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Following is an excellent question(s) from a recent customer and my recommendations as to where to start. I've highlighted my responses in bold:

ok well i read through the whole pdf and i think i got most of it. my goal right now is to lose fat. im ~193 lbs at 15% bf. im thinking i can/would like to start this program on thursday, however that would only give me 3 days of checking my waking heart rate.

Right off the bat, we see the goal is to lose fat. This is good to know and will help guide slightly modified Feast Phase caloric recommendations. Therefore, this BP run will be designed more around re-comp than anything else. 3 days is adequate to establish a baseline resting heart rate

so for the first 5 days ill be eating around 1,550 calories and ill try to drink close to 2 gallons of water a day. the pdf said eat mostly fruit and vegetables, just wondering how much room their is for other carbs/fats.

There is ample room for other carbs/fats. The key is not exceeding the caloric recommendations and consuming very low/no protein.

i can definitely eat cantaloupe and oranges, some days watermelon, and i can try to fore myself to eat some broccoli and tomato for breakfast.
for lunch and dinner there is a veggie/salad bar, so i can eat celery, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, and spinach. just wondering if i can add some dressing here. i have issues eating raw, plain vegetables now because when i first started dieting, i went 3 weeks eating nothing but egg whites, turkey and raw vegetables and got to the point where i wanted to vomit every time i ate. granted i lost about 15 lbs. if adding dressing is a problem, ill force it down i guess.

Dressing isn't an issue and you have a wide range of fruits/vegetables to choose from. I'd recommend avoiding foods you don't like or that don't agree with you. The last thing we want is a good allergy during this time. You are free to consume whatever carbs/fats you'd like as long as it observes the strict calorie limit. Fiberous foods do help, as they keep you fuller, longer and contribute to the detox effect Famine imparts.

theres also an assortment of fruit juices available.
i can workout thursday-sunday, and i can make time on monday. the week of and after that i have finals, so having fewer workouts would fit perfectly in with that.
aside from that, i havent lifted since the thursday before thanksgiving and im fairly well rested.

This is good to know. Going into famine in a "fresh" state is crucial. The 3-day famine workout as posted in the Blueprint Update 2.0 is the ideal workout template for Famine when starting out.

no real issues with the feast or maintenance phases. i have the dining hall buffets at school when i get to that point, and i do my own shopping when im home. plus i work in a restaurant. and over break ill have plenty of time to devote to lifting. i also have bulk bcaas, xtend, and recoverpro that i can experiment with for the mega dosing. how important is the glutamine with these? ive never been a big believer in it.

BCAA's are far more important than the glutamine. Although glutamine imparts its own benefits (immunity, etc.), the BCAA's are the real bangers when it comes to recovering quickly from workouts. You have great access to large volumes of food during Feast, which is key.

The one area where glutamine may benefit you is your peri-workout drink during Feast. Little known fact: Glutamine will raise insulin gram for gram as well as sugar. So, in our example you'd consume a peri-workout drink with 75g of Glutamine (instead of the sugar) mixed with 35g of BCAA, 10g of Creatine Monohydrate and 10g of Citrulline Malate. Flavor with Crystal light or if using Xtend/Intrabolic utilize your favorite flavor.


i would like to do the first run with as few supplements as possible, but here is what i have available:

WOW! This is quite a list. Here are my recommendations:

Famine phase: Utilize a multi-vitamin and the NOW green tea/egcg. If you're really dragging consider the ephedrine/caffeine stack. I prefer the minimalist approach during Famine myself.

Feast phase: You have a lot on hand so it makes sense to utilize.

Pre-workout: Ephedrine/Caffeine
Peri-workout: Glutamine/BCAA/Creatine/Citrulline Malate drink
Daily: Multi Vitamin
3 grams Vitamin C
3 grams of Fish Oil
600 IU of Vitamin E
E-bol you have on hand
Low dose AI you have on hand (which one?)

Zinc, Magnesium and B6 prior to bed (calcium inhibits
uptake of Zinc/magnesium)

The Famine is characterized by detox and green tea is a nice addition. The multi is there to assist with any deficiencies 9short term) that may exist. Other than that, keep it simple

The Feast is characterized by a large # of tissue builders (BCAA's, high protein intake, vitamin C etc.) that set the foundation for accelerated muscle building.

The transcription/translation equation here is a low dose AI/E-bol which again is centered around Rhaponticum Carthamoides.

Finally, Zinc-Magnesium-B6 should ensure deep, restful sleep you'll need each night. I'm not a fan of X-factor given its pro-inflammatory and works in opposition to Ecdy's anti-inflammatory quality. Ditto on the beta-alanine. Much prefer Kre-Alkalyn/Creatine monohydrate.

ephedrine hcl
lean xtreme
NOW green tea extract/egcg
reduction pm
napalm (topical)
caffein
vit. b6 (pyr. hcl)
vit. b12 (methyl)
multi vitamin
vit c + bioflavanoids
calcium and magnesium with vit d and zinc
creatine mono
citrulline malate
beta alanine
xtend
recoverpro
intrabolic
purple intrain coming in the mail
fish oil
thermolife e-bol (the new one)
man blueprint
various natty test boosters and AIs
xf whey protein
higher power whey and casein
lipotropic protein
x factor and xfactor advanced

i would love to hear your recommendations.

for the workouts during the feast phase, do i do each session once per body part? and should i stick with the chest/shoulders/tris and legs/back/bis from the famine phases? and also, would i throw in abs anywhere for these 2 stages?

For the workout during Feast, highly recommend you use the new Blueprint 2.0 Feast template. The one set to failure protocol works exceptionally well when dieting/re-comping. The key during your Feast will be to modify the caloric levels. Your goal should be to consume bodyweight x 12 in calories the first week, at which point we'll re-evaluate. Depending upon progress, we can stay level, dial it up a bit before falling back or gradually bring it down every 2 weeks to BWx11, BWx10 etc.. All depends upon how you handle the carbs during this time or which diet you utilize. You may be an excellent candidate for a cycling ketogenic diet during this time (i.e. carb up only around the workout/2 hours post on training days).

For Famine, I'd highly recommend sticking to the 3 day protocol outlined in Blueprint 2.0. Ab work can be added during these phases if so desired. Care should be taken though, such that it doesn't take away from your core lifts/otherwise weaken your lower back during squats/deadlifts if you perform those.

thats all the questions i can think of for right now.
thanks

I'm not a fan of X-factor given its pro-inflammatory and works in opposition to Ecdy's anti-inflammatory quality. Ditto on the beta-alanine

Rob, if you have time could you expand on your take on beta-alanine please.
Its use, timing, etc. plus the "pro-inflammatory" ?? Thanks.

Certainly Brain,

Beta-alanine was hyped as the next Creatine. The research is solid, surpassing even Creatine at this point in the products life cycle. You can feel it upon ingestion (mild tingling not unlike GABA) and we can measure it accumulating as carnosine in muscle tissue. In effect, it combines with histidine to accumulate as carnosine, moreso than taking carnosine by itself!

The theory goes like this: Carnosine is an intracellular buffer. As such, it SHOULD allow you to pump out more reps through delayed fatigue. There are a couple of problems though.

First, it takes a full 12 weeks to get to saturation. On top of that, it was said that constant levels needed to be maintained round the clock. So you either dosed it every 2 hours or had to use a time released version.

Second, it just didn't seem to work! I loaded it for 10-15g/day for 4 months with no objective/subjective results. The recommended dose is 6g/day! Went off, didn't lose anything. Went back on, didn't gain anything. Even the tingles subside after a few weeks of dosing it. I think that's what's selling it. It gives everyone who tries is a "feeling". If it was the next creatine, we'd be seeing it in more widespread use.

Having said all of that, it's cheap enough if you want to experiment. You may in fact benefit and if you do I'm happy for you. As far as substrate storage though, I feel your money is far better spent on Kre-Alkalyn/creatine vs. beta-alanine. Just my $0.02.

Now in term of pro-inflammatory agents..

In the "what not to use" part of The Blueprint where I discuss supplements, I caution against experimenting with Arachadonic Acid (known as "X-factor" and sold as part of some other formulas such as "Halodrol liqui-gels").

It appears my opinion has been validated by at least one University study. The study was presented at the International Society of Sports Nutrition conference, by researchers from Baylor University:

If you read the full paper, you'll find this conclusion:

Conclusions

"AA supplementation during resistance-training may enhance anaerobic capacity and lessen the inflammatory response to training. However, AA supplementation did not promote statistically greater gains in strength, muscle mass, or influence markers of muscle hypertrophy."

There are two versions though, of the results. One appears on the manufacturer's web site, and highlights the preliminary poster abstracts and the smidgeon of positive results noted during the study. There was a marginal increase in peak power for the Wingate anaerobic capacity test, along with a decrease in one inflammatory marker, interleukin-6. Also, there were no adverse side effects. No mention though of "did not promote statistically greater gains in strength, muscle mass, or influence markers of muscle hypertrophy."

The manufacturer and man behind the funding for the study is FAR from a scammer though. As I note in The Blueprint, it was an excellent theory brought to the table, he funded the study himself and I suppose there may be some, marginal benefits noted by a small number of users. In terms of laying out your hard earned money though.... it doesn't make the "Blueprint approved" list.

Thanks Rob. Please correct me if I’m off but here’s my takeaway on this -
Beta-Alanine will fit more into ‘insulin resistance’ and anti aging interventions than into bodybuilding proper. Those with ‘insulin’ and energy issues may actually see marked improvements, but these are individual - so the general ‘studies’ about its efficacy in providing juice for a ‘few more reps’, etc. should be taken with a grain of salt. Cellular and serum levels of carnosine are largely genetic and its effectiveness as a buffer and antioxidant is not deeply dependent on absolute levels. ie only normal, not artificially high, levels are required for it to fulfill its role even in elite athletes.

Beta-alanine is virtually worthless from a compliance of use standpoint, if you want my professional opinion.

It's simply not practical, and any debate on efficiency or lack thereof is mute until someone can successfully address that issue, first and foremost.

Don't hold your breath on that one.

Even if you could magically erase that major stumbling block, I'd list a half dozen better and proven, far more feasible routes to take supplement and diet wise for any given goal that BA might be considered for.

My two cents.

You'll never see us stock it, same as with countless similar items that have come and gone over the last 17 years.

This is an excellent analysis Brain. Really is. And yes, I think it's oversold in bodybuilding circles. As with Acetyl-l-Carnitine, the greater benefits will be seen with anti-agers over time. You can already see the similarities between the 2 given where they are since introduction into the "sports nutrition" marketplace.

While it's nice to have all of these buffers floating around, it's a small piece of the puzzle. Very small.

At least that's been my experience.