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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 3:18 pm
by MSR9889
so these are questions i have concerning the feast phase. i plan on starting with high calories and tapering down each week. since it says the phase was extended to 4-6 weeks, i was thinking of starting around 18xBW calories/day and dropping each week (16xBW, 14xBW, 12xBW) then ending at 12xBW for the maintenance. i figure since my long term goal is to lose weight, i shouldnt run this phase for the full length.
for the workouts during this phase, i was wondering where back fits into the 6 workouts. also, these workouts are done twice a week?
also, i dont understand how the workouts go. one list says do 1 set, the other list 6 sets. could you clarify this for me?
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 3:18 pm
by MSR9889
breakfast today was 2 bowls of cantaloupe and a serving of tator tots (240 calories)
lunch was 2 servings of dark chocolate almond granola with enough almond milk to wet it.
210 calories per serving of granola and 45 per serving almond milk.
dinner was 3 servings of granola with enough almond milk to wet it.
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 7:41 pm
by RobRegish
MSR9889 wrote:so these are questions i have concerning the feast phase. i plan on starting with high calories and tapering down each week. since it says the phase was extended to 4-6 weeks, i was thinking of starting around 18xBW calories/day and dropping each week (16xBW, 14xBW, 12xBW) then ending at 12xBW for the maintenance. i figure since my long term goal is to lose weight, i shouldnt run this phase for the full length.
ANSWER: This is a solid plan and makes the most sense given your goals.
for the workouts during this phase, i was wondering where back fits into the 6 workouts. also, these workouts are done twice a week?
ANSWER: Your initial 6 workouts should take place over a 14-21 day timeframe. Many do well on a 1on/2 off schedule. The back work is accomplished with the pullover (extreme stretch in the lats) and stiff legged OR Dimel Deadlifts (lower back/traps). Here's phase one of Feast:
NOTE: Your work set is ONE set to absolute muscular failure, so give it all you've got!
Workout 1
- Bench press or for as many as you can get in the 8-10 rep range
- Immediately perform a set of heavy dumbell pullovers (enough weight to accomplish at least 8-10 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
NOTE: These should be performed on a SLIGHT incline bench. If using a flat bench (adjustable), incline it one notch. If all you have is a flat bench, simple slide a 45lb plate under one end.
- Squats for as many reps as you can get in the 8-10 rep range
- Followed immediately by a set of stiff legged or Dimel deadlifts (enough weight such that you get at least 8-10 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
That's your whole workout, so put 100% into your work sets!
Workout #2
- Bench press for as many as you can get in the 4-6 rep range
- Immediately perform a set of heavy dumbell pullovers (enough weight to accomplish at least 4-6 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
- Squats for as many reps as you can get in the 4-6 rep range
- Followed immediately by a set of stiff legged deadlifts (enough weight such that you get at least 4-6 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
Workout #3
- Bench press for as many as you can get in the 2-3 rep range
- Immediately perform a set of heavy dumbell pullovers (enough weight to accomplish at least 2-3 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
- Squats for as many reps as you can get in the 2-3 rep range
- Followed immediately by a set of stiff legged deadlifts (enough weight such that you get at least 2-3 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
Workout #4 - deload!
- Bench press for as many as you can get in the 6-8 rep range
- Immediately perform a set of heavy dumbell pullovers (enough weight to accomplish at least 6-8 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
- Squats for as many reps as you can get in the 6-8 rep range
- Followed immediately by a set of stiff legged deadlifts (enough weight such that you get at least 6-8 good reps). Focus on maximally stretching the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
Workout #5
Shoot for a new 1RM on BP!
Finish with a good, clean set of pullovers for a 5 rep max
Shoot for a new 1RM on SQ!
Finish with a good, clean set of stiff legged deads for a 5 rep max
One set to failure, high intensity training is best positioned AFTER a volume oriented protocol. The gains are oftentimes stunning, and I have no doubt you'll see that here. Upon completion of this 5 workout high intensity program, you'll already have your new 1RM to use when starting the German Loading Pattern I specify in The Blueprint. It delivers a 5% increase to your 1RM in just 6 workouts:
also, i dont understand how the workouts go. one list says do 1 set, the other list 6 sets. could you clarify this for me?
ANSWER: The first 6 workouts (Phase I) feature the one set for failure protocol. Phase 2 (German loading pattern) switches things up to perform 6 work sets for the lift of your choice. I'll sketch out the supplementary movements for you once you complete Phase I.
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 7:49 pm
by RobRegish
Latest diet entry:
Wow. Down 6 in just 3-4 days? Take care to observe the BW times 8 calorie level. You seem to be quite a bit lower, at least for this days entry! Around just 6-700 calories through lunch.
Do you finish off the day with higher calorie meals?
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 8:13 pm
by MSR9889
ok, i understand the workouts now
RobRegish wrote:Latest diet entry:
Wow. Down 6 in just 3-4 days? Take care to observe the BW times 8 calorie level. You seem to be quite a bit lower, at least for this days entry! Around just 6-700 calories through lunch.
Do you finish off the day with higher calorie meals?
breakfast is usually light because all thats normally available (for this phase) is fruit and bread, so ice just been eating cantaloupe and its been filling me up.
i usually eat more for lunch and dinner because i have more of a selection with the salad bar. but in general i do tend to eat more later on in the day.
dinner tonight is going to be the same as lunch, but i guess ill do 3 servings of granola instead of 2.
part of the weight drop was that i was dehydrated in the morning. since starting this, ive basically been thirsty all the time. maybe i misspoke by saying it wasnt water weight i had lost. but i have been trying hard to keep my calories close to 1500. with things like the salad, i assume that what i get from the veggies is around 100-150 calories and that the dressing is 200-300 for 2 or 3 tbsp. and 2 of those salads will be a meal.
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:11 am
by RobRegish
OK that makes more sense.
If my math is right, today is the last day of Famine. Boy, I'll bet you're glad this is over! I got the sense though, it wasn't difficult for you?
Please let me know. Regardless, your weight drop/subjective feedback leads me to believe you've tee'd yourself up adequately to reap all the rewards we seek with adaptogens.
Prepare yourself. This is an awesome ride. If the pattern holds, your first week will be a little rough but from week 2 of Feast on, it only gets better. Hopefully the 2.0 recommendation improve your transition to Feast (they have in many other trainees).
Keep us posted!
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:44 am
by MSR9889
the only times i was really hungry were friday and saturday night when i wasnt busy, so i didnt really have a hard time with this.
also, i woke up this morning and my heart rate was 21 beats in 20 seconds, so 63/min. my heart rate before this phase started was 54 (18 beats in 20 seconds).
so now for the feast phase, how should i dose the E-Bol? as the bottle suggests? and for an AI, i can use Arom X, Hyperdrol x2, Reversitol, Stoked, or Regenessen. do i even need the AI? i would personally rather run it without one the first time through to get the full affect of the program itself.
also for intraworkout, i dont have enough bulk bcaas on hand to make the cocktail you suggested, but i was planning on just maybe doing 2 servings of intrabolic during my workouts. i have no problem upping the citrulline malate, but i also used to take that pre workout. would intra be better?
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 3:36 pm
by MSR9889
breakfast was a slice of honey oat toast with about a tsp of grape jelly and about 1/3 of a cantaloupe
lunch was a salad with mixed greens, sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, and about 3 tbsp ranch, and maybe 1/2-3/4 of a serving of french fries
dinner was chopped raw broccoli, baby carrots, and sliced cucumber with about 2 tbsp parm. peppercorn dressing and about a serving of friends with 1 tbsp bbq sauce
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:29 pm
by MSR9889
this was easily the most intense workout ive ever had. it was like i was doing cardio back when i weighed 260.
squats- 95 x 12, 95 x 12, 95 x 12, 95 x 12, 95 x 7 and 5 bw
superset with stiff leg deadlifts- 95 x 12, 95 x 12, 95 x 12, 95 x 7 and 5 toe touches, 95 x 7 and 5 toe touches
deadlift- 135 x 12, 135 x 12, 135 x 12, 95 12, 95 x 12
superset with tbar rows- +45 x 12, +45 x 2 then +25 x 10, +25 x 10
last 2 sets superset with assisted pull ups- 3, 4
standing ez bar curl- 45 x 12, 45 x 12, 35 x 12, 25 x 12, 25 x 13
superset with preacher curl- 45 x 12 45 x 12, 35 x 12, 25 x 12, 25 x 15
cant wait to eat over the next 3 days. wednesday and thursday night most of my calories will be at dinner, so ill eat small high protein meals during those days.
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:22 am
by RobRegish
the only times i was really hungry were friday and saturday night when i wasnt busy, so i didnt really have a hard time with this.
COMMENT: Yeah, I've noticed the same on the Warrior Diet. Amazing how the power of the mind can trump the body. Boredom = hunger for many.
also, i woke up this morning and my heart rate was 21 beats in 20 seconds, so 63/min. my heart rate before this phase started was 54 (18 beats in 20 seconds).
COMMENT: Congratulations. I detail in The Blueprint how the former Soviet athletes switched gears once resting heart rate had been elevated 8 beats or more beyond baseline. You're at 9. Nice work!
so now for the feast phase, how should i dose the E-Bol? as the bottle suggests?
ANSWER: Per label recommendations.
and for an AI, i can use Arom X, Hyperdrol x2, Reversitol, Stoked, or Regenessen. do i even need the AI? i would personally rather run it without one the first time through to get the full affect of the program itself.
ANSWER: No AI is necessary. Save it for some other time. Your goals are fat less, yes? Much more a function of caloric levels/training that AI's.
also for intraworkout, i dont have enough bulk bcaas on hand to make the cocktail you suggested, but i was planning on just maybe doing 2 servings of intrabolic during my workouts. i have no problem upping the citrulline malate, but i also used to take that pre workout. would intra be better?
ANSWER: You've answered your own question: Take 2 servings of Intrabolic peri-workout. Take some about 1/2 hour prior and sip the remainder throughout the workout/post workout. If you'd prefer to add more citrulline malate, no issues in doing so. Feel free to throw it in there.
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:29 am
by RobRegish
this was easily the most intense workout ive ever had. it was like i was doing cardio back when i weighed 260.
cant wait to eat over the next 3 days. wednesday and thursday night most of my calories will be at dinner, so ill eat small high protein meals during those days.
COMMENT: Yes indeed. The Famine training protocol is carefully designed to stress all 3 energy systems; ATP-phospocreatine, glycotic and endurance/VO2 max. The rotation through all 3 in an energy/protein deficit exhibits a profound effect on your physiology as evidenced in your waking heart rate. There's no fudging that. Had you tested with Multistix you would have seen some substantial changes in protein excretion as well.
Given your goals, I'm re-thinking phase 2 of the Feast workout protocol. Go ahead and focus on phase I, one set to failure and executing that to your fullest. I'm working on a targeted fat loss strategy for you for phase II.
I need to know one thing though... your stated goal of fat loss, I have no doubt we can achieve this. What I need to know though is how you respond to fast paced (1.5 min or less rest between sets) type training. Can you give me some background there?
In particular, I need to know how much muscle/strength you lose on said training and how you guage progress here. I do think with the Ebol/adaptogen intake we can do a nice job not only NOT losing muscle but BUILDING muscle on a re-comp for you. Recall that adaptogens magnify results reflective of a particular stress imposed on the organism (you).
Key then, is delivering that kind of unique stress via your training protocol. Don't worry, I have that. Just need to know which arrow to pull out of my quiver for you...
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:39 am
by RobRegish
Also, would LOVE to have more detail about how you dropped from 260 to 190 or so. Please be as detailed in your diet/training recall as possible.
To get where you're going, its sometimes useful to know where you've been...
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:16 pm
by MSR9889
RobRegish wrote:COMMENT: Yes indeed. The Famine training protocol is carefully designed to stress all 3 energy systems; ATP-phospocreatine, glycotic and endurance/VO2 max. The rotation through all 3 in an energy/protein deficit exhibits a profound effect on your physiology as evidenced in your waking heart rate. There's no fudging that. Had you tested with Multistix you would have seen some substantial changes in protein excretion as well.
Given your goals, I'm re-thinking phase 2 of the Feast workout protocol. Go ahead and focus on phase I, one set to failure and executing that to your fullest. I'm working on a targeted fat loss strategy for you for phase II.
I need to know one thing though... your stated goal of fat loss, I have no doubt we can achieve this. What I need to know though is how you respond to fast paced (1.5 min or less rest between sets) type training. Can you give me some background there?
In particular, I need to know how much muscle/strength you lose on said training and how you guage progress here. I do think with the Ebol/adaptogen intake we can do a nice job not only NOT losing muscle but BUILDING muscle on a re-comp for you. Recall that adaptogens magnify results reflective of a particular stress imposed on the organism (you).
Key then, is delivering that kind of unique stress via your training protocol. Don't worry, I have that. Just need to know which arrow to pull out of my quiver for you...
honestly, i have no real preference at the moment for losing weight vs gaining strength. my goals of benching over 200 and having a 6 pack are pretty on par with each other... if you think i could lose a fair amount of weight while gaining strength, that would be ideal obviously but at the moment im happy either way (so long as i dont lose strength).
im not really sure how i respond to training with 1.5 minute breaks. ive spent the past year or so doing mostly 5x5 type workouts with a 4-6 rep range and 3 minute breaks to really focus on power over size. my strength has gone up while ive been getting smaller. i cant base my experience on the 2nd famine training session either because the lactic acid buildup was unlike any ive had before during these 3 workouts (especially the first). i would assume that i would probably just lose a few reps/set as training went on based on the last time i did anything like this over the summer, and i might possibly have to drop the weight after a couple sets.
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:23 pm
by MSR9889
RobRegish wrote:Also, would LOVE to have more detail about how you dropped from 260 to 190 or so. Please be as detailed in your diet/training recall as possible.
To get where you're going, its sometimes useful to know where you've been...
haha, its kind of funny. my initial motivation came during my first day at college. i was walking to the store to buy books and i saw a girl whose ass was hanging out of her shorts and that was it.
i picked up a bottle of hydroxycut and some hoodia (having never used stims before) and quickly dropped 15 lbs my first month at school. i started lifting 4-5 days a week and after each session i did mild cardio for about 8 minutes and stopped when i had burned 100 calories.
my diet in the dining hall was mostly whatever i wanted, but i usually tried to have 3+ servings of vegetables with lunch and dinner. my calories/day in the beginning were up around +3000. then after a couple months i just went insane with it. every day my breakfast was a plate full of egg whites and roasted potatoes, lunch and dinner were sliced turkey with raw veggies (carrots, broccoli and spinach usually) with no dressing. after about 3 weeks i had problems eating it and literally had to force it down and gag. but at the time i was desperate enough to stick with it. i lost 40 lbs during my first semester (grades took a good hit at that expense) and another 20 during the next semester. since then ive stayed between 190 and 200.
my training got really serious this past summer, when literally all i did all summer was lift, go to work, and play video games.