Another guinea pig! My friend Dree!

Dree’s history: Dree has been training for a long time, and she’s already in very good shape - her build is symmetric and she doesn’t have any really bad problem areas - her bodyfat is distributed evenly, which is a real blessing and I truly hate her for this.

She has been following more of a “typical” bodybuilder routine - high-ish reps (around 10-rep sets for most work), drop sets, super-sets… and has been doing cardio: stepper for half an hour three times a week. We’ll be easing her into heavier, lower-rep training as we move her cardio from steady-state toward a more interval-based approach.

Because the last few times Dree tried to cut too fast, like many of us she ended up getting burnt out quitting too soon (and who could blame her - starvation and overtraining SUCKS!). So this time, we’re going to lean her out very very slowly and get her in a holding pattern at around 16%. She may wish to compete at some point next year, and it’s a LOT easier to prep from 16% than it is from 24%!

The plan: Because there’s no huge rush, we’re going to VERY slowly lean Dree out so she can hang onto her muscle mass while slowly hardening up.

Dree’s starting parameters:

• Maintenance calories are approximately 1900, with about 150g each protein and carb. Her fats have been a little low for my liking - around 40g per day. I’d like to see if we can increase this a bit.
• 150 lbs, 24% bodyfat (assumed)
• 114 lbs lean mass
• chest: 35″
• hips: 36″
• calves: 14.5″
• arms: 13″
• waist: 31″
• Shoulders: 42.5″

The plan is to get her to 16% - roughly 135 lbs - in about five months.

For reference, the cut plan is based on the following information: (more…)

My friend Lisa has three beautiful children - and is still nursing the most recent addition to her family. She’s already started to lose the baby weight - Lisa is already down to 196 lbs, having started at 226 lbs a few months ago. She’s doing really well, and wants to make sure she continues to make progress while building up her strength training.

Starting Parameters

Height: 5’7.5”
Weight: 196# (but I’m holding water big-time—I think my “real” weight is 193.)
Bodyfat estimate: 39.6%
LBM: about 118 lbs based on this estimate (more…)

This one is just too cool not to post.

Artwork by Vincent Radford:

From the original, shot by Greg Ehlers:

The place: Tournament of Champions - Anaheim, California

The date: September 22, 2007

The event: Joshie-poos very first bodybuilding competition.

The challenge: to get this 210 lbs of lean mass into a sub-6% body in time for the show. And to find a banana hammock big enough to contain him.

We have 57 days - basically 8 weeks - to drop 15+ lbs of fat. (more…)

This is the cut that never ends, I swear.

That being said, I want to see how truly freaking lean I can get this year.

I’ve been hovering around 134-137 for what seems to be an eternity, but my weight has finally started to cooperate with me - 132 lbs as of this AM, and after two days in a row with carbs.

Funny that this whole “eating less food” thing really works!

My workouts are in a holding pattern at this point. (more…)

High Intensity Interval Foreplay

- How to get yourself excited for the main event.

MariAnne Anderson, BSc, MSc(B),
with thanks to Tyron Piteau, B.H.K., R.K., C.H.E.K. Practitioner Level 2
http://www.makersbody.com

Have you ever stood by the microwave, watching a trickle of electronic seconds count down the arrival of improperly warmed food; wondering how much time you’ve wasted watching timers steal individual seconds from your life? Well, I feel the same way about the timer on the treadmill.

In the world of physique enhancement, high intensity interval training (HIIT) is gaining popularity over the old-school “twice-a-day, steady-state” cardio sessions that once dominated pre-contest prep.

Not only is HIIT less boring than watching your life being stolen from you one unpleasant second at a time, interval training is more effective at targeting subcutaneous fat stores while sparing lean mass – something that gains significance the deeper you are into your cut.

Although many athletes use sprint intervals as part of our conditioning, it’s a relative newcomer to “mainstream” fitness; outside of bodybuilding or athletics, not THAT many people do it, and fewer still really know how to prepare for an activity that switches rapidly from eccentric to concentric contraction. Perhaps more for this than for any other type of activity, proper warmup and stretching is key to both optimal performance and injury prevention. (more…)

My friend Moe wants to try out my cutting protocol. I’ve helped her set this up based on what she can train with, work-arounds for her injuries, and the days she can make it to the gym.

You can follow her progress on her board here.

Moe’s starting parameters:

• 185 lbs, 22% bodyfat (assumed)
• 145 lbs lean mass
• The plan is to get her to 16% - roughly 170 lbs - in about four months.

Moe’s restrictions:

• No running
• Bum shoulder that precludes most heavy pulling movements, including chins
• Maintenance calories aren’t very high - 2000 a day - so we don’t want to drop too much from food. Average cals are set at 1600 to start.
• Moe teaches a few workout classes, so these have to be worked into her training.

For reference, the cut plan is based on the following information: (more…)