# Q & A With Andrew Chappell



## Dazza1466868025

Hi Andy

Am taking Holland & Barrett :

Triple Omega 3-6-9 1200mg which I assume are no good from reading this thread ?

Radiance Multi vitamin & Minerals one a day tablet. Which I normally take with breakfast or lunch. To much vits & mins?


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## scotty T

Andy i think i read somewhere else on forum that you were doubtfull about the level of which some vitamins were absorbed, could go you into this a little further? and would you recomend a multi vitamin?

Great thred BTW


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## crazycal1

altho you`ve asked andy lol, dont you stretch pre training bud?

how often youre training..stretching before and after should be more than adequate..

btw according to wabba(lol) the benefits of a stretch last approx 12 hours so presumably it`d actually need to be done 2x a day (which i used to do n should do now..CBA  )


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## Dazza1466868025

Hi Andy

I have just recently finished a 12 week 3day 5x5 program Mon-Weds-Fri and have gained 8kg some of that fat though, started to feel like I was taling of towards last 2 weeks of program. Never really had the muscle aches even training the same muscle groups twice/three times a week

So had 2 weeks off over xmas and have started this routine but when friday workout comes round muscles still aching sometimes and motivation slightly down to train other days motivation is ok though

Here's how the training program looks now

Monday:

Bench Press 1 warm up set 3 working sets reps 10-15 then 3-8 reps

Incline Press/DB 3-4 sets 3-8 reps

Decline DB 3 sets 3-8 reps

Triceps lying EZ bar ext 1 warm up set 3 working sets 10-15 then 3-8 reps

Close grip bench press 3 sets 3-8 reps

Weighted Dips 2 sets

Tuesday:

Squats/Leg press 2 warm up sets 3 working sets 5 reps

Quad ext 3 sets 5-8 reps

Ham curls 3 sets 5-8 reps

Calf raises 4 sets 5-8 reps

Wednesday:

Lat pulldowns/Weighted pull ups 1 warm up set 3-4 sets 5-8 reps

Single Arm rows 3 sets 5-8 reps

Narrow grip pull downs 3 sets 5-8 reps

Dead lifts 1 warm up set 3 working 1-8 reps but every other week

Biceps EZ bar curls 1 warm up set 3 working 5-8 reps

DB curl/ concentration curl 2 sets 5-8 reps

Thursday: REST

Friday:

Shoulder Mil press or DB press 1 warm up set 3 working 5-8 reps

Side lateral raises 3 sets 5-10 reps

Rear delt rasie 3 sets 8-10 reps

Upright rows 3 sets 5-8 reps

Barbell shrugs 3 sets 3-8 reps

Sat + Sun: REST

*Thought I would add this to this thread instead of ruining your very informative thread.*

Am trying to gain lean weight at the moment and wondered what you thought of my diet if you have time to comment

930-10am 100g Organic Oats with 300-400ml rice milk or soya milk + 4 eggs (2 of the eggs are just the whites) or 4 lean sausages

1-130pm 250g Balsmalti brown rice + 120g Turkey ( or chicken, ham, beef ) or tin of tuna in brine + 150g of veg brocolli, cabbage, carrot, gresn beans

5pm Pre workout Reflex protein shake 60g with water + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets

6-630pm post workout After Glow + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets

730pm 100-200g meat or fish + 100-150g veg + 250g rice or 200g new potatoes

1030-11 30-60g Reflex whey with water or skimmed milk

Now I know from just reading the other thread protein will be to high as am normally hitting over 200g so I will adjust that, can you give me any other suggestions on my diet ?

Also I find it hard to hit my calorie total as in hitting the carb, fats, protein levels spot on ?

Thanks in advance

O yeah I weight 73.5kg at present am 5ft6 and the scales at the gym say 18% BF but calipers at home say 24% so not sure, you can sort of see top abs.

Most of my BF is round the gut and mid back when using calipers

cheers


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## AChappell

*I've started to get quite a lot questions on a few of my threads and I'm finding it quite difficult to keep a track of some of them, so I think this thread might be quite a good idea. So if anyone has any questions or would like to ask for advice on any subject please feel free to post on this thread. If you can't find your questions, they've likely been moved here. Like everyone I'm quite busy so please don't be offended if I don't get round to answering all your queries, I've simply not had the time.*


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## Dazza1466868025

You said u wanted more people on your section


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## AChappell

Dazza said:


> Hi Andy
> 
> I have just recently finished a 12 week 3day 5x5 program Mon-Weds-Fri and have gained 8kg some of that fat though, started to feel like I was taling of towards last 2 weeks of program. Never really had the muscle aches even training the same muscle groups twice/three times a week
> 
> So had 2 weeks off over xmas and have started this routine but when friday workout comes round muscles still aching sometimes and motivation slightly down to train other days motivation is ok though
> 
> Here's how the training program looks now
> 
> Monday:
> 
> Bench Press 1 warm up set 3 working sets reps 10-15 then 3-8 reps
> 
> Incline Press/DB 3-4 sets 3-8 reps
> 
> Decline DB 3 sets 3-8 reps
> 
> Triceps lying EZ bar ext 1 warm up set 3 working sets 10-15 then 3-8 reps
> 
> Close grip bench press 3 sets 3-8 reps
> 
> Weighted Dips 2 sets
> 
> Tuesday:
> 
> Squats/Leg press 2 warm up sets 3 working sets 5 reps
> 
> Quad ext 3 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Ham curls 3 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Calf raises 4 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Wednesday:
> 
> Lat pulldowns/Weighted pull ups 1 warm up set 3-4 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Single Arm rows 3 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Narrow grip pull downs 3 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Dead lifts 1 warm up set 3 working 1-8 reps but every other week
> 
> Biceps EZ bar curls 1 warm up set 3 working 5-8 reps
> 
> DB curl/ concentration curl 2 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Thursday: REST
> 
> Friday:
> 
> Shoulder Mil press or DB press 1 warm up set 3 working 5-8 reps
> 
> Side lateral raises 3 sets 5-10 reps
> 
> Rear delt rasie 3 sets 8-10 reps
> 
> Upright rows 3 sets 5-8 reps
> 
> Barbell shrugs 3 sets 3-8 reps
> 
> Sat + Sun: REST
> 
> *It's unsurprising you've got muscle soreness following a lay off at Christmas, the body is very pliable and responds to stresses placed on it. Take that stress away and the body has to re-adapt to the stresses, hence the soreness your experiencing. It's not uncommon ask anyone who has had an extended lay off or has just started back training what your experiencing is the norm. It's also worth noting that you've increased the frequency of your training from 3 to 4 days and reduced the amount of rest over the course of the week this in itself will also increase muscle soreness.*
> 
> *Personally I don't like to train 3 day's in a row my joints start to hurt and I don't feel like I recover as well. How about switching to a more conventional 2 days on 1 off 2 on split followed by the weekends off. Apart from that the workout looks fine I've no doubt you'll make gains following that program, I'd probably mix it up a little though ever 3 weeks and look to make wholesale changes with a new plan in 6 - 8 weeks.*
> 
> *Thought I would add this to this thread instead of ruining your very informative thread.*
> 
> Am trying to gain lean weight at the moment and wondered what you thought of my diet if you have time to comment
> 
> 930-10am *100g Organic Oats (what's wrong with conventional oats ?)* with 300-400ml *rice milk or soya milk (Does this type of milk really have any advantage over cow's milk?)* + 4 eggs (2 of the eggs are just the whites) or *4 lean sausages how lean are these really?*
> 
> 1-130pm *250g Balsmalti brown rice ( is all that fibre what your muscles need? why not just have white basmati)* + 120g Turkey ( or chicken, ham, beef ) or tin of tuna in brine + 150g of veg brocolli, cabbage, carrot, gresn beans
> 
> *You should try and fit in at least another meal here similar to the one above, even if it's just a snack you'll be boosting your metabolism , keeping yourself anabolic and fuelling your workout*
> 
> 5pm Pre workout Reflex protein shake 60g with water + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets
> 
> 6-630pm post workout *After Glow???* + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets
> 
> 730pm 100-200g meat or fish + 100-150g veg + 250g rice or 200g new potatoes
> 
> 1030-11 30-60g Reflex whey with water or skimmed milk
> 
> Now I know from just reading the other thread protein will be to high as am normally hitting over 200g so I will adjust that, can you give me any other suggestions on my diet ?
> 
> Also I find it hard to hit my calorie total as in hitting the carb, fats, protein levels spot on ? * I always work my calories out by using BMR it's the soundest method and gives you exact numbers. I don't think you need to be anal at this point though Dazza, just try to be consistent with those adjustments I've suggested and you'll get results. The main thing is though you've realised you need to eat more food than the average Joe, more often and your o nthe right track for eating the right things.*
> 
> * May I suggest you take some pictures of yourself follow the diet and then re-evaluate in a month or so often you've stuck to the diet.*
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 
> O yeah I weight 73.5kg at present am 5ft6 and the scales at the gym say *18% BF but calipers at home say 24%* so not sure, you can sort of see top abs.
> 
> Most of my BF is round the gut and mid back when using calipers
> 
> cheers


*Forget the scales there useless and maybe even the subject of my next article. while the calipers can often lead many a stray. I've had ISAK training on how do use callipers (although I'm not qualified) and it's a skill, unless you really know what your doing it's difficult to be consistent, especially if your doing it on yourself without landmarks and without a high quality pair of callipers. So just use them as a rough guide if anything rather than taking it as gospel. Like I mentioned above take some pictures and track your progress that way and be sure to set some goals, like improved muscle tone from one month to the next but be more specific. *

*Hope that all helps*


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## AChappell

fleg said:


> Andy, sorry to add to the ever growing list of questions..
> 
> Back to one of your first topics on injury prevention. When you train heavy, what type of support (if any) are you using for deads and squats in particular? Its something that crops up very often. I'm a believer in the way that if you support something, it won't get stronger. Personally I only use a belt on my heaviest pull / push movements and only strap when my grip is totally shot. *I'm inclined to agree with you Fleg, if you support something it's not likely to get as strong. There are exceptions to the rule of course, i.e if you have dodgey knee's I wouldn't grudge you a knee brace or strap. I personally only use a belt when I squat or deadlift, and I tend to only ever use wraps on my heaviest sets of deads, otherwise I always try to pull with chalk.*
> 
> I know doggy was talking about his knees which he had operated on and he was asking about knee straps in another thread. Whats you're thoughts on supporting the joint if the issue isn't causing any suffering any more? I have heard of knee supports causing the joint to grind? *I mentioned above if you have bad knee's then I wouldn't grudge a brace or wraps, but if it's not a issue anymore I don't believe you should continue to use them. I can imagine that in a situation where the joint is overly compressed this could restrict blood flow and impair lubrication by synovial fluid but this isn't something I've ever came across if I'm honest fleg. Supports are there to do just that so like a plaster or a bandage they should never be applied too tight that these sort's of issues occur, maybe some of our other members have heard of this too?*
> 
> Additionally with regards to the stretching. If I was wanting to improve flexibility would you essentially consider a stretching routine as a stand alone work out i.e on its own day? I ask as I lift 5x and cardio on 3 so this would essentially make for 6! Is it something I could do a couple of mornings a week which wouldn't affect my workout later in the day?*If you could make it in for a day solely to stretch then great but you could easily combined it with your cardio days or in the morning like you mentioned. I always like to do mines after my post workout meal and usually on day's off, it usually takes me about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Try holding each stretch for around 30 - 45s if you can get someone to help you with PNF stretching even better. I definitely notice the difference when I stretch*
> 
> I understand most of the answers to my questions may be entirely opinion or experience based but you have a greater understanding of the science behind it.


*Hope you find that response useful fleg.*


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## Dazza1466868025

930-10am 100g Organic Oats (what's wrong with conventional oats ? Like?) with 300-400ml rice milk or soya milk (Does this type of milk really have any advantage over cow's milk? If i have to much cows milk it gives me acid same as bread ) + 4 eggs (2 of the eggs are just the whites) or 4 lean sausages how lean are these really?2 Sausages 155 cals - Fat 4.6 sat 1.7 - Carbs 8.4 - Pro 17

1-130pm 250g Balsmalti brown rice ( is all that fibre what your muscles need?helps going to the toilet  and thought better for the body. why not just have white basmati) + 120g Turkey ( or chicken, ham, beef ) or tin of tuna in brine + 150g of veg brocolli, cabbage, carrot, green beans

You should try and fit in at least another meal here similar to the one above, even if it's just a snack you'll be boosting your metabolism , keeping yourself anabolic and fuelling your workout - Struggle to eat what I eat now purhaps a weight gainer here instead or B&R ?

5pm Pre workout Reflex protein shake 60g with water + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets

6-630pm post workout After Glow??? This is a BioRythm post workout drink tastes good and used alot on another forum + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets

730pm 100-200g meat or fish + 100-150g veg + 250g rice or 200g new potatoes

1030-11 30-60g Reflex whey with water or skimmed milk


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## Dazza1466868025

Andy am not new to the gym but have had a 3 year break so a bit rusty  and I want to try and be the best I can be this time round so any advice from a top BB will be very much appreciated.

I always put in 110% when I do something so diet and training programs get stuck to 100%, but I still have never been able to get that proper BB look for some reason


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## AChappell

Dazza said:


> 930-10am 100g Organic Oats (what's wrong with conventional oats ? Like?) with 300-400ml rice milk or soya milk (Does this type of milk really have any advantage over cow's milk? If i have to much cows milk it gives me acid same as bread ) + 4 eggs (2 of the eggs are just the whites) or 4 lean sausages how lean are these really?2 Sausages 155 cals - Fat 4.6 sat 1.7 - Carbs 8.4 - Pro 17
> 
> 1-130pm 250g Balsmalti brown rice ( is all that fibre what your muscles need?helps going to the toilet  and thought better for the body. why not just have white basmati) + 120g Turkey ( or chicken, ham, beef ) or tin of tuna in brine + 150g of veg brocolli, cabbage, carrot, green beans
> 
> You should try and fit in at least another meal here similar to the one above, even if it's just a snack you'll be boosting your metabolism , keeping yourself anabolic and fuelling your workout - Struggle to eat what I eat now purhaps a weight gainer here instead or B&R ?
> 
> 5pm Pre workout Reflex protein shake 60g with water + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets
> 
> 6-630pm post workout After Glow??? This is a BioRythm post workout drink tastes good and used alot on another forum + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets
> 
> 730pm 100-200g meat or fish + 100-150g veg + 250g rice or 200g new potatoes
> 
> 1030-11 30-60g Reflex whey with water or skimmed milk


Unless your using instant oats, all oats are organic their grown in the ground, cleaned, dehulled then either steamed or roasted, cut, flaked or rolled and boxed for you. They are in fact gluten free to start with. The organic ones are perhaps processed on dedicated machines to prevent contamination or maybe involve one less processing step, but the processing of something like Scott's or Quakers rolled oats doesn't really involve much more than I've outlined there. So like I said why don't you just eat conventional ones, without the organic label.

Red meat regardless of how lean it is, shouldn't be eaten every single day of the week if your concerned about your health so I'd limit that sausage intake.

There's a myth surrounding rice that for some reason brown is better because of it's low G.I, however nobody eats foods in isolation so it shouldn't be an issue to eat white rice. Facts are Dazza there's going to be enough fibre in your diet (the COMMA guidelines recommend between 18- 29g) per day that you don't need to eat that much fibre. What there's not going to be enough of though is good quality carbs if you keep eating brown rice.

I wouldn't recommend a mass gainer your essentially only eating 3 meals a day so you need to get much more solid food in your diet if you want to make progress like you mentioned 110%. Right now this looks It's kind of like an average joe's diet bulked out with protein shakes you need to eat more solid food, I know it's hard but solid food is the way to go if you wan't to put on size it has distinct advantages over liquid food and if you get up to 4 meals then maybe think about the mass gainer. Me I've always used Extreme Mass on top of 5 meals.

Your BioRythm will be fine, I use B and R post workout for the added Kr-alkyln, HMB and vit, mineral complex. Your obviously getting advice from other places so I'll say this, don't just go with the advice that you like the sound of best because it sounds like the easy option or you prefer it when someone says your diet is looking great when it doesn't. Bodybuilding isn't easy and if you wan't to be serious about making gains you need to be serious about your diet, so take these small tweaks as just start and then look at increasing your food intake again after a few months.


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## Dazza1466868025

Just on this forum now as it seems to have more technical people and true BB. I have just recieved my Extreme delivery so going from what you are saying this would be better ?

9am Extreme Whey Protein - I read this on this forum as it would be good to replenish the muscles quickly first thing ?

930-10am 100g Quaker Oats with 300-400ml rice milk or soya milk ( I will do semi skimmed every other day and see how my stomach takes it).

Should I keep the 4 eggs going or with the shake to much protein ?

12-12.30pm 250g Balsmalti white rice + 120g Turkey or chicken, ham or tin of tuna in brine + 150g of veg brocolli, cabbage, green beans

2.30-3pm 250g Balsmalti white rice + 120g Turkey or chicken, ham or tin of tuna in brine + 150g of veg brocolli, cabbage, green beans

5pm Pre workout Banana + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets - should I drop a shake in here?

6-630pm Post workout Extreme B&R + 6 BCAA Reflex tablets

730pm 100-200g meat or fish + 100-150g veg + 250g rice or 200g pasta or sweet potatoes ( Normal white potatoe ok here) ?

11pm Extreme Pro-6 with water or should I take this with semi skimmed milk as well?

You say you calculate you calories using BMR then add around 350-450 cals I believe you said, for me that would only be 1700+ 450 cals according to my I phone app, at the moment am trying to hit 2800-3000 cals I think I need more as it says maintenance cals is 2991 for a 75kg guy.

Thanks Andy I will get there am sure with your help :thumb


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## Dazza1466868025

When u get time Andy the ? above 

Also do you consume the same amount of calories on non-training days as well ?

Is there any truth, when they say your body can only consume a certain amount of Carbs at any one time as the rest will be stored as fat ?

Bit like the saying any more than 30g of protein at one time and you will wee out what the body don't use ?

Your gunna hate me with all my questions  sorry


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## Dazza1466868025

Been on the diet as per in your section for a while now and tonight have took some pics, am a bit blow away how much fat I have put on in a short space of time. scales have gone up from 73kg to 77kg and I have defo got stronger and gained some size mainly back and chest but the fatty part of me is a off putter.

Is it possible to lean bulk or will I have to just put up with it until I get to a size I think that will be ok then strip the fat back ?

Am wondering if 50% of this bulk so far is fat. Calories am hitting are 3400-3500, fats around 100g - carbs 350-400g - Pro 250-280g

Was thinking to drop 250cals and see if fat starts to slowly drop or would this effect gaining the muscle to much ?

Am basically training like this now as well, but eating the same amount of calories everyday - Mon training, tues rest, weds traing, thurs rest, fri training, sat training, sun rest

Hope you can reply

cheers


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## AChappell

I think you should look to re assess your original goal Dazza, By the sounds of things you don't know what you want to do, first you want to bulk now your wanting to cut back. I think you said you wanted to get up to 85kg bulked? If you've gone from being 73kg to 77kg in around a month most of it will be water and fat a small percentage might be muscle probably less than a kilo, sounds like you've not lean bulked anyway. Another 7kg of weight gained in the next few months is unlikely to be muscle in fact I'd go as far as saying from 73kg to 85kg you'd be lucky if around 2kg of that was muscle in such a short space of time.

I know the natural scene pretty well and guys around your height 5ft 5 - 5ft 6 rarely get any bigger than 77 kg in the offseason and usually compete around 66- 71kg. What your doing now is outdated and harps back to what guy's used to do in Arnolds era bulking up in the offseason and stripping 20 - 30lbs to get in shape for a show. Nobody does that any more, since the gains made are usually pretty small and the same gains can be made without being massively over weight. I'd say a lot of the competitive guys on this forum would give you much the same advice in this respect. So set out a clear plan, you either bulk for 6 months and then strip back or you stabilise your weight now and go with it rather than looking to step back and go back down in weight.

So with that in mind why don't you try to stabilise your weight and salvage if you can a lean bulk looking to maintain it over the coming months and slowly change your body composition instead of continuing to bulk where you'll just end up getting even fater. Then if you want to strip some fat off 6 months down the line you'll be in a much better place. If your going to get too fat take your foot off the gas with the calories go for 3500 kcals down to 3250kcals and take it all from your protein and fats. If you find yourself still gaining weight take another 200kcals out and stick with around 3000kcals again take it from the pro's and fats. If your still gaining weight then take even more out, you should be able to stabilise your weight though around 2800 - 3000kcals though. The other thing you could do is look to take the calories away fro myour non training days. So do something like 3300kcals 4 times a week and 2800kcals 3 times a week, again take it from your proteins and fats.

Hope that helps

Andrew


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## Dazza1466868025

It would be a shame if it is just 2kg in muscle. Yes I want to bulk but not get fat, end goal ideally I want to be 13st lean say 10%BF.

Looking at BF pics at a guess am between 15-20% so am gunna try like you say 2800cals on Non training days and 3100cals ish on training days.

The bf I have put on has just gone around my lower stomach and back, and muscle gain has been on legs, upper back, chest and arms. Gains from .5"-1.5"

Would is the normal lean gain for a natural in 6 months then ?

Any recommendations for losing the fat and keeping the muscle I have gained, just see what happens with the calorie change or add some cardio in ?

Thanks for your help


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## AChappell

Dazza said:


> It would be a shame if it is just 2kg in muscle. Yes I want to bulk but not get fat, end goal ideally I want to be 13st lean say 10%BF.
> 
> Looking at BF pics at a guess am between 15-20% so am gunna try like you say 2800cals on Non training days and 3100cals ish on training days.
> 
> The bf I have put on has just gone around my lower stomach and back, and muscle gain has been on legs, upper back, chest and arms. Gains from .5"-1.5"
> 
> Would is the normal lean gain for a natural in 6 months then ?
> 
> Any recommendations for losing the fat and keeping the muscle I have gained, just see what happens with the calorie change or add some cardio in ?
> 
> Thanks for your help


Put it this way Dazza I'd be happy if I could gain 2kg of muscle a year let alone in the amount of time you've packed on all that weight. Beginners gains are pretty rapid but as you've stated you've been at this as long as me so the gains you make are going to be relatively slow in comparison. I think you mentioned before you got yourself pretty lean below 69kg so I'd doubt you've gained any real muscle. half a kilo if your lucky. I still don't think your being realistic here *Ideally 13st with 10% bodyfat*, if you do the numbers I don't think it's realistic for someone your height. That would mean you'd be 12st 3 at 5% BF so 78kg. Now that would mean you'd probably be carrying more muscle than me when I next step on stage and that would make you one of the most heavily muscled nature amateur bodybuilders in the UK. Now by al means if you think you can do that and reach that goal go for it, but I think you should be more realistic, that should be a long term goal, in the short term how about just getting yourself to around 12 and a half stone around 12%.

I mentioned above what I think you should do with regards to keeping what you've gained while trying to lose weight.


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## Dazza1466868025

Does your body hold that much water on a bulking diet making you look like you have put on muscle then ?

I did read somewhere that for a certain height you can only reach a certain weight, was hoping that was just a myth.  ok well I might as well drop the fat now then.

So to get to that kind of muscle mass 13st I would have to take some prohormones or steriods ...?

Andrew don't you ever do cardio to lose weight or do you just restrict your diet intake ? am guessing that you never hold any kind of real fat to worry about cutting


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## AChappell

I don't tend to hold vast amounts of water, those photo's I posted on the Reload forum are from a "lean bulking" phase.

I'm not sure about only being able to reach a certain weight for your height? I'd question how well you could accurately predict something like that although if it's based on observations from hundreds of natural bodybuilding shows, then I guess it could be not to bad. Although I doubt it's ever been done like that.

This is the natural training forum, so I wouldn't advocate using such substances. Natural pro's like David Hannah and Rob Hope are a similar height to yourself and probably walk about at that sort of weight off season, so it can be done.

Based on all your posts so far and on different forum sections you seem to have this I want it now attitude that your gains should come quick so you must be doing something wrong. Building that amount of muscle is going to take you time, years not months. Like I said why don't you just try to maintain your current weight and just look to add quality now that you've got there instead of insisting on yo-yo dieting. When I first started training I was less than 11st now, I'm 14st, thats taken the best part of 8 years of constant eating and training, and believe me when I say I've never bulked then cut, I've only ever tried to add quality.

I don't do cardio if I can help it for reasons I talked about on the size building thread. I only let my BF get as high as it was in those recent photo's otherwise it's counter productive for adding mass and getting in shape for competition becomes harder.


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## Dazza1466868025

I see where you are coming from and yes I do feel like you are right I am wanting quicker gains for the effort i put in, bit like I did when I was 20  .

That's why I tried the bulking but instead I have put on fat and wasted my time really, o well live and learn I guess.

As am now dropping calories slightly will my body use the fat stored as engery if it requires more than the total calorie intake for that day ? Or will it try and take it from muscle tissue


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## crazycal1

great advice andy, n hopefully your competitive success and physique will make your words easier to beleive and adhere too..


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## yannyboy

Sorry Andy, I can't get my head around Rob Hope being natural!

View attachment 3038


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## doggy

would rob hope have to regular polygraphs? what do they ask in the polygraph andy?


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## Dazza1466868025

He does look great for a freeky natural


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## franki3

Natural..........mmmmmmmmmm!


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## crazycal1

lotta liars out there dudes but i dont think rob hopes one of them..

doggy theres drugs you can take to get around polygraphs :wink:

just think about it tho, andys a young dude and even with 5 years more training he`s gonna up there physically with the best, 10 years injury free training and who knows


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## justheretosnoop

I think it's possible.

Just picking up on something Andy said earlier...no cardio??? That's some going then mate!!


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## doggy

TheCrazyCal said:


> doggy theres drugs you can take to get around polygraphs :wink:


I'll remember that if i ever get invited on jeremy kyle


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## Dazza1466868025

As am now dropping calories slightly will my body use the fat stored as engery if it requires more than the total calorie intake for that day ? Or will it try and take it from muscle tissue


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## doggy

thats not me, looks more like cal.


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## AChappell

We've talked about Rob at length so no point going over covered ground. I don't do any Cardio Doggy, I just lift heavy and eat clean. Dazza your body will use fat as an energy source during the deficit provided you keep training heavy enough and don't restrict your protein intake too low.


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## justheretosnoop

Andy, what bf do you manage to get down to through diet & lifting alone?


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## Dazza1466868025

excellent cus I don't like to much cardio 



AChappell said:


> We've talked about Rob at length so no point going over covered ground. I don't do any Cardio Doggy, I just lift heavy and eat clean. Dazza your body will use fat as an energy source during the deficit provided you keep training heavy enough and don't restrict your protein intake too low.


----------



## yannyboy

achappell said:


> *we've talked about rob at length so no point going over covered ground*. I don't do any cardio doggy, i just lift heavy and eat clean. Dazza your body will use fat as an energy source during the deficit provided you keep training heavy enough and don't restrict your protein intake too low.


lol.........


----------



## Dazza1466868025

Andrew. If I started to do some cardio after my training sessions for 30mins and an 1hr on non training days, would the body take its energy from a stored source or from the stomach from the foods taken in that day ?

Cheers


----------



## AChappell

The contents of your stomach will not be digested Dazza so how do you expect your body to be able to use the contents as an energy source for exercise?

Your body will use the energy in the form of glycogen from your liver and from muscles that are currently being exercised. It will break down adipose tissue for energy in the liver and it might even export some of that adipose energy to the exercising muscles. Any simple sugars like energy drinks you take it are likely to be rapidly absorbed into the blood stream and can be used as almost instant energy. However if you were to have a solid meal (especially something heavy) it could take several hours to fully digest. Then as you exercise your body will pull blood and oxygen from non essential area's like your intestine, so you'll struggle to transport nutrients and digest in that meal.

So to answer the question if your meal has been digested then the nutrients will be stored and your body will use them as energy. If you consume a meal and it's not been fully digested then your body will as before use the nutrients stored in the liver and muscles as an energy source, since very little digestion takes place when you exercise.


----------



## Dazza1466868025

So the body reacts the same regardless if you have a full stomach or not, so doing cardio in the morn before eating has no benefit as it all comes from the same stored glycogen ?


----------



## AChappell

Studies have been done in this area they have focused on exercising fasted vs eating breakfast. The Results is no difference in the fuel source being utilised, a common myth, that more fat or protein is used on an empty stomach. Your body will always have a bias towards stored glycogen and then progressively transition to utilising fats as an energy source as the time spent doing aerobic exercise continues. Protein is utilised but the proportion in comparison to glycogen will be relatively small.

Food does however result in the release of growth factors and negates the catabolic response you see in a fasted subject, so you should always avoid exercising fasted.


----------



## EXTREME

the question should be regarding any diet, calories in vs. calories burned. If you burn 3500cals and have only taken in 3000 you are in a 500 calorie deficit so you're burning, irrespective of what the calories came from.

But, if on protein only or low carbs you will force your body to burn fat for energy so the food sources do play a role too but I don't think the timing of cardio plays a major role.


----------



## Dazza1466868025

Andrew

What's ur cutting up diet like when u are getting ready for a comp? Is it a carb free one or just a calorie deficient one ?


----------



## AChappell

If I get time to I'll post my diet up later for you today, dazza, but to answer your question it's more or less a deficit. I started off at around 400Carbs, 200 protein and 50g of fat and I've just made adjustments from those numbers.


----------



## Gizmo

Hi Andrew. A have a couple of questions for you if you dont mind.

1. In your prep how many days were you working out with weights ?

2. If then adding in HIT cardio sessions , would you add them in immediate post workout or later in the day on a weigths day or do the session on your day off from weights ?

3. Could you give an example of HIT session would it be 30seconds flat out then 30 sec rest then repeat. What piece of kit do you use ?

Thanks alot Adam


----------



## AChappell

Hi Gizmo,

1. In my last prep I was working out with weights for 4 days out of 7, although that increased to 5 in the final 3 weeks.

2. I didn't do any H.I.I.T cardio fro my last diet but if I did it would be as soon as I put down my last weight. Doing sessions on your off days would increase your metabolic rate but for me should only be included if necessary i.e if your struggling to come in quick enough.

3 You can use any piece of equipment you'd like to do H.I.I.T training. Myself I prefer a cross trainer since it's safe and easy to get your heart rate really high. A session could be similar to the one you've proposed above but it ultimately needs to be tailored to the individual. 15 - 20 minutes is enough time and rest periods and work periods can be manipulated accordingly. 30s is a maximum for work while rest might be anywhere from 10s to 2 minutes.

Hope that helps Gizmo and we see you hanging around the forum sharing your knowledge with the rest of the community.

Andrew


----------



## degutisj

Hey mate! During my calorie deficit diet half way through I stopped losing weight...I workout lots - 180 min hiit/week and also 3 weight training sessions, consume 2500 kcal (my maintenance level is 3800 kcal) and I seemed to lose some fat off my belly at first 34" to 32" (currently) but my weight is starting to go up now and I don't know what to do exactly. Your help would be really appreciated!


----------



## DazMilne

Hi Andy

I was just wondering what is the best supplement and diet to take to help lose weight fast as i have put on a lot of weight and i would like to lose some of it before i start to tone my body up.

I would be very grateful of the advice coming from someone who has a lot of knowledge in the bodybuilding industry.


----------



## justheretosnoop

DazMilne said:


> Hi Andy
> 
> I was just wondering what is the best supplement and diet to take to help lose weight fast as i have put on a lot of weight and i would like to lose some of it before i start to tone my body up.
> 
> I would be very grateful of the advice coming from someone who has a lot of knowledge in the bodybuilding industry.


Hi Daz and welcome to the board.

I'm sure Andy won't mind me quickly chirping in here to save him having to.

Firstly, you haven't told us anything about yourself (stats) to enable anyone to give you the help you need.

Secondly, you need to do a little bit of research first. Hit the sticky's in the diet section, work out some figures and begin to put something together for yourself. Once you've had a bash at that (and it's not all that difficult with the use of those sticky's), you can post a new thread up and we'll all lend a hand helping you smooth it out.

Look forward to reading it...


----------



## Tom84

DazMilne said:


> Hi Andy
> 
> I was just wondering what is the best supplement and diet to take to help lose weight fast as i have put on a lot of weight and i would like to lose some of it before i start to tone my body up.
> 
> I would be very grateful of the advice coming from someone who has a lot of knowledge in the bodybuilding industry.


Yeah sorry Daz - have to second Dorsey's view. There simply isn't a miracle cure. With that said two points

1. There are an array of supplements which you can use to aid a solid dieting regimen to achieve your goals more quickly

2. The fact that its hard work is hugely rewarding when you get there.

Have a read of some of the diet stickies give one a shot and we'll give a steer where we can.

On supplements - I don't want to estimate your knowledge base - so give me an idea of what you are looking at and we'll all give a hand.


----------



## AChappell

Young Gun said:


> Yeah sorry Daz - have to second Dorsey's view. There simply isn't a miracle cure. With that said two points
> 
> 1. There are an array of supplements which you can use to aid a solid dieting regimen to achieve your goals more quickly
> 
> 2. The fact that its hard work is hugely rewarding when you get there.
> 
> Have a read of some of the diet stickies give one a shot and we'll give a steer where we can.
> 
> On supplements - I don't want to estimate your knowledge base - so give me an idea of what you are looking at and we'll all give a hand.


The lads are spot on Daz, If you want some advice on this subject then your going to have to give us a little more information. i.e what oyur current diet and training program looks like. I suggest you keep a food diary for a week and try to workout what your daily intake of macronutrients is. From this point you cna then start to calculate if your under or over eating and if your focusing on the right food groups. No quick fixes or substitutes for a proper well designed diet or hard work. Since you asked about supplements though, a simple suggestion is to include some sort of recovery drink post workout, I'd recommend Extreme Build and Recover since this should cover all the bases, carbs, proteins and nutrient replacement as well as having a little creatine to help build mass. Kr-evoultion and some Lean-r will allow you to train harder and help with fat metabolism respectively both are from Extreme. I'm going to mention this again though just to emphasis the point: their is no substitute for hard work, no quick fixes and fad diets rarely deliver on what's promised without leaving the user in a worst state either financially or in terms of health. So check out those articles or some of the articles on this page to start building on your knowledge base and go from there.


----------



## AChappell

degutisj said:


> Hey mate! During my calorie deficit diet half way through I stopped losing weight...I workout lots - 180 min hiit/week and also 3 weight training sessions, consume 2500 kcal (my maintenance level is 3800 kcal) and I seemed to lose some fat off my belly at first 34" to 32" (currently) but my weight is starting to go up now and I don't know what to do exactly. Your help would be really appreciated!


Your going to have to give a little bit more info than this degutisj, but based purely on what you've said here it sounds like you've actually cut way to much calories out your diet in the first place. Any slight increase will inevitably lead to you storing more foods. It's difficult to say for sure though, I don't know how long you've been dieting for or what even your diet looks like. Are you prepping for competition?


----------



## Gizmo

Hi Andy do you think any benefit over using White potato over sweet potato for your post workout meal after shake containing sugars ? I know gi of white potato is bit higher but as combining with protein source will slow its intake slightly wondered if really makes much difference which potato is used.


----------



## AChappell

Hi Gizmo,white potato's higher GI makes it a better choice post workout. Although the protein you consume with your post workout meal will reduce the area under the curve (AUC) used to calculate GI, white potato will still have a greater impact on insulin concentrations compared to sweet potato. So I would say that it's still advantageous to go with a more refined source rather than a slower release carbohydrate. The insulin increase will obviously negate to a large degree the effects of muscle protein breakdown, grazing vs gorging strategies have shown how you can consistently spike your insulin levels post workout, which is what your trying to do with the refined carbs, while your workout might well have created a deficit of around 80g + carbohydrates. So a large amount after your workout to replace lost muscle glycogen, and then another spike to replace any additional losses in the intermittent period as well as provide your body with enough glycogen to maintain homoeostasis and aid your recovery.

Hope that helps Andrew.


----------



## Gizmo

AChappell said:


> Hi Gizmo,white potato's higher GI makes it a better choice post workout. Although the protein you consume with your post workout meal will reduce the area under the curve (AUC) used to calculate GI, white potato will still have a greater impact on insulin concentrations compared to sweet potato. So I would say that it's still advantageous to go with a more refined source rather than a slower release carbohydrate. The insulin increase will obviously negate to a large degree the effects of muscle protein breakdown, grazing vs gorging strategies have shown how you can consistently spike your insulin levels post workout, which is what your trying to do with the refined carbs, while your workout might well have created a deficit of around 80g + carbohydrates. So a large amount after your workout to replace lost muscle glycogen, and then another spike to replace any additional losses in the intermittent period as well as provide your body with enough glycogen to maintain homoeostasis and aid your recovery.
> 
> Hope that helps Andrew.


Thanks alot for the reply . Going to keep going with my large serving of white potato for my post workout meal then :happy:


----------



## AChappell

Glad to hear it, I feel you could be contributing much more to this forum than you actually are just now Gizmo, maybe you could share a few ideas of your own in the training or dieting section?


----------



## Tom84

Andy, a new female member asked 'Is there a way of concentrating on burning the fat just in that one area?'

(Specifically in this case lower abdomen) - but more generally.

I think this might be an issue you'd be interested in discussing at a technical level.


----------



## AChappell

Hi Parky, I'll have a look for that thread, I've never actually read any papers or discussions that would suggest that spot reduction isn't possible, I've never read anything though that suggests it is possible either!


----------



## Loz1466868022

Andy what your thoughts on running/jogging the day after training legs would you say that the same appplies for cardio too or would it be okay too run the day after??


----------



## Tom84

AChappell said:


> Hi Parky, I'll have a look for that thread, I've never actually read any papers or discussions that would suggest that spot reduction isn't possible, I've never read anything though that suggests it is possible either!


I was thinking along bio sig modulation lines


----------



## AChappell

I've been talking to quite a few people involved in pharmacology and drug development recently along those exact lines, I've yet to meet anyone who believe in bio signature modulation along the lines of the fat distribution being correlated to specific hormones. The exception maybe disease states, I'm still working on that line of work though.


----------



## theprodigy

Hey. Im just posting to get some advice from yourself if your available. I was wondering does when bulking does it matter with the quality of food like white rice or brown rice n so forth, quality of protein, and how much is really worth having of protein per sitting? and with how many carbs? Also while working (high activity level job) increase macros or just carbs ?


----------



## AChappell

Hi the prodigy, I've covered a lot of these topics already in my multiple posts on this forum section. Check out natural size building and my articles on high carb dieting. If you have have any questions following that I'll be more than happy to answer them. Also are you harbouring ambitions of competing?


----------



## mark_star1466868017

Hi Andy

I've had a number of people coming into my shop lately wanting to take very high levels of fish oils (1g per 1% bodyfat), I think it's Charles Poliquin or Biosignature.

What's your take on this, it seems really over the top to me and rather unnecessary.

Thanks

Mark


----------



## AChappell

Hi Mark,

Current recommendations for Omega - 3 state that we should be aiming for around 2 - 4 portions of oily fish per week along with a diet thats high in fruit veg, nuts and see and low in n-6 sources of PUFA like red meat. However very few of us follow a balanced diet to achieve such levels and have much higher ratios of n-6 to n-3 in our diets habitually, so these recommendations are open to debate. Simopoulos, and Calder are leading researchers in this field currently recommend a fish oil supplement to help achieve this balance. Only Simopoulos goes as far as making a recommendation of around 3g per day fish oil for athletes.

However based on different research conducted on transgenic mice (the fat 1 mouse) in France (this model endogenously convert n-6 to n-3), my own beliefs are that supplementation levels should be much higher. I currently take around 3g per day, however I have taken as much as 15g per day during my offseason. However I sacrificed my high levels in favour of cutting calories during my diet. However these levels are based on my own insights and understanding in a field, I have spent several years researching . My levels are based on a percent of my own fat intake accounting for around a 3rd of my total fat intake(offseason more so), based on adjustments to the COMMA guidelines. Such levels may or may not stand up to scrutiny and there may well be a tipping point where the levels plateau at saturation and beyond which phospholipid concentrations would level off.

I'm unsure what biosig levels would be based on 1g per 1% bf sounds bogus anyway. How do you accurately assess bf% for a start, while does a 70kg 3% BF athlete training 6 times per week require less omega -3 than a 70kg 15% BF novice. I don't think it adds up, nor does it make any sense to me.

As little side note it's worth mentioning that more is not always better. Inuit populations were the original omega 3 research stems were shown to have poor wound healing and excessive bleeding as a result of their high omega 3 diet. So excessive dose combined with vitamin K might lead to an immune suppression effect.


----------



## mark_star1466868017

AChappell said:


> I'm unsure what biosig levels would be based on 1g per 1% bf sounds bogus anyway. How do you accurately assess bf% for a start, while does a 70kg 3% BF athlete training 6 times per week require less omega -3 than a 70kg 15% BF novice. I don't think it adds up, nor does it make any sense to me.


Thanks Andy

this is exactly how I view it and regularly argue with regards other supplements and recommended amounts. I think the argument can be reinforced even more by saying 70kg 3% BF athlete would take the same amount as a 100kg 3% athlete, which in my opinion has to be a nonsense.

Unfortunately people seem to believe what they are first told and are very reluctant to change their viewpoint.

Mark


----------



## AChappell

Good example Mark, like you said 100kg at 3% the same as 70kg 3% it doesn't make any sense.


----------



## crazycal1

i think andy could give you better advice if you stuck some pics up dazza..


----------



## Hougenie

Hi Andy,

New to these forums but currently on a 4 day split (2 on 1 off) and have a question. Previously while at uni was training consistently and eating 5-6 times per day but for the past few years training consistency and nutrition has reduced.

Im now getting back into but read a lot of info saying 6 meals per day is no different to 3-4 as long as you hit calories/macros? Eating larger meals 3-4 times per day is a lot easier for me simply due to lack of time at work. I just wanted your views on this?

Thanks


----------



## AChappell

Glad to hear your getting back into training hougenie, hopefully you find the forum useful. The research your citing comes down to the if it fits or calories in calories out model. On the surface it makes sense, but when you brake it down you can see there are certain advantages of having more smaller meals more frequently compared to having fewer larger meals. Firstly any serious athlete, bodybuilder, strongman or powerlifter all follow the 5- 6 meal model, most probably follow a 7 to 8 meal model. The simple fact is it's easier to eat 4000kcal over 6 meals than it is 3.

The main advantage however is the effect eating more meals has on your metabolism. Think of it as grazing vs a large bolus dose of nutrients. Your body can regulate things like fat storage, protein synthesis and blood glucose levels far more effectively when you eat more frequently compared to fewer meals and larger doses. So if your goal is fat loss, muscle gain or just to improve your overall strength or fitness then you'll reach your goals faster or more efficiently with the 5 to 6 meal approach. Of course it all comes down to what you can manage around your own schedule/lifestyle and what your willing to put up with in order to reach your goal.


----------



## Hougenie

Thanks Andy, I thought this would probably be the case. Will try and keep to greater meal frequency then, difficult with work but sure its possible. May mean one or two shakes more than Id like but it beats nothing.

Another quick question I have is regarding squats. Do you use knee wraps? I havnt been using any supports at all but now up to 4 sets of 5 with 110kg (My weight is 80kg) and starting to feel some twinging in my left knee (Ive had a lot of trouble with my knees when I was younger with football etc). This is post high rep warm up with both extensions and lighter squatting.

Ps just realised your from Aberdeen....presume you train at results or bodyworx? I used to train at the Warehouse down at the docks but moved down south now for work and at Trugym (far far worse for training!!!)


----------



## AChappell

Hougenie said:


> Thanks Andy, I thought this would probably be the case. Will try and keep to greater meal frequency then, difficult with work but sure its possible. May mean one or two shakes more than Id like but it beats nothing.
> 
> Another quick question I have is regarding squats. Do you use knee wraps? I havnt been using any supports at all but now up to 4 sets of 5 with 110kg (My weight is 80kg) and starting to feel some twinging in my left knee (Ive had a lot of trouble with my knees when I was younger with football etc). This is post high rep warm up with both extensions and lighter squatting.
> 
> Ps just realised your from Aberdeen....presume you train at results or bodyworx? I used to train at the Warehouse down at the docks but moved down south now for work and at Trugym (far far worse for training!!!)


Stick with whole foods rather than the shakes, your really trying to provide a challenge to your metabolism, you'll get far better results and release far more growth factors simply by virtue of having to digest your food. The shakes do beat nothing though.

I don't use knee wraps for squats, and I've had more than my share of injuries playing sports for years. Knee wraps will give you an extra 20kg on your squat but I'd rather know it was down to myself rather than the elastic properties of the wraps. I'd avoid the leg extensions if I was you because of the shearing force and the amount of torque placed on the knees during this exercise. get yourself a deep tissue massage and invest in a foam roller and you'll quickly resolve these issues around the knee, often cause by tight thighs. The brooks carter clinic in Aberdeen is very good if you decode to book one.

I train at Results Monday to Friday, If you wan't a hardcore setting with no BS it's great, Bodyworxs is also a good gym to train in if bodybuilding is your goal.


----------



## Hougenie

Ok mate will try that. As i say Ive moved away down south now so not back in Aberdeen very often but will find a good deep tissue massage down here.

Thanks for your help, and always good to know some great results can be had naturally.


----------



## AChappell

I miss read your last post Hougenie, I didn't realise you'd moved, be sure to drop into Resutls next time your up if you want to pay as you train, good luck!


----------



## Hougenie

Hi Andy, I've posted my diet up in the "bulking and gaining weight" section, even though "bulking" is not something i plan to do!! It's the 4 meal diet I've been using but just wondered if you could take a look and see what you think of it? Would appreciate your input mate.


----------



## Hougenie

Andy,

Ive had a look at the muscle up diet and have a few questions.

1. I cant stand eggs, I presume I can just have a chicken breast or something similar here?

2. Where you say brown rice, does it have to be brown rather than white? The reason I ask is we have a big fcuk off thing of white basmati rice from costco in the flat.

3. PWO: is whey with a piece of fruit ok or would you use something like build and recover?

4. You mention a few supplements.....do we really need a test booster at 24/25 years old?

5. Finally - When Im on night shift I dont really train, only tends to be weeks here and there and tend to use them as a week off. Would you advise just swapping the nutrition i.e. sleep all day, eat all night?

Sorry for the list but nutrition has always been my weak point.

Thanks again.


----------



## Gizmo

Enjoying the video thread. On your training split that you posted where you are training twice a day with weights i see you do cardio at 6am then weights at 7am. Obviously there is very little time between these sessions , what type of cardio were you doing her/ duration , type etc ? and did you eat after your cardio / before the weights session ?

And again in the evening what type of cardio were you doing.

Do you take caffeine pre cardio / weights workouts to increase metabolism ?

Hope you dont mind the questions . Thanks for any reply

All the best in your prep for the worlds

Regards

Adam


----------



## AChappell

Hougenie said:


> Andy,
> 
> Ive had a look at the muscle up diet and have a few questions.
> 
> 1. I cant stand eggs, I presume I can just have a chicken breast or something similar here?
> 
> 2. Where you say brown rice, does it have to be brown rather than white? The reason I ask is we have a big fcuk off thing of white basmati rice from costco in the flat.
> 
> 3. PWO: is whey with a piece of fruit ok or would you use something like build and recover?
> 
> 4. You mention a few supplements.....do we really need a test booster at 24/25 years old?
> 
> 5. Finally - When Im on night shift I dont really train, only tends to be weeks here and there and tend to use them as a week off. Would you advise just swapping the nutrition i.e. sleep all day, eat all night?
> 
> Sorry for the list but nutrition has always been my weak point.
> 
> Thanks again.


1. substituting things is fine, so long as you adjust for it, in terms of the amounts of protein, fat, and overall calories. Variety is the spice of life after all.

2.use white if you want, during the bulking phase this isn't essential since the GI will be influenced by the fibre, protein and fats you consume with the rice anyway.

3. post workout, try to go for around 1g per k of bodyweight for CHO and half that for the protein so around 0.5 per kg. If you can get that from whey and fruit then go for it. Something like B&R is ready made though at around these ratios.

4.you can take the supplements if you want, but unless you get the diet nailed down it won't matter what you take.

5. Nightshift is something I've never had to deal with, but it's still important to get the calories in you over the 24hrs. so if that s what you need to do hough then do it.


----------



## AChappell

Gizmo said:


> Enjoying the video thread. On your training split that you posted where you are training twice a day with weights i see you do cardio at 6am then weights at 7am. Obviously there is very little time between these sessions , what type of cardio were you doing her/ duration , type etc ? and did you eat after your cardio / before the weights session ?
> 
> And again in the evening what type of cardio were you doing.
> 
> Do you take caffeine pre cardio / weights workouts to increase metabolism ?
> 
> Hope you dont mind the questions . Thanks for any reply
> 
> All the best in your prep for the worlds
> 
> Regards
> 
> Adam


I don't take any caffeine pills or fat burners prior to my workouts. I do drink coffee, and green tea, but this is simply because I enjoy a cup. 2 in the afternoon I switch to decaff or I struggle to sleep.

Prior to the Brits I was simply doing a fast paced walk 20 minutes just to kick start my metabolism in the morning, after breakfast I then hit the gym. if the gym had the facilities I would have done some HIIT training after my weight sessions, instead I just done a quick power walk again 20 minutes.

I've said before Adam I feel like you could contribute a little more to the forum, perhaps you could start a diary or share some of your experience in the other board sections.

Andrew


----------



## Hougenie

Andy,

Firstly, well done on 2nd in the worlds.

Im planning on starting the muscle up program - gonna try and follow it pretty closely. Except eggs and olives :nono: (maybe chicken and nuts?)

I was thinking though that perhaps training early morning would be best for me to be consistent due to on call shifts and erratic finishing times. Start work at half 8.

Would you advise getting up super early and having meal 1 then hitting gym, taking B&R then meal 2 around start time?

Or get up have a quick shake then get to gym and follow PWO and meals from meal 2 onwards?

Basically just asking for a slight bit of tweaking if you wouldnt mind helping out as Ive never trained early morning in the past?

Thanks again.


----------



## AChappell

Hi Hougenie

Thanks hopefully I can go one better next time.

You can substitute things so long as your account for the differences in macronutrients. Nuts are high in fat and proteins while olives are high in fats but low in protein. You may find that upping your nut intake means you'll need to adjust the chicken intake to compensate. This is of course if your looking to follow the plan to that level of detail. I'd wager though you'd manage to make these changes without affecting the eventual outcome too much.

With regards to eating, I'd always suggest a solid meal rather than a liquid one. This is called the muscle up program for a reason, so forget about the idea of a liquid meal, get up earlier and have a breakfast before you work out. Shortly afterwards have your B and R shake and then the post workout meal, high in protein and high gylecmic carbs.

Hope that helps

Andrew


----------



## Hougenie

So just cooked 350g of rice for tomorrow. Thats a lot of rice!!!


----------



## Hougenie

Andy,

Having some real trouble with this muscle up diet already....that is a god awful amount of rice.haha

Is there anything else i could have in meal 3 & 4 as a carb source that may be a bit easier to stomach than 175g rice?

Sorry to be a pain in the ass.


----------



## AChappell

Hi Hougenie,

Yo ucould always substitute these carbs for something like sweet potatoes, oats, or wholemeal bread. 175g of rice is an awful lot of rice.


----------



## AChappell

Getting washboard abs is really a matter of low body fat Jaco, however performing exercises like crunches, leg raises and and twists with weight can help build thickness in the abs. I always try to include movements like hanging leg raises, crunches and roll outs in my ab routines.


----------



## newcastleSharp

Hi Andy, I've come across this thread from last year. Are u still doing this q+a as I have a couple questions regarding high carb dieting?


----------



## AChappell

Fire away Sharpy


----------



## tokyofist1466868046

Hi Andy,

Hope you don't mind me jumping on the "Q&A" bandwagon... but would be glad if you could help out.

I have been cutting for the last 3 months using a higher protein, lower carb and fat diet [taken from a Layne Norton article] combined with a fasting protocol [16/8].

After reading your articles/threads/posting with regards to benefits of higher carb intakes and am considering in changing my diet and macros in line with the information you've presented. (it's been really interesting reading) 

I was just wondering if there is any potential danger/clash continuing to cut but with a higher carb diet combined with the fasting protocol?

Many thanks in advance


----------



## AChappell

Hi Tokyo, I notice you're from Aberdeen where do you train???

Firstly I'm surprised that you've decided to go with a high protein, low carb diet based on a Layne article and then to combined it with a fasting protocol. This pretty much flies in the face of much of what preaches and researches about protein timing and amounts. Seems a bit odd that despite the Layne preaching one thing and you following a diet, based on one of his articles, you've decided to go with something else entirely.

Would I combined a higher carb approach with a fasted protocol, absolutely not. It's your diet though, I wouldn't see any problem though with substituting some of the protein in your current diet for carbohydrates. However Carbs aren't always as satiating as protein so be sure to go for the right ones, starchy wholegrains are best.


----------



## tokyofist1466868046

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your reply. 

I train in my mini gym at home (squat rack, bench, barbell, pullup/dip station, etc.), sometimes a lunchtime workout at PureGym (round the corner from my work) and sprint training at Aberdeen Sports Village.

It wasn't so much low carb as lower carb. [The Ultimate Cutting Diet by Layne Norton]

What can i say... i'm a bit of a lost soul. I sometimes get a bit sidetracked when researching things online! :/ I did a high fat low carb diet last year; lost over a stone in 6 weeks, but a lot of muscle and strength as well as fat. This year i was trying the IF eating protocol, but started using the macro based on Layne's article over the last few months. I'm pretty dedicated with regards to working out, but seem to fail hard with regards diet.

Since writing my original query I have left behind the Frankenstein diet i was using and have started using the macros in your High protein, low carb diets a poor fit for the natural bodybuilder article and the The Muscle Up Power Bodybuilding Program you have in the forum. Lost 1lb over the last week and made some small gains on last weeks workout; so far so good.

Thanks again for your reply (and for your forum posts... really good reading there)


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## Toby Hines

Is it possible you could show an example days diet for you during prep please Andrew?


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## AChappell

Toby Hines said:


> Is it possible you could show an example days diet for you during prep please Andrew?


Sorry Toby, with so many people now charging a fortune for such information, I'd rather keep that to myself.


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## gingernut

tokyofist said:


> Hi Andy,
> 
> Thanks for your reply.
> 
> I train in my mini gym at home (squat rack, bench, barbell, pullup/dip station, etc.), sometimes a lunchtime workout at PureGym (round the corner from my work) and sprint training at Aberdeen Sports Village.
> 
> It wasn't so much low carb as lower carb. [The Ultimate Cutting Diet by Layne Norton]
> 
> What can i say... i'm a bit of a lost soul. I sometimes get a bit sidetracked when researching things online! :/ I did a high fat low carb diet last year; lost over a stone in 6 weeks, but a lot of muscle and strength as well as fat. This year i was trying the IF eating protocol, but started using the macro based on Layne's article over the last few months. I'm pretty dedicated with regards to working out, but seem to fail hard with regards diet.
> 
> Since writing my original query I have left behind the Frankenstein diet i was using and have started using the macros in your High protein, low carb diets a poor fit for the natural bodybuilder article and the The Muscle Up Power Bodybuilding Program you have in the forum. Lost 1lb over the last week and made some small gains on last weeks workout; so far so good.
> 
> Thanks again for your reply (and for your forum posts... really good reading there)


You sound like you chop and change, try one thing, then another. Something you can stick to and give time to might get you longer lasting results. I remember reading books and magazine, trying different things, asking on forums. In the end I needed someone to simply give me a plan and I then needed to stick to it without ME getting side tracked and chopping things around.

From what I see around it looks like many people are coming back to simple diets. Only time I see anyone doing anything crazy is when they have a short time to prepare, a lot of weight to lose and are also possibly very experienced(and most experienced people simply will avoid having to lose so much).

Keep it simple.

I'm currently trying to prevent a friend from doing bits of exercises on this day, the remainder on another bodypart/training day simply because they can't get on the machine they need. Similar sort of thing!


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