Memoirs of a reluctant Bulker

Well since I first floated the idea of posting some suggestions regarding the questions I get PM’d to me here on BS, I have recieved many more queries and will attempt, in my own special limited way that I have (and so what if I ride the short little bus to work!!), to address some of them, in this special (again, special !) second segment of Hazy side thoughts, or Hazy side contemplations, or whacked out Hazy side, or Dude, where’s my Hazy side, or Hazy side, the forbidden zone….Yep, still thinking of a great eye catching title….

At any rate, again here’s a warning….

WARNING, READ CAREFULLY: If you are pregnant, are of the elderly nature such as the typemaster, have had kidney stones in the past six months, believe that space aliens are nothing more than random large farm animals run amuck, enjoy long talks with your neighbors while they are mowing the lawn, are contemplating and or have contemplated walking through your neighborhood mall with nothing more than a speedo or two piece teenie bikini on while carrying a large sign that clearly states, "Bread is for Bulking," then please, by all means read on…But know this first: the oft mis-perceived and awkwardly demented author has recently partaken of TRT (See King Marmosets blog) and therefore may not and should not be held responsible for sudden bursts of rambling and incessant muttering in contemplation for submitted statement of anxious anticipatory response (question).

So with that small but necessary (according to my advisors) litigious matter out of the way: remember to enjoy all things (good and bad) my friends, for today we are developing the memories that can and should be enjoyed for the rest of our lives….. 

Without further ado (maybe), here’s the Q & A for today…..

Questions in Italics and answer’s in bold…

1) Great job man. I actually saw your page after linking from my wifes page and had to tell you that you got some awesome progress. I’m trying to do the same thing, but doing a lot of cardio and light weights with high reps. Any suggestions for ripping up the abs other then trying to keep knocking down my weight? For abs and again for me in specific, I have found that diet is the most important thing….You can bang on your abs during a workout all you want, but if your diet is not very tight, your abs will not be either. I actually work my abs year round and do the same workout everynight (about 5 minutes total): 30 - 40 crunches (slow and for feel) followed by 30 leg lifts (very slow and for feel). With that, my abs and waist are generally in great shape. However, depending on what my diet looks like, you may not even be able to see any definition with my shirt off. Only after I enter a cutting phase and have dropped my carbs to a low to no level with added healthy fats (mono and poly) utilized for energy do I ever start to see the definition.

2) What is blood volume training? Also on your drop sets, how many sets do you do per set? I’m guessing say on your wide pull downs you would start at say 200 then down to 180 and so on, how far down do you go? Thanks..Blood volume training is the type of workout system I utilize during my cutting phase….or precontest if you will. The purpose of this type of workout is for muscle shaping and refinement, not building. The means by which this end is met, are many sets, many reps with limited rest and therefore high intensity as per usual. My workouts during this phase will typically last no more than 45 minutes each night, will encompass anywhere from 20 to 40 sets depending on muscle group. My focus for each of these workouts is to literally force as much blood into the targe muscle group as I can. Usually when I leave after one of these workouts, the target muscle will stay pumped for the rest of the night….and yes, I love that feeling! As for drops, I do not accomplish drops during blood volume training, only during my off-season "Heavy Duty" training. When drops are applicable, I do not count the number of drops at all: I will start (after a warm up set) with a working weight that I can strictly move for at least 3 reps, then will do a few partials, drop, strict, partials, drop, strict partials, ad nauseum until the target muscle is fully fatigued. Believe me my friend, you will know when your muscle is fully fatigued.

3) Great Blog…. I’m 5′9 198 workout 5 days trying to get back into shape wanted to know about food. Could you help me out with a sample diet plan I want to get lean also want a good amount of daily cardio..Thanks. As for diet, and as some of you may know, it has to be realistic for my lifestyle….family, job, house owner, business traveler, etc. etc. in order for me to follow it. I have tried the measuring thing, I have tried the journal thing….I’ve tried alot, but I have found that first and foremost, it must be easy for me to follow. I don’t really even care if it is strict, it just has to be easy. Now along with easy, comes flexible…so I take the, watch my body in the mirror, take caliper fat reads and weigh myself often approach. These three things combined tell a very clear story as to what my body is doing. Now, to answer the question in regards to a sample diet plan…here’s typically what I do during my cutting phases:

0300 - Low-carb yogurt with whey protein and bowl of whole grain (Nature’s Path) cereal

0700 - Detour low carb high protein bar

1000 - Spinach, carrot, chicken breast, 2 - egg white (one yolk), olive oil and balsalmic vinegar salad

1300 - Detour low carb high protein bar

1600 - Low-carb yogurt with scoop of whey protein (35 grams of protein total)

1900 - Spinach, carrot, chickent breast, 2 - egg white (no yolk), olive oil and balsalmic vinegar salad

2200 - Low-carb yogurt with scoop of whey protein

Diet generalities are as follows: I snack heavily on a homemade mixture of Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pistachios and Pepitas….no salt. I also cut out all cheat meals and remove most if not all processed foods.

As for cardio: When I start a cutting phase I will typically accomplish anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes of recumbant bike work everyday for the first two months. This type of work will generally get my body’s thermogenic process very ramped up and after those initial two months, I stop cardio all together and focus solely on my 45 minute blood volume training. 

Well my friends, we’ve come to that time of my blog that most probably seemed like, at many points, would never come as you painfully and excruciatingly worked your way through the preceding hail storm of frivelous fodder. But, I do thank you for your time, and hopefully, if nothing else, it provided you with a much needed break from your highly exciting job that you have nothing but pure 100% focus for in most cases…..

I leave you with another bizarre and thought altering original bodyauditor quote: If a person can’t feasibly be lead under any circumstance, the odds of that person leading one day, are most likely minimal at best. Believe that, and remember, our leaders need people who can intelligently understand what they are saying: Get informed today!!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 11:47 am 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.