The Original Online BODYBUILDING SUPPLEMENTS FORUM. Advanced Techniques. Pro Tips & Insights. The Best Advice!

Hey guys, whats the word on going into the maintenance phase? When do you know to switch over to it and do you just stay in it until the glp 2 is done and you go back to famine? Just any tips from crafty veterans on this stage?

Great question Mike and I'll answer it here.

If you're green so to speak you want to cut things at 42 days into Feast. This will keep you from burning out/auto-regulate things to keep you gaining.

In time, your body will tell you when it's time to transition. Things to look for/signs it's time to hit Cruise:

1.) Your joints are hurting
2.) You're mentally bored with your routine
3.) Progress/PR's stop
4.) You have niggling little injuries/keep coming down with or can't shake a cold
5.) Disturbed or inability to sleep
6.) General disinclination to train
7.) Borrowing money from friends, neighbors etc to buy more supps/food
8.) Collection agencies keep calling on behalf of your credit card company

Essentially, these are signs of over-training and pushing yourself too hard. You can only put the pedal to the floor for so long, even in The Blueprint. However, don't despair. The vets will tell you it's true: You can gain even in Cruise, sometimes despite dialing back the calories, supps and other stuff!

Hope that helps...

so when you decide it's time for the cruise, are you continuing the blueprint training and dialing back calories and supplements? or is it doing a lighter routine different from the bp just to get your body rested? p.s loving the progress I'm seeing at this stage.

You're executing the 5 x 5 strategy outlined, cutting back somewhat on calories, shifting the macros around and discontinuing adaptogens like RCE, swapping in new adaptogens like MACA/Ginsengs and introducing creatine.

Glad you're liking the progress. Makes the gyms a fun place when new PR's are a regular occurrence

what are some good brands for maca and ginsengs rob?

You have to be REAL careful here, especially with both really.

I like Burn It Up as it contains both plus it's so ideally fitted to cruise. Having said that, I think NOW is a solid place to start if you're going to toy with either.

And you want Korean Red on the Ginseng. Looked for an aged ginseng formula and do NOT shop on price on this one. Cheap ginseng usually means no true ginsenosides (the actives in Ginseng). Your corner convenience store is LOADED with crap ginsengs like this, giving it a bad name...

Mike one sign for me to stop feast is when I kinda lose some of my enthusiasm. When that happens I drop out of the heavy lifting pattern of GLP or 10% and then into cruise. During cruise I typically start taking some boot camp type classes, or add in more of a cardio phase. I do still lift heavy at least one day a week in crusie and oddly enough make pretty good gains.

I do also get joint pain and start sleeping less..

hope this helps a little

drhowe9 wrote:what are some good brands for maca and ginsengs rob?

Burn it UP from Mass is a good product to use in cruise and I also use NOW Maca 500mg 4 caps a day some times I throw in some Fenugreek as well