Pick my brain!

[Unholy]

Any training or diet related questions you guys may have, I can use the practice. I plan on doing this for a living so might as well help some of you newer lifters out. Figured this would be the best section for this considering that I am not very knowledgeable about powerlifting.

[brihead301]

#1.) (I asked this in your picture thread, but you kind of only half answered it) Do you eat clean 24/7? Or do you cheat on weekends? I only said "in offseason" because I'm assuming that you probably never cheat during the weeks preparing for a contest. I cheat on weekends - all weekend, but It's probably not a good idea to do so.

#2) What is your typical diet during cutting? You don't have to go into detail about exactly what you eat, just low carb, carb cycling, keto, or a moderate carb/pro/fat split.

#3) What is your preferred type of training? Full body, body part split, push/pull/legs, etc...?

Thanks, and good thread!

[jief]

1) how should I place my feet when doing front squat

2)when doing SLDL im not able to get the weight to touch the floor the bar is barely under the knee level, is it bad...how can I correct this

3)post workout I take 75g of malto and 50 of whey but right after I feel very drowsy should I lower my carb in the post workoutshake or should I just deal with it

thanks!

[hairyback40k]

I'm getting a bit tubby; I don't know whether this is down to eating too much or eating the wrong foods.

Here are some examples of food that I eat, that could be contributing: Egg noodles; tortilla wraps; skimmed milk; dark chocolate (small amount) cheese; Five teaspoons sugar (in coffee) . I mostly eat noodles with my veg and chicken, but the rest of my carb intake is from brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes, fruit veg etc.

So do you think I might be eating too much or is it down to poor food choices?

[Off Road]

I haven't read your journal, I probably should...

My question is if you had to cut volume or intensity to keep your lifts up durring the cut? How did you change your training for the cut?

[Unholy]

#1.) (I asked this in your picture thread, but you kind of only half answered it) Do you eat clean 24/7? Or do you cheat on weekends? I only said "in offseason" because I'm assuming that you probably never cheat during the weeks preparing for a contest. I cheat on weekends - all weekend, but It's probably not a good idea to do so.

I am not sure what you mean by cheat exactly? Choosing dirty foods over clean foods? Or going completely above and beyond your normal daily macros? IMHO the first one isn't cheating. If you can fit a double whopper and a shake into your daily macros somehow by all means go for it. If you are trying to hit 55f/165c/200p for example and you splurge at BK and end with 150/400/200 or something that is my definition of "cheating". I try to keep everything I eat within my macros. During my "offseason" I recall my numbers being something like 120/300/275 which allowed me to eat just about anything I wanted on any given day and still work it into my numbers. Hope that helps.

#2) What is your typical diet during cutting? You don't have to go into detail about exactly what you eat, just low carb, carb cycling, keto, or a moderate carb/pro/fat split.

I eat enough fat to keep my joints and brain happy. Enough protein to prevent LBM loss. And as many carbs as possible (eaten mainly during breakfast/pre/post workout) My Current macros are 35/165/200, that is lower fat than I would recommend unless you are doing it for a short time to get super lean and need carbs to perform in the gym.

#3) What is your preferred type of training? Full body, body part split, push/pull/legs, etc...?

I love training antagonist pairs. My split is as follows

3 on 1 off
chest/upper back/ calves/ cardio
hams/quads/glutes/abs
shoulders/bi's/tri's/calves/cardio
off

Thanks, and good thread!

1) how should I place my feet when doing front squat

When doing front squats I like to stand slightly wider than shoulder width and keep my feet slightly more parallel than back squats where I tend to point my toes out a bit more.

2)when doing SLDL im not able to get the weight to touch the floor the bar is barely under the knee level, is it bad...how can I correct this

I would have to know more specifics. Is it a mobility issue with your back? Are you 5'6" @ 350lbs? Are you 6'6" with short arms?

3)post workout I take 75g of malto and 50 of whey but right after I feel very drowsy should I lower my carb in the post workoutshake or should I just deal with it

I wouldn't just deal with it. PWO Insulin spike is over rated. I would pick a more complex carb and just eat a nice PWO meal that doesn't spike your insulin as much.

thanks!

I'm getting a bit tubby; I don't know whether this is down to eating too much or eating the wrong foods.

Here are some examples of food that I eat, that could be contributing: Egg noodles; tortilla wraps; skimmed milk; dark chocolate (small amount) cheese; Five teaspoons sugar (in coffee) . I mostly eat noodles with my veg and chicken, but the rest of my carb intake is from brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes, fruit veg etc.

So do you think I might be eating too much or is it down to poor food choices?

If you are gaining too much fat vs. lean body mass you can attribute that almost 100% to an overly excessive caloric intake. If you aren't counting calories I would start tracking. You would be surprised as to how much you can vary day to day eating calorie dense foods.

I haven't read your journal, I probably should...

My question is if you had to cut volume or intensity to keep your lifts up durring the cut? How did you change your training for the cut?

If it ain't broke don't fix it. I haven't cut down on volume or intensity. I've actually been hitting PR's up until this very day where I hit 225x21 on squats ass to grass. The only lifts that seem to be suffering a tad is flat DB press and even that has been holding pretty steady.

Hope that helps.

[brihead301]

Thanks man. One more question I forgot to ask:

How much importance do you place on actual macros vs. just total calories for the day thing?

I see that you said protien for maintaining LBM, carbs for energy, and fat for keeping your brain happy, but you also said that gaining too much excess calories is the reason for gaining more fat then wanted. I've always been kind of confused about the macros vs. calories thing.

[Unholy]

Basically what I am trying to say is that no matter what your goals are two things are important. First is overall caloric intake, so making sure you are eating a decent 20% deficit on a cut and on a bulk you want to set it up so you are eating ~500 calories/day over maintenance. Once you have that figured out you have to cover your three bases. You need essential fats, at least 1g of protein per 1lb of LBM and enough carbs that you can function normally in the gym the rest of your calories can come from either fat, carbs, or protein. These exact numbers will vary from person to person but the idea is the same. If your maintenance is 3k for example and you are shooting for 3500 on a bulk as long as you are meeting those requirements your EXACT macros should not matter too much. If you go overboard on calories, you will get fat regardless of macro-nutritional breakdown.

[Off Road]

Pretty cool that you were able to maintain your volume and intensity through a cut

[ZenFitness]

Question - how much emphasis do you put on cardio? I am generally pressed for time, so I have sacrificed cardio almost entirely and go to a 3x week full body workout. Just curious as to your thoughts... if pressed for time, would you cut cardio out or just diminish the weights to accommodate some cardio?

[gooby]

Ok, stupid minor question, but whatever. I decided to take a week off till next friday after todays workout. I am taking Results as a supplement, now should I stop taking it during my days off? I dont want to waste it as I dont have much to spend on supplements. So should I keep taking it during the break or not?

[XMadmanX]

Hey Unholy, I have started a cut, I am 80kg and approx 18% BF, I want to get to about 12%. How long should this take me? also, should I do this all in the 1 cut or should I cut a bit, then bulk then cut again?

thanks

[Unholy]

Question - how much emphasis do you put on cardio? I am generally pressed for time, so I have sacrificed cardio almost entirely and go to a 3x week full body workout. Just curious as to your thoughts... if pressed for time, would you cut cardio out or just diminish the weights to accommodate some cardio?

During a bulk I would still do 2-3 quick sessions a week. Usually something along the lines of 7-10 minutes of high intensity post workout. During the final stages of a cut you can add lower intensity cardio to bump the caloric deficit a bit. I guess ultimately it would depend on your goals? I think if you play a sport or do some kind of physical activity there is no need for "cardio" per say. I mean lifting alone gets my heart going pretty damn fast!

Ok, stupid minor question, but whatever. I decided to take a week off till next friday after todays workout. I am taking Results as a supplement, now should I stop taking it during my days off? I dont want to waste it as I dont have much to spend on supplements. So should I keep taking it during the break or not?

Can't say that I've had the opportunity to try results yet.

Hey Unholy, I have started a cut, I am 80kg and approx 18% BF, I want to get to about 12%. How long should this take me? also, should I do this all in the 1 cut or should I cut a bit, then bulk then cut again?



thanks

6% is not too big of a drop at all. It will take ~10 weeks assuming you lose roughly 1lb of fat a week. Which should not be too difficult. You would need roughly a 500cal/day deficit. I would definitely go for it in one shot!

[DieselWarrior]

This is gonna start some flames for me, but I got the shields up so here goes...

(Q1) Do I *REALLY* need to take supplements to build muscle and get strong?



(Q2) What is the best bicep isolation exercise I can do?



(Q3) Ive heard of the "Position of Flexion" (POF), where you exercise the muscles in the stretch, mid-range and peak contraction... Is this any good?



I have my own conclusions, but I am curious to your thoughts, and these are good practice questions.

GL,
Andrew

[ZenFitness]

thanks man

[BigCorey75]

Where do I get an adorable sexy little hat like the one you have in the picture?

[Unholy]

This is gonna start some flames for me, but I got the shields up so here goes...

(Q1) Do I *REALLY* need to take supplements to build muscle and get strong?

Simple answer? No

(Q2) What is the best bicep isolation exercise I can do?


Personally I like DB/Hammer curls. "Best" is really going to depend on your preference and what you respond to optimally. Majority of my arm work comes in the form of compound lifts on chest/back day.


(Q3) Ive heard of the "Position of Flexion" (POF), where you exercise the muscles in the stretch, mid-range and peak contraction... Is this any good?


I have to be honest and start off by saying that I have not tried POF style training or know anyone personally that has. There are many other style of training which incorporate full stretches and contractions. IE DoggCrapp and FST-7. I think that with a full range of motion its not necessary but might be worth a shot if you are plateaued and looking for a new routine. Remember to break a plateau the best routine is the one that you are currently not on.


I have my own conclusions, but I am curious to your thoughts, and these are good practice questions.

GL,
Andrew

Hope that somewhat helps.

thanks man

Where do I get an adorable sexy little hat like the one you have in the picture?

$100 and I'll fedex this one

[accrane]

what supplements are you taking?

[DavyRen]

Where do I get an adorable sexy little hat like the one you have in the picture?

Absolute quality, that really made me laugh

[BigCorey75]

Thats what im here for Davy to educate as well as entertain

[J.C.]

1/ How do you, personally, go about bringing up lagging bodyparts? More of a bodybuilder thing than a powerlifting question. Standard wisdom would dictate that you add a couple of extra sets/exercises but this has always seemed problematic to me. That suggests that you might as well just add extra to everything, which unless you are "assisted", or have the right genetics, isn't going to work. It'll be too much. Also, as a natural ecto, when I've added extra volume I've sometimes found it harder to hit my PRs on the stuff that matters, the big 3, so I've ditched it and gone back to low volume, high intensity, strength-based stuff that I know works best for me.

2/ To what extent do you think it is even possible to "sculpt" your body and how much of muscle shape and body symmetry comes down to genetics? I see that you have very large arms, but a comparatively less developed chest. It seems like the other way around would be more common. Did you do anything special to emphasize the arms? Are you doing anything special to bring up the chest? How is that working? TBH this doesn't bother me too much as I have different aims but I'm still really interested in your opinion.

And good work on the transformation.

[bass slayer]

How much water do you usually drink on a bulk? Im getting about 80oz a day. Should I up it?


Is bulking then cutting really the best way to add muscle size? My goal is to get a physique something like yours


Training a muscle group once a week with reps and sets 2x8, is it enough for an intermediate lifter?

[franklinfan]

Hey, unholy, I've been just reading through your interviews and I'd love some insight:

I was almost 300 lbs in High school, I started working out - doing bodybuilding-type isolation routines - and got down to 230 upon graduating. I started eating like **** and ballooned all the way up to 380lbs (as of late June of 2009) when I graduated with my bachelors. I decided to get serious about getting healthy and am now 310lbs. I have just eaten smaller portions and have made sure to get 30g of fiber every day; I have also kept track of every meal and snack since then. Since early September, I have been doing cardio every day. I burn 1000 calories every day through the elliptical trainer and through swimming.

Okay, sorry about all of the back story - I just wanted to give you some context, so my question is about lifting. I am dead-set on continuing the cardio, every day. I do it at a lower intensity since the aerobic activity burns a greater percentage of fat than higher intensity. But for the lifting, I am at a precipice. I don't know whether or not I should start getting serious about powerlifting (deadlifts, benching, squats), if I should continue my isolation lifts (bodybuilding type routines) or if I should actually start doing doing more athletic lifting (like incorporating cardio with lifts and doing one legged-squats and all of those fancy moves with stability balls, etc.)

My goals are incredibly similar to what yours were when you started. I absolutely want to get to a sub-10% body fat and want to have some musculature. I don't think I want to do contests and I don't need to ever bench over 400 lbs or compete in lifting. I just want to have a low body fat and have a good looking physique (like you, Ryan Reynolds, etc.) I want to look like a normal guy with a shirt on and then want to impress once it's off.

I know this was long-winded and pretty awkward but I figured I'd give it a shot.

Congrats to you and good luck at your show.

[jAy_Dub]

I wanna get shredded, what supplement will get me ripped?!?



No, but really though, whats your cardio routine been like the past few weeks?

[Brian999]

I wanna get shredded, what supplement will get me ripped?!?



No, but really though, whats your cardio routine been like the past few weeks?

I'm interested in what you do for cardio also. I also want to ask if I eat the way I normally eat (about 4800+ calories daily) and just did cardio, can I get a little leaner? It's probably more on weekends, about 5000+ then. I eat a lot, I have been trying to carb cycle. Having a low,med, and high day on training days. If I don't get a high amount of carbs I get very dizzy, or I feel weak for the rest of the day. I tried cutting 600 calories, and I felt the same. I think it's because I'm a fat a** and I'll never be able to cut.

I can do cardio as much as 2x daily on non training days, and once on training.