Ricky's Journal to not being so fat...

[ricky]

Hey guys newb here. Have pm'd Rob a few times and wanted to see if I could use the blueprint to lose some fat and who doesn't want to pack on some muscle

Anyways a little brief history:

I have always been fat. I started originally working out in 02 after graduating from highschool being a fatty. Since then I have been on and off at the gym. Mostly on for a few years but then in the last 2 I really fell off the boat. I injured my shoulder and quickly after hurt my tail bone kick boxing. got fat, smoked too much weed, and there you have it from 170 lbs to 262.

Around September 09 I decided I needed to get back in shape. Not having a proper eating plan/workout schedule really didn't give me any results. So Oct27 I decided to make some changes. since then I have dropped down to 220 lbs. (today weight was 223.5 been eating a bit crappy for the last week.)

anyways some stats:
5'9
223.5 lbs
bench press 225 for 5-6
squat 225 x 8 the squat really hurts my shoulders. I have a difficult time getting my arms back and when I do have them that way when I put the bar back I have some major pain.

deadlift 275 x 6

again I don't really know my 1rm because I usually work out by myself

-So question #1: Since some things call for 1RM etc. and I don't have a spot will this mess with my gains?

-next I want to use the blueprint to lose weight. What changes do I need to make?

-I have not ordered any supplements yet as I would like to know proper dosages that I will need to take and bioforge is currently on backorder.

I was thinking about taking bioforge/ebol/cbol creatine/tbol trib stack.

Right now my nolinksplease.com cart has the following in it



At home I already have the following:
-scivation xtend
-primaforce beta alaine
-scivation vasocharge (nitric oxide)
-glucosamine w/ msm

I was using animal pak but will be changing to orange triad for multi

got the sesamin and fish oils at home and have reordered more.

I work an odd "shift" I trade on european markets so I am awake from 11pm my time to about 11am sometimes 1-2. sleeping is difficult during the day and sometimes I don't get enough although I hope to be comfortable with my sleep schedule by the time I start this.

Also have scivation knockout to help with going to sleep.

I keep rambling don't know what else to add on here so basic questions:

-what changes do I need for a cut
-what should my dosage on supplements be and do I need to order anything else

-most of my protein comes from powder is this okay

-bioforge is out of stock and with the solid results people are getting with the BET stack I was hoping to use it so I may just wait it out until I get it.

-my shoulders hurt with squats so its hard for me to do maxes etc. i also have no spot. is this still the right routine for me? will it work if I use dumbells and leg press instead or do squats on a smith machine instead? (not sure if its called smith) it has a barbell which isn't assisted by some mechanism but it does control the movement and you don't need to keep balance.

-should i just scrap getting the bioforge and just get 2 bottles of tbol trib so my dosage is 12 cbol creatine 6 tbol trib 6ebol a day?

-can i replace bioforge with activate xtreme?

-if i can scrap the bioforge altogether or replace with ax then I can start my "week off" today since I did not go to the gym. and get this program going starting monday so i will have wed/thur/fri/sat/sun off. and during the famine as far as I should not be taking any supplments anyways. so this one week off what kind of food should I be eating?


thanks in advance for any help and I am pretty sure I rambled quite a bit but I hate proof reading so I will just submit. LOL

ps...One day I hope to be 200lbs 8% bodyfat. Right now I'm probably about 30% bodyfat. (guessing)[/b]

[RobRegish]

OK here we go!

Q. squat 225 x 8 the squat really hurts my shoulders. I have a difficult time getting my arms back and when I do have them that way when I put the bar back I have some major pain.

COMMENT: Your solution here is the Hip Belt squat:
Whether or not you have back problems, this is a lift worth looking into. It takes a few sessions to get used to but you can finally open the throttle with very little risk of injury and really reap the benefits of this fantastic routine.

There are two quality hip belts available for sale: The IronMind Hip Belt and the Spud Belt available here:

IRONMIND HIP BELT
https://www6.mailordercentral.com/ironmi ... umber=1220

SPUD SQUAT BELT
https://www.flexcart.com/members/eliteft ... D&pid=1595

If you do order either one, I highly suggest getting the Ironmind loading pin, which can be found here and makes loading/unloading a snap:

15" LOADING PIN
https://www6.mailordercentral.com/ironmi ... ber=1314-C
I personally use the Ironmind belt and loading pin and have had over 500lbs on there with no problems. The carryover to your barbell squat is almost pound for pound too. Solid investment and can also be used for weighted chins, dips, sled


Q. -So question #1: Since some things call for 1RM etc. and I don't have a spot will this mess with my gains?

A. No, it will not. We can utilize a higher rep template which I will sketch out for you when Feast workouts start. Likely we'll be using EDT templates to accomplish.

Q. -what changes do I need for a cut

A. Primarily, our weapon will be caloric rotation of 100% of maintenance on training days and 70% on non-training days. If you're open to it, I have a targeted ketogenic diet in mind. Let me know on that and I'll email you further details.

Q. What should my dosage on supplements be and do I need to order anything else

A. I favor simplicity here and suggest the following: Either Kre-Anabolyn or Ebol for your adaptogen, Adaptogen N or tbol trib for your test booster and liberal amounts of BCAA as per BCAA loading protocol #1 in The Blueprint.

You may keep creatine and BF in reserve for the Cruise phase.

Q. Most of my protein comes from powder is this okay

A. Yes.

Q. bioforge is out of stock and with the solid results people are getting with the BET stack I was hoping to use it so I may just wait it out until I get it.

A. As per the above, by the time Cruise rolls around it should be available.

Q. My shoulders hurt with squats so its hard for me to do maxes etc. i also have no spot. is this still the right routine for me? will it work if I use dumbells and leg press instead or do squats on a smith machine instead? (not sure if its called smith) it has a barbell which isn't assisted by some mechanism but it does control the movement and you don't need to keep balance.

A. Yes, it is. Those squat variations are worthwhile replacements and allow us to achieve the overload desired. As per my note prior, the BEST replacement is the hip belt squat. It'll provide the same vertical loading/squat motion with ZERO stress on the shoulders.

Q. should i just scrap getting the bioforge and just get 2 bottles of tbol trib so my dosage is 12 cbol creatine 6 tbol trib 6ebol a day?

A. As per the above, recommend Adaptogen N or tbol trib for your test booster during Feast. BF during cruise.

Q. can i replace bioforge with activate xtreme?

A. You could, sure.

Q. if i can scrap the bioforge altogether or replace with ax then I can start my "week off" today since I did not go to the gym. and get this program going starting monday so i will have wed/thur/fri/sat/sun off. and during the famine as far as I should not be taking any supplments anyways. so this one week off what kind of food should I be eating?

A. Your normal diet will suffice. Do take this time to establish your average morning waking heart rate (beats per minute) and brush up on The Blueprint/logs here.

As always, here to field any questions...

[ricky]

Rob,

I was actually reading about the belt in another thread you responded to as well. Will look into getting it.

About the keto diet I am definitely up for it. please email me the diet.

As far as this one week I will be taking off what should my calorie intake be?

For famine your book says to do 8x bodyweight thats 1784 calories for me. Thats all I've been having for the past while anyways.

what supplements should I be taking while doing the famine stage?

also what should my ebol/tbol trib dosage be? I was thinking 6 tbol trib /6 ebol.

I understand what you mean by the supplementation on feast and cruise now but what should I be taking as far as supplements go during the famine stage? Can I take nitric oxide? multivitamin? fish oils/sesamin? etc.

during famine how many meals should be eaten in a day or do only calories matter?

I have a product called progressive greens for my greens dosage. should this be taken during famine as well?

finally during the next 4 days off before I start my "famine" stage should I do any cardio at all? how about during famine program calls for 1 hour cardio after the 3 workouts anything more then this would be counter productive?


thanks again!

edit: I have changed my mind about the supplements. I have decided not to order bioforge/cbol creatine/ebol/tbol trib combo from nolinksplease.com and instead to order KRE-ANABOLYN and Adaptogen N through bodybuildingsupplements.com. Also going to order some THIOMAX since I already have way too many stretch marks. Is there anything else I should order from there? Thinking about also getting Burn it up.

[sovabrat]

Hey Ricky,

Welcome to the forums. Rob is a great source of knowledge, he has already changed my approach to training drastically.

I wont go into detail about specific supplements, or anything like that. But I would suggest reading my log, I have had extreme success in losing BF and gaining muscle at the same time ont he BP so far. Im 18 days into it.

I almost think you are relying too much on supplements. That seems like way too much money to be spending on pills. I think you would do well on the musclemass stuff, plus a fat burner. You can message me and I will let you know what I have had success with.

If you want to see what a strict diet is my livestrong profile is: sovabrat

You can see what I am eating every day and get an idea of how easy it really is to keep 100% on workout days and 70% on off days.

Good Luck! Please don't hesitate to hit me up for any opinions if you want to hear something from an independent party!

[ricky]

sovabrat thanks for the reply. I will be reading through your log sometime today. I am starting to understand the blueprint a lot more 2nd time around as well. here is the supplements I bought today from musclemass today:

Qty Item Price Ext Price
=============================================================
1 ADAPTOGEN N Buy 3 - Get 1 FREE! 164.85 164.85
1 BURN IT UP! Buy 3 - Get 1 FREE! 86.85 86.85
1 GAMMA GH Buy 3 - Get 1 FREE! 59.85 59.85
1 GLUCOSAMINE/CHONDROITIN DS 90 caps 22.95 22.95
1 KRE-ANABOLYN anabolic 3 Pack 119.00 119.00
2 MULTI-LIFE 180 caps 27.95 55.90
1 THIOMAX 74ml 15.95 15.95
1 ULTIMATE OMEGA OIL 473ml 34.95 34.95
1 MUSCLE MASS T-SHIRT free with 5 items! 0.00 0.00
1 RVD 8x10 Free with two/more Adaptogen! 0.00 0.00
1 First Time Customer Bonus Pack 0.00 0.00
1 Worldwide Air (fee by weight/destination) 0.00 0.00

Sales Tax: 0.00 (7% state of GA)
Insurance: 7.78 (value protection)


Estimated Total: 568.08*

Now the real question is which protein powder should I go with. I get most of my protein from powders at 1.5g per lb bodyweight muscle mass pro mvp will suck the life out of me. I was thinking I will stick with scivation solution 5 meal replacement and some controlled labs golden gains for post workout.

golden gains:

solution 5:


Do solution5/gg both look like good proteins?

[RobRegish]

Good detail, great questions. You won't be disappointed with the MASS products... I use almost all of them and have for years. Top notch stuff.

I did remove your links only b/c nolinksplease.com has an "issue" with Blueprint/me and I was banned once before. I know what your intent was (informational) so no worries. Hope you don't take offense.

Either proteins you listed would be fine. I don't think they're cold processed but they won't kill you.

Now, on to your questions:

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 6:59 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rob,

I was actually reading about the belt in another thread you responded to as well. Will look into getting it.

Q. About the keto diet I am definitely up for it. please email me the diet.

A. Will email shortly.

Q. As far as this one week I will be taking off what should my calorie intake be?

A. Your norm..

Q. For famine your book says to do 8x bodyweight thats 1784 calories for me. Thats all I've been having for the past while anyways.

A. That's fine. Perhaps shoot for 1500 then. The protein drop should be sufficient.

Q. what supplements should I be taking while doing the famine stage?

A. Very few. Multi-life, fish oil and perhaps the greens products. Otherwise, save your $.

Q.also what should my ebol/tbol trib dosage be? I was thinking 6 tbol trib /6 ebol.

A. Since using AN/KA, a simple 3 cap dose of AN prior to bed and 2 KA/day if under 200lbs. If 200 or over 3 is more than sufficient. New formula is stronger so doubtful you'll need any more than that!

Q. I understand what you mean by the supplementation on feast and cruise now but what should I be taking as far as supplements go during the famine stage? Can I take nitric oxide? multivitamin? fish oils/sesamin? etc.

A. No NO, multilife multi is OK, fish oil OK. Sesamin is fine if you have it but neither of those is necessary. I am a purist during this time. The training/diet are enough..

Q. during famine how many meals should be eaten in a day or do only calories matter?

A. Only calories matter. Meal patterning is up to you. I prefer to save one big meal for later in the day. Just sleep better that way.

Q. I have a product called progressive greens for my greens dosage. should this be taken during famine as well?

A. That's fine.

Q. finally during the next 4 days off before I start my "famine" stage should I do any cardio at all? how about during famine program calls for 1 hour cardio after the 3 workouts anything more then this would be counter productive?

A. Not necessary during the 4 days. Suggest you lay off. Cardio during Famine... I favor it on off days. You can do more but the LAST thing I feel like doing during Famine is more work! You'll probably change your mind too..


thanks again!

A. My pleasure..

[sovabrat]

Wow that is a lot of cash to spend on supplements man!! Great business for Mass!! LOL Did you use all those supplements on your first run of the BP? I suggest signing up on Livestrong to keep a diet profile. It will keep you honest and it will help you and other analyze any deficiencies. I used to think that I got the proper amount of protein etc, but I was totally wrong. My protein levels were way less than what I needed for the amount of work I was putting into the gym.

[RobRegish]

OK here we go on your new questions:

I have read through the anabolic diet and it reminds me of the keto diet I did back in the day. Lost plenty of weight and it was back on faster then I know it. As mentioned before I don't really like eating much meat. Would this type of diet be okay with so many protein shakes?

A. Sure, you could substitute the shakes. If you don't care for the anabolic diet though, suggest rotating calories 100% of maintenance on training days with 70% of maintenance on non-training days. That sounds more in line with what you're looking for and will still result in a nice re-comp effect.


Also askmass says 5-12 days to get my order to me. I started my week off for 5 days on wed. So by monday I was planning on starting the famine which puts me into feast right on the weekend if I have my information right. The problem is ask mass says 5-12 days which could also be delayed. How much will my results be effected if I start the supplements lets say one week late?

A. I wouldn't sweat it too much. If you're really worred, simply put off beginning the Famine a few days. Certainly won't hurt you and will give you time to formulate you plan/ask more questions.

I weigh 225 lbs I checked today. I put on weight very quickly. Also you mention that I should take 3 AN / 2 KA and I do this all at once right before bed or should I spread it out? Also I have/will have all of the following supplements available for me what should I take and not take. you don't need to explain why or why not a simple yes or no is fine for each. I know I am taking up a lot of your time I do appreciate your efforts in helping me out though.

A. The AN you'd take 3 about an hour before retiring. On the KA, take one about 45 min prior to your workout and one immediately afterward with your peri-workout drink.

of course the ka / an / multi I will be taking


protein powder I have which is a
34% Whey Protein Isolate Microfiltration
33% Micellar Casein
33% Egg White Protein


27Protein / 1Fat / 1Carb

A. Great you'll be using liberal amounts of this stuff during Feast/Cruise.


burn it up - Yes during Feast/Cruise
xtend - Lots during Feast/Cruise
beta alaine - Not a fan. If you have it use it in 6-10 gram dosages peri-workout and throughout the day on "off" days in your protein drink.

vasocharge/white flood (no2) - Yes prior to workouts in Feast/Cruise. Can use during Famine too if you feel you need it.
omega 3 fish oil - yes, throughout
sesamin - yes, can use throughout.
gamma/gh - Take on an empty stomach with Adaptogen N prior to bed OR if you get up at night (best time) slam at least 2 and up to 5 grams for deep, restful sleep. Big fan of this stuff but work up SLOW as it causes some unpleasant effects in some.
greens - Yes during Famine/Feast/Cruise.
glucosamine - Yes if you need it. Can use daily through all phases. It's not a performance enhancer so good to go.


Can you please tell me which dosages to take and at what time as well. I always obsess over the supplementation sorry!!!!

A. Doses per label directions unless otherwise noted. The one exception is KA. You're a big guy so you might need 3. Position 1 pre and 2 post on workout days. On non-training days spread those 3 out over the course of the day. Ideally with your highest CARB meals containing some protein.

The new KA has so much RCE in it, you'd have to be over 300lbs to "need" any more than 3. No joke.

Hope that helps..

[askmass]

I think it's vital, personally, to have my feast supplements in hand and ready to go before starting the famine.

On international shipments, things can easily get delayed a few extra days once shipped from our warehouse and neither you nor we can do anything to speed it up at that point.

Nothing worse than assuming "KA will arrive on the 7th" and then seeing it actually delivered on the 15th due to lax local service or slow import processing.

It is best to allow 3 weeks international in my experience (and then be happy and surprised when it's only 8 days or whatever).

There is way too many variables once out of our hands and in route to you to count on any specific delivery date.

That said, you will be loaded for bear once you take delivery, Ricky, and should have an outstanding BP run!