Allen's Off Season Training and Nutrition

[Allen Cress]

This is my first week back after 17 days off from training and diet. I am currently just 4lbs over my contest weight at 194 lbs. I will gradually build back into intensity this next week and go all out starting next week. he

As far as diet I am going to do the Cycle Diet, which i haven't done in about 3 years. I will start my calories at 3000 and do a 40/45/15 split. I will have a Mid-week calorie spike on Wednesdays and an all out re-feed day on Saturdays.

Here is my training split for my new protocol.

Day 1: Chest/ Arms
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Back
Day 4: Off
Day 5: Shoulders/ Arms
Day 6: Power day
Day 7: Off

Here is an example of one of my Chest/Arms days:

1) Low incline DB press 3 x 5-6, 100 lbs
2) High Incline DB press 3 x 6-8 ,90 lbs
3a) Push ups on push up bar with feet elevated high 3 x 10-15
3b) DB floor press lockouts 3 x 6-8, 80 lbs
4a) Horizontal cable fly 3 x 15-20, 25 lbs
4b) Flat BB press (no lockout, feet up) 3 x 10-12, 175 lbs

5a) DB concentration curl 3 x 8-12, 35 lbs
5b) One arm low rope ext. 3 x 12-15, 30 lbs
6a) Single arm DB preacher curl 3 x 8-10, 35 lbs
6b) One arm Horizontal cable ext. 3 x 12-15, 55 lbs
7a) Single arm Zottman curl 3 x 8-10, 30 lbs
7b) One arm pushdowns 3 x 15-20, 17.5 lbs

The plan this off season is to obviously put on as much quality size as possible and I have until next march before I start contest prep for my next contest. this will be the longest off season I have had in about 5 years. Time to hit it hard and grow!

[Allen Cress]

My first week back and can't hardly walk after Legs, LOL. I knew this was coming.

1) BB split squat 3 x 8-10, 145 lbs
2) BB alternating lunges 3 x 8-10, 135 lbs
3) Single DB split squat, lateral side 3 x 10-12, 75 lbs
4) BB squats 3 x 25, 205 lbs
5) Single leg extention 3 x 12-15, 30 lbs

AB/ Core for 15 min

Tonite is my first spike night, time to put away about 3000 calories in ine meal!

[Behemoth]

I'm in for this, very excited to follow along!

How did you handle your transition over? Being only 4lbs over stage weight while not liftin for 17 days is jaw dropping impressive to me.

Curious as to what you day to day calories/macros are as well as the midweek spike and full out refeed day. Care to indulge?

[Allen Cress]

I'm in for this, very excited to follow along!

How did you handle your transition over? Being only 4lbs over stage weight while not liftin for 17 days is jaw dropping impressive to me.

Curious as to what you day to day calories/macros are as well as the midweek spike and full out refeed day. Care to indulge?

On my 2 weeks off I just ate freely and if I wanted something I would have it. I ate sandwiches, and lots of homecooked foods during my time off like pot roast, quiche, lasagna, etc... I would eat out usally once a day. I really never touch fast food as I enjoy more quality type foods like staek, sushi, and only occasionally have dessert as I like more fat oriented foods.

My metabolic rate is very high and has become more and more efficient every year from proper training protocols and sound nutrition as well. Over the last 3-4 years I never really rebound at all after a contest but I also dont binge and go crazy with junk food like a lot of competitors do because of the extremes they went to during prep.

I listed my calories above, they are at 3000 on my diet days. I usually take in around an extra 3000-5000 calories on my Mid-week spike and around 10-15,000 on my re-feed days.

Here was a meal I had this Wed for my Mid-week spike:
- 8 wings
- large salad w/ ranch, eggs, cheese, ham, fritos
- 6 rolls with butter
- 16oz NY strip
- Loaded baked potato
- 2rice cakes with natural peanut butter.

I don't have sugar oriented foods on my mid-week spike.

[Behemoth]

Here was a meal I had this Wed for my Mid-week spike:
- 8 wings
- large salad w/ ranch, eggs, cheese, ham, fritos
- 6 rolls with butter
- 16oz NY strip
- Loaded baked potato
- 2rice cakes with natural peanut butter.

That was done at texas roadhouse wasn't it?

[Allen Cress]

That was done at texas roadhouse wasn't it?

LOL, no, but i like that place. It was at a locally owned restaurant.

[Allen Cress]

Yesterday was my first whole re-feed day and I knew I needed it. I actually weighed 1 lb under contest weight Saturday morning. I was up 18 lbs this morning from it. I will more than likely be back down near my starting weight before my Mid-week spike on Wed.

Hopefully with the Half day spike on Wednesdays my body will start storing again, but we're just getting started. With my training protocol i should definitley add some size.

Here was the cheat day:

Meal 1
-10 eggs over medium
-6 sausage links
-8 pieces of toast with peanut butter and jelly
-apple fritter

Meal 2
-Homemade cornbread chcicken pot pie (ate almost the whole thing but my GF snuck out a piece)
-1 pint of ice cream

Meal 3
-Chips and queso
-Chicken nachos
-3/4 lb burger with bacon, onion rings and cheese on top
-Fries
-4 scoops ice cream

Meal 4
-loaf of homemade banana bread with peanut butter and jelly

Meal 5
-30 buffalo wings
-cobb salad
-fries

Meal 6
-2 burgers
-Steak burrito
-1 pint ice cream


Had a killer Chest/Arms workout with a massive pump from all the calories on my re-feed day.

[Allen Cress]

Had a good back workout, but can feel that its definitely the day before my mid-week spike as my energy levels dipped some towards the end of the workout.

1) T bar row 3 x 8-10, 165 lbs
2) One arm DB row 3 x 8-10, 120 lbs
3) Close grip pulldown 3 x 10-12, 200 lbs
4) Wide Pulldown 3 x 10-12, 180 lbs

5a) Alternating Tubing speed rows 3 x 20 each arm
5b) Recline pull ups 3 x 10-15
5c) BB shrugs 3 x 10-12, 275 lbs

6) Single leg calf raise 3 x 25-30
7a) Standing calf raise 3 x 8-10, 130 lbs
7b) Seated calf raise 3 x 15-20, 20 lbs

[Behemoth]

Any chance posting some workouts with the weight you use. I know you consider feeling the muscle much greater than simply the weight you use, which I agree with. Just curious as to how much weight you and still keep that solid mind muscle state where you're not just goin through the motions.

[Allen Cress]

Any chance posting some workouts with the weight you use. I know you consider feeling the muscle much greater than simply the weight you use, which I agree with. Just curious as to how much weight you and still keep that solid mind muscle state where you're not just goin through the motions.

Sure. I will edit my previous posts with weights used.

[Mclovin1]

What does your current diet look like when your not cheating LOL

[Allen Cress]

What does your current diet look like when your not cheating LOL

Its the same pretty much everyday. I have some variety but its the same each meal for the most part. Calories are always exactly the same as they have to be for the cycle diet to work.

1) 2 cups egg whites, 3 shredded wheat biscuits, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
2) 2 scoops Nitrean, 1 serving Results
3) 160g Chicken, 140 g pasta or 2.5 cups rice
4) 160g chicken, 280g potato
5) 2 cans tuna, 60g mini rice cakes
6) 2 cups egg whites

[Joe Black]

Super clean diet!

Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing how your off season pans out!

[ryuage]

im curious as to why you would require a refeed if you already are in a calorie surplus (ie not cutting)

[Allen Cress]

im curious as to why you would require a refeed if you already are in a calorie surplus (ie not cutting)

3000 calories is not a calorie surplus for me by any means, its submaintenance which is how the cycle diet works and why I need a mid-week spike and a re-feed day. This diet is designed to gain muscle while staying pretty lean.

Last off season I was up to 6000 calories. This is where individuality comes in and why formulas are only a base to start from.

[Behemoth]

3000 calories is not a calorie surplus for me by any means, its submaintenance which is how the cycle diet works and why I need a mid-week spike and a re-feed day. This diet is designed to gain muscle while staying pretty lean.

Last off season I was up to 6000 calories. This is where individuality comes in and why formulas are only a base to start from.

Very intriguing. Of the last year or two I've learned the importance of some sort of cyclical approach for off season gaining.

What do you factor your maintenance to be at? And averaged over a week, would I be correct in assuming you are in a surplus?

[Allen Cress]

Very intriguing. Of the last year or two I've learned the importance of some sort of cyclical approach for off season gaining.

What do you factor your maintenance to be at? And averaged over a week, would I be correct in assuming you are in a surplus?

My maintenance would probably be around 3500 or so, but would have to implement it to really know.

It would be hard to get an average due to flucuations in my mid0week spike and re-feed day as I can take in 10,000 cal one day and the next week do 13,000 on a re-feed day. But yes I am in a slight calorie suplus due to the re-feeds. One of the keys with this diet is maintaining high leptin levels and keep them from downregulating, hence the 1 and half spike days.

[Allen Cress]

More than likely I will go back to a bulking type diet around August-September and do that until I start my contest prep next year.

[Allen Cress]

Training was extremely intense today. The tri-plexes had my oxygen debt thru the roof and I had a tremendous pump thru the whole workout.

1) Wide Pulldowns 3 x 12-15, 200 lbs
2) Reverse pulldown 3 x 12-15, 180 lbs

3a) Compound Tubing Row 3 x 15-20
3b) DB pullover 3 x 10-12, 75 lbs
3c) DB shrug, hammer grip 3 x 15-20, 100 lbs

4) One arm DB row 3 x 10-12, 110 lbs

5a) Alternating bent DB row with rotations 3 x 10-15, 40 lbs
5b) Tubing swimmers 3 x 15
5c) BB shrugs 3 x 8-10, 275 lbs

Tomorrow is my Mid-week spike and hunger is very high right now.

[Coke]

Killer back and trap workout Allen, what you are doing is great.

[f=ma]

checking in... how is the offseason training and diet going? anything noteworthy happening?

[Allen Cress]

checking in... how is the offseason training and diet going? anything noteworthy happening?

Everything is going great. I'm steadily gaining weight while staying lean. I've put on 8lbs in last 2 weeks. The diet is point on with the Mid-weeks spike and all out re-feed day.

I have about 7 weeks left on my current protocol then I am helping Scott put on a Workshop in Canada then a week off brfore hitting my next protocol.

[Allen Cress]

My power day went well. Its very demanding on the nervous system. I always keep at least 2 reps in the tank on all exercises.

1A) Flat BB bench press 10 x 4, 240lbs
1B) Leg press 10 x 10, 7 plates per side

2) Deadlifts 5 x 5, 290 lbs

[Behemoth]

Do you have business cards that have your website on it? I bet you get a lot of tail with the right implementation of those... not that you ever would use them for that of course

[Joe Black]

Man, your refeeds sound gooooooooooooooooooooooood

Hey, I haven;t forgotted about that flyer, things are just crazy right now!

We'll be running your article soon too, I haven;t forgotten that either