I remember the first time I ever picked up bodybuilding magazine with the intention of learning how to train and grow. I knew nothing at the time but was ready to soak up all the information that this magazine was ready to give. I found the workout of the biggest guy in the magazine (an IFBB pro who shall remain nameless). This magazine listed his favorite workout plan and his reasons why it was his favorite. One statement gave me one of the answers I was looking for, this bodybuilder stated, “When I am trying to get big, I lift heavy for low reps, but when it is time to get lean for a show I lift light weight for high reps. This is what really burns the fat.” I figured this had to be true since he was huge and lean. As I became more embedded into the bodybuilding world, I would hear this same bit of “knowledge” over and over again. In my never ending search for knowledge it did not take me long to discover that this common mantra of, low reps for mass and high reps for cuts, was just plain wrong. The truth about rep ranges is something that is largely unknown within the bodybuilding community.

I work with clients of all different experience levels. Some have been competing for years and have reached top levels of competition, while others are just starting out on their bodybuilding journey. It doesn’t matter the level of the trainee, I am always shocked to find that this is a rather simple topic that is largely misunderstood. Well, no more! I want to clear the air. This may not be groundbreaking new information to the bodybuilding world, but it is something that every bodybuilder should know.

Low Reps

Low reps are usually categorized as reps in the 1-5 range. It is often said that low reps will stimulate fast twitch muscle fibers while high reps stimulate the slow twitch muscle fibers. This is yet another false fact about rep ranges. The truth is that low reps will stimulate ALL muscle fibers from slow to intermediate to fast and everything in between. The body calls fibers into play on an as needed basis in order from slow to intermediate to fast. When a load is placed on a muscle, the slow twitch fibers will be recruited first. If the slow twitch fibers cannot generate enough force to lift the weight then the body will call the intermediate fibers into action. If the slow and intermediate fibers cannot handle the weight or tire out then the fast twitch fibers will finally be recruited. When fibers are recruited they are never recruited half way or partially. When a fiber contracts, it will contract maximally (Saladin, 2007), so this means when you lift a heavy load you will fully stimulate slow and intermediate muscle fibers.

Low reps are also effective for stimulating myofibrillar hypertrophy. Myofibrillar hypertrophy is an increase in the number and size of the actin and myosin filaments within muscle tissue. This type of hypertrophy is accompanied by strength gains since it involves an increase in the contractile tissue (Zatsiorsky, 2006). This is important because progressive overload is one of the primary necessities for continued long term growth. So you can see that very heavy weight for low reps is vitally important for maximum growth.

Moderate Reps

This rep range is typically defined as the 6-12 rep range. Moderate rep ranges have consistently been proven in study after study to lead to the greatest amount of growth. The reason that this rep range is so effective for building muscle is because it does a little bit a everything. This means that it provides many of the benefits of low rep training combined with the benefits high rep training by allowing for relatively heavy loads to be used while increasing time under tension. The heavy loads allow for myofibrillar protein synthesis to take place which, as discussed, will increase the size of the contractile proteins. The increased time under tension will stimulate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is an increase of the sarcoplasm and other non-contractile proteins within muscle cells and is primarily induced by lifting light loads for higher reps. This type of growth, although not typically accompanied by any strength gains, is the primary reason why bodybuilders tend to be more muscular than strength and power athletes.

Moderate rep training also induces an excellent muscle pump. While the pump is often thought of as a short-term training effect, it may possibly result in greater growth. Studies show that cellular swelling causes both an increase in protein synthesis and a decrease in protein breakdown (Grant et al., 2000; Stoll et al., 1992; Millar et al., 1997).

So while low reps with heavy weight is best at stimulating myofibrillar hypertrophy, and high reps with light weight is best at stimulating sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, moderate reps seem to strike a balance between inducing significant amounts of both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. The proven track record of the moderate rep range makes it so that it cannot be ignored in your training routine.

High Reps

High reps are usually considered to be any set that contains 15 reps or more. There are many that argue, since low reps stimulate all the muscle fibers and moderate reps induce sarcoplasmic protein synthesis, that there is really no need to do high rep sets. At first this sounds like sound reasoning, but it leaves out one very important factor. This important factor is the effect of glycogen on protein synthesis.

Glycogen is essentially stored carbohydrate within muscle tissue. Glycogen is hydrophillic, it causes muscles to swell since every gram of glycogen stores 2.7 grams of water along with it (Chan et al. 1982) . I know many of your are thinking, “why would I want my muscles packed with water?” Besides the fact that this added water will increase the size of your muscles, it will also increase protein synthesis. Many people do not realize that cellular hydration is an extremely strong anabolic trigger. Protein synthesis is often directly related to a muscles cells state of hydration. In response to increased cellular hydration, the cell initiates a signaling cascade that causes the muscle to grow larger to protect itself.

So what does this all have to do with high rep training? High rep training will drastically deplete glycogen stores. At first this may sound counterproductive but the body will react to this depletion by increasing muscular glycogen stores. In the long run this will allow cells to stretch and lead to greater overall muscle growth and release of anabolic hormones.

In addition to all of the above benefits, greater occlusion is associated with higher rep training. This prevents blood from leaving the area being trained, which can induce growth through increases in growth factor production and possibly satellite cell fusion (Vierck et al., 2000).

Comparing the Ranges

So you now know what function each rep range serves, but that is not the whole story. To really be able to put this knowledge to good use you really need to be able to interpret this info. Let’s take a closer look.

Even knowing all of this info there are still those that say high rep training is not necessary and it is best to train only with low to moderate rep ranges and focus solely on progressive overload. A fairly recent study recently proved that this is just not true. This study took 15 young men and compared two protocols in the leg extension. The researchers compared the protein synthesis response from 4 sets with 90% (RM) taken to failure, with 4 sets with 30% (RM) taken to failure. This study found significantly higher protein synthesis rates after the high rep protocol (Burd et al. 2010) . This means that the old saying, low reps are for size and high reps are only for fat loss is way, way off.

There is still one problem with high rep training that cannot be ignored. As stated earlier, high reps do very little for increasing strength gains. Progressive overload is essential for growth to continue and this should lead us to one conclusion. While a high rep protocol will work well in the short term, the lack of continually increasing the resistance will eventually lead to a stall in growth.

There is actually a way around this stall though. By training with low to moderate reps and loads you can increase strength over time. These strength gains in the 1-5 rep range will have sort of a “trickle down” effect. This means that strength gains in the 1-5 rep range will transfer and lead to more strength in the other rep ranges. If a bodybuilder increases his one rep max from 250 lbs. to 350 lbs. on the deadlift, you had better believe that his 20 rep max will increase as well. This is what I mean when I say the strength will trickle down.

So using a variety of reps and loads will have a synergistic effect. Rep ranges are not independent of one another. Improvements in one area will lead to improvements in other areas. This exchange is important to understand when putting the whole picture together.

The Takeaways

There are actually two main takeaways from all of this information.

• 1) All rep ranges will increase muscle growth but through different pathways. Therefore all ranges should be utilized, no matter if you are gaining or cutting.
• 2) Do not use high reps to stimulate fat loss. All weight training will stimulate the metabolism and cause a calories burn. No one rep range will cause significant fat loss over another. Diet and cardio should be the primary tools you use to shed fat and get lean. Let the weight build muscle, let your diet cut the fat.

As you can see, there are no rep ranges that are magically going to make you lose fat or get shredded more than other rep ranges. There is also no merit to the idea that high reps will not allow you to gain lean mass. If you are dieting for a show you need to maintain every ounce of muscle possible. If you are in the offseason you need to gain as much muscle as possible. To accomplish this you must use every single rep range to maximize muscle retention and growth to your fullest potential. So how do you apply this to your own workout? It depends if you are training a muscle group once or twice per week.

If training a muscle group only once per week the best way to work in all rep ranges are as follows:

• First 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with heavy loads in the 1-5 rep range with compound movements
• Next 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with moderate loads in the 8-12 rep range with mostly compound movements
• Last 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with light loads in the 15-30 rep range usually with an isolation movement.

When training a muscle group twice per week this really allows you to specialize and focus on one type of training at a time. This is why I most often recommend more frequent training to my clients. Here is a good way to split it up:

Session 1

• First 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with heavy loads in the 2-4 rep range with compound movements
• Next 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with moderate loads in the 4-6 rep range with mostly compound movements
• Last 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with light loads in the 6-8 rep range usually with an isolation movement.

Session 2

• First 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with heavy loads in the 12-15 rep range with compound movements
• Next 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with moderate loads in the 15-20 rep range with mostly compound movements
• Last 1-2 Exercises- 3-4 sets with light loads in the 25-30 rep range usually with an isolation movement.

The bodybuilding world is filled with misinformation. It is important to constantly question everything. The guy at the gym that is a legend in his own mind is not the only one spouting nonsense. Even top level pro bodybuilders are often misinformed themselves. I say it all the time, for every method you use in your training and diet it is important to ask, “Why I am I doing this?” If you don’t have a good, scientifically sound answer, then it’s time to reevaluate your methods. The outdated ideas about rep ranges are now a thing of the past. So get out there, lift brutally heavy weight, achieve skin tearing pumps, and burn it out with high reps. Do this and you’ll be good to grow!

Author: Cliff Wilson

Jim Cordova is arguably the best WNBF Pro to date as he has built an extremely impressive, well rounded physique.  Sit back, enjoy, and learn as Jim Cordova takes you through his shoulder training routine.

How did you get started in bodybuilding?

Beginning from the time I was a young child, I badly desired to participate in various sports, however, I wasn’t able to have much of an athletic background due to numerous health problems I was plagued by. At age 2, I was diagnosed with severe asthma. That was the beginning of a long journey through hell. The asthma was devastating. All through grade school, I spent more time in the hospital, and in doctors’ offices than I did at home and in school combined. I never understood why I had to be so sick because no other kids around me had to be sick all the time. Simple things that most people wouldn’t think twice about doing, I had to be conscious of because these seemingly harmless things could have been a death sentence for me. For example, since my asthma was allergy induced and my allergies were so severe that just stepping outside for a few minutes could trigger an asthma attack. Even worse than that, just stepping into someone’s cloud of cigarette smoke would almost always result in a trip the hospital.

My parents had to learn how to give me shots of adrenaline and suspherine at home because often times my inhalers useless against some of these intense asthma attacks. Those powerful injections were the only medications that would allow me to breath long enough to survive the trips to the hospital. On so many occasions, I remember lying there, hooked up to all these machines, full of tubes, unable to breath from my airways constricting in grip of these vicious asthma attacks while my lung exploded with infection. Time and time again, by the grace of God, and the skin of my teeth, I managed to just barely skate by. On 1 occasion as I laid there in the hospital bed, fading in and out, I remember looking up and seeing a priest from our church kneeling beside me and praying over me. I remember thinking that I must be about to die. Asthma made my life pure hell for over a decade. As years elapsed and the worst of my battle with asthma was over, more darkness loomed.

Medical specialists discovered that I had a whole host of additional health problems including:  A 4 inch leg length difference between my right and left leg, spinal scoliosis, 4 torn spinal disks, 2 bulged disks, and a missing anterior cruciate ligament in my right knee, which, caused my medial meniscus to tear during several knee dislocations and had to be surgically removed.

Not having the meniscus in that knee eventually led to the formation of severe osteoarthritis. Between by spinal problems and my wrecked knee, I was always laid up. I remember asking the orthopedic doctor I was going to, about the possibility of getting into bodybuilding some day. He looked at me and said “you want to get into bodybuilding? I don’t see that happening for you. With all the issues that you have, you should be happy to walk!”

For many years I struggled with hormonal imbalances due to parathyroid disease (tumors on the parathyroid glands. This disease caused numerous symptoms including muscle and bone weakness, anxiety, mental fog, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and digestive problems. These symptoms have improved allot since having the tumors and the affected parathyroid gland removed in 2010. Up to that point I still trained hard and kept myself in decent shape despite feeling quite miserable. The truth is- I don’t ever recall a point in my life that I actually felt great. Although my health has greatly improved over the years, my reality is that I have to live with chronic pain each and every day. That’s the hand I was dealt, so I just have to continue to play that hand to the best of my ability. It won’t do me any good to cry about it or feel sorry for myself. I wake up each and every day, and do the very best that I can. I do this because- what happens if I don’t?

What is your diet like?

Nothing too outlandish. I eat clean very consistently. For the most part, I eat mainly fresh meats, cage free eggs, NF-Pro- protein Powder, tuna, cherry tomatoes, raw honey, flax seed, extra virgin olive oil, red wine, a little bit of brown rice and lots of green vegetables. For each meal, the largest portion of my plate will be covered with green. I will allow myself 1 cheat meal each week. Having this to look forward to makes adhering to a clean diet much easier. I find that most bodybuilders tend to over-obsess about their diets. Nutrition really isn’t as complicated as most people make it. Fats don’t make you fat, and carbohydrates don’t make you fat. Calories consumed beyond the body’s maintenance and growth needs make you fat.

How high of body fat percentage do you allow yourself to get to in your bulking stages?

I never really bulk per say, because to me, bulking just means getting fat. I don’t believe that getting fat will hasten the muscle building process any. It will only put you in a position in which you have to suffer allot more when the time comes to trim down and get ripped. Considering there are only roughly 800 calories in 1 pound of muscle, and rarely will muscle growth exceed 1/3 pound of muscle gained in 1 day, then why would your body require thousands of excess calories per day in order to build muscle sufficiently? It simply doesn’t. There are times of the year, during the holidays for example, that I do allow myself to be less restrictive with my diet. Even during these occasions I never let my body-fat creep up over 10%. It’s important to me to be able to see my abdominals year round.

What training routine has yielded the best results for yourself?

I have made my best progress by far following a sort hybrid  style of high intensity training. In short, my workouts are very heavy and intense, however they are also relatively brief and infrequent. Some of my best workout don’t exceed 30 minutes. Before I tell you what my workout schedule is, I would like to make a few important points. As the years have passed, I have gradually worked up to achieving higher levels of strength, which have allowed me to lift heavier weights, year after year. Lifting heavier weights means that there is a greater amount of stress imposed on not just the muscles, but the physiology of the entire body. The only way to compensate for these gradual increases in stress, is by gradually incorporating longer recovery periods between workouts, and also by decreasing the over-all volume of your workouts. For myself, this process of gradually increasing recovery time and decreasing workout frequency has spanned over 2 decades in order to arrive at the point I am now. I’m not suggesting that everyone should train as infrequently as I do. Your personal rate of recovery is a genetically mediated trait just as your eye color, hair color, and bone structure are also genetically mediated traits. No 2 metabolisms are identical and no 2 lifestyles are identical. A training frequency protocol that is suitable for 1 individual, may not be suitable for the next.

This is the reason you will often see 2 individuals who follow the exact same workout routine and one of them is making progress by leaps and bounds, while the other individual makes no progress at all. You need to experiment to determine what frequency of training works best for you. This is my particular training schedule:

• Week 1. I train biceps, and triceps on Tuesday, then quadriceps, and calves on Saturday.
• Week 2. I train shoulders on Tuesday, then hamstrings, and calves on Saturday.
• Week 3. I train back, and chest on Tuesday, then quadriceps, and calves again on Saturday.
• Week 4. I begin the 3-week rotation all over again, but only on Saturday I switch to hamstrings, and calves again. On three of my non-lifting days each week, I perform 45 minutes of low intensity cardio, and a brief  5-10 minute abdominal workout.

How often do you train to failure?

Every time I lift. Many experts would argue that doing so isn’t a good idea because doing so is over-kill on your central nervous system. I would tend to agree if you were lifting 6 days a week, but I only lift 2 days per week so I feel as though I afford enough recuperation time between lifting workouts, that my central nervous system doesn’t get wiped out.

How often do you incorporate deload or weeks off?

I would say every couple months I will take a week off of lifting to allow for a full system recovery. I always do come back stronger! This proved to be the case when I took 1 full week off of lifting before my recent power-lifting meet.

Favorite chest exercise?

I’m a fan of the neck press. This was the only type of bench pressing the great Larry Scott ever did. I figure if it was good enough for Larry Scott, then it’s good enough for me. This exercise can be done with either a barbell or on the Smith machine. I prefer the machine because you don’t have to worry about balancing the bar and you can really focus your attention on the pecs. To perform a neck press, simply take a wide grip on the bar and the elbows and upper arm should be directly under or slightly back of the barbell. Lower the bar to where your neck and upper chest meets – not to the nipple line as you would with regular bench presses. Press up to within an inch of the lockout and then lower and repeat. Try for maximum stretch as you lower the bar and tense the pecs hard at the top, trying for a hard contraction.

Favorite supplements?

This is an easy one. All American EFX products are my absolute favorite! I wouldn’t be a representative for them otherwise. There isn’t a single product that they’ve produced that I’ve tried- and haven’t loved. Although I’ve only been using their products for a relatively short amount of time, I’ve been very impressed with the results I’ve experienced thus far! This is my current All American EFX Supplement stack that I’m using- Test Charge, K-Otic, HBM, Kre-Alkalyn, Glutazorb, LBA Pro, Vita-Drive, NF-Pro, and Karbolyn.

What would you recommend to a beginner starting out?

To give themselves a healthy dose of vitamin “P” as in “Patience.” All too often, people expect to experience success literally over-night. When results aren’t instantaneous, they become frustrated, reckless, and many will resort to drug use in order to speed things up. They want to cut every possible corner, so they can have an amazing physique instantly, without putting forth too much time or effort. To me this defeats the whole purpose of what bodybuilding should be about. The best advice I can give is learn as much as you can about natural bodybuilding and learn to love the process. Think of it as a marathon, but not a race. Building muscle naturally takes some time. So many people get fixated on “the look“ however, they aren’t really passionate about performing the hard work, or exercising the extreme discipline that is necessary to obtain a great physique naturally. When you’re going through the process, you’re not just building your muscles. You’re also building character, your mind, and as well as your spirit.

Learn to love the getting hold of the iron and pushing yourself with the utmost intensity! Learn to enjoy the hard work, the sweat, the blood pumping, and embrace the pain. You absolutely must love your workouts! If you don’t, then your efforts will be very short-lived. Take pride in the discipline that you develop throughout your journey. If you love the process and stay true to it, then the results will inevitably come. Picture your goal of creating your ideal body as a long journey. Like all long journeys, yours begins with a small step; actually it’s made up of innumerable small steps, which will of course, lead you to your destination. If you fail to reach a goal, then try to learn from your failure. Reevaluate your daily routine in order to determine why you didn’t reach a particular goal. Have you been sleeping enough? Has your diet been on key? Have you been getting all your meals in? Are you training too frequently? Are you training too infrequently? Have you been under an unusual amount of stress? Have you been experiencing any type or injuries or pain that has disrupted your ability to train as hard as possible? An intelligent bodybuilder will ask themselves all these questions and then take action to correct whatever the problem is. Any time I have I have failed to reach a particular goal, I’ve always been able to look back and pin-point the reasons why I didn’t achieve that goal.

If you could go back and change a mistake you made in the beginning, what would that be?

If I could do it all over again- knowing what I know now- I would have spend literally 2/3 less the amount of time in the gym, which would have saved allot of wear and tear on my joints and I would of made better over-all progress.

I was so enthusiastic about building my body, that my enthusiasm led me to over-training, as well as a whole laundry list of injuries.  It’s good to be enthusiastic, but not over-enthusiastic. Being overly enthusiastic can drive you to making reckless choices that carry negative consequences. You need to use your head and be smart about your approach to building your body.

Future plans?

I’m going to be conservative with what I say here, because often times, when someone talks too much, life ends up kicking them in the face and making a fool out of them. I usually keep my goals to myself, then after I achieve them I will share my experience with other people. I will tell you that I recently won both of my classes in the WABDL World Cup power-lifting meet and set a WI state dead-lifting record for my weight class and age group. This win qualifies me to go to World’s national championships out in Las Vegas this coming fall. I would like to go and compete in this event. I will see how my training goes within the next few moths, because I have my own expectations that I feel I must live up to before I consider myself good enough to compete on a national level.

How did you get into bodybuilding?

I was always the smallest kid out of all my friends and used to get teased quite a bit. It really affected me. I was very active when I was younger so gaining any weight at all wasn’t going to happen. My father took notice of how the teasing was affecting me and came home one day with a bench press and some free weights. We set everything up right in the middle of my bedroom and I was immediately addicted. I began to read muscle magazines and tear out the pictures from the magazines putting them on my wall for motivation. Training in my bedroom at the age of 16 was an everyday thing, it soon became a passion that lead to living the lifestyle I proudly live today.

Current training routine?

Here is my current training routine, I will switch movements every few weeks but usually stick around the same number of sets and reps, slowly upping weight.

• Monday: Delts/Traps – 4 Sets – 6-12 Reps – DB Presses, Lateral Raise Machine, DB Lateral Raises, DB Front Raises, Rear Delt Machine, Reverse BB Shrugs, DB Shrugs.
• Tuesday: Arms/Abs – 4 Sets – 6-12 Reps – Tri Shortbar Pressdown, Pressdown Machine, Skullcrushers, Seated Preacher Curl Machine, EZ Bar Curls, Hammer Curls, Decline Crunches, Knee Lifts, Leg Lifts. (For abs I hit around 20-30 reps for each set.)
• Wednesday: Off.
• Thursday: Back – 4 Sets – 6-12 Reps – Lat Pulldowns, Close Grip Pulldowns, Seated Row Hammer Strength, Wide Grip Rows, Close Grip Rows, Deadlifts.
• Friday: Chest/Abs – 4 Sets – 6-12 Reps – Flat DB Presses, Hammer Strength, Seated Cable Fly’s, Incline Hammer Strength, Incline DB Fly’s, Cable Crunches, Knee Lifts, Leg Lifts. (Again, abs are in a rep range of 20-30 reps).
• Saturday: Off.
• Sunday: Legs – 4 Sets – 6-12 Reps – Leg Press, Leg Extensions, Lying Down Hamstring Curls, Seated Calv Raises, Standing Calv Raises.

Biggest mistake you made as a beginner?

I would have to say overtraining. I thought that working out more would in turn make me grow quicker when in fact it is recovery that is the key to growth, coming in as second most important in my opinion next to nutrition of course. I hate days off from training but now know that they are crucial. Overtraining will set you back and could possibly lead to injury and illness.

Favorite arm exercise?

I have many but if I had to narrow it down to 1, I would say skullcrushers. I usually hit them at the end of my tricep workout and with
a little bit of an incline, it feels better on my elbows with a slight incline. I try to go as heavy as I can with tight form, hitting close grip
tricep presses at the end of each set to really burn them out. Since introducing this exercise to my routine, the rear head of the tricep has really started to come out.

What is your diet like?

For the most part I keep my diet pretty clean, only allowing a cheat meal once a week. Here is an example of what I eat daily..

• 7:30am – 1 cup of oatmeal in water with a tablespoon of almond butter and a packet of Stevia with 1.5 scoops of ON Whey in 20oz’s of water.
• 9:30am – 5 egg whites/1 whole egg and 20 almonds with a cup of coffee.
• 11:30-12:00pm – 1 pound of boneless/skinless chicken breast with a cup of brown rice and a banana.
• 2:30pm – 8oz’s of steak with about 15 more almonds.
• 5:00pm – 1\2 cup of oatmeal in water with 1 packet of Stevia and scoop of ON Whey in about 16oz’s of water.
• 5:30pm – 5 Controlled Labs Green Bulge Pills, 5 Controlled Labs Blue Gene Pills, 2 scoops of Controlled Labs White Flood in about 10oz’s of water and 1 scoop of Controlled Labs Purple Wraath.
• 6:00-8:00pm – Workout.
• 8:15pm – 2 scoops of Controlled Labs Golden Gains in about 16oz’s of water.
• 8:45pm – 12-14oz’s of boneless/skinless chicken breast with a medium sweet potato.
• 11:30 – Bed.

Favorite chest exercise?

I really like hitting flat db presses, I feel I get the most out of this movement when it comes to chest. I used to hit bench using the barbell but it lead to a terrible shoulder injury a few years back, so I decided to move away from that movement, since introducing the flat db press my chest has started to fill out a bit more. With this movement, form has to be in check, without a doubt..coming all the way down and squeezing your chest together when you come up, the pump I get out of this movement is amazing,
it feels great.

What are the three biggest keys to your success?

There are three words I like to refer as “The 3 D’s”.. Discipline, Dedication and Determination. I repeat these 3 words over and over in my head on a daily basis to keep myself in check. This goes for everything, from training to other personal goals you have in life. Having made the decision to make a change for the better has brought so much positive into my life. There’s more to training than just weights and muscle, it’s the lifestyle that made me understand the true meanings of “Discipline, Dedication and Determination.”

Future plans?

I’d like to hopefully step on stage someday at an all natural competition and perhaps write a book, focusing on nutrition, training and a few personal experiences. I’d also like to open up a gym somewhere here in Southern California. For now I’m going to focus on my clothing line “Sacrifice & Honor”, www.SacrificeAndHonor.com, training and just continue to experience life with my beautiful girlfriend Veronica by my side. I’d like to give a quick thanks to everyone out there who has supported me and my dreams over the years, it’s been amazing.

Contact Nick at:
www.twitter.com/XNickEdgeX
www.bodyspace.com/XNickEdgeX
www.SacrificeAndHonor.com
Instagram/XNickEdgeX

Ed “Old Superman” Cook always enjoyed weight training and bodybuilding. He was a bit heavier as a kid until the age of age 15 until he started to do more outdoors sports like water and snow skiing. Ed started weight training then and liked what was happening. At the age of 40 though, he completely stopped training all together and by the time Ed was 48, he was back out of shape.  Soon after, he would make a transformation that would turn heads and motivate the thousands.  This is Ed’s story.

Ed’s Biography:

What got you started in bodybuilding/fitness?

I’ve always enjoyed weight training and bodybuilding. I was a fat kid until the age of age 15 until I started to do more outdoors sports like water and snow skiing. I started weight training then and liked what was happening. At the age of 40 though, I just stopped training all together and by the time I was 48, I was fat and out of shape.

What keeps you motivated to train?

What is your philosophy about cardio?

I HATE CARDIO! LOL! Who likes it? Yet, I do it of season 3 to 4 days a week and during my prep stage getting ready to compete, 6 days a week 35 to 60 mins a session. I do “low impact” keeping my HR at 115 BPM. For me this is the best HR to burn fat. Cardio also helps with endurance and recovering when training. That’s why I doing off season as well.

To this day, many bodybuilding, health, & fitness enthusiasts stake their entire moral judgment of carbohydrate foods based on their glycemic index (GI). A considerable set of confounders challenges its & strict application. Becoming blindly enamored with something that may enhance our physiques &/or health is natural, and something we’ve all been guilty of. But alas, the GI data is neither perfect nor consistent, nor is it free of bugs. Consider the following facts, and re-think the dogma surrounding GI, & reassess what you think you know about GI.

A Possible Definition Shift

The simplistic definition of GI is a food’s ability to raise blood sugar, which almost automatically is regarded in terms of glucose entry into the blood. However, recent eye-opening research by Schenk & colleagues clearly showed that the rate of disappearance of glucose from systemic circulation is an important determinant of GI – not just glucose’s rate of entry into circulation [1]. They found that the lower GI of bran cereal was due to a quicker/sooner surge of insulin sweeping glucose out of circulation – not a slower appearance/entrance of glucose as once assumed. Although strictly speculative at this point, this phenomenon may have possible performance detriment implications (ie, rebound hypoglycemia) in sensitive individuals if meals of this nature are mistimed relative to training.

Determination Vs. Applicability

GI values are determined in an overnight-fasted state using isolated foods. This is not a reflection of real life, where the digestion/absorption of previous meals, as well as the context of the carbohydrate food can drastically alter GI.

Affecting Factors

The interplay of many variables can either raise or lower GI, and are often difficult to control. Increased acidity, the presence of fiber, fat, and certain protein foods can lower glycemic response. Reduced particle size, greater ripeness, and heat in cooking can raise glycemic response.

Glycemic Load Disparity

Glycemic load (GL), which is the amount of carbohydrate per serving or unit of volume, is not always directly proportional to GI. For example, watermelon has a GI of 72, which is considered high. Low-GI advocates have vilified watermelon without realizing the fact that it has a relatively low glycemic load, approximately 6g carbohydrate per 4oz serving. The same disparity of GI & GL applies to carrots, potatoes, and even sports drinks such as Gatorade.

Satiety Index Disparity

Lower-GI foods have been associated with greater satiety, but most of this data comes from single-meal experimental designs. Longer-term studies on GI & satiety are conflicting, and not always controlled for energy intake and energy density of the test meal [2].  In the longest study to date on GI & satiety is an ad libitium 30d crossover design where Kiens & Richter observe no difference in amount of consumption [3]. In this metabolic study, a LOWER resistance to insulin was seen in the high-GI group at the end of the trial. GI does not reliably correspond with satiety index (SI). White rice, wheat bread, and potatoes all have high GIs, but rank among the top of the list for delaying the onset of hunger. In fact, Holt’s team found that potatoes had by far the highest SI of all the foods tested [4].

Insulin Issues

As a classic example of chaos physics, the typical rules that predict GI do not necessarily help in predicting insulin response. Unfortunately for GI-conscious people, insulin is usually what they are trying to control. Despite having a very low GI of 15-36, milk and yogurt have a high insulin index equivalent to that of the high-GI white bread [5]. Baked beans, another low-GI food, have a very high insulin index of 120. Cheese, beef, and fish have II’s that are comparable to many carbohydrate foods.

Coingestion of fat with carbohydrate slows gastric emptying and thus the release of glucose into the blood, ultimately lowering GI. While this is usually true for GI, the degree of insulin response evoked by this combination is determined by the degree of the fat’s saturation. For example, Collier & others observed that butter coingested with potato not only fails to lower postprandial insulinemia, it actually causes a synergistically heightened insulin response, even in healthy subjects [6,7].

Foods that should have a low GI due to their high fat content do not always have a low GI. Examples are fries, cookies, croissants, and doughnuts. Incidentally, these foods also have a high insulin index, presumably because their fat is mostly saturated. As of this writing, full-fat ice cream (low GI of appx 37) has not been tested for II, but it’s safe to assume that it probably has disparate GI & II values.

Rasmussen & colleagues observed no increased insulin response with the addition of 40g or 80g olive oil, but saw a significant increase with 50g & 100g butter [8]. Joannic’s team observed a coingestion of carbohydrate with fats of increasing degree of unsaturation having a corresponding decrease in insulin response [9]. A more recent study by Robertson & colleagues compared the effect of MUFA, PUFA, & SFA coingestion with carbohydrate and observed SFA’s superior ability to raise postprandial insulin levels [10].

Coingestion of protein with carbohydrate is often recommended to lower GI. However, this doesn’t necessarily lower insulin response. Carbs combined with protein in solution can pretty reliably raise insulin response synergistically. Gannon & Nutall’s research on type-2 diabetics showed that coingested cottage cheese & glucose raised insulin levels beyond either food separately, indicating a synergistic effect [11]. Van Loon & colleagues saw a similar phenomenon when comparing the insulin effect of various carb-protein/amino acid and carb-only solutions in normal subjects [12]. Those containing free leucine, phenylalanine, & arginine, and the drinks with free leucine, phenylalanine, & wheat protein hydrolysate were followed by the largest insulin response (101% and 103% greater, respectively, than with the carb-only solution). These are only a few examples of many.

GI & Obesity – Slim Chance For Correlation

A systematic review of human intervention studies comparing the effects of high and low-GI foods or diets arrived at the following results [13]:

•  In a total of 31 short-term studies, low-GI foods were associated with greater satiety or reduced hunger in 15 studies, whereas reduced satiety or no differences were seen in 16 other studies.

•  Low-GI foods reduced ad libitum food intake in 7 studies, but not in 8 other studies. In 20 longer-term studies (<6 months), weight loss on a low-GI diet was seen in 4 and on a high-GI diet in 2, with no difference recorded in 14 studies.

An exhaustive assessment of these human intervention trials found no significant difference in the average weight loss between low & high GI diets. in conclusion, the current body of research evidence does not indicate that low-GI foods are superior to high-GI foods in regard to treating obesity.

More recently, Raatz & colleagues conducted a parallel-design, randomized 12-week controlled feeding trial, testing the effect of GI and GL on weight loss [14]. The controlled period was followed by a 24-week ”free living” phase, in which subjects were instructed to continue their respective dietary treatments outside of lab-supervised conditions. Manipulation of GI & GL failed to make a dent in both experimental phases. As a result of the 36-week trial, the researchers conclude: “In summary, lowering the glycemic load and glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not provide any added benefit to energy restriction in promoting weight loss in obese subjects.”

Conclusions (For Now)

GI gives us clues to the behavior of certain foods, but that’s exactly the main point of this article. Clues; mere hints are all we get from our current knowledge of GI. Successful application of GI is most consistent when we use higher GI sources to enhance the speed of postworkout glycogenesis, and that’s about it. Carb foods are better judged on the basis of degree processing, refinement, or alteration/removal of micronutrition — NOT on the basis of GI, or even GL. This is as good a time as any to crush the folly of what I call “food discrimination”. A prime example of this is cutting out potatoes on the basis of GI. This happens all the time, & the dieter takes pride in thinking he/she is being prudent. Well, the critical thing to realize here is that all food species in nature have unique nutrient profiles. Therefore, unique nutritional benefit can be derived from each species. The natural matrix of plant &/or animal tissue cannot be duplicated in the lab, & hence there are many unidentified beneficial agents in, say, the humble potato. As a matter of trivia, it surpasses bananas in potassium & vitamin C concentration. Not to mention, it provides default hydration, and of course is a great whole-food source of starch. The list goes on & on.

Satiety, micronutrient density, insulin response, & surrounding factors altering glucose kinetics are all much like a roll of the dice in terms of bottom-line certainty & reliability of GI. Like all things in science – especially the deep bubbly cauldron that is applied nutritional science – it ain’t all that simple. All avenues in this area are winding & complex.

Author: Alan Aragon

Source: alanaragon.com

A longstanding belief in fitness circles is that the body can only use a certain amount of protein per meal, and the excess is either oxidized or excreted. The ballpark range thrown around is 20-30 grams, with 30 grams being perhaps the most common figure.

This guideline has led many trainees to go through the pains of consuming multiple doses of protein throughout the day, banking that it will maximize muscle anabolism or muscle retention.

Well, true or not, this concept fits in nicely with another longstanding fitness “rule” that you have to eat at least six times per day in order to keep the body’s metabolism revving high. Since the meal frequency and metabolism dogma has been thoroughly debunked [1-5], it’s time to dig into the topic of whether there’s a limit to effective protein dosing, and if so, what that limit might be.

Looking at simple logic first

Let’s imagine an experiment involving two relatively lean 200 lb individuals. For the purposes of this illustration, I’ll assign a daily amount of protein known to adequately support the needs of the athletic population. We’ll give Person A 150 g protein spread over five meals at 30 g each. We’ll give Person B the same amount of protein, but in a single meal. Let’s say that this meal consists of a 16 oz steak, chased with a shake containing two scoops of protein powder.

If we really believed that only 30 g protein can be handled by the body in a single meal, then Person B would eventually run into protein deficiency symptoms because he supposedly is only absorbing a total of 30 g out of the 150 g we’re giving him. At 30 g/day, he’s only getting 0.33 g/kg of bodyweight, which isn’t even half of the already-low RDA of 0.8 g/kg. If the body worked this way, the human species would have quickly become extinct. The human body is more efficient and effective than we give it credit for.

Photography By: David Bickley

The body will take all the sweet time it needs to effectively digest and absorb just about whatever dose you give it. Person A will have shorter digestion periods per meal in order to effectively absorb and utilize the small meals. Person B will have a longer digestion period in order to effectively absorb and utilize the large meal. While the truth in this logic seems self-evident, the important question is whether or not it’s supported by scientific research. Let’s look at the evidence, starting with immediate-effect (acute) studies, then move on to the longer-term trials.

Research examining speed of absorption

A thorough literature review by Bilsborough and Mann compiled data from studies by various investigators who measured the absorption rates of various protein sources [6]. Oddly, an amino acid mixture designed to mimic the composition of pork tenderloin made the top spot, at 10 g/hour, while whey took a close second at 8-10 g/hour. Other proteins fell in their respective spots below the top two, with little rhyme or reason behind the outcomes. As a matter of trivia, raw egg protein was the most slowly absorbed of them all at 1.3 g/hour.

It’s important to note that these data have some serious limitations. A major one is the variance of the methods used to determine the absorption rates (i.e., intravenous infusion, oral ingestion, ileal ingestion). Most of the methods are just too crude or far-fetched for serious consideration. Another limitation is that these figures could be skewed depending upon their concentration in solution, which can affect their rate of gastric evacuation. Another factor to consider is the timing of ingestion relative to exercise and how that might differentially affect absorption rates. Finally, short-term data leaves a lot open to question.

Short-term research supporting the magic limit

I’ve heard many folks parrot that the maximal anabolic effect of a single protein dose is limited to 20 grams, citing recent work by Moore and colleagues [7]. In this study’s 4-hour post-exercise test period, 40 g protein did not elicit a greater anabolic response than 20 g. I’d interpret these outcomes with caution. Fundamentally speaking, protein utilization can differ according to muscle mass. The requirements of a 140-lb person will differ markedly from someone who’s a lean 200. Additionally, a relatively low amount of total volume was used (12 sets total). Typical training bouts usually involve more than one muscle group and are commonly at least double that volume, which can potentially increase the demand for nutrient uptake. Finally, the conclusion of the authors is questionable. They state explicitly,

“…we speculate that no more than 5-6 times daily could one ingest this amount (~20 g) of protein and expect muscle protein synthesis to be maximally stimulated.”

So, they’re implying that 100-120 grams of protein per day is maximal for promoting muscle growth. Wait a minute, what? Based on both the bulk of the research evidence and numerous field observations, this is simply false [8,9].

In another recent study, Symons and colleagues compared the 5-hour response of a moderate serving of lean beef containing 30 g protein with a large serving containing 90 g protein [10]. The smaller serving increased protein synthesis by approximately 50%, and the larger serving caused no further increase in protein synthesis, despite being triple the dose. The researchers concluded that the ingestion of more than 30 g protein in a single meal does not further enhance muscle protein synthesis. While their conclusion indeed supports the outcomes of their short-term study, it’s pretty easy to predict the outcomes in muscle size and strength if we compared a total daily protein dose of 90 g with 30 g over a longer trial period, let alone one involving a structured exercise protocol. This brings me to the crucial point that acute outcomes merely provide grounds for hypothesis. It’s not completely meaningless, but it’s far from conclusive without examining the long-term effects.

Longer-term research challenging the magic limit

If we were to believe the premise that a 20-30 g dose of protein yields a maximal anabolic effect, then it follows that any excess beyond this dose would be wasted. On the contrary, the body is smarter than that. In a 14-day trial, Arnal and colleagues found no difference in fat-free mass or nitrogen retention between consuming 79% of the day’s protein needs (roughly 54 g) in one meal, versus the same amount spread across four meals [11].

Notably, this study was done on young female adults whose fat-free mass averaged 40.8 kg (89.8 lb). Considering that most non-sedentary males have considerably more lean mass than the female subjects used in the aforementioned trial, it’s plausible that much more than 54 g protein in a single meal can be efficiently processed for anabolic and/or anti-catabolic purposes. If we extrapolated the protein dose used in this study (79% of 1.67g/kg) to the average adult male, it would be roughly 85-95 g or even more, depending on just how close someone is to the end of the upper limits of muscular size.

When Arnal and colleagues applied the same protocol to the elderly population, the single-dose treatment actually caused better muscle protein retention than the multiple-dose treatment [12].  This raises the possibility that as we age, larger protein feedings might be necessary to achieve the same effect on protein retention as lesser amounts in our youth.

IF research nailing the coffin shut?

Perhaps the strongest case against the idea of a dosing limit beyond which anabolism or muscle retention can occur is the recent intermittent fasting (IF) research, particularly the trials with a control group on a conventional diet. For example, Soeters and colleagues compared two weeks of IF involving 20-hour fasting cycles with a conventional diet [13].  Despite the IF group’s consumption of an average of 101 g protein in a 4-hour window, there was no difference in preservation of lean mass and muscle protein between groups.

In another example, Stote and colleagues actually reported an improvement in body composition (including an increase in lean mass) after 8 weeks in the IF group consuming one meal per day, where roughly 86 g protein was ingested in a 4-hour window [14]. Interestingly, the conventional group consuming three meals spread throughout the day showed no significant body composition improvements.

Keep in mind that bioelectrical impedance (BIA) was used to determine body composition, so these outcomes should be viewed with caution. I’ve been highly critical of this study in the past, and I still am. Nevertheless, it cannot be completely written off and must be factored into the body of evidence against the idea of a magic protein dose limit.

Conclusion & application

Based on the available evidence, it’s false to assume that the body can only use a certain amount of protein per meal. Studies examining short-term effects have provided hints towards what might be an optimal protein dose for maximizing anabolism, but trials drawn out over longer periods haven’t supported this idea. So, is there a limit to how much protein per meal can be effectively used? Yes there is, but this limit is likely similar to the amount that’s maximally effective in an entire day. What’s the most protein that the body can effectively use in an entire day? The short answer is, a lot more than 20-30 g. The long answer is, it depends on several factors. In most cases it’s not too far from a gram per pound in drug-free trainees, given that adequate total calories are provided [8,9].

In terms of application, I’ve consistently observed the effectiveness of having approximately a quarter of your target bodyweight in both the pre- and post-exercise meal. Note: target bodyweight is a surrogate index of lean mass, and I use that to avoid making skewed calculations in cases where individuals are markedly over- or underweight. This dose surpasses the amounts seen to cause a maximal anabolic response but doesn’t impinge upon the rest of the day’s protein allotment, which can be distributed as desired. On days off from training, combine or split up your total protein allotment according to your personal preference and digestive tolerance. I realize that freedom and flexibility are uncommon terms in physique culture, but maybe it’s time for a paradigm shift.

In sum, view all information – especially gym folklore and short-term research – with caution. Don’t buy into the myth that protein won’t get used efficiently unless it’s dosed sparingly throughout the day. Hopefully, future research will definitively answer how different dosing schemes with various protein types affect relevant endpoints such as size and strength. In the mean time, feel free to eat the whole steak and drink the whole shake, and if you want to get the best bang for your buck, go for a quality whey protein such as ON Whey.

Author: Alan Aragon

I’m going to throw out a weird hypothetical question that I want readers to consider before continuing with this article.

If you had to pick a single repetition range to train in for growth, what would it be?

That is, imagine some very strange situation where you could only train within a certain range (and let’s make that range something a little less vague then ‘Between 1-20 reps’ by limiting it to a 3 rep range) for the rest of your lifting career, what would it be?

I used to ask this of friends of mine in the field and, almost with exception, the answer was pretty much the same.  This was true regardless of whether or not they had arrived at that value from experimentation and experience or just looking at the research.

I’m going to take a quick look at the research (including a bunch of seemingly disparate topics) to tell you what I’d pick.

What Makes Muscle Grow?

I asked a job supervisor that question once once; he was a smart-ass like me and told me “It needs lots of sunlight and water.”  Close but not quite.

The mechanism of muscle growth has been under heavy scrutiny for years and a lot of theories and ideas have come and gone in terms of both the mechanism of growth as well as what stimulates it.  Semi-amusingly, about 98% of the actual answer was known back in the 70?s.

In an exceptional paper (which I recommend the reading of to any nerds in the field) titled “Mechanism of work induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle” a researcher named Goldspink pretty much laid it out concluding that:

It is suggested that increased tension development (either passive or active) is the critical event in initiating compensatory growth.

Basically, the development of high levels of tension within the muscle is the key factor in initiating the growth process.  I’d note that there are also some elements of fatigue that may be contributing to what ‘turns on’ the growth response.  Finally, I’d note that in order to keep stimulating growth beyond an acute training bout, there has to be an increase in tension.  Basically, over time you have to add weight to the bar.

Which as another great scientist in the field (Ronnie Coleman) summed up thusly:

“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.“

The simple fact is that, outside of heavy drug users (steroids having the capacity to stimulate growth without even training), the biggest bodybuilders are the strongest.  They grow because they provide, over time, a progressive tension overload (of course there are more variables that go into this, total workload per workout, frequency of training and diet all interact here).

But as I have been pointing out for years and years and years, if you’re not adding weight to the bar over time, you’re simply not growing. You can focus on the feel and the pump and the squeeze all you want; if you’re using the same weights 6 months from now that you’re using today, you won’t be any bigger.

Which doesn’t mean that you have to add weight at every workout (the fallacy of HIT), simply that over time you have to be lifting more weight.  But progression over time is a whole separate article.

Anyhow, the summary of this section is that a combination of tension overload (with a possible contributor of fatigue) within skeletal muscle fibers is what turns on the growth response. Just remember that, what stimulates growth is tension and fatigue (with tension playing a relatively larger role in terms of actual contractile growth).

Which brings us to the next question: what’s the best way to develop that combination of tension and fatigue within skeletal muscle (or a given fiber)?

A Quick Tangent into Some Neurophysiology

When you look at strength production, the body has essentially two methods to increase force output which are

1. Muscle fiber recruitment
2. Rate coding

Muscle fiber recruitment is exactly what it sounds like, how many of the fibers within a muscle are actually being recruited.  Contrary to the exceptional silliness which is endlessly repeated in books and on the internet, most people can actually get pretty close to 100% fiber recruitment (it’s a little bit lower in the lower body but, in the triceps for example, people can get near 100% recruitment).

Rate coding referes to how quickly the body is sending electrical signals to that muscle.  As rate coding goes up, the muscle fires harder.

Now, in the muscles we’re interested in from a sports or bodybuilding standpoint, the body will generally use recruitment to increase force production up to about 80-85% of maximum force output (in the lab, this is measured with Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction or MVIC, which is effectively 1 rep maximum weight).  Beyond 80-85% of maximum, it uses rate coding.

I’d note for completenes that this isn’t true for some muscles in the body, notably stuff like the eye muscles and finger muscles.  In those muscles, recruitment is used up to about 50% of MVIC and rate coding handles the rest.    Which is a lot of why studies looking at the thumb muscles aren’t really relevant to most training applications. But I digress.

Anyhow, now we have the next part of the picture, the body will recruit more fibers up to about 80-85% of maximum; above that point, there is no further recruitment and force output is improved via rate coding.

I should note that even at lower intensities, as the individual goes to fatigue, eventually all muscle fibers will end up being recruited.  But they won’t have been recruited until fairly late in the set (e.g. the last few repetitions).

Putting it Together

And this leads us to our answer to my original question.  For most people, 80-85% of maximum is roughly 5-8 repetitions there is variance in this between individuals and perhaps muscle groups (for example, some people find that they can get 12-15 repetitions at 85% of maximum in some leg movements).

Now let’s put that together with my comments about tension and fatigue from the earlier in the article.

Imagine that you put 95% on the bar, which will let most people get about 2 reps.  You wouldn’t increase fiber recruitment (remember, it maxes at 80-85%) but you would drastically decrease any fatigue because you would be getting a lot less reps per set (and most people couldn’t do many sets of 2 at 90% so their total volume per workout would be much lower).

Or say you wanted to do 15 repetitions which, for most is about 70% of maximum.  If you take it to failure, you will in fact end up recruiting all muscle fibers; however many of them (and this especially holds for the highest threshold fibers, the ones with the potential for the most growth) won’t have been recruited until near the very end.  So those highest threshold fibers won’t be exposed to high tension and fatigue for very long.

In contrast, imagine that you work in the 5-8 rep range with 80-85% of maximum.  First and foremost you will get full muscle fiber recruitment from the first repetition.  Secondly, you will maximize fatigue/metabolic work/volume within that range.   Basically, that range of reps and intensities is the one that will give an optimal balance of tension/recruitment and fatigue/metabolic work.

And that’s the answer that repeatedly comes up among people in the field who aren’t clueless: 5-8 repetitions.  If you had to pick a single rep range to work at to optimize the growth response, it would 5-8 reps per set.

Which isn’t to say that there aren’t valid and valuable reasons to work in other repetition ranges, mind you.  But that wasn’t the original context of my weird hypothetical.

Author: Lyle McDonald

Source: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com

How did you get started?

Well, there are two ways in how I view myself getting started into bodybuilding; subconsciously and consciously.  Subconsciously, I got started when I was 8 years old. I didn’t call it bodybuilding at the time as I didn’t know what it was, but I liked being physically fit and I wanted to look like the super-hero’s in comic books that I read and would draw.

I would routinely perform push-ups, sit ups and pull-ups. I was very active with sports, recreation and just really body “aware.” The sports that I most enjoyed and excelled in were baseball and football. At the age of 10, I won a Most Physically Fit Award in a fitness challenge event with 350+ fellow boy scouts in DuPage County, IL. I also won a gold medal for doing 63 push-ups in the one minute race challenge.

Consciously, I got started at the age of 13 weight-training in my basement with a Sears weight set…the good old plastic and concrete weights. I often read the bodybuilding magazines and wanted to look like the pictures. Arnold Schwarzenegger was my idol and I knew all the bodybuilders from past and present. The other physiques of interest to me were Frank Zane and Surge Nubret. At the age of 14, I got more into weight-training at my high school gym and became a regular gym rat. When I went to college at age 18, I immediately hit the student recreation center weight room. There my eyes were opened to a whole new level of weight-training and it brought me up another notch with training and motivation.

What made you decide to compete?

I got into bodybuilding competition after a fellow Exercise Science college classmate competed in the university’s first natural bodybuilding competition at SIU-C in 1991. He won the short class and beat a monster tall class winner in the overall. When he did that, I said to myself that if he can do it, so can I. My sights were set on competing in that same show the following year. In the spring of ’92 at the age of 21, I competed in the university show and placed 3rd out of 9 guys in the tall class. I narrowly missed 2nd place and lost to the previous years’ runner-up and best poser both years. I beat out many guys from the gym and I was extremely proud of my achievement and placing. I was on top of the world. I was happier about getting 3rd place in that bodybuilding competition than winning anything in the past. I was hooked on bodybuilding competition. The rest is history.

What is your history in bodybuilding?

Well, I have an interesting bodybuilding history. I competed in 92, 93 & 97 in 6 total shows. I thought I was through competing after college, but I got the itch again in 97. I was training hard for 4 years after college and made a lot of improvements. I decided that I was done competing in bodybuilding after my last show in 97 as I didn’t have a good experience. I came in flat in the morning, full in evening and didn’t place top 5 in the men’s open. I also sensed at check-in that the ANPPC federation didn’t like that I had competed with NPC. I didn’t like the subjectivity aspect of the sport and not taking the overall competitor look from both prejudging and evening versus prejudging only. I also knew that I was natural and that in the world of bodybuilding, I would have to take steroids at some point to compete with the big boys which I just wasn’t willing to do. So, I stepped away from competition in 97, kept training, focused on my career, was a NASM certified personal trainer for a year, then got into the real estate market with investing, property management and loan origination. I met my wife; we settled down and had 3 boys.

My younger brother was always pushing me for years to compete again, but I just didn’t have the interest…that burning desire to compete. Then early in 2010 after 13 years away from competition, I was turning 40 and I was tired of being 235-245lbs and strong, but nowhere near show condition. I wanted to get back into serious shape. I always need a goal in mind to get into shape and doing a bodybuilding show is the ultimate physical goal.

So, I did some research online and found John Hansen’s ABA Natural North America Bodybuilding Competition in Bolingbrook, IL. I chose this show as it was natural, polygraph and drug tested, went by height class and the event was 15 minutes from my house. Perfect. I was all in and I made the announcement to my wife, family and friends to solidify the commitment.

I started dieting and training early Spring 2010 for the August show (3 weeks before my 40th birthday). It started off great, but then I crashed and burned a couple times getting ready for the show. I was totally exhausted and had never had so many issues or felt so bad getting ready for a show. I was much older and hadn’t trained or dieted for a show in 13 years, but I couldn’t get my head around what was wrong. In retrospect, I was over-training and my diet was way too strict with the wrong macros. I almost didn’t compete in the show b/c I knew I wasn’t stage ready at 225lbs. However, I set my mind to do it and I always do what I say I am going to do. I didn’t come in the shape I wanted to for that comeback show, but it was good to be back on stage.

So, being the competitor and perfectionist that I am, I decided that I need a redemption show. I set my sights on doing the same show (ABA Natural N America) the following year in April, 2011. I made adjustments on diet/training and looked much better at 215lbs than my previous show, but to my amazement I didn’t place well. I was totally devastated and quite angry. The guys placing ahead of me looked didn’t have nearly the leg development, muscle, structure, shape or symmetry. Some guys looked like they had never touched a weight. I was told that shredded was in…needed striated hamstrings/glutes. I wasn’t sure I wanted to sacrifice my hard earned muscle and size to get that lean. I was lean back in my 20’s for competition, but not striated hamstrings/glutes lean. A lot had changed with Natural Bodybuilding in 13 years.

I was ready to quit my bodybuilding comeback, but my brother Dan, John Hansen and Ed Castillo all encouraged me not to quit. I knew I could do better and so I focused my anger into training/diet. I hammered the cardio for five weeks, kept my diet and weight-training the same and dropped 15lbs to 200lbs. I did the Nutri-Sport NANBF Natural Central Midwest (IFPA Pro Qualifier) in Des Moines, IA with my brother Dan and got runner-up in the Masters out of 11 guys. I was extremely happy in my placing and it was the definitely the toughest show I had ever competed in. I got close to getting my IFPA Masters Pro Card, so I then focused on getting it.

My next show was the ABA Natural N America in August. Third time was a charm as I was dialing in very nicely for this show with new much more detailed diet changes and I was looking my best ever. I had consulted with top prep coaches all year and I was ready to take the plunge. To seal the deal and make a huge commitment to my bodybuilding competition future, I hired Cliff Wilson as my prep coach 5 weeks out. Cliff took me on with short notice only because I was in such good condition and we had future shows planned…this would be the experiment and warm-up show. We did a crash course on contest preparation; he tweaked my diet, gave me supplement recommendations, gave me a new workout program and had me change up my posing quite a bit. He also showed up to my competition, we went through posing live for the first time and threw on my Dream Tan. I took first place in Masters, first in the Novice Men’s Tall and second place in the Men’s Open Tall. I also won the Novice Overall and qualified for the Jr. USA Natural as well as the Natural Olympia. I was floored at my success as this show and got more compliments on my physique than I had ever gotten. I was also placing ahead of guys that had placed way ahead of me in the previous two shows.

My next show was in September at the Natural KC Classic in Overland Park, KS for my IFPA Open/Masters Pro Cards. I kept the screws tightened more than ever with diet and training. There I won first place in the Men’s Open Tall and Men’s Masters. I received my IFPA Masters Pro Card and narrowly missed my IFPA Open Pro Card in the overall. This was a huge show as there were competitors from 26 states plus Canada.

I still wanted my IFPA Open Pro Card so my last stop of the year was the OCB Midwest States in DeKalb, IL. This show was actually the reason that I hired my prep coach Cliff Wilson. This was show was very important to me because of so many great natural bodybuilders had competed there: Layne Norton, Tommy Jeffers, Ed Castillo, Ryan Doris and Samuel Okinula. I know all of these guys and have competed with or against Ryan and Ed in several shows. I really wanted to be a part of the pro card/overall winner history with these guys. I ended up winning first place in the Men’s Open class, got runner up in the Men’s Open Overall and was awarded my IFPA Open Pro Card. What a journey.…from just wanting to get back into shape for turning 40, to winning my IFPA Masters and Open Pro Cards in Natural Bodybuilding at the age of 41. Unbelievable.

Competition History:

• 1992 SIUC Natural Bodybuilding- 3rd PL Men’s Tall
• 1993 SIUC Natural Bodybuilding- 1st PL Men’s Tall (Overall Runner-Up)
• 1993 NPC Tri-State Natural- 3rd PL Men’s Open Tall
• 1997 NPC Rockford Natural- 3rd PL Men’s LHW
• 1997 NPC Natural Prairieland Classic- 1st PL Men’s HW
• 1997 ANPPC Indiana Open Bodybuilding Championships National Qualifier- 6th PL Men’s Open Tall
• 2010 ABA Natural N America- 1st PL Jr Masters, 3rd PL Men’s Novice Tall, 4th PL Men’s Open Tall
• 2011 ABA Natural N America- 3rd PL Men’s Masters, 6th PL Men’s Novice Tall
• 2011 Nutri-Sport NANBF Natural Central Midwest (IFPA Pro Qualifier)- 2nd PL Men’s Masters, 8th PL Men’s Open Tall
• 2011 ABA Natural N America- 1st PL Men’s Masters, 1st PL Novice Men Tall, Novice Men’s Overall Winner, 2nd PL Open Men’s Tall
• 2011 Natural KC Classic (IFPA Pro Qualifier)- 1st PL Men’s Masters, Men’s Masters Overall Winner (received IFPA Masters Pro Card), 1st PL Open Men Tall, Overall Runner-Up for IFPA Open Pro Card
• 2011 OCB Midwest States (IFPA Pro Qualifier)- 1st PL Men’s Open Tall, Men’s Open Overall Runner-Up and received IFPA Open Pro Card

What is your current diet like?

• Meal 1: 1 cup of Egg Beaters, 1 cup Cheerios with ½ cup of skim milk, ½ tbsp of flaxseed oil.
• Meal 2: 3oz. lean steak, 1 cup green vegetables
• Meal 3: 3oz. chicken breast, 1.5 cups green vegetables, 1 tsp olive oil
• Meal 4: 1 can tuna, 8oz. sweet potato
• Pre, Intra, Post Workout shake 1 scoop whey protein, 2.5 tbsp Gatorade powder
• Meal 5: 3oz. chicken breast, 6oz. sweet potato, 1.5 cups green vegetables
• Bedtime: 2 scoops casein protein, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil

I will drink water throughout the day and total water intake with shakes is about 1.5 gallons. I also take various supplements throughout the day.

Current training routine?

I am doing a 6 week blood volumization program to increase capillarization. It is an extremely long, intense and painful workout. I will then bump up to a hybrid program of power and hypertrophy training. I have experimented with blood occlusion and will implement it after the hybrid program. I will change programs every 6-8 weeks. I do a 3 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off split. For cardio, I do 2- 25 min MISS and 2- 14 min HIIT sessions.  MISS is after workouts and HIIT is after leg days.  Off days are off days. I have changed my workouts a lot in 2011.

What are three exercises you could not do without?

That is a tough one as I have changed these up so much throughout the years with various mind-muscle connections, injuries, areas of improvement, etc. As of now, I would say squats or hack squats, close-grip barbell presses, weighted pull-ups or pendlay rows.

What do you wish you knew when you started?

Plenty of things….Proper lifting techniques (form before ego), high intensity training, mind-muscle connection, focusing on entire body vs favorite body parts/exercises or “show” parts, changing up angles, proper diet and timing of meals/cardio/supplementation. My training and contest prep has vastly changed from my younger years. A proper nutrition and supplementation program is by far the most important aspect of bodybuilding.

Favorite quotes?

Energy and persistence conquers all – Ben Franklin
A man is but the product of his thoughts…what he thinks, he becomes –Mohandas Ghandi
The best way to predict the future is to invent it –Alan Kay

Future plans?

I am taking a year off of competition after 1.5+ years of contest dieting and competing in 6 shows (5 were in 7 months). I need to give my body a break, make some improvements and spend more time with my wife and our three boys. I have my IFPA Open and Masters Pro Cards so I would like to hit the IFPA Pro Stage, but cannot say when my next appearance could be at this time.

I would also like to gain a sponsor. 2011 was a great year. I got in the best shape of my life, made huge improvements in my physique, looked my absolute best for natural bodybuilding competition at the age of 41 and I accomplished goals I never dreamed of when I started my comeback in 2010.

Contact Brian:
E-Mail: bwnoe13@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/IfpaMastersProBrianNoe

How did you get started?

I’ve always been active and have enjoyed weightlifting and running.  But after having my three children, when my youngest was 2, my husband got deployed to Afghanistan with the Army.  While I had been working out, I wasn’t as consistent as I had once been before having children.  I was determined to get back on track to relieve stress and to make sure I had the energy needed to care for my kids on my own.

Unfortunately, my two year old son had different plans and refused to go to the daycare at the gym. Feeling defeated, I went into a slump and didn’t workout for 6 months. Needless to say, being at home on my own with 3 small kids, I felt exhausted and depressed.   During that time I put on some weight and felt worse than I had in years.  One day I decided enough was enough.  I headed back to the gym, and began working on shedding the weight. I also started running again and participated in my first half marathon.  I was in great shape but was getting bored with my routine in the gym.  I hired a trainer to get some new training ideas.

I also took his advice and started changing my eating habits.  I began to log everything I ate, and started focusing on eating every 3 hours, and began closely watching my macros.  Once my sessions with my trainer ended, I was amazed to see a huge difference in my body.  I was still doing the weight training, but running much less, and eating super clean.  I was in awe at the way my body had had changed simply from more focused weight training, less cardio, and a clean diet.  I developed muscles I never knew I had!

What made you decide to compete?

One of my friends who hadn’t seen me in a while stopped by for a visit.  She’s been to a few competitions and after seeing how much I had changed, suggested I do one.  I hadn’t even taken her seriously until I had a couple more people at my gym suggest it as well.  So I gave my trainer a call, and asked him how to get started.  I never thought I would put on a bathing suit and get up on a stage.  Not only did I never think I could be in that kind of shape, but I never thought I’d have the confidence to do it at my age.  I am a very goal oriented person, and I love hard work.  Having a goal to focus on and work towards accomplishing is what keeps me going, so naturally I fell in love with competing!

What is your diet like?

I focus on eating every 3 to 3 ½ hours and I drink a ton of water.  Oatmeal, egg whites, protein shakes, sweet potatoes, Greek yogurt, chicken, spinach and rice cakes are my diet staples.  In the months leading up to a show my diet is super clean. In the off season I’m able to relax a little bit, but I try to stay on track as much as possible, only having a cheat meal once, maybe twice a week depending on how many carbs I’m taking in at the time.  I measure and weigh almost all of my food, and I prep in advance taking my meals with me when I can’t be home.

Here’s an example of a typical day

• Breakfast: Oatmeal, egg whites, and Training shakes before and after workouts
• Meal 1:  Brown rice, chicken or tuna, green veggies with olive oil
• Meal 2:  Tuna, low fat mayo, spinach, rice cakes , whole wheat tortilla or sweet potato
• Meal 3:  Greek yogurt, almonds, oatmeal
• Meal 4:  Chicken, spinach, low fat dressing, sweet potato
• Meal 5:  Casein shake before bed.

Current training routine?

I usually do a 4 or 5 day split depending on the week.  I typically do 4 15-20m sessions of HIIT cardio on the treadmill or stairmaster, and always after my training.

• Monday:  Legs, abs, cardio
• Tuesday:  Biceps and Shoulders/Back, cardio
• Wednesday:  Chest, triceps, abs and cardio
• Thursday:  off
• Friday:  Back abs and cardio

What are three exercises you could not do without?

I love deadlifts.  I’m working my whole body and building up my back, which has been my focus since my last two shows.  I’m also trying to move up in reps on chin ups.  My goal is to get up to 10-12 reps for 3 sets.   They are not my favorite, but also a great move for widening your lats.

Squats would have to be my second favorite.  They are a great full body workout as well, and are essential when bringing up your legs.  Lastly I love weighted tricep dips.  I remember when I could barely do them without weight, and now I’m up to 35lbs.

What do you wish you knew when you started?

We’ll, I feel like I really am just starting.  I’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time, but I still have so much more to learn.   I do regret not being more open about my goals of competing with friends and family.  I found that competing and the stress that comes along with it is something not a lot of people can relate to.  The dieting, food preparation, posing, training, etc.  It’s not just time consuming, but mentally consuming.  More so than I was prepared for. It takes so much focus, drive and dedication.

If you don’t have others around you that can relate to what you’re going through it can be a very lonely place.  Thankfully I have now met many others in the sport and I have a lot of support from my friends and family.  I’m so thankful for that.   Had I shared my goals early on, I may not have felt so isolated.  But after I competed, I had so many people asking me how I did it, what did I eat, how did I train.  I found that I inspired so many people to get back in the gym, and to begin eating healthy.  I wish I would have been more forthcoming about the process I was going through.

Favorite quotes?

“Be confident. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren’t. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when you accept everything you are-and aren’t-that you will truly succeed.”

“The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you” -Bob Harris ‘Lost in Translation

One of the hardest things for people to do, especially women, is to be confident. So much of that comes from comparing ourselves to others.  At some point you have to just stop and be happy with who you are, and what you’ve got.  Or you’ll drive yourself insane with jealousy and misery.  Only until you are happy with yourself, can you be happy for others.

JSK Photography

I think so many people have a misconception about the kinds of people that compete in this sport.  They think they are arrogant and full of themselves because they are working towards perfecting their bodies…nothing could be further from the truth.  I have met so many inspirational people while competing.  Many of them have overcome serious illnesses.  Many of them are just driven people who love the results that come with hard work.   Until you are content with yourself, you will never be truly happy. I know that bodybuilding isn’t for everyone.  And I know many don’t agree with what I’m doing.

But I have always tried to have an open mind towards others and what they want for themselves and for their own life. Who am I to judge until I’ve walked in their shoes.  I feel everyone has something to offer. If you take pride in what you do, you’re working hard to better yourself and those around you, and If it makes you happy, and you feel accomplished, then who is anyone else to judge.

Future plans?

I’m currently working on training towards my Pro Debut.  I have a several Pro shows slated for the Spring, and my goal is to qualify for the Yorton cup.  I never thought I would enjoy competing as much as I have.   I’m excited to see what the future holds, and am excited to see how all my hard work has paid off.   I’m also looking into becoming a personal trainer.  It’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind, and now I feel like I’m in a position to not only inspire people to get into shape, but to truly help and guide them based upon my own experiences.

Photo Credits: JSK Photography