Inside the Mind of Deserusan

Feel free to e-mail questions to daniel@gasparinutrition.com

I can’t believe I’ve actually made it this far. Right now I’m holding a ton of water from sodium loading and drinking about 3 gallons of water a day. I’ll be dropping the sodium on Tuesday and then should slowly see a lot of detail come back in my abs, chest, legs, etc.

I’m not as lean as I’d like to be, but then again I have dropped 72lbs since June. Basically, the next time I bulk it will clean and I’ll never have to go through same tortuous diet and training regimen I’ve had to endure over the past 21 weeks. I haven’t made my "before" pictures public yet but will and you’ll see just how fat I was. I looked like fairly big dude in a tank top but I was hiding a HUGE gut!

This has certainly been a learning experience. The other day I was discussing this journey with Rich Gaspari and he told me the first contest is always a huge dose of reality. For me it certainly has been. I’m the lightest I’ve been since my freshman year of college almost a decade a go. That’s just nuts. Overall though, I’ve definitely learned that I do have the structure and genes to be a decent bodybuilder. The goal over the next 24 months is to get nationally qualified in the NPC. I know I have the dedication and the genes to do it, so it will just take the same focus and drive I’ve found prepping for my first competition this time around and turning it into overdrive in 2009.

*warm-up sets not included

Wide-grip Pulldowns (underhand): 180lbs x 15 x 2

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Hammer Strength Low Row: 180lbs x 15 x 2

Dumbbell Rows: 60lb’ers x 15 x 2

Dumbbell Pullovers: 60lbs x 15 x 2

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Stiff Arm Cable Pulldowns: 110lbs x 15 x 2

Neutral-Grip Pulldowns: 150lbs x failure x 2

Reverse Curls: 60lbs x 15 x 2

PM Cardio: 1 hour Treadmill

Nothing to crazy to report here. Another high volume workout with low intensity. I’m still keeping the cardio high and probably will up until 3 days out. Other than that nothing really to report on the contest prep front except I actually enjoy sodium loading. I’m not looking forward to next week though because that means I get no seasoning on my food and will be drinking only distilled water (yuck).

Yesterday I spent most of the day working with our film crew on some scripts for the the upcoming Myofusion, Mitotropin, and Cytolean V2 videos coming out. It’s not as easy as it sounds trying to jam pack some good yet absorbable information into 90-120 second videos. I’m more of a techy guy and love explaining the scientific perspective of supplementation but obviously not everyone is into that. We don’t want to bore anyone so finding a happy medium is always the goal with these. We’ll begin filming today so hopefully that goes smoothly.

AM Cardio: 1 hour Treadmill

*Warm-up sets not included

Laying Leg Curls: 120lbs x 12 x 2

Single Leg Laying curls: 50lbs x 12 x 2

Leg Extensions: 200lbs x 20 x 2

Single Leg Extensions: 90lbs x 12 x 2

Machine Leg Press: 300lbs x 20 x 3

PM Cardio: 1 hour Treadmill

As you can probably tell I’m winding down the "intense" training session and am now coasting into peak week which is just around the corner. At this point I’m just maintaining and trying to bring my conditioning in. To be real with you, I’m pretty run down. However, I’ve heard if you don’t feel like shit at this point you are doing something wrong so most likely I’m on point.

Everyday I take a look at my before pictures (not released yet) to remind myself just how far I’ve come. I was always a big dude who looked good in a tank top but now I’m actually a bodybuilder with a decent presentation from front to back practically naked. It’s a good feeling to finally see myself becoming what is classicly known as "peeled."

Today was pretty chill and I’m trying to keep myself busy. Vanessa and I looked at some bedroom furniture for our new home and hung out with the family. Everytime I visit her cousins I always end up playing with their dog DICE. He’s extremely affectionate and just wants you to pay attention to him. For a Boxer he’s pretty handsome and not too hyper. The more time I spend with him the more I want a dog myself.

When we are young and healthy it’s quite easy to not envision what life will be like in our fifties and beyond. Do we ever really sit down and make a plan of attack towards long term general health goals or is it more or less just what will effect how we how aesthetic our appearance is in the “now” when we look in the mirror? Regardless of your perspective there are a few supplements which have shown a great benefit when used as older adults in their “golden years.”

Over the past decade we’ve seen beta-alanine emerge as a quite a popular ingredient among the well educated supplement consumer for its carnosine boosting properties. Quite clearly this has shown to increase endurance capacity in healthy athletes. Also, it’s been known for quite some time that as you age intramuscular carnosine levels and ultimately buffering capacity often declines. Whether this is a major factor causing age related muscular atrophy is up for debate, but the power to augment this effect really shouldn’t be.

Dr. Jeff Stout, PhD with comments on beta-alanine and parathesia (prickling effect)

A joint research team representing The University of Oklahoma, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Chinchester recently put the use of beta alanine in elderly adults to the test. As a result of beta-alanine supplementation showed to increase working capacity in older adults aged 55-99 years of age. In fact, the average increase in physical working capacity was an astonishing 28.5%. That’s over twice the increase found in younger test subjects in their mid twenties.

So what can we take from these findings? As you age you ability endurance and mobility can often be hampered by the aging process no matter what you activity level is. It is quite possible that beta alanine supplementation can help you maintain or even increase your physical working capacity thus allowing you to be more active during your “golden years.” Since this is the first step in beta-alanine use in elderly subjects I’m curious to see if more research will now begin focus on its effect in attenuating advanced glycation end products (AGES). Boosting carnosine appears to augment their deleterious effects but the direct research utilizing beta-alanine to potentially battle this has not yet been observed clinically. Only time will tell but I have a feeling it will prove to be powerful.

On a personal note, I just printed this study out for my father and purchased a beta-alanine supplement for him to send along with it. The research is quite compelling as it alludes to the notion those entering into the world of supplementation later in life can actually benefit much more than the typical athlete in most cases as we’ve seen demonstrated with beta-alanine.

Stout JR, Graves BS, Smith AE, Hartman MJ, Cramer JT, Beck TW, Harris RC. The effect of beta-alanine supplementation on neuromuscular fatigue in elderly (55-92 Years): a double-blind randomized study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008 Nov 7;5(1):21.

Full text found here.

*warm-up sets not included

Upright Close Grip Pulldowns: 200lbs x 10 x 2

Hammer Strength Low Row: 180lbs x 12 x 2

Barbell Bent-over Row: 225lbs x 10 x 2

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Deadlift: 225lbs x 10 x 2

Cable Rows: 150lbs x 10 x 2

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Standing Rope Row: 110lbs x failure x 2

Dumbbell Pullover: 80lbs x 10 x 2

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Stiff Arm Cable Pulldowns: 120lbs x failure x 2

Zottman Curls: 30lbs x 16 x 2

Icarian Single Arm Elevated Curls: 65lbs x failure x 2

PM Cardio: Treadmill 30 min. & 30 min. Stepmill

I’ve increased the volume and am really just focusing on increasing blood volume in the targeted muscle groups. I’ve dropped 70lbs and look like a new person compared to my "before" pictures. Hopefully I’ll get the green light soon to release those in a transformation article I’m writing for Bodybuilding.com.

Vanessa and I just looked at a new place the other day and decided to take it. It’s a lot bigger then our current apartment and will give us some much needed room. We both have strong personalities and in tight quarters there is some unnecessary conflict from time to time, especially when we are both in contest prep mode. It will be relaxing living in a smaller community on the water as well.

AM Cardio: 30 min Treadmill & 30 min Stationary Bicycle

* warm-up sets not included

Cable Crossovers: 50lbs x 20 x 2

Incline Dumbbell Presses: 100lb’ers x 10 x 2

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Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 50lb’ers x 10 x 2

Hammer Strength Flat Bench (wide grip): 27lbs x 10 x 2

Hammer Strength Flat Bench (close grip): 275lbs x failure x 2

Pec Dec: 150lbs x 12 x 2

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Push Ups: BW x 25 x 2

Dips: BW x 20 x 2

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Cable Crossovers: 40lbs x failure x 2

Tricep Pushdowns: 160lbs x 120 x 2

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Underhand Cable Extensions: 100lbs x failure x 2

Single Arm Extensions: 40lbs x failure x 2

Rotatary Calf Press: 200lbs x 20 x 6

Single Leg Rotary Calf Press: 70lbs x 20 x 3

PM Cardio: 1 hour Treadmill

In these last few days I’ve really notice my vascularity go through the roof pretty much at all times. I guess this means my bodyfat is finally really "low" by bodybuilding standards. Even though I’m considered "flat" due to no carbs for quite a few weeks now I do blow up while training. It does put me in a good mental state as opposed to feeling small 24/7. Only 2.5 weeks to go now.

*warm-up sets not included

Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 40lb’ers x 12 x 2

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Front Dumbbell Raises: 30lb’ers x 12 x 2

Reverse Pec Dec: 120lbs x 12 x 2

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Rope Face Pulls: 120lbs x 12 x 2

Barbell Shrugs: 225lbs x 12 x 2

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Behind the Back Barbell Shrugs: 225lbs x 12 x 2

Dumbell Shrugs: 80lb’ers x failure x 2

Decline Sit-ups: BW x 30 x 6

Weighted Broomstick Twists: 20lbs x 60 sec. x 6

Leg Raises: BW x 15 x 6

PM Cardio: 30 min. Stepmill & 30 min. Treadmill

It’s really not cool to ask someone three weeks out from a bodybuilding competition to accompany you to Cold Stone….

As you begin your journey into the world of supplementation you learn the value of hormonal manipulation or even more so, maintaining hormonal homeostasis. While the rewards having elevated testosterone levels are well known some of the less popular hormones such as cortisol are rarely given much thought.

Sure, you are probably aware that this is a hormone related stress and high levels of it can be deleterious to your overall health status. Believe it or not, there is strong relationship between cortisol and testosterone levels. In a nutshell, high levels of cortisol can impair the biosynthesis of testosterone so keeping them controlled, especially as a bodybuilder or someone competing as an elite athlete is of the utmost importance.

Fortunately, a research group from the University of Mississippi studied the effects of phosphatidylserine on endocrine response to moderate intensity exercise. Two of parameters of their clinical trial focused on it’s potential effects with regards to testosterone and cortisol levels. The trial lasted ten days and involved either a placebo or 600mg of phosphatidylserine post workout. After samples were collected and analyzed the results from the ten healthy male participants who underwent a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer showed some pretty remarkable results.

A  600mg daily dose of  phosphatidylserine lowered exercise induced cortisol on average by 35% and increased testosterone 37%. This altered the normal testosterone to cortisol ratio by over 180% which would appear to favor a the hormonal status anyone who exercises would benefit from. This confirmed other clinical studies which showed the inverse relation between cortisol and testosterone. Essentially, phosphatidylserine is effective at reducing exercise induced stress and maintaining optimal testosterone levels which otherwise might fall during long bouts of strenuous exercise.

In a practical application, those of you who are “natural” athletes or those using anabolics could all benefit from this. The reason being, cortisol levels have been attributed to increasing the presence of visceral adipose tissue (belly fat). If you are putting in long hours in the gym phosphatidylserine just might transiently help you maintain or achieve that sought after six pack or may just help your body bounce back a little faster.

Starks MA, Starks SL, Kingsley M, Purpura M, Jäger R. The effects of phosphatidylserine on endocrine response to moderate intensity exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008 Jul 28;5:11.

Full text found here.