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Nutrtion
Preface
Photo: Jason Mathas
Pump Magazine
First, I must apologize for such a delay in getting this information out to you, my fellow body builders. After my 1998 contest season, I devoted much of my time to researching and practicing my revolutionary findings. Below you shall find them. This past competitive 1998 year for me was a learning experience of course, but this was more, it was an AWAKENING!!! My body weight was 260 pounds on a frame of 5′7″, at the beginning of my preparation diet.
In the off-season, my philosophy was the “eat all” diet. Believing that an excess of calories was the only way to grow. It was… I grew out of my clothes to a high body fat of 18%. Yes, I was extremely big, strong, and thought that I could walk through a brick wall without a scratch. That was my mental state.
My physical state left me feeling absolutely horrible. My blood pressure was normally 140-160/90-95, and my resting heart rate was normally between 70-80 bpm. I had daily nose bleeds and my digestive system was crying for help, insisting that I live on Zantac daily, to help my constant indigestion. Yes, I was BIG, but I was miserable.
An off-season diet should not be a lazy diet. It should always be clean and allow the body to grow with the appropriate amount of extra nutrients and calories. In the off-season, your body fat percentage should never rise above 10-12 %. My second learning experience came through my research and practice of the “Evolutionary Diet.” I must thank Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale (The Anabolic Diet), Dr. Barry Sears (The Zone), Dr. Robert Atkins (The New Diet Revolution), Dan Duchaine (Body Opus), and all scientists (The study of human evolution) for their researched efforts and information. They all have similar theories on optimal human nutrition.
The human race has become increasingly more obese and disease ridden in the past 100 years. The main reason for this happening was due to the emergence of processed carbohydrate foods and lack of physical activity. Even now, the American Dietetic Association recommends a diet that consists of 60% carbohydrates, 25% fat, and 15% protein. Didn't they study human evolution? Didn't they know that once we became homo-erectus, we were hunters and gatherers? Our diets were high in fat and protein, and low to moderate in carbohydrates. The carbohydrates we ate were far from being processed, they were eaten in the form of fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds. So let's think for a minute… In the USA, we have increasing numbers of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Some may blame it on genetics, I blame it solely on diet!!! I thrive off of logic, so logic tells me, and should tell you, that the average American diet is completely opposite of what it should be.
Our diets should be composed of high fat, high protein, and low carbohydrates, with high carbohydrate cycling. This puts our diets back to how we first ate as humans. We need to switch our body's metabolism from that of a sugar burning, fat producing machine, to that of a fat burning, muscle building machine. This “Evolutionary Diet” maximizes the production and utilization of our body's natural hormones; Growth Hormone, Testosterone, Insulin, and Glucagon. The high carbohydrate diet does not maximize ANY of these hormones. The high carb diet whacks our hormone insulin out of control, increasing the storage of body fat. You have probably heard a lot of body builders say they include red meat in their diets, because it makes them stronger and more aggressive. The strength increase comes from the creatine content of the red meat, and the aggressiveness comes from the high fat content of the meat. If men try a low fat diet, they will notice there testosterone levels drop, and we all know what that leads to. Trust me… Fat is not the enemy… Fat is your friend!!!
We all know the importance of high protein for the repair and constructive process of muscle. The low carb intake (5 consecutive days) allows the body to use dietary and stored body fat as energy. With cyclic carb loadings (2 consecutive days), our bodies maximize insulin for even faster growth, but ceasing the loading phase before you begin to gain body fat.
The transitional phase of the metabolic shift will take 1-2 weeks for you to adjust. You WILL feel tired and lethargic during this time, but DO NOT give up. This diet works like no other. Be strong and persevere. Once you go through the metabolic shift of using fat as energy, you will have MORE energy and never have the energy fluctuations once experienced with the high carb diet.
5 consecutive days (Mon-Fri) of the following: High Fat/ High Protein/ Low Carbs (30 gms/day)
2 consecutive days (Sat-Sun) of the following: High Complex Carbs (low glycemic index) / Moderate Fat / Low Protein/
NOTE! **Please consult with a physician before starting this or any diet or nutrition program. The above program is ONLY a recommendation, NOT a prescription!!!**