What's on my mind today?

Today was a rest day for me.  It was also my first day of Phase 2 for M3 — the Bulking Phase!  Yes, today I spent the day eating and eating.  I am ready to hit the gym hard tomorrow.

I will be doing the first workout of my bulk phase tomorrow and I plan to add the Quad Blaster to the routine.  I can't wait to give it a whirl.

I must say that Carlos Dejesus is an awesome man.  He and I have chatted on the phone several times now and the last time we talked was the day the Quad Blaster arrived.  At that time, Carlos asked when I'd be using the Quad Blaster for my first official workout.  He forgot that it was tomorrow and so today he sent me an email asking how the workout went.  When I informed him that the first official workout is tomorrow he asked me to email him with how it goes.  I think his follow up is awesome.

I learned a few things about carb cycling during a bulk today through some reading I was directed to do.  I will not be carb cycling at the start of the bulk phase, but at some point I will need to and at that point I will use the techniques that I picked up today.  Alot of what I learned I already knew, but there were some extra tips thrown in.

For instance, it is suggested that the best way to carb cycle is to have 3 types of days in a week:  high carb, moderate carb and low carb.  The technique I learned starts by figuring how many calories you need.  This is the moderate carb day's number.  It then figures how much protein and carbs you need.  From that number you know how much fat to take in.  You are then supposed to make the carbs match the protein for the moderate day.  You are left with a number for fat.  This number remains constant.  Finally, you add 25% for high carb days to the carbs and subract 25% for the low carb days.  It is really pretty straight forward.

Taking a person who weighs 220 pounds, that person would need 1.5 g. of protein so that would be 330 g. of protein.

You would then have the following table:

	High	Mod	Low
Carb	425	330	248
Prot	330	330	330
Fat	100	100	100
Cals	3872	3539	3212

The simple idea is that fat and protein stays the same throughout the entire week.   If you are working out 3 days a week (lifting that is) you would pick 2 of those days for high carbs and 1 of those days for moderate carbs. You would then pick one other moderate carb day.  The other 3 days remaining would be low carb.

You will notice that since all you do is cycle your carbs up and down, your calories will also cycle up and down.  This is excellent for the metabolism as it keeps your body guessing.  This will help you minimize fat gain while maximizing muscle gain.  Finally, when you have done this for about 8 weeks, you simply drop about 20 grams of carbs each day for a week to adjust your cycle and then repeat it all over again.  It apparently works very well.  I have filed it away for future review, but wanted to share it with everyone.

I took some photos that will remain classified.  They will be my progress meter for this bulk phase.  I also did some stats today.  As mentioned yesterday, I will not be sharing any of that with you until the end of this phase at the earliest, but quite possibly not until the end of M3.

I marked myself off for the 2:30 p.m. meal because I was at a friend's house and ate some things that were not on my plan and were not really good for me.  Suffice to say that it didn't concern me too much because I'm on a bulk, but I should have made better choices, so I've marked myself as a fail for that meal.

Rest day today.

Think of yourself as a machine that needs to receive special care and then do your best to keep yourself running in tip top shape.

What is your #1 long term goal?  Comment this post to answer the question.

Mission 1, Day 20: What is normal?

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

What's on my mind today?
Today

I have finished reading Muscle Revolution by Chad Waterbury.  This book is a must-read for anyone serious about putting on any amount of muscle.  He starts out the book with some specific examples from his own clients from a senior citizen center.  I mention this because I can hear some of you sighing and saying “I'm too old for that” but you really are not.  I strongly recommend you head over to http://www.chadwaterbury.com and pick yourself up a copy of Muscle Revolution.  

Stay tuned to this blog for how this entire plan works.   

Mission 1, Day 19: Motivation

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

What's on my mind today?
Today was

How To Get Ripped With Nutrition

Skinny guys should be eating about 15 x there current body weight in calories for muscle mass.

Skinny guys should eat at least 1- 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.

Skinny guys should be eating at least 2x as many carbs as proteins.

Skinny guys should be getting high quality fats with each meal.

Skinny guys should be getting extra calories through workout nutrition drinks.

Skinny guys should have there largest meals at breakfast, pre-workout and post-workout.

Skinny guys should be eating large quantities of oatmeal, whole grains, potatoes and rice.

Bulky guys should be eating about 10 x there current body weight, in calories, for fat loss.

Bulky guys should eat at least 1 – 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.

Bulky guys should eat a 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbs in the day.

Bulky guys should only eat healthy fats like flax oil, olive oil, nuts and avocado's.

Bulky guys should only consume liquid carbs during the workout.

Bulky guys should consume carbs only in the form of veggies and fruits.

How To Get Ripped With Cardio

Skinny guys should only do cardio if there caloric intake is in a 1000 calorie surplus.

Skinny guys should keep there cardio workouts as far away as possible from there weights.

Skinny guy should keep there cardio workouts less then 20-30 minutes.

Skinny guys should do cardio no more than 2 – 4 x a week.

Skinny guys should perform cardio on a full stomach.

Skinny guys should have a protein-carb workout drink ready after the workout.

Skinny guys should avoid long, endurance style training.

Bulky guys should do there cardio immediately after weights.

Bulky guys should do a mixture of long, slow cardio and interval cardio.

Bulky guys can do cardio up to 7-10 x a week in extreme cases.

Bulky guys should do cardio on a empty stomach for quicker fat loss.

Bulky guys should sip on a protein drink to avoid muscle loss.

There you have it. Now you know how to get ripped fast, whether you are a skinny or bulky.

———————————-

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/

He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

© 2006-2008, Vince DelMonte Fitness. All rights in all media reserved. You may reprint this article so long as the article and author bio are reprinted intake and all links are made live. This article may never be sold individually or as part of a package.

I spent some time reflecting on my upcoming bulk and how great I've been feeling lately. My energy levels are so supremely high.

Mission 1, Day 18: Sticking to a program

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

Again, this was another busy day and I'm tired, so it is off to bed again.  Tomorrow will be another great tip from Vince DelMonte.

Which lean protein source dominates your menu?  Comment this post to answer the question.

Mission 1, Day 17: Setting goals

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

Today started out with an awesome cardio session.  Upon returning from the gym I had to head to the airport for my trip to Seattle.  I packed my small cooler with my meals for the day and brought it with me.

Three more days of cutting and then the bulk begins!

I had a great PACE cardio session on the elliptical today.  I went up to just about the highest resistance and just cranked out the paces (over 270) for the working portions of the PACE session.  I have had a tendency not to hit the cardio sessions as hard as I should and that's changed of late. 

Travelling is no reason to get off track.  It just takes more advanced planning, but it can be accomplished.

How far in advance do you plan your meals?  Comment this post to answer the question.

Mission 1, Day 16: Initial goals (why weight doesn't matter)

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!