The plan I have in mind is as follows (loosely):
FAMINE
- 5 day Famine phase, as per regular BP recommendations for both diet
and exercise template. One request; please incorporate the following
detox drink this time around, I'd be interested in your feedback:
- 16 oz of low sodium V8 vegetable juice as the "base"
- Juice in 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 1 red pepper, 1 organic apple and a
pinch of cayenne/ginger.
Actually, all components of this drink should be organic but if not, good to experiment with at least a few organic fruits/veggies during this time. John turned me on to this and it's made a BIG difference for me.
Add enough ice cold water/shaved ice to thin. Throw it in a thermos and bring that baby with you everywhere. I took this for a spin last time around prior to running my current Blueprint Periodic and felt FANTASTIC compared to prior Famines..
Brainsquirt is also doing some pioneering work in this area and would be an excellent resource to consult. Consider PM'ing him as he drops in from time to time and can be tough to catch. When he is here, he makes his presence felt in a big way. Stops me cold on some issues.
Please consult him as I know I've benefited tremendously from his insight on certain issues. I think you may too.. Cool cat and very open to helping.
FEAST - TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS
- Standard 5 workout 1 set to failure HIT training, as per first phase of BP
2.0's Feast
- You will then begin using the German loading pattern #2 for your bench
press this time around, basing it off of your established 1RM coming off
the H.I.T. program
- The 2nd part of this workout will be EDT based, with only one PR zone
performed. As an example, let's look at what you'd do after training
bench with the German loading pattern #2
PR ZONE - EDT BASED
A- Decline DB Bench Press
B- Seated cable rows
- The PR zone should last 15-20 minutes
- Your target weight is one that you can do 10 clean reps with
- You will begin with alternating sets of 5 or 6 reps
- As you tire, you may reduce set reps to 4 then 2 and end with singles
- Your goal is to do as many reps with good form as possible in the PR
Zone
- Do not work to, or near failure in the early sets
- You may reach failure at the end as you try to beat your previous
record
- Once able to do 20% more reps than your prior workout, increase load
5% and begin again
Your alternate day will be a dedicated lower body EDT based workout, with the following 2 PR Zones performed:
PR Zone 1
A- Squats
B- Standing/lying leg curls or glute ham raises if you can perform them/your gym has such a machine. If it doesn't, consider performing on a lat pulldown maching with feet anchored under the pads. If needed, a light band or the pulldown apparatus itself with a light weight can be used to manually assist on the upward portion of the movement. Workout partners work for this too but I don't care for them b/c 1.) I'm anti-social and 2.) I never know how much they "help" from spot to spot.
PR Zone 2
C- Leg sled (feet placed about shoulder width apart, not too high on the
platform, not too low either. Choose a stance that feels natural).
D- Lying leg Curls
NOTE: Frequency here of Feast workouts really is the key and should begin with a one on/one off format as follows:
Tuesday - First of 5 HIT sessions. Consider an every other day format frequency for this portion of the Feast training. If needed, certainly insert an extra rest day where you feel it's warranted.
Assuming you have your new 1RM in hand the following Wed, take 2-3 days off and begin the Russian Loading pattern #2 workouts as follows in in an every other day fashion (if possible, stick with this frequency for 2 weeks):
Chest/back workout
REST ONE DAY
Legs/lower body workout
REST ONE DAY
Chest/back workout
REPEAT
Following two weeks, move to a one on, two off format as the stresses grow greater on your body due to the higher workload/overload.
Remainder of the program, insert extra rest days as needed to ensure complete recovery/strength gains are on track for new 1RM.
You can add dedicated arm/calf work, etc. if so desired, but I favor larger movements here for a reason on a recomp: your energy will be limited as will building materials obtained from your diet. Speaking of which..
RECOMP DIET:
(WHEN USING LOW-CARB CYCLING KETOGENIC APPROACH)
Best diet for a re-comp involves rotating calories as I've discussed here before. My usual recommendation is to rotate 100% of maintenance calories on training days vs. 70% on "off" days. However, the AD adds a twist to this picture I'd like to address.
At your stated bodyweight of 198lbs I've taken the liberty of calculating the following caloric levels for you on low carb days. Please consider this as a starting point, to be fine tuned with ketostix/multistix(tm) as a diagnostic tool:
Training days - 2,480 calories/day
(Calculation: 198lbs x 100% = 1,980k + 500k = 2,480k)
Non Training days - 1,866 calories/day
(Calculation: 198lbs x 70% = 1,386k + 500k = 1,886k)
In practice, I've found that trainees can eat 500-1,000 MORE calories/day above and beyond what they can when using a typical diet. This, due to the fact that bodyfat is being oxidized at an accelerated rate via the fats being "fractured" into ketones (ketones = fractured fats). These fractured fats can suffer only two metabolic fates: be oxidized for fuel or excreted in the urine/breath etc..
In your situation, Multistix(tm) or regular ketostix urinary testing strips from your local pharmacy will be invaluable in guiding you and a good investment. If no ketones appear on your strips (i.e. if they don't turn purple), it's likely they're being oxidized for fuel. This is what you should be shooting for and will help guide you in adjusting those calories up or down depending upon your goals.
RATIONALE/COMMENTARY
This strategy I've laid out accomplishes the following, given your stated goals:
1.) Peaks your bench press, providing a new 1RM/level of absolute strength
2.) Ensures we observe the law of progressive overload without burning your CNS out (I specifically picked Loading Pattern #2 due to the fact it only finds you in the 90th percentile or greater for 3 of 14 workouts - see following chart vs. other programs listed here).
https://bodybuildingsupplements.com/ ... dSheet.pdf
3.) Preserves a sufficient volume of work for the big muscle groups to ensure hypertrophy is addressed (by virtue of EDT based protocols).
4.) Calorie rotation/monitoring for ketones status - Doing so ensures bodyfat is being burned while providing adequate building materials still needed for growth/not burning too much muscle tissue.
Finally, if you feel your strength is suffering please consider either upping calories on training days OR (my preference), adding carb re-feeds in form of fast carbs in your peri-workout drink. Consider the follwoing formula for your needs:
I suppose that wasn't very "loose" now, was it?
. I do the absolute best for all of my customers but you Matt, I'll gladly go the extra mile for (especially so).
Hope that helps and here to answer any questions you may have in clarifying..
