Winding up a most successful maintenance phase and looking forward to another Blueprint Run. This time I'll be logging the following twists:
1.) 3 day wrkt template in the famine phase with greater focus on detoxing/nourishing the CNS via lecithin/increased anti-oxidants and organic foods.
2.) Feast phase will incorporate Soviet Strength Program generator (18 wrkt protocol) for squats and an undulating, periodized routine for bench press. More on that later... blast from the past sort of thing.
3.) Unsure yet as to supplementation. I previously ran the new KA and was very pleased. I'll have to give this one more thought.
I'll definately be using BCAA loading protocol #2 with this one. 18 workouts in 4 weeks will demand the recovery edge that it was designed to deliver.
Questions/suggestions are welcome, as always. I'm looking for a lot of muscle mass out of this one, as the focus will be on legs this time around.
Stay tuned!
Rob's Blueprint Run #2 - Starting Monday 7/13
OK, starting Monday 7/13 as planned. Some notes on my learnings from the maintenance phase.
Putting on nearly 10lbs of muscle during the last Feast Phase has been a mixed blessing. I've retained all of it, no problems keeping it on. Transition to Maintenance 5x5 routine was excellent insofar as strength, etc.
What is surprising is the amount of GPP/conditioning work I need to maintain any semblance of cardiovascular fitness!
It seems that almost daily sled dragging is necessary to stay "fit". It could be age, but I really feel it if I don't stay on top of it.
In terms of this next run, I've done all of my food shopping in advance and loaded up on plenty of organic foods for the Famine, veggies and portable stuff to get me through the day.
Now on the supps, I scratched around and came up with the following I'll be using during the Feast:
- Fenusterols (Fenugreek extract, 70% sterols) from Sabinsa. Had an old bottle laying around from a discontinued run Sabinsa did.
Will run a gram a day split up into 4 daily doses with meals.
- Plenty of MassPro Amino/BCAA's for loading protocol #2
- 20 caps of Adaptogen N. I'll run this every other night (2 caps before bed) during the Feast and measure with Multistix to see if this dosing is beneficial. I have no doubt I'll sleep better..
Question/comments welcome!
Putting on nearly 10lbs of muscle during the last Feast Phase has been a mixed blessing. I've retained all of it, no problems keeping it on. Transition to Maintenance 5x5 routine was excellent insofar as strength, etc.
What is surprising is the amount of GPP/conditioning work I need to maintain any semblance of cardiovascular fitness!
It seems that almost daily sled dragging is necessary to stay "fit". It could be age, but I really feel it if I don't stay on top of it.
In terms of this next run, I've done all of my food shopping in advance and loaded up on plenty of organic foods for the Famine, veggies and portable stuff to get me through the day.
Now on the supps, I scratched around and came up with the following I'll be using during the Feast:
- Fenusterols (Fenugreek extract, 70% sterols) from Sabinsa. Had an old bottle laying around from a discontinued run Sabinsa did.
Will run a gram a day split up into 4 daily doses with meals.
- Plenty of MassPro Amino/BCAA's for loading protocol #2
- 20 caps of Adaptogen N. I'll run this every other night (2 caps before bed) during the Feast and measure with Multistix to see if this dosing is beneficial. I have no doubt I'll sleep better..
Question/comments welcome!
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BrainSquirt
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 12:45 pm
RobRegish wrote: Adaptogen N. I'll run this every other night (2 caps before bed) during the Feast and measure with Multistix to see if this dosing is beneficial.
Rob, re Adaptogen N, what is your reasoning around doing it every other night?
What will you be watching on the multistix re Adaptogen N?
Thanks.
Hi Brain,BrainSquirt wrote:RobRegish wrote: Adaptogen N. I'll run this every other night (2 caps before bed) during the Feast and measure with Multistix to see if this dosing is beneficial.
Rob, re Adaptogen N, what is your reasoning around doing it every other night?
What will you be watching on the multistix re Adaptogen N?
Thanks.
Just need to stretch what I have. I've always wanted to try the EOD dosing protocol anyway as my standard is 5 on/2 off as I feel it works best that way.
And yes, I'll be testing via multistix. Although to be fair, I don't expect it to elevate protein retention like 2-3 caps/day of KA. Maybe we'll all be surprised! More to come...
Monday 7/13 - First day of Famine
Total K for the day per BP guidelines. This time I spaced the calories a bit differently, smaller meals early trying to save the biggest meal for the end of the day (I have trouble sleeping when hungry).
I have 2 of those low sodium V8 twist drinks per day, (anti-oxidant fruits added to the 8 veggie mix).
Not too bad in terms of hunger, although I noticed an energy slump mid-afternoon that I usually don't have. To be expected..
Workout was per BP 3 day template, legs and back. This wasn't too bad, as I'm coming off of a 5x5 format. Wrkt #3 with its unique twist on rest periods/volume will of course, be a different story. It's like watching a train wreck coming in slow motion...
I've added 3-4 tablespoons of lecithin and the following anti-oxidants to bump up my usual 3g of C, 600IU of E, multi and 3g of fish oil:
- Acai Berry 4:1 Extract (10% polyphenolic antioxidants) twice a day
First day of Multistix didn't show anything remarkable in terms of protein loss. Resting heart rate out of the gate was a cool 55, WAY down from my norm and that's a good thing, especially given my higher bodyweight (231lbs on day 1).
Credit the daily sled dragging for that improvement.
Total K for the day per BP guidelines. This time I spaced the calories a bit differently, smaller meals early trying to save the biggest meal for the end of the day (I have trouble sleeping when hungry).
I have 2 of those low sodium V8 twist drinks per day, (anti-oxidant fruits added to the 8 veggie mix).
Not too bad in terms of hunger, although I noticed an energy slump mid-afternoon that I usually don't have. To be expected..
Workout was per BP 3 day template, legs and back. This wasn't too bad, as I'm coming off of a 5x5 format. Wrkt #3 with its unique twist on rest periods/volume will of course, be a different story. It's like watching a train wreck coming in slow motion...
I've added 3-4 tablespoons of lecithin and the following anti-oxidants to bump up my usual 3g of C, 600IU of E, multi and 3g of fish oil:
- Acai Berry 4:1 Extract (10% polyphenolic antioxidants) twice a day
First day of Multistix didn't show anything remarkable in terms of protein loss. Resting heart rate out of the gate was a cool 55, WAY down from my norm and that's a good thing, especially given my higher bodyweight (231lbs on day 1).
Credit the daily sled dragging for that improvement.
Day 2 is pretty much history. Observations:
- Resting heart rate was a bit elevated today. A beat or 2.
- Some protein breakdown starting to register later in the day at the 3PM/6PM readings.
The biggest difference: I have some pretty severe DOMS setting in.
This likely goes back to dropping and peri-workout nutrition. Usually, I take great pains to time my pre-during and post workout food and supps as I believe what you consume 2 hours prior, during and 2 hours after is crucial. I'm even more convinced now.
I'd go so far as to say what you consume during this 4 hour window matters more than what you do in the remaining 20 for any given day. Think about that and play around with it. I think you'll agree that once you dial in the optimal amount of BCAA/EAA or whey hyrolysates with a good adaptogen like KA, you'll be a believer.
The difference in DOMS alone with vs. without is absolutely striking.
- Resting heart rate was a bit elevated today. A beat or 2.
- Some protein breakdown starting to register later in the day at the 3PM/6PM readings.
The biggest difference: I have some pretty severe DOMS setting in.
This likely goes back to dropping and peri-workout nutrition. Usually, I take great pains to time my pre-during and post workout food and supps as I believe what you consume 2 hours prior, during and 2 hours after is crucial. I'm even more convinced now.
I'd go so far as to say what you consume during this 4 hour window matters more than what you do in the remaining 20 for any given day. Think about that and play around with it. I think you'll agree that once you dial in the optimal amount of BCAA/EAA or whey hyrolysates with a good adaptogen like KA, you'll be a believer.
The difference in DOMS alone with vs. without is absolutely striking.
"I believe what you consume 2 hours prior, during and 2 hours after is crucial. I'm even more convinced now.
I'd go so far as to say what you consume during this 4 hour window matters more than what you do in the remaining 20 for any given day."
I concur wholeheartedly with the above, Rob.
I've found it to be even more pronounced with my marathon biking than with the weights... it's an absolute fact for me.
It's interesting that you are cleaning out some of your open supps this go around as I'm in the same mode right now (but not back to BP yet since I'm on a "biggest lifetime gaining streak" biking).
Best to you, brother!
I'd go so far as to say what you consume during this 4 hour window matters more than what you do in the remaining 20 for any given day."
I concur wholeheartedly with the above, Rob.
I've found it to be even more pronounced with my marathon biking than with the weights... it's an absolute fact for me.
It's interesting that you are cleaning out some of your open supps this go around as I'm in the same mode right now (but not back to BP yet since I'm on a "biggest lifetime gaining streak" biking).
Best to you, brother!
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BrainSquirt
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 12:45 pm
re Adaptogen N - Rob, my best results have come from using it only on nights after activity that would surely produce soreness and degradation otherwise and then taper the dosage down on 1 additional night. This hopefully prevents body from ever acclimatizing to it.
re: "cleaning out some of your open supps" AskMass, what is the 'shelf life' of the herbs in Adaptogen N (assuming it is kept in a cool dry place) ? Thanks.
re: "cleaning out some of your open supps" AskMass, what is the 'shelf life' of the herbs in Adaptogen N (assuming it is kept in a cool dry place) ? Thanks.
Very, very long Brain, because we turn over inventory fast and fresh, and truly store it in a climate controlled environment.BrainSquirt wrote:re: "cleaning out some of your open supps" AskMass, what is the 'shelf life' of the herbs in Adaptogen N (assuming it is kept in a cool dry place) ? Thanks.
The current lot of Adaptogen N we have in stock, lot # 5987, has an expiration date of 06/12. It was (obviously) produced in June, mere weeks ago, and it's tagged for three years fresh past production. Legally, we could have them put up to 2014 on there, but honestly after 48 months or so you'd start to see a little potency loss.
We typically have runs made to generate enough inventory to last 60-90 days, where as most others will have a year or more made for their items at one time in order to cut costs. The other common issue is that very often these same companies will have 3rd party distribution that stores the stock in hot warehouses. It's all about the money to most, unfortunately.
For an opened bottle with oxygen introduced, as long as it's kept cool/dry you can count on it being full potency for a good year, typically.
Day 3 is almost complete and it was brutal.
Wrkt this AM was like diving into ice cold water. I got a late start too so it compounded things. A heck of a lot of lactic acid buildup and quite nauseated at the conclusion.
On the plus side, I've dropped 2 notches on my belt since Monday. I was shocked by that. I am really dreading Friday's workout. Hope I can sleep tonight as I had to get most of my cals in early today.
As expected, protein loss really accelerated on the Multistix. I didn't test pre-wrkt (wish I did) but it was at the highest possible reading post workout and 3 hours later when I re-tested.
Wrkt this AM was like diving into ice cold water. I got a late start too so it compounded things. A heck of a lot of lactic acid buildup and quite nauseated at the conclusion.
On the plus side, I've dropped 2 notches on my belt since Monday. I was shocked by that. I am really dreading Friday's workout. Hope I can sleep tonight as I had to get most of my cals in early today.
As expected, protein loss really accelerated on the Multistix. I didn't test pre-wrkt (wish I did) but it was at the highest possible reading post workout and 3 hours later when I re-tested.
Day 5 - Good Lord, it's over
Workout this AM was predictable.... I took a thrashing. Conditioning is really good right now and I still had difficulty keeping up. But it's over and it definately delivered.
- Resting heart rate was elevated 7 beats per minute vs. start
- Lots of ammonia smell in the sweat
- Loss of 4lbs bodyweight over 5 days, most of it in the waist
- Heavy protein losses on the Multistix
- Organic/live foods contribute to a much greater feeling of wellness when not working out
- Lecithin/anti-ox supps play a role here too, no doubt. Impossible to say how much though
I can't WAIT to eat! Onward to the Feast!
Workout this AM was predictable.... I took a thrashing. Conditioning is really good right now and I still had difficulty keeping up. But it's over and it definately delivered.
- Resting heart rate was elevated 7 beats per minute vs. start
- Lots of ammonia smell in the sweat
- Loss of 4lbs bodyweight over 5 days, most of it in the waist
- Heavy protein losses on the Multistix
- Organic/live foods contribute to a much greater feeling of wellness when not working out
- Lecithin/anti-ox supps play a role here too, no doubt. Impossible to say how much though
I can't WAIT to eat! Onward to the Feast!
HUGE eating day today and boy did it feel good. Polished off caloric goal for Feast and then some. The re-introduction of sodium made a huge difference too. I wouldn't be surprised if I gained a few lbs back just today.
I did do some sled dragging early this AM to keep the conditioning work up. Otherwise, focused on eating and resting. I'm still incredibly sore from that last Famine wrkt but a few more days of this and I'll be ready to go with my wrkts. And along those lines..
I'll be focusing on 2 lifts this go around, straight bench press and hip belt squats.
For the BP, I'm pulling out an oldie but a goodie.. The Powerbuilding Bench Program found here: https://www.geocities.com/~slopitch/mm2k/
Now I detest MM2K as much as the next guy but you have to admit, this was one of their better programs back in the day. You want to use the "add 50lbs to your bench" program vs. the first one as it's constructed better, IMO.
For the SQ, I'll be using the Soviet Strength program generator found here: https://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/rus ... weight=320
This works time and again and is a terrific template, IMO. Highly suggested for your Feast phases. Fair warning though; used without the calorie/BCAA/other supp recommendations found in The Blueprint and you'll likely wind up overtraining. I say this because each wrkt needs to be performed darn frequently to squeeze it into the suggested Feast timing window.
Protein excretion on the Multistix is already a shade lower. Adaptogen N tonight before sleepytime..
I did do some sled dragging early this AM to keep the conditioning work up. Otherwise, focused on eating and resting. I'm still incredibly sore from that last Famine wrkt but a few more days of this and I'll be ready to go with my wrkts. And along those lines..
I'll be focusing on 2 lifts this go around, straight bench press and hip belt squats.
For the BP, I'm pulling out an oldie but a goodie.. The Powerbuilding Bench Program found here: https://www.geocities.com/~slopitch/mm2k/
Now I detest MM2K as much as the next guy but you have to admit, this was one of their better programs back in the day. You want to use the "add 50lbs to your bench" program vs. the first one as it's constructed better, IMO.
For the SQ, I'll be using the Soviet Strength program generator found here: https://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/rus ... weight=320
This works time and again and is a terrific template, IMO. Highly suggested for your Feast phases. Fair warning though; used without the calorie/BCAA/other supp recommendations found in The Blueprint and you'll likely wind up overtraining. I say this because each wrkt needs to be performed darn frequently to squeeze it into the suggested Feast timing window.
Protein excretion on the Multistix is already a shade lower. Adaptogen N tonight before sleepytime..