What sup?

No I do not suffer from slight dyslexia and misspelled "What's up?".
Today I want to talk a little bit about supplements and my experience with them.
First of all I want to clarify that dietary supplements are exactly what their name implies, "supplements". They can never replace "normal food" and can only work in addition to a well-planned diet or meal plan.
There is a whole bunch of sports nutrition, vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements, etc. on the market and it can be difficult to figure out which ones are necessary, which ones can help you and which ones are just bogus.

After years of personal experience with various products and manufacturers, as well as reading more on the topic, I have narrowed down the field to a handful of essential vitamins, minerals and supplements that proved to work well for me.

Since everybody and also every BODY is different, what works for one might not work for another and vice versa. Since I am nowhere close to being a licensed dietician, nutrition or doctor of any sort, do not mistake this post as any sort of medical or dietary advice. I am just writing about my own personal experience.

Due to the various ingredients, my "pre-contest stack" varies slightly from the supplements I am taking in the "off-season".

What basically remains the same, besides the obvious Whey Protein Isolate (Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein) and the nighttime Casein (Syntrax Matrix ), are the vitamins (Kirkland Signature Daily Multi Vitamins & Minerals Tablets taken twice a day), Glucosamine (Kirkland Signature Extra Strength Glucosamine HCI with MSM for joint health), Fiber (Metamucil Sugar Free), Iron (Feosol Ferrous Sulfate Iron Supplement ), Flaxseed Oil (TruNature Organic Flaxseed Oil), Calcium (Kirkland Signature Calcium with Vitamin D3), Magnesium (Nature Made High Potency Magnesium ), Branch Chain Amino Acids (Gaspari Nutrition BCAA), Glutamine (Optimum Nutrition Glutamine),Alpha Lipoic Acid (Source Naturals ALA) and ZMA (NOW Foods ZMA).

During the off-season I experienced great gains with the GASPARI Nutrition product line. Besides a whey protein/carb mix, I also included Gaspari SuperPump Max to my pre-workout "meal" and felt the promised increase in endurance, as well as focus and "pump". Over a period of eight consecutive weeks I have also used Gaspari SizeOn Maximum Performance during my workouts, as well as Gaspari Viridex XT to increase lean muscle mass with more than satisfying results.

Now that I am preparing for a competition and following a more strict diet, I have dropped all of these products, due to their sugar content, etc., and replaced SuperPump with "regular" Creatine Monohydrate Powder. Since my goal is to decrease my body fat and maintain as much lean muscle mass as possible, I have also added OxyElite Pro, a weight loss product, to my "stack" and take it now twice a day for the next eight weeks.

Along with my carbohydrate reduced meal plan and increased cardio, I am already seeing some improvements in my physique and a drop in body weight of almost 20 pounds within the past 5 weeks.

Step by step...

D is for Deutschland

An 11 day trip to Europe, followed by an extended weekend at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica, two weddings, a three day business trip to Washington, D.C. and potentially another business trip to Las Vegas the week before my first show. It looks like I will be facing a lot of adversity in the weeks leading up to my very first competition.

Just the thought of flying overseas for 11 days in the middle of preparing for a contest caused quite some stress in the previous weeks and raised several questions before the trip.

Would I be able to stick to my diet? Where would I work out? What supplements should I take with me and which ones should I simply buy when I was there? How could I ensure that I would be eating good food every 2 hours while sitting in an airport or on a plane? And so on, and so on.

Well, now that I am back from my "little" excursion to Germany, I can tell you that I found answers to all of these "earth-shattering" questions and am glad to announce that I was able to stick to my workout and diet regiment almost 100%.

As with every trip, planning ahead was everything. Since this would be my first transatlantic flight on a strict diet, I researched the web to see if and what kind of foods I would be able to bring on the plane to ensure that I could eat every two hours, even at 35,000ft above the Atlantic ocean.

TSA approved diet

While the TSA is very strict about fluids, it turned out that neither oats, brown rice, whey protein nor chicken are considered potential weapons and could be taken on a plane. To prepare for 14 hours of flights, connection time and car ride home, I packed three plastic containers with a dry oats/whey protein mix, two containers with brown rice and chicken, a couple protein bars, extra whey protein powder, some casein and my stack of vitamins and minerals in my carry-on luggage. I passed up on the "delicious" airline food, including pretzels, peanuts, etc. and instead ate my own food. It's amazing how delicious brown rice and dry chicken suddenly tastes when you see what the other passengers got served on the flights. I cannot imagine what people on the plane were thinking when I pulled out my little plastic container with oats and protein powder and started mixing it with water.

Once I arrived in Germany, one of my very first stops lead me to my friend Pasquale, who owns a fitness and supplement store (Fitnessworld24.net). Thanks to his expert advice and great assortment in his store, I was able to get sugar/carb free whey isolate protein and casein at a good price and was set for the week in regards of supplements. 

With my supplements taken care of, it was time to organize "real" food. At the local supermarket I was slightly shocked when I converted the price of chicken into US dollars. $5.90 for a pound of chicken breast. Guess the price of chicken and gas prices must be highly correlated. Since I did not want to blow my entire budget on some chicken breasts, I opted to get some Alaskan Pollock in addition to 3 pounds of chicken as my primary source of protein. Due to the bones and "taste" this turned out to be a bad decision and after two days of "fishy, fishy" I went to another supermarket and bought a couple of pounds of chicken at a more reasonable price. Besides my protein, I also had to get my carbohydrates, in form of, big surprise here, brown rice and dry oats, as well as some vegetables. Storage space in the average German home is usually smaller than in the US and so is the typical German refrigerator. The results is that foods are packed in much smaller packages and I had to walk out of the store with several tiny cartons of oats and rice instead of just one large size container. Man, how I missed my Costco that day.

Successful shopping trip: Fish, chicken, brown rice, dry oats and broccoli. 

To ensure that my meals and portion sizes remain the same, I converted my meal plan into metric and even packed a set of American measurement cups.

Once foods and supplements were checked off my to-do-list, my next problem was finding a suitable gym. The gym I used to go to before moving to the States unfortunately went belly up last year, so I had to find a new "home away from home". After talking to friends back in Germany and doing some research on the web I narrowed it down to a couple of places I wanted to check out and try to get a weekly membership. Again it was my friend Pasquale who helped me out tremendously by recommending me his current gym. His place was not on my initial list, but I decided to give it a shot anyways. 

Clever Fit is a chain of fitness clubs in Germany and caters to the average Joe. The facility was very clean and the equipment, consisting of Life Fitness machines, racks, treadmills and ellipticals, was state-of-the-art.  The staff was very friendly and helpful, but unfortunately the number of free weights was very limited and it lacked decent leg presses. However the gym had great hours (M-F 6am-Midnight, S&S 9am-10pm) and I was allowed to do a one week "free trial", so no complaints.  

Clever Fit Fellbach, Germany

Another gym on my list to try out was the Fitnessclub Fellbach. Coincidentally a friend of mine just took over the general manager position at this place so I figured I would take a look at it and see if it had the necessary equipment to get a solid back and leg workout in. It surely did. The place had anything a serious lifter or bodybuilder could ask for. Various leg presses, power rack, squat rack, machines, dumbbells up to 140 lbs. and a good amount of free weights. From an equipment point-of-view it was exactly what I was looking for, however the hours were not very accommodating for a early riser like me (M-F 9am-11pm, Sat 10am-7pm and Sun 10am-5pm) and the atmosphere was somewhat sterile. The old machines and colors gave the place a slight retro look and it felt like a time travel back to the 1990's. 

Fitnessclub Fellbach, Germany

Fitnessclub Fellbach: Back to the future, welcome to 1990. 

German food, pastries, candy, chocolate and baked goods are in my opinion some of the world's best and the things I miss the most in the States. Walking by a bakery and smelling the fresh bread, seeing all the delicious cakes, freshly prepared rolls and pastries was mere torture. Looking at the plates of my relatives loaded with Spätzle, dumplings, gravy, roasts, Schnitzel, filet, sausages and salads at family functions and then just "digging" in my steamed broccoli, cauliflower and grilled chicken required tons of self-discipline and will hopefully pay off when I finally hit the stage in June.     

German Bakery: Homemade pralines, cakes and other confectioneries

Chocolate Store

Even though I resisted all those delicious temptations I will make sure that my next trip to Germany will be in the "off-season" so I can finally enjoy all the deliciousness the German cuisine has to offer.

„Grüße aus Deutschland“!

"Eating and sleeping are a waste of time."

The above quote was made by the late U.S. president Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford and could not be more incorrect when it comes to bodybuilding, lifting, strength training or any form of athletic training in general.

A proper diet and the right amount of sleep are key factors to get the most out of the tedious efforts you are putting in at the gym.

During the "off-season", I am following a meal plan which factors in my body weight, as well as body fat content to help me increase lean muscle mass. In one of my previous posts I went a little bit more into detail on this plan. While I usually stick to this plan most of the time, I allow myself a "window" every once in a while to enjoy a "cheat meal" or something sweet.

Now that I am dieting for a show, all those "cheat meals" are history and my food intake got even more boring and strict. My plan calls for 8 meals per day, including pre-and post-workout meals. Since I am basically required to eat every 2 hours, proper preparation and planning is key. I usually prepare my three main meals (chicken and brown rice, chicken and vegetables) the night before, pack it into plastic containers and just take it to work the next day. For the afternoon Protein Shake, I keep an extra container of protein and a Protein Shaker Cup at work. While I am preparing the food for the next day I also make dinner and eat it while the other food is cooking.

PROTEIN:

To meet my daily protein requirements, I am relying on Whey Protein Isolate, which I mix with water and consume 3 times a day, Casein, chicken, lean red meat and occasionally tuna.

Whey Protein Isolate is a dietary supplement created by filtering milk protein. Since it is quickly absorbed by the body and used to fuel working muscles and stimulate protein synthesis, it is the perfect protein for my pre-and post-workout meals.

Casein is a slow digesting protein and provides a sustained slow release of amino acids into the body's blood stream. This release can last for several hours, depending on the composition, and helps to maintain the muscles in an anabolic state. It is my choice of protein right before going to bed, since it will provide my body with protein for muscle recovery and growth during my sleep.

My main source of protein is chicken breast, of which I currently consume three meals of 10 ounces each. To keep costs manageable, I purchase a 10 lbs. bag of frozen chicken once a week and just throw it on my George Foreman Grill.

To get some variation and fat in my diet, I have an 8 ounce piece of lean red meat for dinner.One of the leanest cuts of beef is the so-called "eye round", which I purchase as a roast, trim off the excessive fat and cut into 8 ounce pieces. In case I did not have time to prepare chicken or feel like eating something different, I always keep a couple cans of tuna (obviously in water) at home.

Protein makes up the majority of my daily caloric intake with around 54%.

CARBOHYDRATES:

I have tried different foods to meet my daily carb intake, such as yams, sweet potatoes, brown rice and oats, but out of sheer laziness and measuring convenience I stuck with plain oats and brown rice, as well as Carbohydrate Powder. I buy everything in bulk and just measure whatever I need.

For my pre-workout meal I have 1.5 cups of oatmeal mixed with my Whey Protein and water and for faster absorption after my workout, I mix Carbohydrate Powder with Whey Protein and water for my post-workout meal.The 10am and 12:30 meals consist each of 1.5 cups of brown rice with chicken.

By now it should become obvious that I probably lack any taste buds in my mouth, so it should not come to a surprise that I actually enjoy plain oats in water or reheated brown rice. However to add some taste to my oats, I usually mix them with my Whey Protein, some cinnamon and Stevia or a spoon of Calorie Free Caramel Dip and to my reheated brown rice I like to add some Calorie Free Barbecue Sauce. When your diet is that plain, every tiny, little bit of additional flavor is amazing.

Carbs make up roughly 34% of the calories I eat every day and consumed with the first four meals of the day.

FATS:

My daily intake of fats is currently very minimal, with most of it coming from meat (chicken and beef) or in form of healthy omega-3 fatty acids from Flaxseed Oil Pills.

Calories from fats account for approximately 12% of my daily calories.

VEGETABLES:

To get more vitamins and also add some "volume" to my meals, I have two meals daily to which I add two cups of vegetables. I keep it here with the rule "the greener, the better" and switch between green beans, lettuce, spinach and broccoli. Again, mainly out of convenience, I buy them frozen and in bulk.

A detailed version of my current "pre-contest diet" can be found in the "FREE NUTRITION PLANS" section on the right hand side.

Besides proper nutrition, rest is one of the most essential principles of performance enhancement and oftentimes overlooked. Ones sleeping habits can seriously affect the body's own muscle building potential and prevent one from reaching his or her full potential.

Muscle adaption or in other words muscle growth is occurring during the recovery time after workouts and not during them. Rest periods give the body time to repair muscle tissues and replenish the muscles' energy stores.

While not getting enough sleep is detrimental in the long-term and has serious negative effects on ones athletic progress, mood and overall health, too much sleep can make one lethargic and slow. By sleeping longer, the body also has to go longer without food and much needed nutrients cannot reach the muscles. A great way to provide continuous "fuel" for your muscles at night is by taking the above mentioned Casein before bedtime.

Recent studies recommend that athletes should sleep for 8-9 hours to give their bodies and minds enough time to rest, recover and refresh. I have discovered that my body reacts best to 6-7 hours of sleep at night.

Sleep, Eat, Train, Repeat!

Practice makes perfect

Today I want to talk a little but more in detail about my current workout plan.

Including weight training and cardio, I basically train every day at the moment. Five days out of the week I lift weights and do cardio, while the remaining two days are active rests (cardio and abs only) days.

In general I train every body part once a week, with the exception of abdominals and my weak body parts (traps and calves) and usually focus on one muscle group each workout.

Mondays I focus on chest in the morning and cardio, calves and abs in the afternoon, Tuesdays I train my back, Wednesdays are my active rest days with abs and cardio, Thursdays are reserved for shoulders and traps, Fridays my plan calls for an intense leg workout, Saturdays are my arm days and on Sundays I do cardio and traps again.

I mentioned in a previous post that my plan is somewhat FST-7 inspired. FST-7 is a training principle created by Hany Rambod and stands for Fascial, Stretch, Training and the 7 refers to seven sets of 12 repetitions performed as the final exercise of the target body part. The "Fascial" set is always a compound lift, the "Stretch" set an isolation exercise with the intention to stretch the muscle, the "Training" set another compound lift and the "7" usually another isolation exercise to focus on a weak part of the target body part and preferably done on a machine to follow a fixed motion. For the "7" exercise, it is important to keep the rest period in between sets around 30 seconds and to constantly drink. Staying hydrated and stretching in between sets pushes fluids into the targeted muscle and stretches the fascia even further. The result is an intense "pump" after the workout and an increase in muscle volume.

Before I get swamped with smart ass emails pointing out that I have other/more exercises than traditional FST-7 workouts or that FST-7 requires all smaller muscles to be trained twice a week, etc., I want to clarify again that my workout is not an exact copy of the FST-7 training principle but rather a combination of exercises and methodologies, that have proven to work for me in the past and evolved over time, with many FST-7 elements.

I usually perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise with 60 to 90 seconds rest in between sets and "finish off" the specific body part with the above mentioned "7" principle before doing cardio and 15 minutes of posing.

From years of experience I cannot emphasize the importance of training in the "right" environment and having a reliable and equally motivated training partner/s. Training at a "real" gym and not at a "fitness center" can have a huge impact one ones personal motivation and mood. Besides having the right equipment and sufficient amounts of weights (plates, as well as heavy dumbbells) "real" gyms also tend to attract more highly motivated individuals, creating a more "competitive" and more energetic environment. I changed gyms in the Fall of 2011 and could not be happier. I wouldn't say that going from the "poor man's country club" to a serious gym with experienced lifters and bodybuilders was a "life changing" event but definitely a huge step in the right direction. Learning from accomplished bodybuilders or powerlifters has helped me to gain more lean muscle mass and strength in the off-season and invaluable, now that I am preparing for an actual contest.

A detailed version of my current workout plan can be found on the right hand side under "FREE WORKOUT PLANS".

Lift sssings up and put sssem down.

I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday

The first week is completed, only 14 more to go.

I started early Monday morning with a solid chest workout, followed by 30 minutes of cardio and another 30 minutes cardio and ab session in the afternoon. Tuesday I did back and cardio in the morning and another 30 minutes of elliptical training in the evening. Wednesday was my non-training/active recovery day with abs and 30 minutes of cardio in the morning and Thursday my focus was on shoulder and traps. To accommodate for my training partners' busy work schedules I moved our extensive leg workout from Saturday to Friday and will keep it that way. So after "killing" my quads, hammies and calves on Friday I did forearms, biceps and triceps on Saturday. Even though I used to keep it "biblical" and Sunday was my "day of rest", I added another 30 minute cardio session Sunday mornings to further increase the chance to reach my goals by June 16th.

A detailed version of my training plan can be found in the "FREE WORKOUT PLANS" section in the right side bar.

So Sunday afternoon the first moment of truth came when I stepped on the scale. As expected my weight dropped. Even though probably most of it was water weight, the scale announced a drop of 3.4 pounds compared to last Sunday's weight in. A nice start to my quest.

Since a picture says more than a thousand words, I decided to add a weekly progress picture to my posts. As mentioned in my introductory post, I have been taking a picture of myself once a week over the past year and documented well the changes of my body. If you are starting a new diet and workout regiment, I would strongly recommend doing the same. Besides your body weight and picture, it also helps to record your body fat, the size of your arms, calves, chest, neck, thighs and waist, along with any changes in your diet and "supplement stack" (more about that in one of my upcoming posts).

Little Kodak Moment.

So it begins...

The title says it all. Today is the first day of my contest preparation, a.k.a. the beginning of my strict diet. I have been eating fairly clean over the past year and used a customized diet to build lean muscle mass.

My "old" diet was designed to add lean muscle mass by taking into consideration body weight and body fat content and working with the body's natural insulin production. The result was a pretty solid meal plan that was divided into training days and non-training days. Training days consisted of 7 meals plus an additional during/post workout shake with the last carbohydrate intake around 2:30 in the afternoon. Non-training days, including cardio days, reduced carb containing meals to a total of three and increased the total protein intake. The result was a gain in 15 pounds of lean muscle mass.

My "new" diet reduced my daily intake of carbohydrates by almost half and increased my protein consumption by around 25%. The pre-contest diet also prohibits any "cheat meals", fruits, sugars and dairy products. What's left is basically a mix of oats, brown rice, vegetables, such as green beans, broccoli, lettuce and cauliflower, chicken, lean red meat and various sorts of fish, as well as whey protein isolate and casein (obviously both sugar free).

A detailed version of my training plan can be found in the "FREE NUTRITION PLANS" section in the right side bar.

My current body weight is 286 pounds with a caliper measured body fat content of 6.5%. I am now 104 days out and will try to reduce my body fat to roughly around 3.5-4%, while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible. It is shear impossible to lose fat without losing some muscle mass, but I trust that this specific diet will minimize the loss of muscle.

In addition to this drastic change in my diet, I have also made some alteration to my training plan and increased my cardio. The new workout incorporates basically elements of FST-7 and was altered by me to focus on my weaknesses (upper chest, calves and forearms). While I am still doing fairly heavy weight, the emphasis is now also on reps (8-12), forced reps, shorter breaks, stretching/flexing the muscles in between sets reps and good technique.

Cardio went up from two sessions a week to 8 times a week, with a mix of elliptical trainer, steep incline treadmill and stair master. Since I am trying to lose fat without sacrificing too much muscle mass, I am trying to keep my pulse in between 110 and 125bpm.

Time to do some chest and cardio.