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Welcome to the Freak Show (Bodybuilding 103)
Part III- “You and Your Phenotype!”
By Victor Lasato
You
may ask yourself: “self, why can’t some people loose weight no matter
what, some people can’t gain it no matter what, and some people seem to
get bigger by the day?” –Well, as you will see in this short video,
it’s perfectly natural…. Woa! Sorry, I flashed back to high school for
a second there. Where were we, oh yes: It’s time for a quick
Phenotype (body-type) lesson. If you’re an Endomorph (store fat
easily) it’s probably a good idea to do some cardio on your off days:
start at 20 minutes, and work your way up, slowly, to 40-60 minute
sessions of low-intensity cardio: you should be able to carry on a
conversation without getting winded: that’s low intensity. As you
advance, or if you’re in a particular hurry to get cut up,
higher-intensity cardio will be the way to go. Low-intensity cardio is
for the following people: beginners, the obese, people w/ cardiac
problems, pro-bodybuilders on an ungodly amount of drugs, and last but
not least, the lazy. Google “HIIT cardio” or “Fartlek training,” which
are methods of doing cardio requiring frequent changes in intensity
levels, which many believe to be the most effective type of cardio, as
it recruits “type II-a, otherwise known as type I/II, or
Red-Fast-Twitch fibers. These muscle fibers have properties of both
fast and slow twitch fibers, and tend to be found in the highest
concentrations in sprinters, skiers, speed skaters, and boxers (Think:
athletes who are naturally ripped).
Next on the Phenotype lineup
is the Ectomorph: classified by extremely low levels of both body fat
and skeletal muscle tissue. The Ectomorph is also known as the
“hard-gainer.” For Ectomorphs, skipping cardio, or limiting it to 20 -
30 minutes three times per week, strictly for cardiovascular health
purposes is the way to go. However, if you must do cardio, do not
forget to make up for those extra calories you burned with the regular
use of a weight gainer. Ergopharm’s “Mass Meal” and “All in One”
products are great gainers for anyone trying to bulk up, as they don’t
rely on mega-doses of simple carbohydrates and inferior proteins like
most weight gainers / post-workout drinks. A more economical and
comparable product is Cytosport’s “Cyto Gainer.”
However be warned: the body needs to adjust to the extra calories,
protein, and carbohydrates, so I highly recommend you invest in some
quality digestive enzymes. NOW foods “Super Enzymes” is one quality product that comes to mind. In addition to a weight gainer, supplements that enhance recovery, such as creatine, IDS’ “Total Recovery,” and cell-volumizers such as L-Taurine and nitric-oxide precursors are excellent choices for hardgainers.
If
you just realized that you don’t fit into either of the above
categories, congratulations! You’re a Mesomorph. You lucky individuals
can gain and hold muscle with minimal fat gain and seemingly no
effort. You are the few genetically gifted people that are the bane of
everyone else in the gym: eating whatever you want, spending 20 minutes
in the gym and looking like you’ve been training for years after three
or four months. However, imagine if you worked out w/ the intensity of
and drive of an Ectomorph, and ate with the strict asceticism of an
Endomorph. It is your Phenotype that makes up the majority of
professional athletes (a few sports aside), and nearly every
pro-bodybuilder. Just because you don’t have to work as hard as
everyone else, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. As far as supplements, keep
in mind that you’re still a beginner. Feel free to use any or all of
the supplements mentioned in any section of this article, in addition
to a weight gainer, post-workout drink of your choice, and/or cell-volumizers. With the right training and supplementation, the sky’s the limit for the Mesomorph.
Full-body
workouts get boring, but your Central Nervous System (CNS), muscles,
and joints need to become accustomed to the new burden. The phrase “no
pain, no gain,” can sometimes be interpreted as, “no monotony, no
gain.” Even most professional athletes utilize full body workouts
during their off-season. Some training programs recommend different
variations of full-body workouts for advanced bodybuilders as well;
both for mass gains and fat loss (Google Lyle Mcdonald + UD 2.0”) for
one example of how varying progression and load during a ketogenic
(low-carbohydrate) diet is an excellent technique for preventing
dietary failure. While you’re at it, look up “progression,” and “load”
if you don’t know what they refer to in terms of bodybuilding.
Once
you’re two month initiation is up, you’re going to be looking forward
to those two, three, four, even six day splits you see people at the
gym doing. After all, they’re ripped and huge, what they’re doing must
work? Well it works for them, but you don’t know what they’re
swallowing or injecting on their own time, not to mention how long
they’ve been training for, or even if their a retired NFL linebacker.
Here’s an important lesson: What you don’t know about someone can
easily come back to kick you in the ass should you choose to adapt that
person's training regimen. But full-body training simply cannot be
employed year-round. The boredom and long hours at the gym will
discourage you from working out, and that’s just no fun. Bodybuilding
should be fun. Arnold described the feeling of getting a pump in his
muscles to that of an orgasm in 1977’s Pumping Iron. While I wouldn’t
go that far, I’ll admit two things. Getting “the pump” does feel good,
and finding the right split for you is an integral part of staying
motivated in the gym. Personally, my schedule consists of the
following:
From November to February, I use a program developed
by Bryan Haycock known as Hypertrophy-Specific-Training (HST). This
program is tedious, long, and most importantly, highly effective for
adding mass… for me. HST also has the added advantage of rebuilding and
repairing joint and tendon tissue, which prepares me for my next period
of training, known as Max-OT. (by the way, all these programs can be
easily found with a simple Internet search, or stopping by the training
forums over at Mind and Muscle’s forums (www.avantlabs.com/forum/).
Max-OT is geared for lifters looking to complete what’s known as a
“lean-bulk.” That is, putting on the most muscle possible, while even
loosing a bit of fat. While I’ve found that the loosing fat part
requires the utmost stringency in diet and cardio, Max-OT is still a
good transition from the “pure bulks” of the off season, to the “pure
diets” of the beach season, which is why I conduct this program from
March 1st to May 1st, which is when I start what’s known as a
Cyclical-Ketogenic-Diet (CKD). As I mentioned earlier, Lyle McDonald’s
UD 2.0 is an excellent, albeit brutal routine. The Late-Great Dan
Duchaine’s “Body Opus” diet, while similar to the UD 2.0, is a bit
easier although most likely much unhealthier. Even Atkin’s can be
successful if applied right (although personally I believe it’s for the
clinically obese and those with no willpower). Changing your training
intensity, volume, rep-range, sets, and basically all aspects of the
three or four bodybuilding routines you use throughout the year will be
the means to a shredded, damn-sexy new version of yourself. Or a huge,
bloated, scary looking version of your old self, whatever floats your
boat.
-V
The entire
content included in this article,
including but not limited to text, graphics or code is copyrighted as a
collective work under the United States and other copyright laws, and
is the property of Planetary Nutrition, LLC. You may not copy,
duplicate or redistribute this information without the permission of
Planetary Nutrition, LLC
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