CAPÍTULO 5 FLUIDOS DE TERMINACIÓN
5.4 FLUIDOS EMPACADORES BASE AGUA
The
Anabolic
Freak
By Dave Palumbo, Editor-in-Chief, musculardevelopment.com www.musculardevelopment.com February 2009360
MD PHO T OS BY PER BERNALHow would you tweak your diet for a MMA fighter who needs to lose 10 pounds in eight weeks in preparation for the next fight? Is it possible to do your ketogenic diet while train- ing for MMA or do I need to have carbs?
With the growing popularity of MMA and the close relationship
between MMA and body- building (if you doubt
that, come to the Arnold weekend and
see how many fans love both sports), it’s
the perfect time to give the MMA
fighters a ver- sion of my diet that they can use to cut weight without sacrificing strength and energy. My high-pro- tein/moderate- fat/low-carb ketogenic diet uti- lizes fats for energy while avoiding the ener- gy drops and mood swings associated with unstable blood sugar from carbohy- drate-based diets.
MMA athletes have greater ener- gy requirements than bodybuilders due to high-intensity sparring and conditioning. To provide adequate energy without the use of carbohy-
drates, I’ve introduced the medi- um-chain fat virgin coconut oil to
the diet. This fat should be added
to all preworkout meals. Virgin coconut oil, being primarily a medi- um-chain triglyceride (MCT), requires absolutely no carrier mole- cules to get into the mitochondria of the muscle cell, where it’s then metabolized into energy (ATP). By virtue of its rapid absorption and assimilation by the muscle cells, it’s actually more potent at generating ATP than even glucose (which requires insulin as a transporter).
Here is a sample diet for a 200- pound man who weight trains, per- forms cardio for weight loss, and MMA trains:
MEAL #1: Six whole omega-3
eggs (any style). Use macadamia nut oil to grease the pan.
MEAL #2: Protein shake: 50g
whey protein isolate with 2 table- spoons of all-natural peanut butter (PB).
MEAL #3: 7 ounces chicken with
one-third cup raw almonds, cashews or walnuts.
MEAL #4 (1 HOUR PRIOR TO
MMA TRAINING): Protein shake: 50g whey protein isolate with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin coconut oil.*
*On nontraining days, substitute 2 tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter.
MEAL #5: 7 ounces lean beef
with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots or red peppers) with 1 table- spoon of olive oil or macadamia nut oil and vinegar.
MEAL #6: SHAKE: 50g Whey
Protein Isolate with 2 tablespoons of macadamia nut oil.
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February 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com
I’m a natural bodybuilder and I was considering using your diet for my next contest prep. A few people told me that if I don’t eat carbohydrates, I won’t release any insulin (which sup- posedly spares muscle). I realize that I won’t be building muscle during the diet, but will the no- carb approach cause muscle loss like some of these so-called “gurus” suggest?
My diet includes a significant amount of healthy, essential fats. Without fat, your body can’t make testosterone and without testos- terone, you can’t build or preserve muscle (not to mention that low testosterone leads to depression, lack of energy and decreased sex drive). Many “natural” clients of mine find that they actually maintain more muscle on my diet because they don’t suffer the testosterone crash that’s inevitable on a tradition- al, moderate-carbohydrate/no-fat diet. Remember, fats are not option- al; they’re essential to the diet. In fact, that’s why they’re called essen- tial fatty acids (EFAs).
On another subject, it’s a total fal- lacy that insulin is the only sub- stance that can drive amino acids and glucose into the muscle cells (thus preserving muscle). In a low- carbohydrate, low-insulin environ- ment (as exists on my high-pro- tein/moderate-fat/low-carb diet), GH levels soar and IGF-1 levels follow suit. IGF-1 is significantly more ana- bolic than insulin and it drives amino acids and glucose into the muscle cells with much greater efficiency. The only thing that insulin has exclu- sivity on is the storage of excess glu- cose as fat.
And if all these facts weren’t enough, it’s now a known certainty that 80 percent of the glucose that’s used during high-intensity training (i.e., weight training) comes from conversion of amino acids into glu- cose (gluconeogenesis) in the liver. When this newly manufactured glu- cose enters the bloodstream, insulin is released and the muscle cells uti- lize the glucose to produce ATP. This fact, alone, clearly demonstrates why ingestion of carbohydrates is completely unnecessary, even to the weight-training bodybuilder!
Training programs never say if they are for natural bodybuilders or for those using anabolic steroids. Shouldn’t you train dif- ferently if you are using gear? Don’t you need to train longer and more often to reap the benefits of the steroids?
Steroids enable you to lift heavier and recover faster. While on steroids, extended training sessions still result in overtraining. If you can stimulate a muscle with heavy weights and less sets, growth potential increases (whether on or off gear). Steroids enable you to build lean muscle at a greater rate; however, if all other things (diet and supplements) are equal, both the natural and steroid- enhanced athlete should both follow similar training protocols to maximize muscle gains.
Similar principles should also be applied to diet. People often ask me, “Since I’m using clenbuterol and T3, can I can eat more than I did without the drugs?” I laugh when I hear this and respond, “No, it means you should diet harder!” When taking muscle-preserving, fat-mobilizing drugs, you can diet stricter and suffer more and not worry about potential muscle loss.The drugs are tools that enhance and elevate performance; they’re not excuses to avoid hard work.
On my last diet, I used a BCAA supplement during my cardio ses- sions to prevent muscle loss; why don’t you recommend BCAAs while dieting?
If you’re using a superior quality whey protein isolate and getting enough cumulative protein through- out the day, there’s no reason to add extra BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids).There are plenty of essential amino acids and BCAAs in whey pro- tein. In fact, the largest BCAA pill is only 2g (2,000mg), whereas one scoop (30g) of whey protein isolate can con- tain as much as 8-10g (8,000- 10,000mg) of BCAAs. I can guarantee that it’s a hell of a lot cheaper to use the highest grade whey isolate on the market rather than waste your money on BCAAs. If you remember, BCAAs were huge during the ‘80s and ‘90s when there were no high-grade whey isolates. Once those came onto the
scene, BCAA pills dropped out of sight. Recently, whey protein isolate prices have skyrocketed and supple- ment companies realized that while these isolates are great products, they turn very little profit. Because of this fact, companies decided to start sell- ing the much higher profit BCAA pills again. Remember, trendy products that come and go are usually never quite as good as the marketing behind them.
Dave, I keep reading so much about GH that I feel like I will never reach my potential without it. Right now, I cannot afford GH, so I was planning to try some sim- ilar peptides that I have read great things about. What kind of results can I expect from GH-stimulating peptides?
I’m constantly getting questions about growth hormone and lately I get a ton of questions about a lot of pep- tides that are analogous to GH. Peptides such as CJC-1295, Peg-MGF, Hexalarin and various others have been developed to stimulate the release of GH, act similar to GH and/or stimulate the production of IGF-1. Despite the claims of the few labs that produce these peptides, there are no hard, scientific facts to back these claims. To put it simply, if you’re look- ing for something that acts like GH, why not just use GH?
I assume most of the intrigue of these peptides is more the result of their availability. Likewise, they can also be legally obtained at a fraction what you’d pay for GH. The distribu- tors also make a lot of scientific claims that sound great, but have no hard evidence to back it up. Unfortunately, if there’s claim to build muscle or burn fat, bodybuilders will experiment with just about anything. My prediction is that in the future, most of these pep- tides will prove to be useless.
As for GH, the questions lately are more financially driven rather than dose or result-driven. Most people fail to realize that GH is still not the com- mon man’s drug of choice. It’s more geared toward the elite athlete or wealthy life extortionist. GH is best uti- lized as a chronic treatment— at least six months in duration— and that can cost between $2,000 to $4,000 (at black-market prices).
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MDLegal prescriptions to obtain GH are getting harder to come by as the government continues to crack down on life-extension clinics; as well, brand-name GH is a rarity on the black market.This means that most body- builders must seek out some generic form of GH (usually from China). I’m continually asked how to determine if GH is real! Since lab analysis is not practical, I recommend a much easier litmus test. Wake up, and without eat- ing anything, test your blood sugar. Next, inject 4 IU of GH and wait at least 20 minutes. Recheck your blood sugar. It should be lower since GH stimulates the release of IGF-1 which ultimately drives glucose and amino acids into the muscle cells (thus reduc- ing blood sugar).
GH is a powerful substance that can yield awesome results if you inject an optimal dose (2-4 IU per day) for extended time periods (four to six months); but it’s not the Holy Grail that’ll turn you into Mr. Olympia. If you can’t afford to take GH, don’t skip paying your mortgage in hopes that you’ll make millions of dollars com- peting as a bodybuilder.Trust me, it just won’t happen! Wait until your budget allows for a cycle and then use it with the understanding that it’s merely another tool in the enormous tool chest that bodybuilders use to build lean muscle.
If a woman is taking 10mg of Anavar per day for 16 weeks, what are the effects on her repro- ductive system? Is there a birth control pill that can be taken along with this dose of Anavar and remain effective?
When women take the mild ana- bolic steroid, Anavar (oxadralone), at a dosage of 5-20mg per day, several things happen to their bodies. First of all, they have a dramatically increased ability to build lean muscle and recover from workouts. Second, their female patterns of fat deposi- tion slightly change due to the increased levels of male hormones in relation to female ones in the body. Finally, most women usually lose their monthly periods due to Anavar’s hormonal interference with the estrogen/progesterone cycles in the woman’s body. To answer your question, birth control pills are not a reliable form of preventing pregnan- cy while a woman is cycling anabolic steroids such as Anavar. Having said this, it’s foolish to stay on birth con- trol while cycling, since the added estrogen and progesterone will undoubtedly make it harder to build muscle and burn fat. Most women bodybuilders, figure and fitness com- petitors find it impossible to get in their best shape possible while con-
I was reading your S.M.A.R.T Personal Training manual and in it you discuss breaking up your yearly training into four phases: strength, mass, cuts and rest. What’s the difference between training for power and mass? Is it that training for “mass” is just plain heavy weights, low reps…and “power” is perhaps a bit lighter weight with more reps? Do you change the actual exercises that you do?
In order to ensure that the body consistently responds and evolves in the way it looks, it’s necessary to cycle your weight training just like you’d cycle your dietary intake or your ana- bolic steroids. I like to cycle my yearly training as follows:
POWER PHASE (20 weeks) is
designed to build strength so that when you get to the MASS STAGE, you’ll be strong enough to build mus- cle. In this phase, you should concen- trate on power movements and basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bent barbell rows, incline bench press- es and barbell military presses.These cornerstone exercises will help to build a solid foundation of strength.
MASS PHASE (20 weeks) is more
related to adding lean muscle tissue than it is to building strength, although strength gains usually accompany increased muscle size. In
Name: John DelaRosa Age: 24
Height: 5’7”
Weight: Off-season: (255
Heavyweight: Sixth Place; 2007 NPC Eastern USA Light-Heavyweight: Second Place; 2008 NPC Eastern USA Light-Heavyweight: Third Place Current Profession: Elevator mechanic
Jonathon DelaRosa fell in love with body- building the first time he saw his father, William, hit a front-double biceps pose. According to the younger DelaRosa, “My father was my biggest inspiration!” And it was his father’s passion for the iron game that led the elder DelaRosa to start bringing his son to the gym with him when Jon was only 7 years old. While most kids his age dreamed of being Michael Jordan or Joe Montana, young Jon was busy reading his father’s muscle magazines and admiring the
likes of Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone and Dorian
Yates.
By his early teens, Jon had yet to grow much in
height, but he was clearly the most muscular kid among
his peers. During those teen years, Jon stayed active in
football, basketball and base- ball until a back injury (broken coccyx) playing football left him bedridden for several weeks.
After months of agonizing pain, Jon’s parents took him to the doctor and they discov- ered that a pilonidal cyst had
formed along the fractured vertebrae. This injury was a turning point for him, because it
was at this point that he began taking his weight training
Anabolic F reak of the Month:
John Delar osa
tinuing to take the pill.
pounds) Precontest: (198 pounds)
Contest Highlights: 2007 NPC NY Metropolitans
364
MD www.musculardevelopment.com February 2009BODYBUILDING
WITHOUT GENETICS
this phase, power movements remain; however, concentration and machine movements such as Hammer Strength, cables and dumbbells are added to ensure that all facets of the muscle are developed. Likewise, now that you have the added strength (from the POWER PHASE), you can lift heavier weights with slightly more repetitions.
CUTS PHASE (18 weeks) usually
accompanies a reduction in calories in an attempt to drop body fat. While some basic mass movements are still included, the inclusion of concentration and additional shaping exercises such as cable crossovers, lunges and machine rows become the hallmark of this four-month training cycle. As calo- ries are reduced, strength invariably diminishes.That’s why it’s so important to build strength and size in the previ- ous two phases.
REST PHASE (two weeks),
although short, is extremely important to ensure that the body has some downtime to recover from the 50 weeks of brutally intense training it has just been subjected to. Likewise, you’ll also find that this two-week layoff actu- ally leads to increased strength, size and a desire to get back to the gym for the next 50 weeks of hard training. Leave your neurotic guilt at the curb and make sure to relax and enjoy your time off!
This four-phase training system can just as easily be applied to beginners, intermediate lifters or advanced level bodybuilders.
Reminders
My Personal Training Certification Course, S.M.A.R.T. is now available online at smarttrainingonline.com. Become a certified personal trainer from the convenience of your own home. I personally wrote the infor- mation-packed 100-page manual and I guarantee it’s the most comprehen- sive diet, supplement and training manual available. By popular
demand, a paper copy version is now also available for $39.99. Check out the web address above.