my weeks chicken breast and hard-boiled eggs on Sunday and baggy up for the week (two hours)

-Dump most if not all processed foods and really begin watching labels on all foods for Fat, Sugars (not just carbs), Protein and Sodium.

-Dump most if not all sugars while lowering overall carbs and bumping up protein and healthy fat intake (mono and polyunsaturates)

- Sorry, didn’t really have any planned cheat meals along the way. However, since I travel extensively and have to attend business lunches periodically, I did have less than perfect meals along the way.

TIP: When forced into scenarios where you may have to alter the clean eating thing, remember to ask about healthy alternatives at restaraunts. Most eating establishments are willing to listen to your special requests. IE, ask for the food prep to be done without the sauces that are typically utilized.

-Ensure that you are taking in a boatload of fiber (Spinach is the best for you and is considered one of the top ten super foods)

-Drink plenty of water

-Snack on nuts during the day. I mix Hazelnuts, Almonds, Pistacios and Pepitas….all of course, with no salt added.

-Mrs. Dash seasonings are a must. They have no salt and there are about 10 different flavors out. These seasonings are awesome and really do make any of your salad mixtures taste fantastic.

-The absolute best salad dressing ever is Balsamic Vinegrette and Olive Oil (in my humble opinion)

Alright, I think that covers the basics, now how about an example of the typical diet which for the most part has remained the same from the beginning…

300 AM Non-fat, SPLENDA sweetened yogurt with one scoop of whey and two servings of a high-fiber and protein whole grain cereal (Nature’s path is the best cereal ever…in my opinion)

700 AM One low-carb, high-protein bar (MET-RX and DETOUR are the BEST….in my opinion)

1100 AM Spinach, carrot, cuccumber and bell pepper salad with Chicken breast and two eggs (one yolk) Balsamic Vinegrette and Olive Oil, Mrs. Dash table blend

300 PM One low-carb, high-protein bar (See above for suggestion)

700 PM Spinach, carrot, cuccumber and bell pepper salad with Chicken breast and two eggs (no yolk) Balsamic Vinegrette and Olive Oil, Mrs. Dash table blend

900 PM (post workout) 22 grams of Branched-Chain-Amino-Acids (BCAA) in liquid form

1030 PM Non-fat, SPLENDA sweetened yogurt with one scoop of whey protein powder.

Well, for those of you still reading, I hope that you may find some interesting and helpful bits of information here. And for sure, if you at any time, have any further questions or are just looking for more to read, feel free to ask away and / or continue checking back at the blog.

BodyAuditor out….Good night my beyond-well read friends……

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 at 7:56 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.