Bernanke Sees A Recovery – How Would He Know?

September 10, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

“Our forecast is for moderate but positive growth going into next year. We think that by the spring, early next year, that as these credit problems resolve and, as we hope, the housing market begins to find a bottom, that the broader resiliency of the economy, which we are seeing in other areas outside of housing, will take control and will help the economy recover to a more reasonable growth pace.”
On Friday, investors took great cheer in an optimistic statement by Ben Bernanke suggesting good prospects for economic growth ahead. We might be inclined to place a sliver of credibility in Chairman Bernanke’s assessment – if not for the fact that the quote above wasn’t from last week at all, but rather, hails back to November 8, 2007, just before the recent recession began.

via John Hussman

Interesting Overview of American Healthcare System

September 6, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

Some excerpts from an article in The Atlantic

Almost two years ago, my father was killed by a hospital-borne infection in the intensive-care unit of a well-regarded nonprofit hospital in New York City. Dad had just turned 83, and he had a variety of the ailments common to men of his age. But he was still working on the day he walked into the hospital with pneumonia. Within 36 hours, he had developed sepsis. Over the next five weeks in the ICU, a wave of secondary infections, also acquired in the hospital, overwhelmed his defenses. My dad became a statistic—merely one of the roughly 100,000 Americans whose deaths are caused or influenced by infections picked up in hospitals. One hundred thousand deaths: more than double the number of people killed in car crashes, five times the number killed in homicides, 20 times the total number of our armed forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another victim in a building American tragedy.

…

I’m a businessman, and in no sense a health-care expert. But the persistence of bad industry practices—from long lines at the doctor’s office to ever-rising prices to astonishing numbers of preventable deaths—seems beyond all normal logic, and must have an underlying cause. There needs to be a business reason why an industry, year in and year out, would be able to get away with poor customer service, unaffordable prices, and uneven results—a reason my father and so many others are unnecessarily killed.

…

The housing bubble offers some important lessons for health-care policy. The claim that something—whether housing or health care—is an undersupplied social good is commonly used to justify government intervention, and policy makers have long striven to make housing more affordable. But by making housing investments eligible for special tax benefits and subsidized borrowing rates, the government has stimulated not only the construction of more houses but also the willingness of people to borrow and spend more on houses than they otherwise would have. The result is now tragically clear.

…

Comprehensive health insurance is such an ingrained element of our thinking, we forget that its rise to dominance is relatively recent. Modern group health insurance was introduced in 1929, and employer-based insurance began to blossom during World War II, when wage freezes prompted employers to expand other benefits as a way of attracting workers. Still, as late as 1954, only a minority of Americans had health insurance. That’s when Congress passed a law making employer contributions to employee health plans tax-deductible without making the resulting benefits taxable to employees. This seemingly minor tax benefit not only encouraged the spread of catastrophic insurance, but had the accidental effect of making employer-funded health insurance the most affordable option (after taxes) for financing pretty much any type of health care. There was nothing natural or inevitable about the way our system developed: employer-based, comprehensive insurance crowded out alternative methods of paying for health-care expenses only because of a poorly considered tax benefit passed half a century ago.

…

Insurance is probably the most complex, costly, and distortional method of financing any activity; that’s why it is otherwise used to fund only rare, unexpected, and large costs. Imagine sending your weekly grocery bill to an insurance clerk for review, and having the grocer reimbursed by the insurer to whom you’ve paid your share. An expensive and wasteful absurdity, no?
Is this really a big problem for our health-care system? Well, for every two doctors in the U.S., there is now one health-insurance employee—more than 470,000 in total. In 2006, it cost almost $500 per person just to administer health insurance. Much of this enormous cost would simply disappear if we paid routine and predictable health-care expenditures the way we pay for everything else—by ourselves.

…

Moral hazard has fostered an accidental collusion between providers benefiting from higher costs and patients who don’t fully bear them. In this environment, trying to control costs is awfully tough. When Medicare cut reimbursement rates in 2005 on chemotherapy and anemia drugs, for instance, it saved almost 20 percent of the previously billed costs. But Medicare’s total cancer-treatment costs actually rose almost immediately. As The New York Times reported, some physicians believed their colleagues simply performed more treatments, particularly higher-profit ones.
Want further evidence of moral hazard? The average insured American and the average uninsured American spend very similar amounts of their own money on health care each year—$654 and $583, respectively. But they spend wildly different amounts of other people’s money—$3,809 and $1,103, respectively. Sometimes the uninsured do not get highly beneficial treatments because they cannot afford them at today’s prices—something any reform must address. But likewise, insured patients often get only marginally beneficial (or even outright unnecessary) care at mind-boggling cost. If it’s true that the insurance system leads us to focus on only our direct share of costs—rather than the total cost to society—it’s not surprising that insured families and uninsured ones would make similar decisions as to how much of their own money to spend on care, but very different decisions on the total amount to consume.

…

In 2007, employer-based health insurance cost, on average, more than $12,000 per family, up 78 percent since 2001. I’ve run several companies and company divisions of various sizes over the course of my career, so I can confidently tell you that raises (and even entry-level hiring) are tightly limited by rising health-care costs. You may think your employer is paying for your health care, but in fact your company’s share of the insurance premium comes out of your potential wage increase. Where else could it come from?
Let’s say you’re a 22-year-old single employee at my company today, starting out at a $30,000 annual salary. Let’s assume you’ll get married in six years, support two children for 20 years, retire at 65, and die at 80. Now let’s make a crazy assumption: insurance premiums, Medicare taxes and premiums, and out-of-pocket costs will grow no faster than your earnings—say, 3 percent a year. By the end of your working days, your annual salary will be up to $107,000. And over your lifetime, you and your employer together will have paid $1.77 million for your family’s health care. $1.77 million! And that’s only after assuming the taming of costs! In recent years, health-care costs have actually grown 2 to 3 percent faster than the economy. If that continues, your 22-year-old self is looking at an additional $2 million or so in expenses over your lifetime—roughly $4 million in total.

…

Whatever their histories, nearly all developed countries are now struggling with rapidly rising health-care costs, including those with single-payer systems. From 2000 to 2005, per capita health-care spending in Canada grew by 33 percent, in France by 37 percent, in the U.K. by 47 percent—all comparable to the 40 percent growth experienced by the U.S. in that period. Cost control by way of bureaucratic price controls has its limits.

…

Health care is an exceptionally heavily regulated industry. Health-insurance companies are regulated by states, which limits interstate competition. And many of the materials, machines, and even software programs used by health-care facilities must be licensed by state or federal authorities, or approved for use by Medicare; these requirements form large barriers to entry for both new facilities and new vendors that could equip and supply them.
Many health-care regulations are justified as safety precautions. But many also result from attempts to redress the distortions that our system of financing health care has created. And whatever their purpose, almost all of these regulations can be shaped over time by the powerful institutions that dominate the health-care landscape, and that are often looking to protect themselves from competition.
Take the ongoing battle between large integrated hospitals and specialty clinics (for cardiac surgery, orthopedics, maternity, etc.). The economic threat posed by these facilities is well illustrated by a recent battle in Loma Linda, California. When a group of doctors proposed a 28-bed private specialty facility, the local hospitals protested to the city council that it was unnecessary, and launched a publicity campaign to try to block it; the council backed the facility anyway. So the nonprofit Loma Linda University Medical Center simply bought the new facility for $80 million in 2008. Traditional hospitals got Congress to include an 18-month moratorium on new specialty hospitals in the 2003 Medicare law, and a second six-month ban in 2005.

…

Consider the oft-quoted “statistic” that emergency-room care is the most expensive form of treatment. Has anyone who believes this ever actually been to an emergency room? My sister is an emergency-medicine physician; unlike most other specialists, ER docs usually work on scheduled shifts and are paid fixed salaries that place them in the lower ranks of physician compensation. The doctors and other workers are hardly underemployed: typically, ERs are unbelievably crowded. They have access to the facilities and equipment of the entire hospital, but require very few dedicated resources of their own. They benefit from the group buying power of the entire institution. No expensive art decorates the walls, and the waiting rooms resemble train-station waiting areas. So what exactly makes an ER more expensive than other forms of treatment?
Perhaps it’s the accounting. Since charity care, which is often performed in the ER, is one justification for hospitals’ protected place in law and regulation, it’s in hospitals’ interest to shift costs from overhead and other parts of the hospital to the ER, so that the costs of charity care—the public service that hospitals are providing—will appear to be high. Hospitals certainly lose money on their ERs; after all, many of their customers pay nothing. But to argue that ERs are costly compared with other treatment options, hospitals need to claim expenses well beyond the marginal (or incremental) cost of serving ER patients.
In a recent IRS survey of almost 500 nonprofit hospitals, nearly 60 percent reported providing charity care equal to less than 5 percent of their total revenue, and about 20 percent reported providing less than 2 percent. Analyzing data from the American Hospital Directory, The Wall Street Journal found that the 50 largest nonprofit hospitals or hospital systems made a combined “net income” (that is, profit) of $4.27 billion in 2006, nearly eight times their profits five years earlier.

…

Here’s a wonderful example of price opacity. Advocates for the uninsured complain that hospitals charge uninsured patients, on average, 2.5 times the amount charged to insured patients. Hospitals defend themselves by contending that they earn from uninsured patients only 25 percent of the amount they do from insured ones. Both statements appear to be true!

…

Ten days after my father’s death, the hospital sent my mother a copy of the bill for his five-week stay: $636,687.75. He was charged $11,590 per night for his ICU room; $7,407 per night for a semiprivate room before he was moved to the ICU; $145,432 for drugs; $41,696 for respiratory services. Even the most casual effort to compare these prices to marginal costs or to the costs of off-the-shelf components demonstrates the absurdity of these numbers, but why should my mother care? Her share of the bill was only $992; the balance, undoubtedly at some huge discount, was paid by Medicare.

Rep Ranges

June 2, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

Unofficial exercise rep ranges and summary of DC Training:

via http://dc-training.blogspot.com/2005/11/unofficial-exercise-rep-ranges-and.html

(DISCLAIMER: the answers here are just my understanding of DC, I’m not pretending I’m Dogg or IH or a certified trainer in DC, this is just how I do it – and it’s working extremely well for me)

1. Yeah, you basically have six workouts, three for upper body minus biceps/forearms and three for lower body and biceps/forearms. So you need three exercises for each muscle, and you cycle through these; in two weeks you’ll have done all six workouts (training 3 days a week) and done all exercises once.

You don’t rest after 16 days, basically you ‘blast’ (go balls out, trying to increase weight each time) for 6-12 weeks (they recommend 8 and see how you handle it, if you can go on for longer do longer) and then take a ‘cruise’ for two weeks – this is two weeks where you drop a meal (to get your appetite back) and train with straight sets (no rp) at about 90% of your max weight, if you want to skip a workout or two feel free, this is to get your mental and physical sanity back. A lotta guys do specialised routines like 6-week blasts and 10-day cruises but they’re generally trained by DC or IH, I started with 8 weeks blast, two weeks cruise, then it went to 7 weeks, 2 weeks and has stayed around there since. If you feel like you gotta stop earlier, stop earlier, this program borders on overtraining if you don’t eat and rest properly so it’s best to stop before you burn out (as is sensible).

The key is progression (extra weight) so every two weeks you’re cycling through your exercises again, so for every two weeks of blast you’ve got a chance to beat the logbook on each exercise and that’s where growth happens.

2) Each exercise is as many warmups as you feel you need, then one rest-pause set which is the workset. Like you warm up, then hit the exercise until failure, 15 deep breaths, hit it again until failure (you should get half the reps or thereabouts), 15 more deep breaths then one more set (again, half the reps of the previous mini-set). Then you stretch, you can stretch after the exercise or after a few related exercise, like I do bicep workset, forearms workset, then stretch biceps and forearms (makes sense to me). You can do chest/triceps/shoulder worksets and then stretch all three bodyparts or stretch the muscle in question after its exercise, either way works.

Incidentally not all exercises are rest-paused, only chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps, backwidth and some hamstring exercises; calves and forearms are straight-setted for 12 reps; other exercises have their own protocols. Quads are one heavy set (4-6 if a squat, 6-10 if a leg press or hack squat) and then a 20 rep widowmaker, incidentally Dante has often said that you don’t have to do the widowmaker on the same exercise as the heavy set, like you can do free squats for 4-6 and then hack squats for your 20 repper. (he said that ’cause really big guys have problems breathing for 20 rep free squats but it doesn’t just apply to them); deadlifts and rack deadlifts are 6-8 heavy, 3-4 heavier (50-60lb difference for me but I doubt that’s absolute); bent rows and t-bar rows are a straight set of 12; sumo leg press is a 12-20 straight set, leg curls are 20-30 rest-paused, SLDL to be honest I’m not sure, I’ve seen conflicting advice, one is a straight set of 12, the other is to do six reps, and keep adding 10lbs to the bar until you can’t get six, then next time start around 40lbs under the weight that stumped you.

Other muscles get a rep range in which your rest pause set must come under, for chest and shoulders it’s 11-15rp, triceps it’s 11-15rp (except skullcrushers which is 15-30 rp), biceps is 15-20 (preacher curls 11-15rp), back width (pulldowns etc) and dips are 15-20rp, err, what’ve I forgotten..

3) The eating is individual, DCers don’t count fats, carbs or calories, they go by their hunger, they get their protein down, eat carbs until they’re full and take their EFAs. Meals are kept pro/fat or pro/carb but that’s individual again, some people don’t seperate macros if it doesn’t bother them…

DC says you don’t count calories because you don’t need a magic number of calories each day, and I agree with him, some days you’ll need more and others you’ll need less. Like today I’ve eaten like 100g of carbs because I’ve sat on my arse most of the day, weekdays I eat more like 400. Get the protein in and eat as much as you need to get through the day and work out at peak efficiency.

4) Cardio is individual as well. To start with you do it on offdays and see whether you need less or more to control bodyfat. It’s generally low-intensity so as not to intefere with leg recovery. I personally managed HIIT over the summer and still made progress with the 3way DC split (as an experiment) but not if I was training legs twice a week.

For pre-cardio nutrition it’s up to you mate, some people have a small whey shake, others BCAAs, others a completely empty stomach.. if you go into the Roundtable forum on intensemuscle and look up the cardio topic you’ll see the experts suggesting all of those, I guess you gotta see what works for you.
DC has said BCAAs if you want to gain muscle and lose bodyfat, otherwise whey is just fine.. I go with that personally but sometimes do it on empty.

Extreme Stretching for DC Training

June 2, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

via bodybuilder Jason Meuller:

I happily take my hat off to Dogg and give credit where credit is due, the guy is an amazing trainer and showed a young and cocky Jason Meuller what hardcore was really all about back in ’94. He believes like Jon Parillo did, that “extreme stretching” directly after a bodypart is trained is key for recuperation, recovery, and a primer for growth via fascial stretching and maybe even hyperplasia (more on that in a future article). He’s outlined a series of stretches that he finds extremely effective at both avoiding injuries and adding size during cycles. These includes the weights he uses, which readers will obviously have to adjust (more than likely down) according to their own strength levels. Every extreme stretch is done right after that body part has been trained.

Chest

Flat bench 90lb dumbbells chest high–lungs full of air–first 10 seconds
drop down into deepest stretch and then next 50 seconds really push the
stretch (this really, really hurts) but do it faithfully and come back and
post on the AE message board in 4 weeks and tell me if your chest isn’t much
fuller and rounder

Triceps

Seated on a flat bench-my back up against the barbell—75lb dumbbell in my
hand behind my head (like in an overhead dumbbell extension)–sink dumbbell
down into position for the first 10 seconds and then an agonizing 50 seconds
slightly leaning back and pushing the dumbbell down with the back of my head

Shoulders

This one is tough to describe–put barbell in squat rack shoulder
height–face away from it and reach back and grab it palms up (hands on
bottom of bar)—walk yourself outward until you are on your heels and the
stretch gets painful–then roll your shoulders downward and hold for 60
seconds

Biceps

Just like the above position but hold barbell palms down now (hands on top of
bar)–sink down in a squatting position first and if you can hack it into a
kneeling position and then if you can hack that sink your butt down–60
seconds–I cannot make it 60 seconds– I get to about 45—it’s too painful–if
you can make it 60 seconds you are either inhuman or you need to raise the
bar up another rung

Back

Honestly for about 3 years my training partner and I would hang a 100lb
dumbbell from our waist and hung on the widest chinup bar (with wrist straps)
to see who could get closest to 3 minutes–I never made it–I think 2 minutes
27 seconds was my record–but my back width is by far my best body part–I
pull on a doorknob or stationary equipment with a rounded back now and it’s
way too hard too explain here–just try it and get your feel for it

Hamstrings

Either leg up on a high barbell holding my toe and trying to force my leg
straight with my free hand for an excruciating painful 60 seconds

Quads

Facing a barbell in a power rack about hip high –grip it and simultaneously
sink down and throw your knees under the barbell and do a sissy squat
underneath it while going up on your toes. Then straighten your arms and lean
as far back as you can—60 seconds and if this one doesn’t make you hate my
guts and bring tears to your eyes nothing will—do this one faithfully and
tell me in 4 weeks if your quads don’t look a lot different than they used to Calves
My weak body part that I couldn’t get up too par until 2 years ago when I
finally thought it out and figured out how to make them grow (with only one
set twice a week too). I don’t need to stretch calves after because when I do
calves I explode on the positive and take 5 seconds to get back to full
stretch and then 15 seconds at the very bottom “one one thousand, two one
thousand, three one thousand etc” –15 seconds stretching at the bottom
thinking and trying to flex my toes toward my shin–it is absolutely
unbearable and you will most likely be shaking and want to give up at about 7
reps (I always go for 12reps with maximum weights)–do this on a hack squat
or a leg press–my calves have finally taken off due to this and caught up to
the rest of me thank God.

If you doubt the extra muscle growth possible with stretching I urge you
to research hyperplasia (and the bird wing stretching protocols) where time X
stretch X weight induced incredible hyperplasia. Our stretching is done under
much lower time periods but fascial stretching and the possibility of induced
hyperplasia cant be ignored. I’ve had too many people write me or tell me in
person that the “extreme stretching” has dramatically changed their physique
to ever doubt its virtues.

Suggested Exercises for DC Training

June 2, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

CHEST
incline smythe
decline smythe
hammer strength press (incline and decline)
other good machine press
incline barbell
decline barbell
incline dumbbell press
flat dumbbell press
decline dumbbell press

SHOULDERS
smythe presses to front
smythe presses to back of head
hammer strength press
other good machine press
barbell press to front
barbell press to back of head
dumbbell shoulder press

TRICEPS
close grip bench in smythe
reverse grip bench in smythe
skull crushers
dips (in upright position)

BACK WIDTH
rack chins to front
rack chins to back of head
reverse grip rack chins (close grip)
assisted pullups
hammer strength “pulldown” machines
other good “pulldown” machines
pull downs to front
pull downs to back of head

BACK THICKNESS
deadlift
rack deadlift
T-bar rows
smythe rows
barbell rows

BICEPS
barbell curls
alternate dumbbell curls
barbell preacher curls
hammer strength machine curls
other good machine curls
cable curls
incline db curls
close grip ez-bar preacher curls
standing medium grip ez-bar curls

FOREARMS
hammer curls (alternated)
pinwheel curls (alternated)
reverse grip one arm cable curls

CALVES
calves on a leg press
standing calf raises
calves in hack squat
seating calf raises
any calf machine with a good range of motion

HAMSTRINGS
seating leg curls
standing leg curls
lying leg curls
stiff leg deadlift
sumo presses

QUADS
squats
smythe squats
hack squat
leg press

Dogg Crapp Training Manual

June 2, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

For more info…

http://dc-training.blogspot.com/

_______________________________

(Sorry i can’t give proper credit to whoever posted this because i forgot where i found it)

DOGG CRAPP TRAINING MANUAL

Introduction to Philosophy:
My whole goal is to continually get stronger on key exercises=getting continually bigger. I will state this, the method I am about to describe is what I have found that makes people grow at the absolutely fastest rate possible and why I am being inundated down in this area to train people. It’s going to go against the grain but I’m making people grow about 2 and a half times as fast the normal rate so bear with me. A typical workout for the masses is (lets use chest for an example) doing a body part once every 7 days (once a week)and sometimes even once every 9 days or more. This concept came to the front due to
recovery reasoning and I agree with most typical workouts your going to need a great deal of recovery. Here’s the problem—lets say you train chest once a week for a year and you hypothetically gain 1/64 of an inch in pectoral thickness from each workout. At the end of the year you should be at 52/64 (or 13/16). Almost an inch of thickness (pretty good). To build muscle we are trying to lift at a high enough intensity and load to grow muscle but with enough recovery so the muscle remodels and grows. The problem is everyone is loading up on the volume end of training and its taking away from the recovery part of it. You can train in a way so you can train chest 3 times every nine days and you will recover and grow faster than ever. If you train chest 3 times in 9 days
you are now doing chest roughly 136 times a year! So instead of 52 growth phases you are now getting 136 growth phases a year. I personally would rather grow 136 times a year than 52. At a hypothetical 1/64th of an inch per workout you are now at 136/64 (or roughly 2.1 inches of thickness). So now your
growing at roughly 2 and a half times as fast as normal people who are doing modern day workouts are. Most people train chest with 3 to 4 exercises and wait the 7-9 days to recover and that is one growth phase. I use the same 3 to 4 exercises but do chest 3 times during those 9 days and get 3 growth phases. Everyone knows a muscle either contracts or doesn’t–you cannot isolate a certain part of it (you can get into positions that present better mechanical advantages though that put a focus on certain deep muscle fibers)–for example incline presses vs. flat presses. One huge mistake beginning bodybuilders make is they have a “must” principle instilled in them. They feel they “must” do this exercise and that exercise and this many sets or they won’t grow.

Base Program:
How I set bodybuilders workouts up is I have them pick either their 3 favorite exercises for each body part or better yet the exercises they feel will bring up their weaknesses the most. For me my chest exercises are high incline smythe machine press, hammer seated flat press and slight incline smythe press
with hands very very wide—-this is because I look at my physique and I feel my problem area is upper and outer pecs—that is my focus. Whenever I train someone new I have them do the following –4 times training in 8 days—with straight sets. Sometimes with rest pause sets but we have to gauge the recovery ability first.

Day one would be Monday and would be:
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps
Back width
Back thickness

Day two would be Wednesday and would be:
Biceps
Forearms
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads

Day three would be Friday and would be:
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps
Back width
Back thickness
(Sat+sun off)

Day four would be the following Monday and would be
Biceps
Forearms
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads

And so on Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday etc.
Stay with me here–You’re only doing one exercise per muscle group per day. Your doing your first favorite exercise for chest on day one–your doing your second favorite exercise for chest on the next chest workout and your third exercise for chest on the next. You’re hitting every body part twice in 8 days. The volume on everything is simply as many warm-up sets as you need to do- to be ready for your ONE work set. That can be two warm-up sets for a small muscle group or five warm-up sets for a large
muscle group on heavy exercise like rack deadlifts. The ONE work set is either a straight set or a rest pause set (depending on your recovery abilities again). For people on the lowest scale of recovery its just that one straight set—next up is a straight set with statics for people with slightly better than that recovery—-next up is rest pausing (on many of the of movements) with statics for people with middle of the road recovery on up.
Three key exercises are picked for each body part (hypothetically we will use flat dumbell bench press, incline smythe bench press, and hammer press) —USING ONLY ONE OF THOSE EXERCISES PER WORKOUT you rotate these in order and take that exercise to it’s ultimate strength limit (where at that point you change the exercise and get brutally strong on that new movement too). That can happen in 4 weeks or that can happen 2 years later but it will happen some time (You cannot continually gain strength
to where you eventually bench pressing 905 for reps obviously)—Sometime later when you come back to that original exercise you will start slightly lower than your previous high and then soar past it without fail—
As you progress as a bodybuilder you need to take even more rest time and recovery time. READ THAT AGAIN PLEASE: AS YOU PROGRESS AS A BODYBUILDER IN SIZE AND STRENGTH YOU
NEED TO TAKE EVEN MORE REST AND RECOVERY TIME. Example: My recovery ability is probably slightly better now than when I started lifting 13-14 years ago but only slightly…but back then I
was benching 135lbs and squatting 155lbs in my first months of lifting. Now I am far and away the strongest person in my gym using poundages three to six times greater than when I first started lifting. With my recovery ability being what it is both then and now do you think I need more time to recover from a 155lb squat for 8reps or a 500lb squat for 8reps? Obviously the answer is NOW! This past year I have been really pounding the slag iron as heavy and hard as I can in preparation of trying to get onstage at about 252lbs early next year. That means a hard 300lbs to me off-season and I’m pretty **** close to that right now. The gains I have made in strength this past year even at my lifting level are nothing short of phenomenal (in my mind). With those strength gains comes the ratio of recovery factor. Whereas a year ago I was training 2 on one off 2 on one off and getting away with it with extreme stretching etc….about 2 months ago I took an extra day off on the weekend because of work obligations and I just started to feel somewhat tired because of how heavy my weights were. If my strength keeps progressing at this level I am eventually going to have to train Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday like outlined above simply because I am reaching poundages that are so far and away above my beginning weights-I have to take the necessary recovery precautions. I am still training as often as I
possibly can per body part–that’s key to me. The more times I can train a body part in a year’s time and recover will mean the fastest growth possible! I’ve done the training a body part every 10 days system in the past and while recovering from that–the gains were so slow over time I got frustrated and realized the
frequency of growth phases(for me)was to low. I want to gain 104 times a year instead of 52–the fastest rate that I can accumulate muscle (YET AGAIN WITHIN ONES RECOVERY ABILITY-I CANT SAY THAT ENOUGH)

In the past 4-5 years that I have been slowly changing my philosophies of training I’ve been gaining so fast the last couple of years it’s been pretty amazing. I’ve got my training down to extremely low volume (a rest pause set or ONE straight set) with extreme stretching, and with recovery issues always in the back
of my mind. I realize the number one problem in this sport that will make or break a bodybuilder is overtraining. Simply as this–you over train you’re done as a bodybuilder gains wise. Kaput. Zip. A waste of valuable time. But I also think there is a problem with under frequency (only if you can train hardcore enough with extremely low volume to recover)–As stated in an earlier post I skirt right along the line of overtraining–I am right there…I’ve done everything in my power (Stretching, glutamine, “super
supplements”, sleep)to keep me on this side of the line and its worked for me. I believe everyone has different recovery abilities–the job of a bodybuilder is to find out what their individual recovery ability is and do the least amount of hardcore training to grow so they can train that body part as frequently as possible. For anyone who wants to follow my lead that would mean starting out with straight sets training 4 times in 8 days and strictly gauging yourself recovery wise with every step up you take (statics, rest pauses)

Alternate Programs:
MON TUES THURS FRI- For people who have (above normal) recovery ability (hitting body parts twice in that time-or twice in 7 days)

MON WEN FRI MON- For pretty much the norm of society with average recovery ability–hitting body parts twice every 8 days

MON TUES THUR FRI- With body split into three parts-for people with hectic schedules these are extremely short workouts yet stay roughly in the same scheme as the above.
On this schedule someone would group body parts like the following:

DAY ONE:
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps
(Stretches)

DAY TWO:
Biceps
Forearms
(Stretches)
Back width
Back thickness

DAY THREE:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
(Stretches)

In the first week of doing this, day one would be hit on Friday again and then the Monday of the following week would be Day 2 again, Tuesday would be Day 3, Wednesday off, Thursday-day one again etc. You would still be hitting body parts twice every 9 days and these workouts would be about 35 minutes tops.

Set & Exercise Examples:

Example Day One:
First exercise smythe incline presses (ill use the weights I use for example) 135 for warm-up for 12–185 for 8 warm-up–225 for 6-8 warm-up—–then 375 for 8 reps to total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 2-4 reps to total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 1-3 reps to absolute total failure (then a 20-30 second static hold) DONE!–that’s it 375lbs for 8+4+3= 375 for 15 reps rest paused….. next week I go for 385 (again rest paused)—–directly after that rest pause set I go to extreme stretching flyes and that’s it for chest and on to shoulders, triceps and back……..the next day I come in to
do chest would be day 4 and I would do hammer flat presses in the same rest paused manner (and then extreme stretching again)—the next day I come in to do chest is day seven and I would do my third favorite exercise rest paused and then the cycle repeats. Three chest workouts in nine days with low
enough volume to recover in between workouts and high enough intensity and load to grow rapidly–my workouts last an hour—I’m doing one exercise for one all out balls to the wall rest pause set (I don’t count warm-ups only the working set) —so in simple terms I am using techniques with extreme high intensity(rest pause) which I feel make a persons strength go up as quickly as possible + low volume so I can (recover) as quickly as possible with as many growth phases (damage/remodel/recover) I can do in a years time.

Just in case any of you were confused every body part is hit 3 times in 9 days and advanced techniques such as rest pause is used (if it can be used)….Some exercises like hack squats and some back rowing exercises don’t allow themselves to rest pausing too well. A sample couple of days for me would be the
following (I’m not including warm-up sets–just working sets):

Day One:
Chest- Smythe incline 375 x 15 reps rest pause (RP) and 20 second static rep at end
Shoulders- Front smythe press-330 x 13RP
Triceps- Reverse grip bench 315 for 15-20 reps rest paused
Back width- Rear pull downs to back of head 300 x 18RP (20 second static at end)
Back thickness- Dead lifts straight set of 12-20 reps

Day Two:
Biceps- Dumbbell curls rest paused for 20 reps
Forearms- Hammer curls rest paused for 15
Calves- On hack squat straight set for 12 reps but with a 20 second negative phase
Hamstrings- Lying leg curl rest paused for 15-20 reps and then 20 second static at end
Quads- Hack squat straight set of 6 plates each side for 20 reps (of course after warming up)

DAY Three: Off

Day Four & Five: Same as day one with same concepts but different exercises (and again the same with days seven and eight)

Every exercise is done with a controlled but explosive positiveand a true 6-10 second negative phase. And the absolutely most important thing of any of this is I write down all weights and reps done from the working set on a notepad (and every time I go into the gym I have to continually look back and beat the previous times reps/weight or both)—If I cant or I don’t beat it, no matter if I love doing the exercise or not, I have to change to a new exercise. Believe me this adds a grave seriousness, a clutch performance or imperativeness to a workout. I have exercises I love to do and knowing I will lose them if I don’t beat the
previous stats sucks! But there is a method to this madness because when you get to that wall of sticking
point of strength (AND YOU WILL, THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN HACK SQUAT UP TO 50 PLATES A SIDE) that is when your muscle=strength gains will stop…..and you must turn to a different exercise and get strong on that one. And then someday you will peak out on that one too. You can always come back to that loved exercise in the future and you’ll start somewhat low and build up to a peak again- and trust me that peak will be far more than the previous one. Some exercises you’ll stay with and gain strength at for almost up to a year and some exercises you’ll be at the limit in 4 weeks and lose them but its all in the plan. I love reverse grip bench presses–knowing that I have to beat 315 for 17 reps rest paused or else I have to change to maybe dips next time puts a serious sense of urgency into workouts. I
either have to beat it by doing something to the effect of 320 for 15 rest paused or if I stick with 315, I have to get at least 19 reps rest paused or so. If I’m feeling crappy or having an off day I might give myself a little leeway and allow myself another go at it next time around but that’s it. The notepad is your intensity level, how badly you want to keep doing an exercise will be how hard you push to beat the previous. Looking at that piece of paper knowing what you have to do to beat it will bring out the best in
you. Again it’s all in the plan to make you the strongest bodybuilder possible which will equal out into the biggest bodybuilder possible

Heavy is relative–it doesn’t mean 3 reps — it means as heavy as you can go on that exercise no matter if it is 5 reps or 50 reps. I personally like to do hack squats for 20 reps but I use about 6 plates on each side rock bottom–that’s as heavy as I can go on that exercise for 20 reps. I could do sets of 6 and probably use
maybe 8 or 9 plates a side but my legs (and most people I train) grow best from heavy and 15-50 reps.

Question: When you say you go balls to the walls for four weeks, then take it easy for 2 weeks, can you elaborate on the taking it easy part regarding training. Do you take two weeks off? Do you just not train to failure?

Doggcrapp: I still train to failure and rest pause but I’ll use those two weeks to get my sanity back honestly. I’ll use those two weeks to either stay with an exercise that I know I’m gaining on, or change up an exercise I feel I’m maxed out strength wise on at that moment. Again I would leave it up to you guys
what you want to do. A lot of you will just want to stay with what’s working. I just find myself going crazy sometimes with some of the weights I get up too and try to think of ways to make a movement harder so the weight comes down. –I’ve gone as high as 765lbs on a rack deadlift for 6 reps and I start going stir crazy with anxiety knowing I have to lift that heavy. I’ve been looking for a natural way to curb the anxiety I get from pre-workout and this guide for finding the best CBD oil for anxiety was a big help. Anyway… so Ill do something crazy during those two weeks like rack deadlifts for 30 reps with 495 (real fast) or try out some exercise that I was wondering about. If I like that exercise Ill stay with it. If not I go back with what works. If I am doing something that
is working continually I will stay with it during those two weeks. Id say 3/4 of the exercises I stay with and I’ll tool around with some ideas I had with the other 1/4.

Question: How much of an increase should we look to add a week in terms of weights? When we pause, do you mean rack the weight after the initial 8 reps, take 15 deep breaths, then fire out 5-6 more then rack and take deep breaths again, then finish? I believe I understand the principal to an extent, but I want to be
sure.

Doggcrapp; Again the bigger the strength increase will be, the bigger the eventual size increase will be. Personally I have to beat my previous by either 2 reps or I have to add weight and at the very least get the minimum number of reps I allow myself rest paused on that exercise (or like previously stated I lose that
exercise). If you find yourself blasting for weeks on end gaining just a rep here and a pound there, I think that is a waste of time–the gains will be coming too slow. Somewhat rapid increases are what we are striving for. If you really put your mind to it you can make rapid strength increases on any exercise and you can make those 2 rep or 5lb (at least) jumps for a lengthy amount of time.

Here I’ll give you an abbreviated version of what I am looking for:

Day 1- Paramount shoulder press (warm-ups), and then 185X14RP (which was a 8+4+2 or something to
that effect) twelve is the lowest I will allow myself on this movement, twenty is the highest)—the next
time you would do paramount shoulder press again would be:
Day 10–paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)
185x18RP
Day 20–paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)
195x13RP
Day 30–paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)
195x16RP
Day 40–paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)
195x18RP
Day 50–paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)
205x12RP
Day 60–paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)
205x14RP
Day 70–paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)
205x13RP DAMMIT – I BLEW IT NOW I HAVE TO GO TO DUMBELL PRESSES NEXT TIME

In the real world I doubt you would of bombed out there, I bet you would of made it up somewhere around 240 to 260 before bombing out You do 185lbs to total failure (which we will hypothetically say is 8 reps ok) FINISH ON THE NEGATIVE-rack the weight and start breathing as deeply as you can to get as much oxygen in for 12 to 15 deep breaths (during this time you might or your training partner might be getting whatever exercise
your doing ready for you again–like both of you bringing the bar back to the top again etc) I say 15 deep breaths but I want that whole time period to last maybe 20 seconds tops so depending on your breathing 12 to 15 deep breaths. You went to failure with 185, you racked on the negative, took 15 deep breaths,
and now you take the 185 again and go to complete failure again (lets say hypothetically failure was 4 reps) DO THE NEGATIVE PORTION 8 SECONDS DOWN AND RACK IT–15 more deep breaths, then 185 again to total failure FINISH ON THE NEGATIVE AND RACK IT. Depending on your recovery ability, the exercise and if your an advanced trainer or not instead of racking it at the very end you can “try” (and I say try) to hold the weight in a static hold for 20 seconds just before racking it(good luck you’ll be shaking like a leaf at that point–I’ve had some words come out of my mouth trying to hold my static that could hit a triple word score on scrabble)

Reason for not doing traps: I let deadlifts and heavy rack deadlifts take care of traps. My reasoning: I can’t see where a 250lb shrug is going to beat 600lb+ rack deadlifts that I try to pull up and back at the top anyway.

How to do rack deadlifts: In a power rack, safety bars at knee level (your pulling from knee level)–keep your back arched or at least flat the entire movement (not rounded at all)–if your back starts rounding, its time to end the set or your using too much weight. Personally I pull with an overhand and underhand
deadlift grip and with my arms perfectly straight, try to pull my shoulders up and back at the top. I then do about a 4-5 second negative down but I wouldn’t suggest that to others unless I can show how to do it. (I keep locked—my back arched and knees slightly bent and lower it)..It kind of takes a little getting used
too.

Back Width: With all width movements rest paused I like front pull downs to the chin, rear pull downs to the mid-ear level (no lower), gravitron chins (the air compressor one with the platform), hammer under grip pull downs, and rack chins. Rack chins: Find the widest smythe machine you can (or barbell in a
squat rack) and put a bench in front of it- put the bar about shoulder height- use wrist straps and put your grip as wide as comfortably possible-put your heels up on the bench but cross your legs to take them out of the movement- your legs should almost be straight but not quite- now do chins explosively up and 8 seconds down until the full stretch- any rep that your chin doesn’t either go over the bar or hit the bar doesn’t count! Do one warm-up set and then have someone put a fixed plate barbell (like used for barbell curls) in your lap. On every rest pause the spotter grabs the barbell off the chinners lap and the chinner stands up and counts his 15 deep breaths (and he stays strapped up to the bar). Then the chinner gets back into position after 15 deep breaths and the spotter puts the barbell back on the chinners lap. I want one warm-up straight set with no added weight done for 10-12 reps and then one all out rest pause set for 15 to 20 reps with added weight (use a 30lb barbell this first time out), then 10-30 short range static reps at the end. These are going to be excruciating and tomorrow your lats are going to be killing you. This exercise is my lat width pronto exercise.
You can rig this up where you don’t need a spotter. I’ve done this before by putting my weight belt really loose around me and putting a 35lb plate down the back of it with a short chain, or you can rig up some benches where you can get that barbell off your lap but it’s much easier if you can get someone to help you for the one working rest pause set. You need to really push the stretch down the bottom and then try to explode up to the bar on every rep

Back Thickness: I like over grip bent over rows, rack deadlifts, floor deadlifts, and T bar rows using a barbell in a corner and using the pulley handle from a seated row around it (and using multiple 25’s or 35’s instead of 45’s to increase the range of motion)—I’m not a fan of t-bar rows with the pad on the chest
apparatus–with heavy weights your lungs go out before your back does.

Hamstring exercises: leg curls rest paused, stiff legged deadlifts, and I do the following movement on a leg press religiously (man this one is easier to show and hard to explain here): legs wide, feet are at the very top pushing only with your heels, toes are off the plate. Rest paused for 20 reps. Your pretty much doing a leg press with only your heels and your toes off the top of the plate–it blasts hamstrings and you will feel it as soon as you get up the next morning. You need the right leg press to do this though-some plates are angled weird. I go as deep as I safely can on these–don’t let your ass round up-you can do this by taking in a lot of air, keeping your chest high (and your head stays on the back rest) when your lowering it and your ass will stay down.

Quads: a typical quad workout for me is super heavy weights on either a squat, a leg press or a hack squat for 15 to 30 reps (the last 7 reps for me is truly succeed or death). Someone who has a sweep from hell and his wheels are his best body part I usually have him doing a heavy 4-8 rep set on certain exercises (squat)and then maybe a hardcore 20 repper on other exercises. But most guys who could use more leg size I have them do one set in the 4-8 range to failure and another follow-up set with as much
weight as they can use in the 15-20 range to failure on leg exercises. It just depends on what I see by their pictures. That is about the only time you will ever see me have a person do 2 sets of the same exercise. With bodybuilders with troublesome legs it’s usually those 20 rep sets that make their legs grow and I just have them do that hard and heavy 4-8 rep set to keep the strength gains moving up the ladder.

Warm-ups for Legs: Johnny the behemoth who squats 650lbs is going to have to use a lot more warm-up
sets than Jimmy the stick-boy. Something like:
135 x 10
225 x 8
315 x 6
405 x 6
495 x 4
650 x failure (4-8 reps)
The bottom line is whether its riding a bike for 15 minutes and doing one warm-up set or doing 10 warm-up sets, warm-up sets are just warm-up sets–they mean nothing to me in a growth concept. I feel you should warm-up as much as you deem possible that makes you ready to go all out. This is the mistake I
think people make when they say they get injured from low volume training. They think “one set” and go in and try to squat 405lbs without 3 warm-up sets with 135, 225, and 315. A sample hack squat warm-up I’ll do (just so you can see I’m not growing or taxing myself in the least from warm-up sets) is 90lbs on
each side for 10, 160 each side for 6, 225 each side for 4, and then 315 on each side Ill go for 12-20 reps

Let’s say leg day one is: Leg press, day two: Hack, day three: Squat. You don’t have to do 50 rep leg
presses every time they come around. You could pile more and more weight on every week and let your reps drop slowly till you’re moving some serious poundage at 10-12 reps. Trust me, I bet any money this will be far and away higher weight than you’ve ever been on the leg press. Or you could alternate–50 rep
leg presses and then the next time 12 rep heavy….just throwing some options at you in case you thought you HAD to do 50 rep leg presses. By the way I don’t rest pause them–I just sit there with the knees very slightly bent and breathe 5 deep breathes and go, breathe 5 more and go etc…at 40 reps the last 10 I’m
doing 3 (breathe) 3 more (breathe) 2 more (breathe) 2 more. (and I refuse to put my hands on my knees at all times)…..

Rest Pausing: After some time at rest pausing I noticed I started counting 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 at roughly the same pace during every eccentric phase of exercises I did. I went home and did it at a stop watch and kept the same counting cadence and it always comes out somewhere about 8 seconds (every time). So
something like a bent over row or rack deadlift Ill count to 8 (5 seconds)and if it’s a bench or bicep curl etc, etc Ill count to 10. With me, counting to 8 always comes out to 5 seconds or so and counting to 10 comes out to 7.8 (lets just say eight) seconds or so. So 99% of my exercises I’m doing a 8 second negative phase on. As far as rest between the rest pauses I find breathing in and out deeply 12 times comes out to about 23 seconds for me every time so I just stick to that. I used to count “one one thousand,
two thousand etc etc” but I’ve been rest pausing for a long time now and its all second nature to me.

Stretching:

CHEST: Flat bench 90lb dumbbells chest high–lungs full of air– I drop down into the deepest flye I can for the first 10 seconds or so with my lungs full of air and chest out—then staying there I arch my back slightly and try to press my sternum upward –this is absolutely excruciating–the rest of the 60 seconds I try to concentrate on dropping my elbows even farther down (I try to but I don’t think they are going any lower–LOL)—the last 15 seconds I’m pretty much shaking like a leaf, I have tears in my eyes and I think about dropping bodybuilding and becoming a tap dancer on Broadway (ok that parts not true)–My opinion is people should use dumbbells that are a little over half of what your heaviest set of 6-8 reps would be. I cant state this enough–extreme stretching royally sucks!!! Its painful. But I have seen
amazing things with people -especially in the quads.

TRICEPS: Seated on a flat bench-my back up against the barbell—75lb dumbell in my hand behind my head(like in an overhead dumbell extension)–sink dumbell down into position for the first 10 seconds and then an agonizing 50 seconds slightly leaning back and pushing the dumbell down with the back of my
head I like one arm at a time in the bottom position of a dumbell triceps extension—-going to the extreme stretch and then slightly pushing on the dumbell with the back of my head.

SHOULDERS: This one is tough to describe–put a barbell in the squat rack shoulder height–face away from it and reach back and grab it palms up (hands on bottom of bar)—walk yourself outward until you are on your heels and the stretch gets painful–then roll your shoulders downward and hold for 60
seconds.

BICEPS: Olympic bar in a power rack or squat rack about neck high—face away from it and reach back and put both hands over the bar gripping it—-now either sink down with one leg forward/one leg back or better yet squat down and try (I say try because its absolutely excruciating) to kneel. Go down to the
stretch that is almost unbearable and then hold that for 45 to 60 seconds. Your own bodyweight is the load. What I do is put the bar at a place on the squat rack in which I can kneel at a severe stretch and then try to sink my ass down to touch my feet. If its too easy I put the bar up to the next rung.

BACK: Honestly for about 3 years my training partner and I would hang a 100lb dumbell from our waist and hung on the widest chin-up bar (with wrist straps) to see who could get closest to 3 minutes–I never made it–I think 2 minutes 27 seconds was my record–but my back width is by far my best body part–I pull on a doorknob or stationary equipment with a rounded back now and its way too hard too explain here–just try it and get your feel for it.

HAMSTRINGS: Either leg up on a high barbell holding my toe and trying to force my leg straight with my free hand for an excruciating painful 60 seconds or another exercise I could only show people and not type here.

QUADS: Facing a barbell in a power rack about hip high –grip it and simultaneously sink down and throw your knees under the barbell and do a sissy squat underneath it while going up on your toes. then straighten your arms and lean as far back as you can—60 seconds and if this one doesn’t make you hate my guts and bring tears to your eyes nothing will—do this one faithfully and tell me in 4 weeks if your quads don’t look a lot different than they used to.

CALVES: my weak body part that I couldn’t get up too par until 2 years ago when I finally thought it out and figured out how to make them grow (with only one set twice a week too) I don’t need to stretch calves after because when I do calves I explode on the positive and take 5 seconds to get back to full stretch and then 15 seconds at the very bottom “one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand etc” –15 seconds stretching at the bottom thinking and trying to flex my toes toward my shin–it is absolutely unbearable and you will most likely be shaking and want to give up at about 7 reps (I always go for 12reps with maximum weights)–do this on a hack squat or a leg press–my calves have finally taken off due to this.

Static Holds:

Different than extreme stretching. I do extreme stretching for each body part after its finished (holding into a weighted stretched position for 60 seconds)— Statics are what I do immediately after a working set to try to create even more of an overload —example: lat pulldowns-300x 14 reps rest paused to failure and then immediately I do a static hold which is pull the bar down 4 inches and lean back slightly. I fight like hell to hold it for 20 seconds counting (one one thousand, two one thousand, three…) but I usually end up shaking like a leaf on some movements (incline presses etc)–trying to hold a three hundred plus pound incline press in a 20 sec. Another example: Incline bench press, John Doe has just completed a rest pause set with 275lbs. He takes the bar off the rack and brings it about 4 inches down (as this is usually where peoples strength range is) and tries to hold it there for a true 20 second count. To be totally
honest with you its nothing more than a personal favorite of mine to reach an overload threshold— someone else might want to do burns down near the bottom for 6-15 short reps, someone else might want to do a 20% more weight negative.

Cardio:

Individualistic choice but I like treadmill or a walk around the neighborhood. Days per week – offseason- 0 to 2 times a week, pre-contest–every day except leg days, minutes per sessions – always 45 minutes (60 minutes if someone got to a serious sticking point)

Nutrition:

Protein Powder: I use Optimum pro complex due to its varied proteins (55gram serving) and 5 grams of glutamine (not glutamic acid) per serving (THATS A HUGE REASON FOR ME)–I pay 38 bucks for 4.4lbs on the net (with no shipping because I buy over 200 bucks worth)–yes I go thru a bucket every 5 to 6 days, but not having to buy glutamine separately and getting in 20-30grams each day of it makes me smile. The protein powder is the most expensive thing in my diet everything else is pretty cheap.
http://www.advantagesupplements.com/opnutprocom4.html

A sample day for me is (with protein grams after each item) – Bulk Diet:

Breakfast: oatmeal(5) with soy grits and ground flaxseeds on top (23) a little bit of milk(2) in the oatmeal and a protein drink (55)=85grams

After-workout snack: two potatoes(7) and a double serving protein drink in cranberry grape juice (110) =117grams

Lunch: (quick one because of my work)-can of ravioli (11) and protein drink(65) (cup of water cup of milk in there) =76grams

Snack: two 99cent big Macs(54) and 2 cups of milk (20)=74 grams

Dinner: 1lb of hamburger (100) cooked drained and then washed off with water thoroughly (to remove as much fat as possible)with condiments and noodles (4) =104grams

I keep reasonably lean by taking in zero to trace amounts of carbs (found in vegetables) after 6-7pm

Night-time meal: six egg white omelet with peppers or peas(20) or roast beef cold cuts with half waterhalf milk protein drink (65) =85 grams

That’s 541 protein grams on average and with me usually eating larger portions than measured I probably venture toward 600 grams a lot. If you look at the food I eat its pretty cheap,specially the way I buy it in bulk.

Sample Day – Bulk Diet – Total Calories:

1) protein drink(olive oil 600/milk 210/water 0/powder 260/flaxseed 50+ oatmeal 200+ banana 102=1420cals

2) post workout drink=3 cups cranberry juice 390, four scoops protein powder 520, 2 baked potatoes 284=1194cals

3) chicken rice casserole-cup of rice 190 chicken 581, sauce 150 , two cups milk 280=1201 cals

4) T bone steak 1419, water with lemon (trace), mashed potatoes (400)=1819cals

5) protein drink with olive oil 600/powder 260/milk 210/ water 0 and protein bar 290 = 1360

6) two cups 2% milk 280 and 2 cups cottage cheese 440=720

Total calories: 7714

Diet Philosophy: For fat sources, I like omega-3’s (flaxseeds) and extra virgin olive oils (mono unsaturated fat)–118 calories per tablespoon. I throw 2-3 tablespoons in my morning and afternoon shakes but not in the post workout or bedtime ones (self explanatory). Go slow with olive oil or you will be seat belting yourself to the toilet the first couple days. As far as diet I am like Palumbo in that aspect…I like high protein, moderate (good) fats and low to moderate carbs..I eat the amount of protein grams I want to ingest first and if its before 6-7pm I satisfy the rest of my hunger with carbs. If I go to McDonalds
I’ll blast as many hamburgers as I can and skip the fries(laughing) but true. After 6-7pm I will go high protein and trace to low carbs (example huge steak and a lot of a vegetable but no rice, pasta or bread).

This is the way I have found thru trial and error that I can keep myself and people I train fairly lean but still have them gaining at the highest rate. I’m not a calorie counter at all. I’m a protein gram counter. I weigh myself and others once a month on the same scale and if they are not gaining I already know they
are on high protein so I fix the problem with added mono unsat’s (olive oil), flaxseeds and some extra carbs here or there. A simple way to keep the scale going up: I run into the same problem from time to time and I know I cannot eat any more than I do…..the savior for me is extra virgin olive oil–I work my way up to 3-4 tablespoons per protein drink…118 calories per tablespoon of a mostly monounsaturated fat (besides its other health benefits.
10

I like people to do this at their meals:
1) pound down the protein amount they must get in first for that meal

2) add flax or olive oil to that meal if it allows i.e. protein drinks etc (and its before 6pm)

3) finally eat carbohydrates to satisfy any other hunger pangs at that meal and don’t worry about grams! If you cut your carbs off at 6pm the night before you can pound raisin bran at breakfast and pasta at lunch etc etc your not going to have to worry about it (your going low carb after 6pm again tonight) Off-season
you shouldn’t feel like your abstaining or dieting–hell if you want 25 chocolate chip cookies–pound them down at 2pm (after you downed your protein drink first) After 6pm worry about carb grams–keep them low to trace–just delete potatoes, pasta, bread, cereals after 6pm and boatload all the corn, peas, or
vegetables you want with your (after 6pm) protein sources.
Way to cut cost of eating: I buy in bulk period. I buy eggs (5 dozen), ground beef(10lb chubs), rice etc in bulk and save a grip of money. I also always buy according to unit price which seems simple but most people overlook it. I scour flyers for steak deals and go to the supermarket that is selling London Broils for 1.87 a LB and snatch up a slew of them. I am a stingy frugal shopper–my biggest expense is protein powder (I use the 4.4 Pro complex). At lunchtime at work every day I go out to eat (otherwise I go nuts eating homemade food all the time). I am “COUPON BOY”—I get tons of restaurant coupons in the mail
and use them religiously.

Cutting Diet: Lets say “John Smith” is a 275lb bodybuilder holding 16% body fat in the off-season. He is smooth but his heavy training and high protein eating have made it possible for his body to hold 275lbs with probably an ideal contest weight of 226-234lbs or so. Since his present diet is allowing him to hold a
“hypothetical” 230lbs of lean mass, what do you think is going to happen on a “cutting diet”….oh he will get ripped but probably at a 60-40 or 70-30 body fat to muscle mass ratio loss. My opinion is to leave the training heavy and leave the diet 90% what it is. The only changes I would make are to be religiously strict with low/trace carbs after 6pm and drop dairy 6 weeks out. Let the cardio take off your body fat!

Forty five minutes at a slightly brisk walk on a treadmill first thing in the morning on an empty stomach– on every day except leg days will do it. Add in maybe usnic acid and a thermogenic and your going to end up inside out shredded. That’s from a bodybuilding standpoint as I hate seeing someone gain 15lbs of
muscle from training so hard in the off-season just to panic diet it all off trying to get ripped. In a general everyday sense for people who don’t care about losing 8-20lbs of muscle mass on their way down to leanness,–cardio and a cutting diet will work faster for them. Again, the diet I prefer is high protein, moderate carbs, and moderate good fats (olive oils, flax oils, EFA’s)–your stomach is always going to be full on this diet and I want it to be. A main staple of my way of doing things is cutting carbs at night.

The only carbs coming in after 5, 6, or 7pm (depending on your schedule and your meal timing) are trace carbs found in vegetables and such.
__________________
THERE IS IN THIS WORLD NO
GREATER FORCE THAN THE FORCE
OF A MAN DETERMINED TO RISE.

Arthur De Vany Sample Workout

May 23, 2009 by HWWProject 5 Comments

I am also training the anaerobic pathway. I do this by exhausting the phosphates, taking a quick rest of no more than 15 seconds, and then doing the next set or exercise. Exhausting and replenishing the phosphate energy stores in successive cycles trains the body’s recovery systems. This burst, rest intermittency is the very best kind of training.

Notation: I list the reps in the successive sets, example 15, 8, and 4 for a set of 15 reps followed by a 10 second pause. Increase the weight and then do 8. Pause. Then increase the weight and do 4. Some of these, what I call hierarchical sets, continue with 2 sets of a heavier weight for just one rep. This is shown as 2×1. Then, a few sets might end with 2 negatives.

So, here are the exercises. This is what I do, if you choose to follow this example, it is your choice. You should make this choice with a careful examination of your condition and health. You may not be ready for it.

1. Thrusters or push press: 15, 8, 4. Varying depth and weight in progression.

2. Bent arm pullovers with press: 15, 8, 4. Full depth on all. On a flat bench.

3. Upper machine rows: alternating arms, 15, 8, 4.

4. Shoulder machine press: 10, 6, 3, 2 x 1, 2 negatives.

5. Concentration curl: 10, 6, 4, 2 x 1, 2 negatives. For number 4 and 5, if you do not have a trainer to help lift the weight to the negative position, then you can push it up with two hands and lower it with one.

6. Leg curls, standing: 15, 8, 4, 2 negatives.

7. Squats: 15, 8, 4 varying weight and depth. Less depth with higher weight.

8. Dead lifts: with a trap bar or DB do a bent leg dead lift on the up move, then do a straight leg dead lift on the way down. 6, 3, 2×1. Use the bent leg position to lift up, but lower from a staight leg position, keeping the lower back tight and in lordosis. The idea here is to get a heavy weight up with bent legs and then do a negative straight-legged dead lift on the way down. This will lengthen the erectors as it strengthens them. Back troubles always begin with loose stabilizers (internal obliques, multifidus, and transverse abdominus) and tight mobilizers, in my case the erectors and ham strings. In this exercise you are tightening the stabilizers and stretching the mobilizers. The erectors will gradually add sacromeres near their end and this serial sacromere length will change the force curve of the muscle so that it is less tight initially and very powerful later in any mobilization effort.

9. Incline DB press: 10, 8, 6. Emphasize descent.

10. Standing crane. A balance move. Stand on one foot, lean forward and lift the leg behind you, keeping back and leg in line.

11. Ab hang. Hang from your arms and pull your knees up. Keep your toes up too.

12. Tabata cycle and arm dyno. Go all out on the arm dyno for 20 seconds. Rest 10 seconds. Do it again. I only do 3 or 4. Then do the same thing on a cycle for the legs.

Now you are toast. This is one of my longest and most strenuous work outs. By all means, if you feel done on the first two sets, stop. I never, ever go to failure. It teaches your nervous system bad things and poor form. And, your muscle is too exhausted to benefit; it can’t produce enough force to do any good.

DC Training Basics

May 22, 2009 by HWWProject 1 Comment

**Official Home of DC Training is www.intensemuscle.com

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Ok back to my training concepts—I’ve stated how my whole goal is to continually get stronger on key exercises which equals getting continually bigger. I will state this, the method I am about to describe to you is what I have found that makes people groat the absolutely fastest rate possible and why I am being inundated down in this area to train people. It’s going to go against the grain but I’m making people grow about 2 times as fast the normal rate so bear with me.

A typical workout for the masses is (lets use chest for an example) doing a bodypart once every 7 days and sometimes even once every 9 days or more. This concept came to the front due to recovery reasoning and I agree with most typical workouts your goito need a great deal of recovery. Here’s the problem, lets say you train chest once a week for a year and you hypothetically gain 1/64 of an inch in pectoral thickness from each workout. At the end of the year you should be at 52/64 (or 13/16 ). Almostn inch of thickness (pretty good). To build muscle we are trying to lift at a high enough intensity and load to grow muscle but with enough recovery so the muscle remodels and grows. The problem is everyone is loading up on the volume end of training and its taking away from the recoveryart of it.

Incredible strength GAINS will equal incredible size GAINS. And you sure as hell don’t need to do 3-5 exercises and 10-20 sets per bodypart to do that! In actuality you really don’t need to do much to grow. As long as your training weights coinue to rocket upward you will always be gaining muscle. If you go in and do squats using your ultimate effort with 405lbs for 20 reps are you going to say you’re not going to grow from that? If you went all out on that effort, I’m sorry but throwing has, leg press, leg extensions and lunges into that same workout is going to do nothing but royally lengthen your recovery process when you were already going to grow in the first place. You can train in a way so you can train a bodypart 3 times every nine to fourteen days and you will recover and grow faster than ever before. If you train chest 3 times in 9-14 days you are now doing chest roughly 91-136 times a year! So instead of 40-5growth phases with regular once a week training you are now getting 91-136 growth phases a year. I personally would rather grow 91-136 times a year than 40-52 times a year. At a hypothetical 1/64th of an inch per workout you are now at 136/64 (or roughl2.1 inches of thickness). So now you’re growing at roughly two times as fast as normal people who are doing modern day workouts are. Most people train chest with 3 to 4 exercises and wait the 7-9 days to recover and that is one growth phase. I use the se three exercises in that same 9-14 days but do chest 3 times during that (instead of once) and get 3 growth phases.

How? Super heavy weights for low low volume so you can recover and train that bodypart again as quickly as possible.Everyone knows a muscle either contracts or doesn’t, you cannot isolate a certain part of it (you can get into positions that present better mechanical advantages though that puts a focus on certain deep muscle fibers)–for example incline presses vs flpresses. One huge mistake beginning bodybuilders make is they have a “must” principle instilled in them. They feel they “must” do this exercise and that exercise or they won’t grow.

This is how I set bodybuilders workouts up. I have them pick either their 3 favorite exercises for each bodypart or better yet the exercises they feel will bring up their weaknesses the most. For me my chest exercises are high incline smith machine preshammer seated flat press and slight incline smith press with hands very, very wide—-this is because I look at my physique and I feel my problem area is upper and outer pecs—that is my focus. What you do is take these three exercises and rotate themusing only one per chest workout. I would do high incline smith on my first chest day, then 3-4 days later I would do hammer seated flat press on my second chest day. Three to four days after that wide grip slight incline smith press would be done and tn the whole cycle is repeated again in 3-4 days.Whenever I train someone new I have them do the following –4 times training in 8 days—with straight sets. Sometimes with rest pause sets but we have to gauge the recovery ability first.

Day one would be Monday and would be:
Chest
shoulders
triceps
back width
back thickness

Day two would be Wednesday and would be
biceps
forearms
calves
hams
quads

Day three would be Friday and would be the same as day one but with different exercises

chest
shoulders
triceps
back width back
thickness

(sat+sun off)

Day four would be the following Monday and would be the same as day two but with different exercises

biceps
forearms
calves
hams
quads and so on Wednesday, Friday, Monday, Wednesday etc.

You’re hitting every bodypart twice in 8 days. The volume on everything is simply as many warmup sets as you need to do- to be ready for your ONE work set. That can be two warmup sets for a small muscle group or five warmup sets for a large muscle groupn heavy exercise like rack deadlifts. The ONE work set is either a straight set or a rest pause set (depending on your recovery abilities again). For people on the lowest scale of recovery its just that one straight set—next up is a straight set with statics for people with slightly better than that recovery—-next up is rest pausing (on many of the of movements) with statics for people with middle of the road recovery on up. As you progress as a bodybuilder you need to take even more rest time and recovery time.

OK first I have to go over some principles I believe in regarding training and I’ll hit more on training details later on.

a) I believe he who makes the greatest strength gains (in a controlled fashion) as a bodybuilder, makes the greatest muscle gains. Note: I said strength gains–everyone knows someone naturally strong who can bench 400 yet isn’t that big. Going from a benning 375 bench to 400 isn’t that great of a strength gain and won’t result in much of a muscle gain. But if I show you someone who went from 150 to 400 on a bench press, that guy will have about 2.5 inches more of muscle thickness on his pecs. That is incredible strength gain and will equal out into an incredible muscle gain. Ninety-nine percent of bodybuilders are brainwashed that they must go for a blood pump and are striving for that effect–(go up and down on your calves 500 times and tell me ifour calves got any bigger). And those same 99% in a gym stay the same year after year. It’s because they have no plan, they go in, get a pump and leave. They give the body no reason to change. Powerbodybuilders and powerlifters plan to continually get songer and stronger on key movements. The body protects itself from ever increasing loads by getting muscularly bigger=adaption. I’M going to repeat this and hammer it home because of its importance: THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE GREATEST STRENGTH GAINS OVER TIMEWILL MAKE THE GREATEST SIZE GAINS OVER TIME ACCORDING TO THEIR GENETIC POTENTIAL. If you reading this never get anywhere close to your ultimate strength levels (AT WHATEVER REP RANGE) you will never get to your utmost level of potential size.

b) I hav’t seen a guy who can squat 500 for 20 reps, bench press 500 for 15 and deadlift 500 for 15 who was small yet —but I have seen a lot and I mean a lot of people in the gym and on these Internet forums that are a buck 65 or two and change, shouting thatou don’t have to lift heavy to get big (in rare cases you will see a naturally strong powerlifter who has to curb calories to stay in a weight class and that is the reason he doesn’t get bigger).

c) Training is all about adaption. In simple terms you lia weight and your muscle has one of 2 choices, either tear completely under the load (which is incredibly rare and what we don’t want) or the muscle lifts the weight and protects itself by remodeling and getting bigger to protect itself against the loa(next time). If the weight gets heavier, the muscle has to again remodel and get bigger again to handle it. You can superset, superslow, giant set, pre exhaust all day long but the infinite adaption is load—meaning heavier and heavier weights is the oy infinite thing you can do in your training. Intensity is finite. Volume is finite (or infinite if you want to do 9000 sets per bodypart)…everything else is finite. The Load is infinite and heavier and heavier weights used (I DON’T GIVE A CRAP WHAT SE BUCK 58 POUND WRITER FROM FLEX MAGAZINE SAYS) will make the biggest bodybuilder (add high protein, glutamine and drugs to the mix and you have one large person).

d) The largest pro bodybuilders in the last 10 years (outside of Paul Dillett who is a getic alien and I think could grow off of mowing lawns) are also the very strongest (Kovacs, Prince, Coleman, Yates, Francois, Nasser (although he trains lighter now). For anyone who argues that they have seen so and so pro bodybuilder and he trains light-well I will bet you he isn’t gaining rapid size anymore and that his greatest size increases were when he was training **** heavy going for his pro card. Of course he will convince himself and others that he is “making the best gains of his career” thoh because no one likes to think what they are presently doing isn’t working and they are running in place. Sadly heavy drug use can make up for a lot of training fallacies and leave people still uninformed on how they became massive. Ronnie Coleman is dinitely in an elite class of muscle building genetically yet do you see him doing isolation exercises with light weights to be the most massive bodybuilder on this planet? NOPE! Ever see his video? 805 deadlifts for 2 reps, 765 for 6 reps deads, front sats with 600LBS for 6, 200LB dumbbells being thrown all over the place for chest, military presses 315 for 12 and a double with 405. I believe Coleman was clean or close to it when he was powerlifting and when he was an amateur bodybuilder. He won the Nural Team Universe and got his pro card at roughly 220-230LBS shredded to the bone and if that was natural or close to it–that’s about 270LBS offseason and would be a huge natural bodybuilder. Since that time he has hooked up with Chad Nichols and blasted (with juice) up to his current 265LBS contest weight and 320LBS offseason. He trains heavier now than he ever did! The man has used extremely heavy weights and powerlifting fundamentals (even with his superior genetics for muscle size) to become the mt impressive bodybuilder walking the globe.

Well, if the man with some of the best genetics to build muscle out there is using back breaking weights trying to get bigger isn’t that more of a reason the mere mortals of genetics in this sport should maybeake note? There are other pros out there with genetics on par with Coleman and using the same amount of drugs yet aren’t pushing the limits with poundage’s in training as does Coleman. You figure it out then, why is he absolutely crushing everyone onstaby outmuscling them if all things besides training are equal?

f) Please think of the times when you made the best size gains—the first time is in the first 2 years of lifting WHEN YOU MAKYOUR BEST STRENGTH GAINS TOO! Then things start to slow down.. What’s the next time?–You start using steroids and boom what happens? YOUR TRAINING WEIGHTS GO FLYING UP. And you get dramatically bigger! (I’M taking into effect protein assimilation, recory etc also). The greatest strength gains you make will result in also the most rapid size gains (if you’re taking in the protein requirements of a 12 year old girl scout then you can discount yourself from the above group).

g) I believe in Powerbuilding, not bodybuilding–using techniques that build the most strength gains in the fastest time possible while using the most effective exercises for that person. I am positive I could take 2 twins–have the first one do his own thing training wise, but usinghe same drugs, supplements and nutrition as the twin I train……come back a year later and the twin I trained would have 25LBS more muscle.

h) I’ve seen powerlifters (who catch a lot of guff from bodybuilders for being “fat”) diet down and come in andestroy bodybuilders in bodybuilding shows time and time again. Over and over. Powerlifters and Powerbodybuilders are by far the thickest guys onstage when and if they decide to enter bodybuilding shows.

i) Heavy is relative–it doesn’t mean 3 reps — it means as heavy as you can go on that exercise no matter if it is 5 reps or 50 reps. I personally like to do hack squats for 20 reps but I use about 6 plates on each side rock bottom–that’s as heavy ascan go on that exercise for 20 reps. I could do sets of 6 and probably use maybe 8 or 9 plates a side but my legs (and most people I train) grow best from heavy and 8-50 reps. The day you can squat 400LBS for 20 deep reps will be the day you are no lonr complaining about your leg size.

j) No matter what the method someone uses to gain super strength gains-it’s imperative they do so. Again if you put someone out on a deserted island with 135LBS of weights he can superset, giant set, high rep, supersloetc etc squats, deadlifts and benches to his hearts delight…the sad story is his gains will quickly come to a halt because his limiting factor is the amount of strength he will gain. He has 135LBS to work with. You take that same guy on a deserted isld and give him squats deadlifts, and benches and an unlimited weight supply that he constantly pushes, in 5 years I’ll show you a big Gilligan.

k) I think the biggest fallacy in bodybuilding is “changing up” “keeping the body off balance”–you can keep the body off balance by always using techniques or methods that give your body a reason to get bigger=strength. If you don’t write down your weits and every time you enter the gym you go by feel and do a different workout (like 98% of the gym members who never change do now) what has that done? Lets say Mr. Hypothetical gym member does 235 for 9 on the bench press this week, “tries to keep his dy guessing” by doing 80LBS for 13 on flyes next week, 205 for 11 on inclines the week after, 245 on hammer press for 12 the week after that –and so on and so on—there is only a limited number of exercises you can do. Two months later when he does beh presses again and does 235 for 8 or 9 has he gained anything? Absolutely NOT! Four months later he does hammer presses for 245 for 11 (again) do you think he has given his body any reason to change? Take 2 twins and have one do a max squat for 20 repsnd the other twin giant set 4 leg exercises with the same weight. All year long have the first twin blast away until he brings his squat with 20 reps from 185LBS to 400LBS. Have the second twin giant set four exercises every workout with the same weighte used in his first workout all year long. Believe me he is always going to be sore and he will be shocking the body every time but the sad truth is he will not gain **** after about the third leg workout because the load didn’t change. There is no reasfor his legs to grow in size due to the strength demand presented. The first twin who can now squat 400 for 20 is going to have some incredible wheels.

l) I use a certain method in my training because in my opinion it is the utmost method to rapidly gastrength. More on that later. Others might like a different method, that’s up to them, doesn’t matter as long as they are rapidly gaining strength. If you’re gaining appreciable strength on an exercise with a certain method I think the ABSOLUTELY WORSEHING YOU CAN DO is to change up right then. Take that exercise and method to its strength limit and when you get there, then change to a different exercise and get strong as hell on that exercise too.

m) For the next few months take note of the people you see in the gym that never change. They will be the ones using the same weight time after time on exercises whenever they are in the gym. These are the people who use 135, 185, 225 on the bench everyime its chest day. Your best friends in the gym are the 2.5LB plates–your very best buds!!! You put those 2.5LB plates on that bar every time you bench press for 52 weeks and now your bench is 250LBS more at the end of the year! That would equal out tonother inch to inch + half thickness on your chest. Can it be done? Probably not at that rate but TRYING TO DO IT will get you a lot bigger than doing what 98% of the people in the gym do. Unless you are gifted genetically to build muscle at a dizzying te (most people aren’t), the largest people in your gym will also be the ones heaving up the heaviest weights.

Do you think they started out that way? No, they were probably 175 lb guys who bulldozed their way up to that level. A perfect example are male strippers. These guys use a boatload of drugs on par with hardcore competitive bodybuilders. After an initial phase where they grow off of steroids like everyone else–their growth stops (like forever). Why? Because they aren’t eating 500 grams of protea day and don’t fight and claw their way to 500LB bench presses and 700LB squats and deadlifts. They stay on the drugs for years and years while stripping but don’t go beyond that 200 to 220LB range. So much for juice being the total equalizer. I don’t know why pseudo experts try to make training such an elite science when in actuality it’s pretty cut and dry. If you keep a training log and note your weights used for the next 5 years and find they are still the same you will pretty much look “still the same” in 5 years. If you double all your poundage’s in the next five years in everything, your going to be one thick person …..If someone ever took a ratio of people who don’t make gains to people who do, it would be pitiful. I

would venture to say tha95% of people in gyms across this country aren’t gaining muscle and are wasting their time. The absolutely best advice I could ever give a guy starting out lifting is “go train with an established powerlifter” and learn all the principles he trains withThere would be a lot more happy bodybuilders out there.So now you guys know I believe in the heaviest training possible (safely)—I think I hammered that home, I needed to do that because so many bodybuilders are lost on how to get from A to Z…..it’s all part of my quest to make the biggest heavy slag irlifting, high protein eating, stretching and recuperating massive bodybuilders I can.– till next time-DOGG

Now to get into specifics regarding training. Stay with me here. You are only doing one exercise per muscle group per day. You are doing your first favorite exercise for chest on day one, you’re doing your second favorite exercise for chest the next timchest training rolls around and then your third favorite exercise for chest the time after that when chest training rolls around. Then you repeat the entire sequence again.

You’re doing the same exercises you would be doing anyway in a 7-14 days time antraining chest 3 times in that same period with minimal sets so you can recover. You cannot do a 3-5 exercise, 10-20 set chest workout and recover to train chest again 3-4 days later. It’s absolutely impossible!! But you can come in and do 2-5 warmup seup to your heaviest set and then do ONE working set (either straight set or rest paused) all out on that exercise then recover and grow and be ready again 3-4 days later.

This kind of training will have you growing as fast as humanly possible. Again thsimple equation is “the most times per year you can train a body part incredibly heavy, with major strength gains, and recover will equal out to the fastest accumulation of muscle mass possible”. Why don’t most pros do this kind of training? Why don’t y?!?! Because every form of training has been taught to someone, passed down from the magazines for decades with no thought out rhyme or reasons.

Every form of modern day training stems from what the guys in the 60’s and Arnold was doing. Finally Yates asome others got people thinking about what truly is working when it comes to training. If you think about it-it’s ridiculous some of these recommended routines in the magazines. Most training comes from peoples egos. People are so driven and desperate get big that they believe they MUST do this and MUST do that every workout. Thirty sets here, with multiple exercises to hit every angle there. You know what that does? It dramatically cuts into your recovery ability (never mind amino acid pools and glogen stores) so you cannot train that body part again in a couple days time. That defeats the purpose of rapid accumulation of muscle mass.

I’ll state this as a matter of fact because I believe it’s true. I believe if you, the person reading this, trainthe way I am recommending, you will be 20-40lbs of muscle larger in 3 years than if you kept training the way you are presently training. If that offends you or seems ballsy to state-SO BE IT!!! I’ve done enough studying and real life experimentation oaspiring bodybuilders to state that.

To start-Three key exercises are picked for each body part. USING ONLY ONE OF THOSE EXERCISES PER WORKOUT you rotate these in order and take that exercise to it’s ultimate strength limit (where at that certain point u change the exercise to a new one and get brutally strong on that new movement too). That can happen in 4 weeks or that can happen 2 years later but it will happen some time (You cannot continually gain strength to where you are eventually bench pressi905 for reps obviously) Sometime later when you come back to that original exercise you will start slightly lower than your previous high and then soar past it without fail.

Some principles I believe in:

A) I believe rest pausing is the most productive way of training ever. I’ve never seen a way to faster strength gains than what comes from rest pausing. I’ll use an incline smith bench with a hypothetical weight to show you my recommended way of rest pausing. Warmups would be 135×12, 185×10, 250x 6, 3154 (none of these are taxing–they are just getting me warmed up for my all out rest pause set) MAIN REST PAUSE SET-375×8 reps (total failure) rack the weight, then 15 deep breathes and 375x 2 to 4 reps (total failure) rack the weight, then 15 deep breats and 375x 1 to 2 reps. I personally do a static right after that but I’ll explain that later. Remember every time you go to failure you always finish on the negative portion and have your training partner help you or rack the weight yourself. To explaifurther on my first rest pause above I struggled with every iota of my strength to get that 8th rep up. At that point instead of racking the weight up top I brought the weight down to my chest again slowly (6 seconds) and had my training partner quicklyelp me lift the weight back up to the top to rack it. That “always finishing on the negative rep” will accrue more cellular damage over time and allow for even greater gains.

B) Every exercise is done with a controlled but explosive positive and a true 8 second negative phase. The science is there just read it. Almost every study states an explosive positive motion is the priming phase and the negative portion of an exercise should be done controlled and slowly. I have the mindset that I hope you guysevelop. I try so hard to get the weight up only for the sole reason I can lower it slowly to cause eccentric phase cellular damage.

C) Extreme Stretching: it must be done, it’s imperative. It stretches fascia and helps recovery immensely. It will dramatally change your physique in a short amount of time if done right, trust me on that. I hit on it in the first article of this series. OK you guys have to use some deductive reasoning here. If I do a 375 or so LB smith incline press rest paused for 10-15eps with statics on Monday morning (which is the time of day I lift) by that same Monday night, 12 hours later I am viscously sore. By Tuesday morning I am still pretty sore but to a lesser degree. By Tuesday night I have very little soreness. By Wednesday morning I have absolutely no soreness and Wednesday night the same, so I could probably train chest again on Thursday no problem but I currently wait till Friday and train chest again. If your training chest on Monday and on Thursday your still prettyore, a couple things are happening–either you’re training with more volume than I recommend, or you’re not extreme stretching (as recommended in my first article for AE), or more likely your recovery ability is not your greatest asset. If the last one true you are going to have to take note of that and broaden the workout days between bodyparts hit. Most of you reading this (90%) will be able to go the Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Monday again route hitting bodyparts twice in 8 days. A chosen few mht be able to go Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday especially if they really work their extreme stretching and get the proper rest. That’s very rare though that someone can recover that quickly even from one working set per bodypart. My recommendations e to start out Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Monday first and gauge how that goes. I am currently seeing that most people go best with that protocol. I know some of you want to train a bodypart as many times as possible in a weeks time, hell I would love tbe able to train a bodypart 4 times a week and grow but it can’t be done. So this is something I can’t help you on…..you need to check yourself and find out where you are recovering and then work with that. I can do a 20 plate leg press for reps and bsore for the next day and a half and feel fresh and ready to go on my next leg day. High dose glutamine has been a godsend to my recovery ability as has extreme stretching. My training weights continue to rocket upward on everything. What I cannot do isleg exercises for multiple sets in a workout session and recover 3-4 days later to do legs again. I think you’re begging for injury if you are still very, very sore the next time a body part comes up. Example Day one

First exercise smith incline presses (I’ll use the weights I use for example) 135 for warmup for 12185 for 8 warmup250 for 6 warmup315 for 4 warmupThen all out with 375 for 8 reps to total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 2-4 reps to total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 1-3 reps to absolute total failure (then a 20-30 second static hold) DONE!-that’s it 375lbsor 8+4+3= 375 for 15 reps rest paused….. next week I go for 385 (again rest paused)—–directly after that rest pause set I go to extreme stretching flyes as described earlier and then that’s it for chest and on to shoulders, triceps and back. The netime I come in to do chest I would do hammer flat presses in the same rest paused manner (and then extreme stretching again)—the time after that I come in to do chest I would do my third favorite exercise rest paused/stretched and then the cycle repes.

In simple terms I am using techniques with extreme high intensity(rest pause) which I feel make a persons strength go up as quickly as possible + low volume so I can (recover) as quickly as possible with as many growth phases (damage/remodel/recover) I n do in a years time.Some exercises involving legs and some back rowing exercises don’t allow themselves to rest pause too well. A sample couple of days for me would be the following (IM not including warmup sets–just working sets).

Workout 1
CHEST: smith incline 375 x 15 reps rest pause (RP) and a 30 second static rep at the end (then stretches)
SHOULDERS: front smith press-330 x 13 RP and 30 second static (then stretches)
TRICEPS: reverse grip bench press 315 for 15-20 reps RP-no static (then stretches)
BACK WIDTH: rear pulldowns to back of head 300 x 18 RP (20 second static at end)
BACK THICKNESS: floor deadlifts straight set of 8-20 reps (then stretches for back)

The information below is from Peter O’Hanrahan’s “Body Types, Part 1”. It is a brief and incomplete description of the mesomorph’s temperament.

Workout 2 BICEPS: preacher bench barbell curl RP for 14 reps and 30 second staticFOREARMS: hammer curls straight set for 15 reps (then stretches for biceps)
CALVES: on hack squat straight set for 12 reps but with a 20 second negative phase
HAMSTRINGS: Cybex hamstring press (pressing with heels up top) RP for 20 reps
QUADS: hack squat straight set of 6 plates each side for 20 reps (of course after warming up) Then stretches for quads and hams. The absolutely most important thing of any of this is I write down all weights and reps done from the working set on a notep. So every time I go into the gym I have to continually look back and beat the previous times reps/weight or both. If I can’t or I don’t beat it, no matter if I love doing the exercise or not, I have to change to a new exercise.

Believe me this adds a gve seriousness, a clutch performance or imperativeness to a workout! I have exercises I love to do and knowing I will lose them if I don’t beat the previous stats sucks! But there is a method to this madness because when you get to that sticking point ostrength (AND YOU WILL, THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN HACK SQUAT UP TO 50 PLATES A SIDE) that is when your muscle=strength gains will stop. At that point you must turn to a different exercise and then get brutally strong on that one. Then someday you will peaout on that one too.

You can always come back to that loved exercise in the future and you’ll start somewhat lower and build up to a peak again–and trust me that peak will be far more than the previous one. Some exercises you’ll stay with and gain streth at for almost up to a year and some exercises you’ll be at the limit in 4 weeks and lose them but its all in the plan. For example– I love reverse grip bench presses, knowing that I have to beat 315 for 17 reps RP or else I have to change to maybe ds next time puts a serious sense of urgency into workouts. I either have to beat it by doing something to the effect of 320 for 15 RP or if I stick with 315, I have to get at least 19 reps RP or so.

If I’m feeling crappy or having an off day I might givmyself a little leeway and allow myself another go at it next time around but that’s it. The notepad is your intensity level, how badly you want to keep doing an exercise will be how hard you push to beat the previous. Looking at that piece of paper knong what you have to do to beat it will bring out the best in you. Again, it’s all in the plan to make you the strongest bodybuilder possible which will equal out into the biggest bodybuilder possible.

I find myself irritated now when people look at me asay “genetics” or something to that effect–its amazing to me that at 19 I was 6 foot and 137lbs (yes 137) and eating 6 meals a day and people would chuckle at me the stickboy trying to be a bodybuilder. I seriously did not miss a meal for my first 3 aa half years, I would set my alarm at 2am and wake up and eat scrambled eggs and pancakes if I missed a meal during the day. Two years later I looked “normal” at 196lbs or so.

Two years just to look like a normal person! I kept bombing away, eating andot taking no as an answer and now I am up at 300lbs and people say “you must have always been big” and genetics. That’s tough for me to hear thinking how psyched I was to weigh more than 170 at one point. I’ve only trained one true mesomorph. Mesomorphson’t need trainers usually. I train ectomorphs and endomorphs. The last 3 people I’ve trained have been a pudgy Mexican who was 172 (now 258lbs hard)–a skinny marine, and a guy stuck at 188lbs for many years (now 260).

These people all thought the samehing seeing how my workouts were set up-“am I doing enough?”–If you can show someone how to train so hard that they realize they were holding back tremendously during their 8-20 set workouts, that’s half the battle. The other half is making them realizhow impossible it is to do 8-20 sets per bodypart if you truly, truly train balls to the wall hard.

Personally, if I do a 20 rep hack squat with slag iron heavy weights….at 10 reps I am seriously doubting I am going to make it—at 14 reps IM seeing cors—at 17 reps IM asking God for help–and the last 3 reps are life, death, or rigor mortis—I know for a fact that there is no way in hell I could do another 4-5 sets of hacks like that. I gave everything I had right there on that set. If I can do ather 4-5 sets like that I’m cruising at 70% at the most.

If all you get out of my articles is the mindset of heavy weights, low volume, stretching, and frequency of body parts trained-I would be very happy because then I would have you on the right patho get you where you want to be.

Dogg is presently training people online with daily emails to them and an A to Z approach with diet supplementation training and recovery. He is expensive but he wants to be because he doesn’t want to train a lot of people at once (Four at once is his lit). His first client has been lifting for 3 years with limited success but in 7 weeks with Dogg has gone from 183lbs at 7.5% bodyfat to 205lbs at 7.7% bodyfat. At the end of 10 weeks he should be around 216lbs or so and onward. Dogg is also online traing 2 superheavyweight national competitors who came to him to put on pro size muscle. They will make an even bigger splash than what they already have accomplished. His flat fee is 400 dollars for everything designed (diet, training, supplementation) anthen constant emails to you for at least 2 months monitoring and adjusting your progress. He does a strict interview first to see if you have the makeup and mindset of the person he wants to train. He turns away people who he doesn’t believe will go at or listen to him 100 percent. If 400 dollars equals out to the 40-60lbs of muscle Dogg puts on people repeatedly to you– then you can contact him at Doggcrapp@ziplip.com”

Diet and Exercise Regimen

May 22, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

from Arthur De Vany – Evolutionary Fitness
Eat fresh wholefoods that we were evolved to eat. Usually three times a day but occasionally skip a meal, let hunger dictate your meals. Workout with short and intense resistance sessions a few times a week. Walk, play and stay active

Basic premise for nutrition:

Cook by colour and texture so that meals look beautiful. If busy, skip meals with little worry. You don’t have to have three square meals a day. Snack on nuts or celery. Drink plenty of water. I also drink tea, coffee and a little wine.

Carbohydrates

Avoid bread, muffins, bagels, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, vegetable oils, beans or anything in a package — empty, high-calorie foods with a high carbohydrate content. These kind of foods are not only detrimental to your health, they are of no use to your body unless your glycogen stores are severely depleted from overtraining and participating in events like marathons.

Flavour

Spice up your food with fresh ingredients such as basil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, spring onions, avocados and nuts, and use various oils, such as olive oil, for flavour.

Celery adds texture (and is good for testosterone too). I personally love to add a high quality Balsamic vinegar to my salads.

Fruits

Fresh fruits of all sorts are good; I focus on melon and red grapes. Fruit juice is out. I have one or two fruits with most breakfasts; now and then a piece with other meals. Fruits are one of the best ways for quick fresh energy, I usually try to buy local fruit, and find it important to feel and smell the fruit as these are good indicators of the freshness.

Vegetables

Eat lots of fresh raw, steamed, sauteed or grilled vegetables. Never use frozen, canned or packaged vegetables. Although Devany does not like canned vegetables I find them better than nothing and really enjoy canned pumpkin with some fresh berries and cinnamon mixed in.

Protein

Eat plenty of meat, such as ribs, steak, bacon, pork loin, turkey and chicken, but trim fat from the edges. Fish, seafood and eggs are also good choices. These should be a mainstay of most meals, protein with meals will improve satiety and keep you feeling fuller longer.

Sample Menu

Breakfast – Eat last night’s leftovers: turkey with jarlsberg cheese and fruit, bacon with red grapes, omelettes with rosemary, olives and spring onions. 2-3 Boiled eggs with a piece or two of fruit and coffee is a great breakfast.
Lunches – Usually salads, with red cabbage, romaine lettuce, spring onions, garlic, kale, broccoli or cauliflower, with salmon, tuna, turkey, chicken, pork or steak. Feel free to throw in a fresh piece of fruit or a punnet of berries.
Dinners – I sometimes eat a whole rack of ribs with salad and vegetables. Or a large steak, trimmed of fat. Almost always there is a beautiful salad and vegetables. I find it important to have my largest hit of protein in this final meal as it helps me wind down and relax, usually allowing me to sleep better. A glass of wine or beer is also acceptable with dinner.

Don’t be afraid to skip a meal and prolong your overnight fasts, I often workout first thing in the morning totally fasted and do not eat for an hour afterwards. This is great for Growth Hormone release.

Training Philosophy

DeVany is an advocate of intense intermittent training, keeping your workouts short and simple training with weights for no more that a couple 20-30 minute short intense sessions a week. OpenWaterChcago did a great piece summing up Power Law Training a while back check out this excerpt:

**Power Law Strength Training**
Lower Body Sequence	Upper Body Sequence	Isometric Activities
Deep Squats	Incline DB Press	Hanging Ab Sets
Dead Lifts	DB Pullovers	Standing Crane
Leg Extensions	Pull Ups
Leg Curls	Bent DB Rows
	Arnold Press
	Upright Rows
	Concentration Curls

The Rules:

Follow the “15-8-4″ routine – Do a set of 15, a set of 8, and a set of 4 repetitions for each exercise using progressively more weight on the latter two sets if you can.

Keep moving – Do not rest between sets or exercises. Try to average 10-15 seconds max in between sets.

Keep your workouts very short and intense – Get in and out of the gym in 45 minutes or less.

Work out no more than once or twice a week – Pick a random day and don’t do it on the same day always.

Exercise the major muscle groups – Do free body exercises at a fairly fast pace up and a rather slower pace lowering the weight.

Protect your heart – Do not grip things too hard and stay loose so the blood flow is not constricted by clenched hands and teeth. Don’t hold your breath, and be sure to exhale as you push or pull the weight.

Protect your spine – Do the abdominal brace, contracting the erectors of the back and pushing the abdominals out a bit and contracting them. Feel as though you have a band of muscle contracted around your waist. Maintain the curvature of your spine and pivot from the hips rather than bending the spine. Use your legs versus your back when lifting and don’t be afraid to use lower weights – especially with dead-lifts.

Hanging Ab Sets – Find a pull up bar and hang from it with your knees at waist level. Hold as long as you can. Repeat 2 more times.

Standing Crane – A yoga balance-building move where you stand on one leg, stretch the other leg out behind you, and position your body parallel to the floor. Do one for each leg.

This is a great workout and if you haven’t tried it before it will definitely give you a run for your money. Art doesn’t believe in long cardio work like jogging and prefers to walk and play sports to keep that side of fitness in check.

In a Nutshell

Eat fresh wholefoods that we were evolved to eat
Usually three times a day but occasionally skip a meal, let hunger dictate your meals
Workout with short and intense resistance sessions a few times a week
Walk, play and stay active

The beauty of the Evolutionary Fitness model that Devany has created is that it seems so simple but it allows so much room for adaptation to your own needs. This article is a very basic summing up of the principles and there is a lot more to it and a lot more one can learn.

Some other interesting/related Links:

Arthur Devany’s Blog

Theory to Practice Blog

Evolutionary Fitness

May 20, 2009 by HWWProject Leave a Comment

Evolutionary Fitness: An Interview with Art De Vany, Ph.D.

Full article via T-Nation.com

Art’s HMHB.org Article on Cannabidiol

Art’s HMHB.org Article on Buying Cannabidiol Near You

I’m a big fan of Art De Vany’s, and T-Nation did a great interview with him in 2005:

Dr. Art De Vany describes himself as a scientist/athlete. He’s competed in Olympic weightlifting, motocross, and even played minor league baseball. At 6’1″ and 208 pounds, today he carries only 8% body fat. Pretty admirable. De Vany barely had time to do this interview. He was headed off to Colorado to ride in the KTM Rocky Mountain Raid, an adventure motorcycling event.

Oh, did I mention Dr. De Vany is pushing 70 years old?

Arthur De Vany

Yes, you read that right: 208 pounds, 8% body fat, bursting with energy… at age 68. Most 40 years olds today could only dream of being as fit as De Vany.

“I’m never sick,” he says, “and I can do anything I want to do. Everyone should or could be this way.” To help them along, De Vany is writing a book called Evolutionary Fitness. His ideas are interesting, thought provoking, and at times controversial. Sounds like good interview material to us.

T-Nation: Can you give us a brief overview of what you call “Evolutionary Fitness” and tell us what it means to diet and training?

Dr. Art De Vany: Evolutionary Fitness is a blending of the Stone Age with the High Tech. It’s based on the following premises…

1) That our genes are from the Stone Age and they encode both behaviors and human physiology for a hunter-gatherer body and mind.
2) That modern research on human performance and health benefit from an evolutionary perspective.
3) That the science of complexity opens a vision that integrates these ideas in a way that’s novel and insightful. I’m a complexity scientist and an athlete and I’ve read thousands of articles and books on fitness, health, metabolism, and evolution. So, I know the relevant literatures well and have implemented them in my own life for many years.

It’s easy to see where these insights go if you realize that any of your readers could have been born 100 thousand years ago and be fully capable of functioning in that ancient world. Likewise, a baby born 100 thousand years ago would be fully capable of functioning as a modern human.

We are genetically indistinguishable from humans from the distant past. But, we’re trying to live a life very different from what our genes “expect.” Our diets, our activity patterns, and the rhythms of our lives are very different now. It’s remarkable that genes and behaviors thousands of years old are so capable that they could function in either environment.

Many modern diseases are diseases of metabolism: Syndrome X, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and countless other diseases didn’t exist among our ancient ancestors. These diseases are produced by the clash of Stone Age genes and a modern life of chronic stress, routine patterns, little activity that’s challenging, and food that was never part of the long 3.5 million years of human existence.

All this means you should live more like an animal, a human one whose long existence on Earth was spent as a hunter-gatherer. Train, eat, and play, but do it in an intermittent and unpatterned way, just as wild animals do.

T-Nation: Interesting, but many people will “turn off” immediately because of the term evolution. Does that bother you? Do you try to convince them otherwise?

Dr. De Vany: I never try to convince others of anything. I make my case and they decide what they’ll do with the information. The theory of evolution is a powerful and insightful one that opens your eyes. It can inform any training program because it goes beyond the direct or proximate explanation of mechanism (you get fat because you eat too much) to a deeper, more informative explanation (the ability to store fat was an essential adaptation for our ancestors).

T-Nation: Coming from the bodybuilding and performance community, I find myself cheering you on in your blog, but also thinking at times, “Wait, that can’t be right!” about a few issues. Bodybuilding has some very ingrained ideas, for example: a man has to eat big to get big. True or false? Is a large amount of calories necessary for mass gains?

Dr. De Vany: Calories are energy. Excess calories are stored as fat. Too many bodybuilders that I see are too fat. They only look good when they’re in contest form. They do tend to follow a binge eating pattern that’s close to those of bulimics and other dysfunctional eaters. Eat like mad to grow, then starve to get cut for the contest. Throw in some dehydration for good measure.

This is damaging to the brain and can eventually lead to a form of anorexia when the hypothalamus becomes damaged. Remember, your brain shrinks too when you starve yourself for a period of time. Random or intermittent hunger is good and protective of the brain.

Muscle mass can easily be gained without eating excess calories. Growth hormone directs nutrients toward muscle. Insulin sends them the other way toward fat. Eating all the time raises insulin levels and drops growth hormone levels. So, you tend to make more fat.

T-Nation: What about eating multiple, smaller meals all day long? For example, athletes, lifters, and even just fitness enthusiasts are often told to eat five to seven meals per day. The meals are supposed to be small and healthy, of course. Is that a good idea?

Dr. De Vany: Many meals per day reduce insulin spikes a bit, but by substituting a nearly constant flow. Hence, total insulin is increased over the course of the day eating six or seven meals. This will make you more resistant to the action of insulin. Hence, your body must make more of it.

As your insulin drifts upward and you become resistant, you’re on your way to the Metabolic Syndrome X: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and a pre-diabetic state. No wonder a number of bodybuilders develop diabetes.

The overweight people and bodybuilders tend to share a common strategy (or failure) of eating many meals a day. Both have problems. The obese have many and bodybuilders manage to avoid some of them because they have such high activity levels. But, they both tend to die of similar diseases — diseases of metabolism.

The characteristic that links both these sets of individuals is that they both lack variation between the anabolic and catabolic states. They have a flattened and somewhat uniform metabolic state. The obese do little and eat steadily so that they seldom vary their metabolic state; they’re almost always in the anabolic (growth) state.

Bodybuilders who fixate on maintaining a positive protein (nitrogen) balance only enter the catabolic state when they work out. Fortunately, they tend to work out often and long, so they do enter the catabolic state for that period of time. But they ingest a meal soon after the workout and then go back into the anabolic state. This is bad.

It’s also a hassle to eat that often. It’s hard enough to eat three meals that you prepare well with fresh ingredients. Finally, you weaken the growth hormone response you get from exercise and when you fall into REM sleep.

T-Nation: You actually prescribe a sort of short fast, right? Around 15 hours as part of sleeping? Please tell us about that and your “lean hunting days.”

Dr. De Vany: Our ancestors never ate three square meals a day and they surely didn’t eat seven meals a day. They did forage over the land as they hunted and may have found wild plants and bugs to eat, but nothing like a protein bar (an entirely foreign substance to any human alive for most of our existence) or a high glycemic load supplement. Plants were only available seasonally to a hunter and hunting takes so much time and concentration of effort, there would have been little eating on the trail.

I calculate that they spent about one out of three days in fairly deep caloric stress. That is, they spent this time in negative caloric balance. This triggers growth hormone, which is protein conserving and activates the protective and rebuilding genes that express brain protective factors, heat shock proteins, and many repair and maintenance processes.

When you live in positive energy balance you 1) get fat eventually, and 2) your body expresses genes related to reproduction rather than maintenance. Growth factor expression is down-regulated during positive caloric balance.

Let’s face it, your genes don’t care about you. They just want to make sure you reproduce so they can live another day. When you’re hungry and active, they switch to growth and repair to keep you alive for a while so you can reproduce later.

I randomly pick a day when “hunting is lean” (or so I tell myself) to eat sparingly, but I’m always active on such a day so my body knows it is to conserve its protein stores and use fat for energy (this is the hGH signal).

T-Nation: Besides frequent eating, where else do you see modern bodybuilders going wrong?

Dr. De Vany: I think bodybuilding has so many positive aspects that it’s a pretty good life choice. I’ve worked out for about 55 years now and I know it has been an important element of my excellent health and professional accomplishments. I’m glad to have it be a big part of my life. Where the errors may lie is in the excesses to which individuals may go in pursuing extreme goals that may relate poorly to health or function.

Some neglect their minds in the pursuit of narrow goals. They spend too much time in the gym and not enough on other more important things. At the competitive level the sport is, after all, just a beauty contest. And like models who go to excess in starving themselves or undergoing surgery or focusing intently on appearance, so may bodybuilders fall into poor habits or dysfunctional goals.

Beauty contests are strange things. Small things become more important in a contest where contestants are similar and differences are small. Slight differences make the difference between first and last place. These differences then become a point of focus and contestants stress those. Then small differences, like a 21.5 inch arm instead of a 21 inch arm become important.

This is a non-linear process that can produce weird outcomes. Pretty soon you’re in a strange place in terms of aesthetics; it happens in most areas of taste and bodybuilding is no different. But, the health and functional abilities of the contestants are affected, sometimes in a very adverse way.

T-Nation: You prescribe brief, intense workouts with little emphasis on “show” muscles. Your own weight training workouts take as little as 25 minutes and you seldom do more than three sessions per week. Give us an example of a typical weight training workout for you.

Dr. De Vany: I always do a major muscle group early in the workout to raise my core body temperature and release growth hormone. My workouts are designed for how I wish to function, and with an eye to symmetry and balance.

These are functional goals that will produce a body that moves easily and powerfully in the world. A primary function of a workout is to alter your metabolic profile, the flux of hormones. I work out hungry, so I begin with high growth hormone (fasting releases growth hormone).

My favorite style is to do the workout at a fast pace with no rest between exercises. I most often do 15 reps with a lighter weight, up the weight and do another 8 reps and then up the weight again and do 4 reps. But, I don’t count the reps; I feel the acid burn. This tells me I’m getting the lactic acid that boosts my growth hormone.

T-Nation: Do you train to failure?

Dr. De Vany: I never go to failure. I may add a few negatives at the end. All this is aimed at the fast twitch muscle fibers. I then take an easy walk or shoot baskets after the workout and don’t eat for about an hour after. No “gainer” drinks or anything in this post-workout period so that I don’t shut down the growth hormone and begin releasing insulin.

T-Nation: You also prefer morning, fasted workouts, correct?

Dr. De Vany: For me they work better. I can get to the gym more reliably, and they set up my day as they make me relaxed and comfortable to be working at a desk (when I used to do that as a professor).

But, there are some physiological reasons as well. You can go at it a bit harder on an empty stomach. I find it hard to work out hard in the afternoon any time after a meal.

Bodybuilders in the old days used to carry a bucket to throw up in during their workouts. There’s a reason for this, which was not known at the time. If you release large amounts of growth hormone you can become nauseated.

It would be better not to have food there to regurgitate when you do work out hard enough to become nauseated. I almost always have a slight feeling of nausea sometime during a workout. So, a fasting overnight workout may avoid these problems.

But, an even better reason for morning workouts is physiological. The overnight fast releases hGH and the morning workout is a nice bonus to this hGH. So, you metabolize fat at a high rate during and after the workout. Arnold says morning workouts are best and I agree. But that doesn’t keep me from working out whenever I feel like it.

A caution: when you work out in the morning you have to let your heart get used to the load. It’s a bit of a shock, which is good but only up to a point. So, build the load to let your heart adapt.

T-Nation: What are your thoughts on cardio?

Dr. De Vany: My cardio is the fast pace of my workout. And it’s sprinting in a field or on a stationary bike. I alter the pace intermittently. I never put in the miles or time on a treadmill. It’s boring and worthless.

Look at joggers and distance runners. They aren’t slender, they simply have no muscle mass. They’re weak, they can’t generate power, and in spite of their slender appearance, joggers aren’t lean. The average body fat content of jogging club members was 22 percent in one study. Anything above 13% is deleterious.

I wouldn’t jog for health, but playful runs are wonderful. Vary the speed and terrain and you have a really great activity that’s fun and healthful. Routinized jogging is factory work, not natural activity. If you log long miles on a track, I believe you’re compromising your health.

T-Nation: I like when anyone tells me not to run long distances, so I’ll agree with you there! Now, you’ve also written about how people are dissatisfied with modern life because they lack real stimulation and adventure. What did you mean by that and how does this relate to evolution?

Dr. De Vany: Our mind is the mind of the hunter-gatherer. Amazing when you think that this ancient life could produce a mind that could be an Einstein or Bach. What we use in this modern world are the brain modules that served the hunter-gatherer well. We have adapted them to our uses, and they function well indeed.

But, ancient life was full of extraordinary cognitive demands. Imagine being on a trail with the formidable predators that roamed the earth then. Life was a very long camping trip with no camp stove or energy bars to get us through. We had to find and kill our food. Our only possessions were what we could carry.

So, if you take this highly developed mind and put it in an office cubicle doing spreadsheets all day, you’re using ancient brain modules in a strange and possibly unhealthful way. If you take a hunter-gatherer whose only possessions were those he or she could carry, you put it in Manhattan in a penthouse with every possession one could ask for, it isn’t satisfying. It can’t be to a mind made to live in a different time and place.

Life was a far greater mystery then, far more dangerous and far more cognitively demanding than the lives we live now. What we might call an adventure now is what life was like then, every day.

T-Nation: That makes sense. Now, you make a distinction between Western aging and natural aging. What’s the difference?

Dr. De Vany: Western or modern, affluent life is conducive to diseases of metabolism and spirit. Depression may have been helpful to keep our ancestors from killing one another when they were confined to caves or other shelters during long winters, but it’s triggered in many ways in modern life.

You can look at TV or a magazine or the Internet and find someone with whom to compare yourself in countless ways. And since they’re specialists at looking good in some aspect (or they’re richer, or can hit more homeruns than you can), you’ll almost always come back from the experience feeling that you aren’t quite good enough.

Our ancestors lived in small bands of around 25 other people. Every person was important to the survival of the band. They all had value and contributed in some way. Now you can see thousands of other people and the comparison is almost always hard on your pride or sense of worth. And it’s hard to see your contribution in the broader scheme of things. I think this contributes to a sense of a lack of purpose and meaning in your life, though I personally don’t look for purpose and meaning as I think they’re unhelpful and distracting.

As to aging, well, caged lab animals live about three times longer than their wild relatives. We modern humans live about three times longer than our wild ancestors (90 years versus about 31 for our ancestors). Predation, snake and insect bites, fellow humans, and accidents were the common causes of death then. Far fewer deaths were from pathogens than is true of humans since the invention of agriculture, and the beginning of our cohabitation with animals and rats, and higher population densities that allowed pathogens to survive.

But, our ancestors were healthy and fit and lean and strong right up into advanced age. They retained their insulin sensitivity right into old age because they were lean, active, and ate natural foods. In Western societies, really all affluent societies including Iran and Egypt and much of Latin America, little activity, starchy foods, and obesity lead to a loss of insulin sensitivity and a host of hormonal changes that accelerate the aging process.

So, we live longer now than our ancestors, but we spend a higher proportion of our lives in disability.

T-Nation: How long have you been eating and living in an Evolutionary Fitness fashion? What are your stats today?

Dr. De Vany: I’ve worked out since I was 14 years old. I’m 68. I’ve lived the Evolutionary Fitness life for about 25 years. I’m 6’1,” 208 pounds, and my body fat is around 8 percent. I don’t want to be any leaner than this as it’s harmful to be too lean. I weigh the same as I did when I played minor league professional baseball. So, my lean body mass is that of a young man’s, a very important element of my health. I’m never sick.

T-Nation: You recommend not keeping track of scale weight. What’s a better option and why?

Dr. De Vany: It’s your lean body mass that counts. It’s the “active you” and the engine to carry you through life. It’s the store of protein on which your immune system relies to destroy pathogens. It’s the measure of your organ mass and function. When you diet you lose all this valuable tissue along with fat. When you live well nourished and active, you maintain your lean body mass.

If you lose 40 percent of your lean body mass, you are dead. AIDS, sepsis and other lethal conditions cause a wastage of lean body tissue and the victims die when their body mass declines 40 percent.

Aging, Western style, is the same problem over a longer time course. Affluent aging is associated with a loss of lean body mass. The aged die when their lean body mass is about 40 percent of what it was in their prime. My lean body mass is the same as it was when I was 18 years old.

T-Nation: You summed up one of your papers by saying, “Learn to be a good animal.” What did you mean by that?

Dr. De Vany: Animals have a natural rhythm to their lives that’s captured by what’s called a power law. It’s a statistical distribution of activities. Wild animals spend a good deal of time in languid rest. They also spend brief periods of highly intense activity. There’s no typical pattern; activities are scattered over the metabolic scale.

I try to live according to a power law distribution. You’ll have to see my website or the book to learn more about this. All I can say is that a power law is the organization of nature and it describes the coast line, the mountain ranges, rain fall, the variation of the forest canopy, and the movement patterns of wild animals.

T-Nation: Thought provoking interview. Where can T-Nation readers go to learn more about Evolutionary Fitness and your upcoming book?

Dr. De Vany: My website, ArthurDevany.com.

T-Nation: Cool. Thanks for the chat.

Main Menu

Basic premise for nutrition:

Carbohydrates

Flavour

Fruits

Vegetables

Protein

Sample Menu

Training Philosophy

The Rules:

In a Nutshell

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