|
We’re five newsletters in, and while the feedback on our interviews has been fantastic, I’ve actually received several emails from people wanting to hear more from me. In my infinite wisdom, I guess I never realized that people would actually sign up for an EricCressey.com newsletter to hear from Eric Cressey. With that said, I figured that since I receive hundreds of emails on a weekly basis, I might as well pick a few from the pile and respond for everyone. There will be some information, some sarcasm, and the occasional rant; I guess that’s part of the beauty of having your own newsletter. As always, if there is something you’d like to see in the newsletter, just say the word; I’m all ears.
Q: From reading your stuff and that of John Berardi, I’ve really begun to reconsider the traditional bodybuilding-influenced “bulk-cut” approach to improving body composition. With respect to getting people to below 10% body fat, Dr. Berardi wrote that “people usually OVERESTIMATE the difficulty and UNDERESTIMATE the duration,” and that it is possible as long as:
“1) They're willing to work out in excess of 5hrs per week (sometimes up to 8 hours/week).
“2) They're willing to commit to eating better with each meal. Not follow a fat loss or bulking diet. Simply, every time they sit down to eat, they do better.
“3) They're willing to learn a new normal. We all have habits that are ‘normal’ and if you're 15, 20, 30% fat, your ‘normal’ = good for fat gain. A diet is abnormal. You'll always get back to 15%, 20%, 30% if you're always doing something abnormal. However if you re-learn a new normal, you can have a new body.”
Judging from your writings, you seem to favor a similar approach. I was just wondering if you would care to elaborate on any of these things. I’ve really been thinking about how traditional bulking and cutting might very well be outdated, and would appreciate your thoughts.
A:
Those are definitely some statements with which I agree wholeheartedly, and I think that the more people that check out JB’s Precision Nutrition products, the less often I’ll have to encounter questions like this! Once people start to adopt these ideals, I really think that we’ll see a paradigm shift in the world of training-nutrition interaction for body composition improvement.
I, too, get really sick and tired of the “bulk and cut” mentality to which so many people adhere. And, as a competitive athlete myself who has to maintain reasonably strict control over my body weight – yet has still seen consistent improvements in body composition over time – I feel that I have a solid frame of reference from which to speak. In fact, as I look to drop a few pounds prior to APF Senior Nationals (June 2), my overall training and nutrition strategies aren’t changing much at all.
With that said, I've got several problems with what has seemingly become the “traditionalist” approach:
1. People adopt programs, but never habits. Consistency is more important than you can possibly imagine, but when you're constantly shuffling back and forth between programs, you're never really "getting it." If you had the good habits in the first place, chances are that you wouldn’t have ever had to come to consider the extreme cutting or bulking, right?
2. Progress can be very tough to monitor in experienced individuals. Experienced natural lifters might be lucky to add five pounds of lean body mass a year. How realistic is it to really micromanage such subtle changes over a three-month period (assuming two bulks and two cuts per year)? Spread five new pounds out over an entire body and you'll see that it isn't readily apparent. Work with some guys who are 7-feet tall like I have and you’ll see that it’s even more hard to notice – especially when you see them on a daily basis.
3. Bulk/Cut is no way to live. Let's assume that a year consists of two bulks and two cuts. So, basically, you're spending one half of the year gorging yourself until you become a fat-ass, and the other half in misery until you get lean enough to feel crappier and look better. Toss in a few root canals, a colonoscopy, and a few Ben Affleck movies*, and you’ve got yourself a year to be forgotten. Yeehaw.
4. Think of the long-term consequences of the bulk/cut scheme. If you read the research on weight regain and body fat distributions in recovered anorexics, you’ll see that central adiposity is extremely common. Are severe cutting diets really that much different than clinical cases of anorexia? Taking someone’s thyroid out and stomping on it would actually be a quicker means to the same end.
5. Do we really want to adhere to guidelines that are predominantly geared toward professional bodybuilders who are so juiced to the gills that you can smell GH on their breath? They’ve got extensive anabolic arsenals in place to maintain muscles mass and optimize nutrient partitioning as they diet down, and thyroid medications to keep their metabolic rates up in spite of the reductions in calories. Indirectly, all these substances improve strength and stave off lethargy, making training sessions more productive in spite of caloric reductions. In the bulking scenarios, the nutrient partitioning effects are still in place, as these individuals are less likely to add body fat when eating a caloric surplus.
Now, put a natural lifter in the same scenario, and you’ll see right away that he’s immediately at a disadvantage. Drop calories too fast, and your endogenous testosterone and thyroid levels fall. You get tired and weak, and your body has to find energy wherever it can – even if it means breaking down muscle tissue.
I’m not trying to get on a soapbox here; I’m just trying to make people realize that they’re comparing apples and oranges. You need to do what’s right for you.
And what does that entail? Adopt admirable dietary, training, and lifestyle habits, and you’ll build a strong body that moves efficiently and just so happens to look good. Leave the quick-fix approaches for those with “assistance” and anyone silly enough to watch a fitness infomercial from beginning to end.
*Note to readers: This reference was spurred on by my good friend, Tony Gentilcore, who was responsible for the quote of the week:
“There are two kinds of people that irritate me: people who use the leg press, and Ben Affleck.”
(For your information, Tony has a bit of a crush on Jennifer Garner, and it tends to make him a little biased when the time comes to review Affleck movies)
Q:
I was wondering what your thoughts on “finishers” to workouts are. You know, tough stuff to test yourself at the end of a lift.
A:
Truthfully, I rarely add "finishers" to the end of sessions. In my opinion, this brings to light an amazing "phenomenon" that exists in the performance enhancement field. Those who make frequent use of finishers are the very same individuals who don't know a thing about volume manipulation for optimal supercompensation. If the finisher was such a valuable inclusion, then why wasn't it written into the program initially?
Some people claim that these are an ideal means of enhancing mental toughness. I can’t disagree, but I do think that your mental training stimuli should already exist in your programming. If you need to search around for things to haphazardly incorporate at the end of a session, then you need to take a look at program design abilities. I’d rather see a “finisher” just be considered an appropriately-planned “last exercise.” Believe it or not, there should even be times when you leave the gym feeling fresh.
There may be instances where I'll push an athlete (or myself) with increased volume and/or intensity based on the pre-training mood. This is one basis for cybernetic periodization; effectively, you can roll with the punches as needed.
I will say, however, that finishers have their place with younger athletes where you’re just trying to keep the session fun. If you find something productive that they’re enthusiastic about doing, by all means, deviate from your plan a bit and build on that enthusiasm. When they start getting more experienced, though, you’re going to have to know when to hold back the reins on them a bit.
Q:
In December of 2001, I was rear-ended going about 30mph; five cars were involved, and I was the first car hit from behind. My knee hit the dashboard when I was hit from behind and my head was jerked backwards when I hit the car in front of me.
My knee started hurting soon after, although I never got it checked out. It’s now become a sharp pain and a constant, dull ache as well with weakness on stairs and squatting-type positions especially. In addition, there are tender areas, on the outside and top of the knee, that cause extreme pain when I am bending, squatting, lying down, or sitting down for too long. My hip has also been affected, also aching constantly. My right leg and knee also hurt and knot up easily. The surrounding muscles are very weak with several knots in them, and I also have a very tight iliotibial band. Any ideas what might be going on?
A:
I thought "PCL" (posterior cruciate ligament) the second I saw the word "dashboard;" it's the most common injury mechanism with this injury. I’m really surprised that they didn’t check you out for this right after the accident; you might actually be a candidate for a surgery to clean things up. Things to consider:
1. They aren't as good at PCL surgeries as they are with ACL surgeries, as they're only 1/10 as common. As such, they screw up a good 30%, as I recall – so make sure you find a good doctor who is experienced with this injury to assess you and, if necessary, do the procedure.
2. It's believed that isolated PCL injuries never occur; they always take the LCL and a large "chunk" of the posterolateral complex along for the ride. That would explain some of the lateral pain.
3. The PCL works synergistically with the quads to prevent posterior tibial translation. As such, quad strengthening is always a crucial part of PCL rehab (or in instances when they opt to not do surgery). A good buddy of mine was a great hockey player back in the day, but he has no PCL in his right knee; he has to make up for it now with really strong quads.
4. Chances are that a lot of the pain you’re experiencing now is related more to the compensation patterns you’ve developed over the years than it is to the actual knee injury. For instance, the tightness in your IT band could be related to you doing more work at the hip to avoid loading that knee too much. Pain in the front of the knee would be more indicative of a patellar tendonosis condition (“Jumper’s Knee”), which would result from over-reliance on your quads because of the lack of the PCL (something has to work overtime to prevent the portion of posterior tibial translation that the PCL normally resisted).
5. From an acute rehabilitation standpoint, I think you’d need to address both soft tissue length (with stretching and mobility work) and quality (with foam rolling). These interventions would mostly treat the symptoms, so meanwhile, you’re going to need to look at the deficient muscles that aren't doing their job (i.e. the real reasons that ITB/TFL complex is so overactive). I'll wager my car, entire 2006 salary, and first-born child that it’s one or more of the following:
a) your glute medius and maximus are weak
b) your adductor magnus is overactive
c) your ITB/TFL is overactive (we already know this one)
d) your biceps femoris (lateral hamstring) is overactive
e) your rectus femoris is tighter than a camel's butt in a sandstorm
f) you might have issues with weakness of the posterior fibers of the external oblique, but not the rectus abdominus (most exercisers I know do too many crunches anyway!)
Again, your best bet is to get that PCL checked out and go from there. If you’ve made it from December 2001 until now without being incapacitated, chances are that you’ll have a lot of wiggle room with testing that knee out so that you can go into the surgery (if there is one) strong.
Good luck!
That’s all for this week; I hope everyone enjoyed it!
All the Best,
EC |
| Read more |
|
We’ve got some great content in this first newsletter, including a review of Precision Nutrition and an interview with Brijesh Patel. First, here’s a quick update on what’s new in the world of Eric Cressey.
I’ve been busy at T-Nation, publishing two articles in the past month. Be sure to check out Six Lost Lifters to see if you’re missing the boat on some aspect of your training mentality, and Seven Reasons You’re a Weakling to see why the weight on the bar isn’t increasing for you. Also, next time you’re in the grocery store line, you can also find a quick-hit piece from me on Page 25 of the April edition of Men's Fitness magazine.
You all might be interested in checking out an interview I recently did on Super Human Radio. I'm the second interviewee on this installment, and we discussed the rationale behind our recommendations in Magnificent Mobility. You can find it by scrolling down to the March 4 interview here.
The Magnificent Mobility DVD craze is really catching on, as coaches, athletes, and ordinary weekend warriors from around the world continue to send positive feedback to Mike Robertson and I on a daily basis. Check out what some of the best of the best have to say in their Magnificent Mobility Reviews.
If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, you’re missing the boat. Mike and I might not be the most marketing-savvy guys in the world, but you can bet that we understand functional anatomy and injury prevention and rehabilitation. You can pick one up at www.MagnificentMobility.com.
Product Review: Precision Nutrition
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Dr. John Berardi’s Precision Nutrition system, I definitely encourage you to check it out here.
I have to say that I was absolutely astounded at HOW MUCH you get for only $97! Think about it; you’re going to pay anywhere from $50 to $150 for an hour with a personal trainer, and chances are that you might even regress during that time period due to that person’s lack of education and experience.
I’ve recommended a lot of JB’s products to my clients, friends, and family members. It’s impossible to deny the fact that this is some high-quality stuff that can benefit EVERYONE; I haven’t heard an unfavorable review yet. I use my Gourmet Nutrition e-book all the time, and the No Nonsense Nutrition DVD is the perfect thing to turn on the light bulb over the head of clients and family members who need to get with the program. Regardless of your experience level, Precision Nutrition really does offer something for everyone.
To be honest, I think that the “Gourmet Nutrition” e-book ALONE is worth $97. However, with the Precision Nutrition package, you get a ton more for that same price; check it out for yourself here before this special ends and the price goes up.
An Interview with Brijesh Patel
It seems only fitting that I kick off the interviews with one of the guys who played a large role in getting me to where I am today. When I arrived at the University of Connecticut, I was a little unsure about where my graduate school experience would take me, although I was leaning toward becoming a hardcore geek and doing loads of research. Then, I met Brijesh and Pat Dixon and hit it off immediately with both of them.These guys really took me under their wing in my first few weeks on campus. Pat gave me the tour of campus, and Brijesh took the time to chat with me about anything related to training, nutrition, and life in general. Perhaps most importantly, these two guys brought me into the UCONN varsity weight room to train, and it was there that my love of coaching really went to a whole new level.
The day I met Brijesh, he invited me to come to watch him coach the baseball guys the next morning at 6AM.I showed up without thinking twice. The passion “B” displayed for coaching and his complete control over an indoor track full of 25 college guys were really remarkable – especially since he did it in a very mild manner.B isn’t one of those coaches who needs to scream and yell at you all the time to make you better, and I’ve really modeled myself from his example. Perhaps most impressively was that every one of those players was wide awake at the crack of dawn; they were anxious to be coached by a guy whom they obviously respected tremendously as someone who could get them to where they needed to be. That was a little over 30 months ago, and my coaching career has absolutely skyrocketed since then; I owe a lot of this success to B.
EC: Hey B, thanks for agreeing to do this. Some of our readers might not have heard of you (and it’s their loss), so let’s try to bring them up to speed. Fill them in a bit on your background, what you’ve got going on now, your pets, favorite color, whatever.
BP: Thanks Eric, I’m honored to be one of your first interviewees and would love to help out a fellow Husky and a Husky fellow.
EC: I was a husky kid long before I went to UCONN. That’s what they used to call us fat kids when they didn’t want to hurt our feelings.
Mom: “You’re not fat; you’re just husky. That’s why you need to wear elastic jeans and sweatpants all the time.”
Little Eric: “What does “husky” mean?”
Mom: “It just means that you play hard, honey. Now wipe the cotton candy stains off your face and try on these Bugle Boys.”
I digress, but not totally. You were a “husky” guy before UCONN, too, right?
BP: Yes! This is kind of a long story, but I’ll try to keep it short so I don’t bore any of your readers. I was always a “bigger” kid growing up, and had trouble participating in many sports because of my disadvantageous size. I went out for football my freshman year in high school and vowed to lose enough weight so that I would have the opportunity to play more. At my peak, I weighed 225 lbs (standing in at a whopping 5’4) with probably a body-fat of 30% (and that’s being generous).
I did a complete overhaul on my diet, began to exercise every day, and read anything I could get my hands on regarding training, and nutrition. I ended up going a little over board and lost 90 lbs in six months. I was then introduced to the weight-room and fell in love with it. As a high school senior, I knew I wanted to be involved in athletics in some way and what better way than athletic preparation?
EC: Sounds all too familiar to me; how did you take the next step and get into coaching?
BP: I went to the University of Connecticut and volunteered in the varsity weight room in my second week of school. I began by simply observing and asking questions and each year I gained more and more responsibility. By my senior year, I was given two teams to train and coach on my own, which was an unbelievable opportunity in itself. This worked itself into a graduate assistant position at UConn for another year a half. Along the way I was fortunate enough to complete internships with Mike Boyle at his professional facility, and with Jeff Oliver at the College of the Holy Cross (where I presently coach).
EC: Mike and Jeff are both great mentors; who else inspired you?
BP: There have been a number of people that have inspired me in a number of ways. I really admire all of the people that I have gotten to work with over the years, namely: Jerry Martin, Andrea Hudy, Shawn Windle, Teena Murray, Chris West, Moe Butler, Pat Dixon, Mike Boyle, Ed Lippie, Walter Norton Jr., Jeff Oliver, Liz Proctor, Charles Maka, and anybody else that I forgot.
I would also like to mention that people that have really shaped the industry and been willing to share their own knowledge: Everybody at T-Nation (Cressey, Robertson, TC, Waterbury, Shugart, Thibaudeau, Berardi, John, Cosgrove, Tate, Poliquin, King, and many others), Louie Simmons, Robb Rogers, Vern Gambetta, Mike Boyle, Paul Chek, Juan Carlos Santana, Mike Clark, Mark Verstegen, Charlie Francis, and all the other great minds and coaches in the field today.
EC: What frustrates you the most about this industry?
BP: The number one problem in my opinion is the lack of “open-mindedness” of coaches, and self-proclaimed “gurus.” This may be hard for some people to believe, but there is more than one way to get it done (create a strong, lean, mobile, and injury-resistant athlete). I was asked a question recently about who I don’t really like in the industry, and I don’t think I could actually answer that question. If you take the time to listen to what people say, you’ll find that everybody has something to offer. We need to get over our egos and realize that you could learn something from somebody – even if it’s how NOT to do something.
EC: Describe a day in the life of Brijesh Patel – coaching, training yourself, you name it.
BP: I typically wake up by 5 am (I push it to 6 am on the weekends; I know, I’m a rebel!), have a couple cups of coffee and am out the door to work. I like to train in the morning before it gets crazy in the weightroom, so I’ll usually train for about 90-120 minutes. I’m not training for anything in particular, so I try the programs I write for my athletes. This benefits me because I can see what is realistic and what works and what doesn’t before I try something out on my athletes.
The rest of my morning consists of catching up on emails, writing programs, speaking with coaches, helping out athletes who may come in to make up workouts, and reading up on articles. Our afternoons are extremely busy with teams coming in every 30 minutes, and this lasts from about 2 pm to 6 pm. If you want to check out weightroom efficiency, feel free to stop up to Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Then I’ll usually do some personal training or group training with high school kids (which I think is the best time to start training).
EC: The “knowledge is power” mentality is something I’m going to reiterate in each of my newsletters; it’s often been said that you should be reading at least one hour per day if you want to make it anywhere in life.With that said, one question that everyone I interview will have to answer is “What are ten books that every aspiring coach should read or watch?” We’re even going to make it easy on readers by providing them links to these books and DVDs. You’re one of the most well-read guys I’ve ever met, B; what are your top ten?
BP:
1. Training for Speed, by Charlie Francis
2. The Egoscue Method of Health through Motion, by Pete Egoscue
3a. Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities, by Mike Boyle
3b. Functional Training for Sports, by Mike Boyle
4. Science and Practice of Strength Training, by Vladimir Zatsiorsky
5. Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman
6. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff—and it’s all Small Stuff, by Richard Carlson
7. Science of Sports Training, by Thomas Kurz
8a. The Black Book of Training Secrets, by Christian Thibaudeau
8b. Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods, by Christian
Thibaudeau
9. Modern Trends in Strength Training, by Charles Poliquin
10. Who Moved My Cheese?, by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard
I think these are a good mix of practical training that works, and personal development that will aid you in becoming a better coach.
EC: If you had to pick five things our readers could do right now to become better lifters/athletes/coaches/trainers, what would they be?
BP:
1. Seek Knowledge - To become the best athlete/coach/trainer/person you have to go out and seek to learn from the best. This knowledge can come from self-help books, business books, college classes, seminars, videos, the internet, you name it. Just go out and learn.
2. Listen to People - This is a huge problem for all people. We all judge people and shut them and their ideas out based on what we think we know about them. When we actually take the time to listen to what somebody has to say, then and only then should we really judge. If it works for somebody else and not for you find out why it works for them…don’t be quick to judge.
3. Train - There is nothing more frustrating to see than coaches who don’t do the programs that they write.How do you know if it works? How do you know what it feels like? How do you know if it’s too heavy, too light, too much or not enough?
The only way to find out is to do it. The program may look great on paper, but if it’s too much and you can’t recover from it, what’s the point?
4. Balance - Balance is a general word that refers to how we should do everything in life. If we do too much of any one thing, something else is going to suffer. For example, if we spend too much time at work our family and social life are going to suffer. If we train our internal rotators too much with excessive volume our external rotators are going to suffer and leave us more susceptible to shoulder injuries. If we eat too many carbohydrates, our insulin sensitivity is going to decrease and increase our chances of having type 2 diabetes. We need to have balance in everything we do in our lives: work, family, social life, training, and nutrition.
5. Coach People, not Athletes - The more experienced I get in this field, the more I realize that I not only coach athletes, but coach people. As coaches and trainers, we can have a profound influence on the people with whom we work. We need to realize that we are not only helping an athlete achieve their goals, but also helping them to become better people. We are teaching them what they can do mentally and physically, how to focus their mind, how to stay positive, how to make changes in their lifestyle, how to reduce stress, and how to lead a healthier lifestyle. We run a summer program for high school kids and the biggest changes we see in them are their confidence levels. Parents always remark on how our coaches have been a positive influence on their children.
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Veronica Jutras (former HC women’s basketball player and Be Athletic Camp Counselor)
EC: Great advice, B. On a semi-related note, what’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in your training and professional careers? Looking back, what would you do differently?
BP: Boy, where do I begin? My first mistake could have been all of the long distance training I did to lose weight when I was in high school. I’m positive that that training killed my chances to make it to the NBA (other than the fact that my genetics weren’t the greatest to begin with). Side note: I haven’t grown much since high school, either.
As I mentioned earlier, being close-minded and not seeking enough knowledge were the biggest mistakes I made. I thought I knew enough and didn’t believe in what other coaches did. Because it didn’t make sense to me, I closed them out and thought they were bad coaches. I didn’t seek to understand their perspectives or what they were looking to accomplish. I also stopped seeking out new information for a while and became content and comfortable. I soon realized that this was not a quick ticket to become a better coach or a better person. I know now that to become better, I have to try and learn from everybody that I meet. The only way to do that is to ask questions and seek to understand their perspective.
EC: Where do you see yourself in a few years, and how would you like to be remembered way down the road?
BP: In a couple years, I imagine myself as a head strength and conditioning coach at a university. I would like to run an excellent program that is respected by my peers, and produces quality professionals. I ultimately want to be known as a good educator and teacher. I really relish the opportunity to work with interns who are eager to learn and become good professionals. Another thing that I hope for is to have a lasting impact upon all the athletes with whom I work. There is nothing more satisfying than to know that you have helped somebody become a better person.
EC: I think it’s safe to say that you’ve already accomplished more in your 20s than most coaches accomplish in your lifetime, and there’s no doubt that you’ll continue to be a force on the performance enhancement scene for decades to come. That said, feel free to use the space below to shamelessly plug all of your products and services.
BP: Robb Rogers, Shawn Windle, and I make up S B Coaches College (www.sbcoachescollege.com), an internet education business committed to bringing you the latest information about the methods used by top-level strength coaches to prepare their athletes for competition. Whether you are a sport coach, strength coach, or athlete, we will provide you with products and information that will help you and your athletes achieve new levels of performance. You will find hundreds of inspirational and motivational quotes in our coach’s corner, thought-provoking tip of the months, information-packed newsletters, easy-to-understand articles, PowerPoint presentations that we have utilized, and high quality CD-ROMs and manuals for sale.
Readers can contact me at bnpuconn@hotmail.com
EC: Thanks for the time, B!
BP: Thanks Eric, I really appreciated and enjoyed this opportunity.
That’s all for this first newsletter; thanks for tuning in. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop me an email at ec@ericcressey.com. If you have a friend who you think would like our newsletter, please feel free to pass this on and encourage them to Sign Up. |
| Read more |
|
I have to give a ton of credit (and thanks) to several mentors who have looked out for me with respect to training/nutrition and – probably most importantly – business. Hard work and learning from your mistakes can take you as far as you want to go, but if you want to get there faster, you’re best off seeking out the advice of those who are where you’d like to be.
I’ve been fortunate to have guys like Alwyn Cosgrove, Dave Tate, John Berardi, Jason Ferruggia, Mike Boyle, Joe DeFranco, and – more recently – you and Ryan Lee. I only wish I had found out about you two sooner; things would have come about even faster! You can’t be an expert on everything, so it’s to your advantage to have a solid network of mentors to which you can turn when an unfamiliar situation arises. Chances are that one or more of them has been there at some point, made a mistake, and learned from it; why bother to make that same mistake on your own?
Case in point: Alwyn and I had a running email dialogue going about two months ago. I have one emailed saved in which he referred me to his production and shipping company (Vervante), recommended a great liability insurance agent to meet my needs (clubinsurance.com), and recommended two books by Thomas Plummer that have been great. That email saved me thousands of dollars and countless hours on trouble.
A conversation I had with Dave Tate about four months ago really solidified this concept in my mind. Dave did a tremendous job with his physique transformation with John Berardi’s nutritional guidance. Truth be told, though, Dave knows nutrition better than you might think; he actually minored in it in college! However, soliciting JB’s advice was in Dave’s best interests; John is really up-to-date on optimal nutrition and supplementation strategies. Why would Dave want to spend hundreds of hours reading up on recent developments in the nutrition world when he can be studying up on public speaking, running a business, developing great equipment, and making people stronger – the four things for which he is best known? A few phone calls and emails to John was the smarter – not longer – way to work.
Eric Cressey |
| Read more |
|
From reading your stuff and that of John Berardi, I’ve really begun to reconsider the traditional bodybuilding-influenced “bulk-cut” approach to improving body composition. With respect to getting people to below 10% body fat, Dr. Berardi wrote that “people usually OVERESTIMATE the difficulty and UNDERESTIMATE the duration,” and that it is possible as long as:
1) They're willing to work out in excess of 5hrs per week (sometimes up to 8 hours/week).
2) They're willing to commit to eating better with each meal. Not follow a fat loss or bulking diet. Simply, every time they sit down to eat, they do better.
3) They're willing to learn a new normal. We all have habits that are ‘normal’ and if you're 15, 20, 30% fat, your ‘normal’ = good for fat gain. A diet is abnormal. You'll always get back to 15%, 20%, 30% if you're always doing something abnormal. However if you re-learn a new normal, you can have a new body.
Judging from your writings, you seem to favor a similar approach. I was just wondering if you would care to elaborate on any of these things. I’ve really been thinking about how traditional bulking and cutting might very well be outdated, and would appreciate your thoughts.
Those are definitely some statements with which I agree wholeheartedly, and I think that the more people that check out JB’s Precision Nutrition products, the less often I’ll have to encounter questions like this! Once people start to adopt these ideals, I really think that we’ll see a paradigm shift in the world of training-nutrition interaction for body composition improvement.
I, too, get really sick and tired of the “bulk and cut” mentality to which so many people adhere. And, as a competitive athlete myself who has to maintain reasonably strict control over my body weight – yet has still seen consistent improvements in body composition over time – I feel that I have a solid frame of reference from which to speak. In fact, as I look to drop a few pounds prior to APF Senior Nationals (June 2), my overall training and nutrition strategies aren’t changing much at all.
With that said, I've got several problems with what has seemingly become the “traditionalist” approach:
1. People adopt programs, but never habits. Consistency is more important than you can possibly imagine, but when you're constantly shuffling back and forth between programs, you're never really "getting it." If you had the good habits in the first place, chances are that you wouldn’t have ever had to come to consider the extreme cutting or bulking, right?
2. Progress can be very tough to monitor in experienced individuals. Experienced natural lifters might be lucky to add five pounds of lean body mass a year. How realistic is it to really micromanage such subtle changes over a three-month period (assuming two bulks and two cuts per year)? Spread five new pounds out over an entire body and you'll see that it isn't readily apparent. Work with some guys who are 7-feet tall like I have and you’ll see that it’s even more hard to notice – especially when you see them on a daily basis.
3. Bulk/Cut is no way to live. Let's assume that a year consists of two bulks and two cuts. So, basically, you're spending one half of the year gorging yourself until you become a fat-ass, and the other half in misery until you get lean enough to feel crappier and look better. Toss in a few root canals, a colonoscopy, and a few Ben Affleck movies*, and you’ve got yourself a year to be forgotten. Yeehaw.
4. Think of the long-term consequences of the bulk/cut scheme. If you read the research on weight regain and body fat distributions in recovered anorexics, you’ll see that central adiposity is extremely common. Are severe cutting diets really that much different than clinical cases of anorexia? Taking someone’s thyroid out and stomping on it would actually be a quicker means to the same end.
5. Do we really want to adhere to guidelines that are predominantly geared toward professional bodybuilders who are so juiced to the gills that you can smell GH on their breath? They’ve got extensive anabolic arsenals in place to maintain muscles mass and optimize nutrient partitioning as they diet down, and thyroid medications to keep their metabolic rates up in spite of the reductions in calories. Indirectly, all these substances improve strength and stave off lethargy, making training sessions more productive in spite of caloric reductions. In the bulking scenarios, the nutrient partitioning effects are still in place, as these individuals are less likely to add body fat when eating a caloric surplus.
Now, put a natural lifter in the same scenario, and you’ll see right away that he’s immediately at a disadvantage. Drop calories too fast, and your endogenous testosterone and thyroid levels fall. You get tired and weak, and your body has to find energy wherever it can – even if it means breaking down muscle tissue.
I’m not trying to get on a soapbox here; I’m just trying to make people realize that they’re comparing apples and oranges. You need to do what’s right for you.
And what does that entail? Adopt admirable dietary, training, and lifestyle habits, and you’ll build a strong body that moves efficiently and just so happens to look good. Leave the quick-fix approaches for those with “assistance” and anyone silly enough to watch a fitness infomercial from beginning to end.
Eric Cressey |
| Read more |
|
After the seminar had winded down in Chicago, Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Robertson, and I were chatting it up in the hotel lounge as we waited to leave for the airport. In the middle of the conversation, Alwyn said to me something along the lines of, “Your presentation is getting really good; I caught the second half of it and it’s really polished. I really like the term ‘metabolic debt’ that you used; I’ve always said ‘metabolic disturbance,’ but I like debt better. It describes what I’m trying to say better; I’m going to steal that.”
Needless to say, I was pretty flattered. Here’s a guy who has spoken all over the country about optimal fat loss programming, and he’s constantly looking to get better – not just in the context of the protocols he uses (i.e., seeking out cutting-edge research), but also in the way that he relates it to those who want to understand the “why” instead of just the what.
I starting thinking about it long and hard on the flight home. Since last January, I’ve been to a ton of seminars – both as a speaker and a presenter. I’ve seen both Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Boyle six times, Stuart McGill four times, and Dave Tate, John Berardi, Dan John, Mike Robertson, Brijesh Patel, John Pallof, and Carl Valle twice each…the list goes on and on. I’ve also seen several of them on DVDs, read their writing, and we even communicate via email or phone a weekly (and even daily) basis, too – so what gives? Wouldn’t I get sick of seeing them and talking to them – especially since we’re often repeating presentations in different locations? Isn’t it just the same information rehashed?
Absolutely not – and for the exact reason Alwyn, Mike, Dr. McGill, and Mike Robertson caught my presentation the other day: we’re always looking for two things:
First, subtle changes that have been integrated in terms of ideas – or the way in which they’re related. And second, a chance to review valuable information we might already know – but with a chance to incorporate it into schemas (essentially frames of reference) that we’ve recently incorporated
When I hear somebody reply to an article – or review a book – with a statement like “There’s nothing new here,” I can’t help but think that there "isn’t anything new here" because that individual is simply too lazy to think. And, it explains rather easily why this individual is the one reading the article instead of writing it, or listening to the presentation instead of delivering it.
Set yourself apart by not only seeking out education – but also by being open-minded enough to utilize it effectively.
Andrew Heffernan gets the “Blog of the Week” award from me for his thorough and entertaining recap of the Chicago seminar at http://blog.dynamicfitness.us/. He had me laughing out loud at his recap of my presentation:
Finally, Eric Cressey is a preposterously accomplished guy who, at age 25, is not only a very successful powerlifter but one of the most highly respected trainers around. Just listening to his lecture and getting a sense of the depth and scope of his knowledge made me wonder what the hell I've been doing frittering away these last 36 years. Part of me wanted to jump up on the stage and strangle him in all his youthful, charming, and articulate glory, but one look at his arms and chest made me realize that even that was a futile fantasy. My only comfort is that someday, many, many years after I've fallen into decrepitude, dementia and death, Eric Cressey, too, will die. Sure, there will be streets in Boston named after him, an Eric Cressey annual parade, and hoards of future gold medallists tearfully crediting him with all their success, but he will be dead, and I must be thankful for that one, tiny blessing .
Thanks, Andrew… I think! Would it make you feel any better if I told you that I will be turning 26 on Sunday?
Eric Cressey
Here is a list of Eric's upcoming seminar dates.
Or catch Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson on their latest DVD release.
|
| Read more |
|
| Last week, I put something I call the “lifestyle checklist” in place with a few of my young athletes. In a nutshell, it’s a simple checklist used to keep them accountable to something with respect to their nutrition, sleep, and off-day exercise habits.
In Precision Nutrition, John Berardi highlights the 90% rule – which states that if you are on-point with 90% of your meals, you’re in good standing from a physique and health standpoint. I’ve simply applied that principle to my athletes’ weekly checklists.
We select seven habits we want to prioritize, factor in the seven days a week (49 total boxes to check), and aim for them to earn checks in at least 44 of those boxes (yes, I know that’s only 89.8%; I hope nobody is deeply offended).
Take, for instance, a 16-year old pitcher with whom I’m working; up until now, he’s had an intimate relationship with the golden arches. And, at 6-4 and 170, he also had the lumbar spine stability of one of the Olsen twins. His seven habits are:
1. Eat 5+ meals per day.
2. Eat protein at each meal.
3. One additional set of birddogs, side bridges, and sleeper stretch (pitching arm only) daily.
4. Breakfast = eggs, fruit, and oats every day.
5. Avoid fast food altogether.
6. Eat 5+ servings of fruits/veggies per day.
7. Avoided calories from drinks – with the exceptions being protein shakes (this was to kick his soda and Gatorade habit).
After three weeks at or above 90%, we’ll move to seven new habits. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
For more information on John Berardi’s ideas, check out the Precision Nutrition website. |
| Read more |
|
| I just thought you'd all like to know that I'll be taking in the Red Sox home opener at Fenway tomorrow afternoon and you won't. Ha!
Fortunately, though, I've got some good new for you, too. John Berardi has recently made the Precision Nutrition forums available to the public for FREE. We're talking 40,000+ posts on a variety of topics, access to the new Precision Nutrition Exercise Database, weekly email updates of new articles, recipes and exercises, and free downloads of two new ebooks: Precision Nutrition Strategies and Gourmet Nutrition Desserts. Not a bad deal, huh? Check it out for yourself:
Precision Nutrition
Enjoy some solid nutrition info while I enjoy the Sox getting the 2007 Fenway season off to a winning start!
EC
|
| Read more |
|
Bodybuilding and Budgeting
By Eric Cressey
First published at www.johnberardi.com, Sep 27 2002
In response to my call for contributions from the Mark Twains of exercise and nutrition, Sport Management and Exercise Physiology major Eric Cressey applied his pen to the task of teaching bodybuilders how to budget their benjamins in such a way as to be able to afford their protein and eat it too. I immediately liked this article because it is an interesting fusion of business principles and bodybuilding. It's an article I would have never thought of writing as it reflects Eric's unique academic training. And that's why I encourage readers to send me their ideas. Their unique ideas and experiences can and often do benefit us all. -- JB
If I told you that being a bodybuilder is a lot like running a business, you'd probably think that I've been mixing some Drain-O into my oatmeal, wouldn't you?
How can I draw such an analogy? Well, for starters, businesses need to generate revenue in order to grow and succeed; and so do bodybuilders. Businesses must allocate those sources of revenue in the most efficient ways to maximize their gain per unit cost. So must bodybuilders. Business owners have to invest both time and capital into their company; and so must bodybuilders. Of course, while the particular needs of the corporate world may be different from your needs in the iron game, very similar principles can be employed to evaluate and hopefully meet these needs.
With all that being said, it's very easy to liken bodybuilding success to a company's success; each requires hard work and capital: two needs that can easily serve as limiting factors to ultimate success. Aspiring bodybuilders can have the will to train diligently, intensely, and intelligently, but if they can't afford to eat or pay for a gym membership, they're destined for failure. Likewise, there are lots of companies out there with hard working employees, but these companies may never be a "cut above" due to financial shortcomings. As my fifth grade teacher often said, "Money makes the world go round." (Although I think she said that with a tinge of bitterness since the salary of a fifth grad teacher is barely enough to make a 1978 Gremlin go round, let alone the world).
At the other end of the spectrum are those with seemingly bottomless pockets who still manage to fail because they simply don't work hard. In a bodybuilding context, these are the folks with the fancy gym bag, clothing, and every supplement imaginable. Meanwhile, they're doing twenty sets on the hip adductor five times a week, staying out all night, eating junk, and wondering why they aren't huge yet. Similarly, a business may have all the money in the world, but if its employees spend all their time at work chatting by the water cooler about how great Tribex has made their sex lives, that business will flop like a newbie trying to rock bottom squat 800 pounds!
Alright, now I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you, as loyal Berardi followers, are far less likely than the general population to have trouble training intensely or intelligently. In other words, I'll assume that the money issue is far more of a concern for you. As you all well know, the bodybuilding lifestyle can get expensive. However, that's not to say that you cannot afford it.
Think about the last time that you heard someone say, "I can't afford to eat more protein" or "supplements are too expensive." While often these are just cop-outs that allow weak minded individuals to have a ready-made excuse for failure, sometimes the money issue is the limiting factor. When this is the case, one of two things might happen. The person will decide to just go on being fat and lazy like much of the world because making excuses is easier than actually solving problems and working hard. Or they may mindlessly search for shortcuts in the wrong places. As a result, they wind up with a nice set of man-breasts from gyno caused by the generic andro they bought or the soy protein they pulled down from mommy's medicine cabinet. Lame complaints and feeble attempts to cut corners could all be avoided if these individuals had known how to budget properly. This article is designed to cut through the bull and show you how you can budget properly so that you wont have an excuse for not succeeding.
Like any well-organized company, a bodybuilder who budgets appropriately will be taking the steps to ensure that the resources necessary for success will always be present thanks to adequate cash flow. I'm willing to bet that you've probably never considered how terrible a bodybuilder you would be if you did not have money to provide you with the wherewithal to eat, sleep comfortably under a roof, train, and supplement. These factors are a bodybuilder's lifeblood, but cash is the lifeblood of the factors themselves. Furthermore, I'm willing to bet that you'd all like to know how you could afford this sometimes-costly lifestyle.
With that in mind, let's cover a few broad guidelines that must be considered in creating our Bodybuilding Budget:
1) Prioritize - If you haven't read Dawg School - Basic Training for Beginners: The Bodybuilder's Hierarchy of Needs by Testosterone Magazine's Chris Shugart, I strongly urge you to check it out now. Basically, physiological needs (the foundation of Maslow's original hierarchy) should always come first, with other items following in order of importance. Some might debate me for putting supplements at the bottom of the budget when they're what we're trying to afford. However, in accordance with our priorities, you should only purchase supplements if you can afford all the more important stuff first. Therefore, by leaving the supplement piece of our budget until the end, we'll see how much we can allocate to supplement purchases. If we aren't happy with this amount, we reexamine the previous expenses in our budget in hopes of reducing them and, in turn, free up more cash for supplements. This prioritization also includes buying supplements that correspond to your goals (e.g. thermogenics for cutting if that's your bag).
2) Live and budget within your means - Obviously, it would be unreasonable for someone flipping burgers from nine to five to budget like Bill Gates. Set up a budget in light of your recognized financial limitations, and you'll be golden, even if you work for the golden arches. On a related note, do not ignore the importance of saving for the future. Personally, I would rather be able to afford to eat once I have retired than live the high life while immediately spending every penny of every paycheck to support my present bodybuilding habit.
3) Take it month by month - As you get more experienced with budgeting, you'll probably be able to plan out several months in advance. For now, though, just see how accurately you can plan things for the upcoming month. Semi-yearly or one-time expenses should be considered as part of the months in which they occur and placed in the budget according to the prioritization principle. In other words, figure your Christmas shopping expenses into the months in which you buy the gifts. It might mean that you have to cut back on luxuries (like the really tasty milk protein isolate blend vs. the plain old whey concentrate) when your expenses go up for other items in order to continue with your supplementation plans.
4) Leave some wiggle room - Budgets are a plan, and we all know that nothing ever goes exactly as planned. In other words, don't allocate every penny you have to the month ahead of you. This way, if something unexpected that requires a cash payment comes up, you'll be able to accommodate the expense without throwing off your entire lifestyle.
5) Always evaluate a budget's accuracy - Near the end of the month, look to see how well you were able to adhere to your budget. Make adjustments as needed for the following month.
6) Keep it simple and neat - Chances are that if it looks too complex, it probably is. Budgets are useless if you can't interpret them usefully.
7) Anticipate - Remember that although you won't have to buy every supplement every month, it definitely helps to know when certain supplements will run out so that you can plan ahead. A good way to avoid having to deal with this often is to buy three or four at a time.
8) Use Microsoft Excel or a comparable program (Quicken or Lotus Notes) to design your budget - If you're familiar with this program, you know how much time it can save you. Excel will save time in adding up numbers. Perhaps more importantly, you can easily and neatly (no erasers needed) make changes and, provided you reference the correct cells throughout, see how these changes affect the numbers at the end of the budget with which you are the most concerned. Plus, Excel allows you to copy and paste your budget into a new spreadsheet each month and make modifications without having to rewrite everything. Excel is even great for tracking your gym progress too.
9) Adapt - No matter how many sources of cash payments I list, I'll never be able to cover every possible situation that may arise. As such, you need to make judgment calls on where in your budget certain unique expenses fall in your overall prioritization scheme.
Okay, now let's get down to business. Here are the components in order of appearance in the actual budget:
1) Cash Receipts - The bulk of this section is the dollar amount on your paycheck (after deductions for taxes, social security, Medicare, retirement, etc.). It also includes any amount that you are willing to make available from your savings, although this scenario is certainly not ideal.
2) Cash Payments - When you need to prioritize a certain muscle group, you know to put it at the beginning of your split so that you can train it when it's fresh. Likewise, you should put your most important payments at the beginning of your budget where your wallet is fresh. We'll subdivide this section into several categories based on our priorities:
a) Physiological Needs - Food, hygiene, and shelter for you and those for whom you provide (wife, children, etc.) are the primary components of this section. Be careful not to confuse your monthly food expenditures with your grocery bill, especially if you are someone who buys every magazine in sight, lottery tickets, cigarettes, and all the gimmicks at the end of each aisle. We'll address purchasing these little treats later. Note: You should include protein powders and MRPs in your monthly food expenses. Shelter payments can usually be recognized as your rent or mortgage payments. If you own your own home, live with your parents, or just hang out in a van down by the river all the time, you can omit this portion. Lastly, payments for medications are included as physiological need expenses. If you really need proof of why these payments come first and foremost, just think for a second: have you ever seen a successful bodybuilder sifting through dumpsters for food or living in a cardboard box?
b) Mandatory Payments - These are the payments over which you have the least control. Examples include loan repayments, membership fees for professional organizations, child support, and alimony. Chances are that if you skimp out on these payments, you'll be setting yourself up for a whole lot of trouble. But who knows? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. I mean, a lot of penitentiaries have pretty nice gyms nowadays; then again, do you think the showers are as pleasant? And, let's not forget how tough it will be to deadlift after the loan collector has cracked both your kneecaps. Lesson learned? Mandatory payments suck, but you gotta' deal with 'em.
c) Contingency Fund - We count this as a payment even though you probably won't need to make it in most cases. How much you allot to this fund depends largely on your income and your perception of how likely it is that an emergency will arise. It might seem unnecessary, but when you get saddled with a $100 traffic ticket for swerving out of your lane while staring at some vixen on the sidewalk, you'll be glad the cash is available. Plus, if you don't have to use the contingency fund, you'll have some cash left over at the end of the month for savings or a treat. Unexpected medical bills and car repairs might also be covered by the contingency fund.
d) Important Amenities - Here's where we start to have a little more control over our payments. These items are things to which you have grown accustomed to having, but you really could do without them if necessary. Obviously, some are more important than others. They include: payments for car-related bills (lease, gas, insurance, parking); all insurance not provided by your job; gym memberships; telephone usage; internet access; utilities (if not included in rent); newspaper and magazine subscriptions; premium channels on television; and pet-related expenses.
e) Luxuries - These are payments for things that are certainly not essential to our survival or convenient lifestyle. Basically, they include anything to which you "treat" yourself: going to a movie, eating out, and most one time purchases.
3) Total Cash Available for Supplements - This is simply the cash receipts minus the cash payments (what's left over).
4) Primary Supplement Payments - This is the portion of total cash available for supplements that is allocated to those of foremost importance: Multivitamin, Surge (or other pre/post-workout nutrition), and essential fatty acids. Subtract it from #3 to get…
5) Total Available for Secondary Supplements - This is the last section of our bodybuilding budget. In a typical business budget, this final section is referred to as Net Income, but remember that we're trying to figure out how to afford supplements, so the section gets a new name. Whatever remains at this point can be spent in several ways to bolster your supplement arsenal from "slingshots" (e.g. glutamine, BCAAs, digestive aids, fiber supplements, alpha lipoic acid, ZMA) to the "heavy artillery" (e.g. Tribex, creatine, thermogenics, anti-estrogens, methoxyisoflavone, ecdysterone), to the "'uh oh, hide the women and children' type weapons" (e.g. prohormones, myostatin inhibitors). Basically, you recognize how much you have available and mix and match among these "weapons of mass destruction" according to your physique goals. Whatever is left over goes to savings (if you have already chosen to subtract it as part of cash payments) or treats.
Putting it all together
For our bodybuilding budget guinea pig, we'll use a hypothetical dude: Rich N. $uave. Rich is a 25 year-old living in Boston with a goal of stepping onto a bodybuilding stage in the near future. He knows not to curl in the squat rack, but, like the rest of us, he'd love to find out how to incorporate a more effective supplementation protocol into his lifestyle. So let's break down Mr. $uave's budget:
Cash Receipts
Rich is a college-educated guy with an entry-level position for a marketing firm in the city. At age 25, he hasn't really climbed the corporate ladder yet. After taxes, he brings in $27,000 per year (or $2,250 per month). Given his uncertain future, he isn't willing to tap into savings too deeply: only $30 per month. So here's Rich's first number:
Cash Receipts = $2,250 income + $30 from savings = $2,280/month
Cash Payments
Physiological
Rich is a steadfast follower of John Berardi's Massive Eating principles. As such, from his position atop the food chain, Rich must also be a "Massive Shopper" to meet his calorie requirements. All the grub adds up to about $320 per month. He also figures that he spends $20 per month on hygiene (haircut, toothpaste, shaving cream). Plus, Rich and his roommate share a decent apartment just outside the city; his half of the rent is $700 per month. Luckily, utilities, phone, cable, and Internet access are all included in this figure. Finally, Rich has asthma that is aggravated by the city's smog. Although he has good medical coverage from his employer, he still has to pay $20 per month for his inhaler. Thus:
Physiological Needs payments = $350 food and hygiene + $700 rent + $25 medication = $1,075
Mandatory
Four years of college are catching up to Rich. He pays off $200 of student loan fees per month. Fortunately, that's his only mandatory expense.
Important Amenities
Each month, Rich pays $230 for his car lease, $35 for insurance, $50 for gas, and $120 for parking at work. He also has a cell phone ($30/month), a gym membership ($35/month), and HBO ($20/month - Rich just has to watch old Arnold movies, and Sex in the City helps him get in touch with his feminine side). Plus, Rich buys the Boston Globe each day ($20/month). So,
Important Amenities payments = $230 car lease + $35 car insurance + $50 gas + $120 parking + $30 cell phone + $20 HBO + $20 Boston Globe = $540
Contingency Fund
Based on his income and his desire to save for the future, Rich has decided to allocate $70 to contingencies. He plans to take whatever is not used and put it towards his retirement.
Luxuries
Mr. $uave goes to the movies every other week ($30/month) and to a fancy restaurant for dinner once a week ($120/month). He's also a big Celtics fan, so during the season he'll splurge and buy courtside seats once a month as well. Factoring in ticket prices, parking costs, and stuff he buys at the Fleet Center, Rich drops $120 on each of these games. Finally, this month, Rich has decided to buy a new Poliquin book ($30) and a set of skinfold calipers ($30). He calculates:
Luxuries payments = $30 movies + $120 restaurant + $120 Celtics + $30 book + $30 calipers = $330
We add all these components up to get $2,217 in Cash Payments. Then, we subtract it from $2,280 Cash Receipts to arrive at $63 Total Cash Available for Supplements. Now, if we assume that Rich spends $40 per month on Primary supplements and subtract that out, we find that only $25 is left over for the "big guns."
| Cash Receipts: |
|
|
|
|
| Net Income |
2,250
|
|
|
|
| From Savings |
30
|
|
|
|
| Total Cash Receipts |
|
2,280
|
|
|
| Cash Payments: |
|
|
|
|
| Physiological Needs |
|
|
|
|
| Food and Hygiene |
(350)
|
|
|
|
| Rent |
(700)
|
|
|
|
| Medication |
(25)
|
|
|
|
| Mandatory Payments |
|
|
|
|
| Student Loans |
(200)
|
|
|
|
| Important Amenities |
|
|
|
|
| Car Payments |
(230)
|
|
|
|
| Car Insurance |
(35)
|
|
|
|
| Gas |
(50)
|
|
|
|
| Parking |
(120)
|
|
|
|
| Cell Phone |
(30)
|
|
|
|
| Gym Membership |
(35)
|
|
|
|
| Boston Globe |
(20)
|
|
|
|
| HBO |
(20)
|
|
|
|
| Contingency Fund |
(70)
|
|
|
|
| Luxuries |
|
|
|
|
| Two movies/month |
(30)
|
|
|
|
| Four fancy dinners |
(120)
|
|
|
|
| Courtside seats |
(120)
|
|
|
|
| New Book |
(30)
|
|
|
|
| Skinfold Calipers |
(30)
|
|
|
|
| Total Cash Payments |
|
(2,215)
|
|
|
| Total Cash Available for Supplements |
|
|
65
|
|
| Primary Supplement Expenses |
|
|
(40)
|
|
| Total Cash for Available for Secondary Supplements |
|
|
|
25
|
*Numbers in red and parentheses are negative (payments)
.**One line beneath a number indicates that the numbers above were combined.
Not a whole lot that can be done with $25, eh? Then again, does Rich really have any right to complain? Read on.
Making Adjustments and Saving Cash: Why you can afford more and better supplements
One of the foremost characteristics of the bodybuilding lifestyle is the willingness to make sacrifices and do things that aren't always pleasant. Bodybuilders go to the gym to train hard and push themselves to not only discomfort, but to all-out pain (and worse yet, enjoy it!). The general population merely "works out," stopping short of anything even remotely challenging. Furthermore, from a dietary standpoint, bodybuilders eat to achieve their goals more often than they eat for taste. Honestly, is there anyone out there that actually enjoys flaxseed oil? Meanwhile, the fact that more than half of all Americans are overweight or obese is perfect evidence that most people eat for taste. So how does this apply to Rich? Well, he doesn't exactly seem to be overly eager to make sacrifices. Just think about what skipping a few dinners out or just watching the Celtics game at home would save him. Or, he could just subscribe to the Globe instead of buying it each day. Plus, there are plenty of other ways to save some cash besides cutting back, including:
1) Buying in bulk - Wholesale clubs can save you a lot of cash. I pay $2.57/lb. for skinless chicken breasts at my wholesale club, whereas my local grocer charges at least $3.99/lb.
2) Drinking tap water - If you're buying purified, reverse osmosis filtration mountain spring water with lemon zest, you're overspending. Stick with the tap, and if it's nasty, get a purifier.
3) Buying generic food (not supplements, though) - Name brand cottage cheese: $2.79/tub. Generic: $1.73. Same cow. Same protein. For gosh sakes, don't pay an extra dollar for the label!
4) Reusing empty cottage cheese containers - This is one of the greatest tricks of the trade. You'll never have to spend money on Tupperware again. Plus, you can toss them when you're done rather than lugging them home with you.
5) Shopping for supplements online - If you're not doing so already, do yourself a favor and dedicate this month's luxury fund to buying a sledgehammer with which to beat yourself over the head, because you are a moron! Retail outlets will always overcharge you, regardless of what kind of sales and/or promotions they're offering. Basically, you're just paying the middleman's salary.
6) Ordering more at once - By ordering more at one time, you'll save on shipping costs. Some online supplement retailers will even offer free shipping at a certain order quantity or price.
Obviously, these suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg. Personally, I think the best route is to always adhere to the six aforementioned guidelines (which are based on saving money on food and supplement purchases that you already plan to make) and then to be cognizant of limiting regular expensive social occasions (so that you can free up more money for those food and supplement choices that you're also now saving money on). Additionally, you should review the individual components of your cash payments section to see where you can cut back.
To see how effective just making a few minor changes can be, let's use Rich as our guinea pig again. Mr. $uave wants to do three two-week Mag-10 cycles alternated with three two-week M/Tribex cycles. So, he checks out the Biotest site and finds that he'll need to free up about $360 to pay for three of the Mag-10 Plan for Success packages. We'll just start from the bottom and work our way up, making sacrifices as we go:
a) Rich won't go to any movies this month. After all, he knows you have to sleep to grow! $30 to Mag-10 fund.
b) He can also eat "in" instead of "out" on two of his four planned fancy dinners. We'll assume he saves $25 on each. $50 to Mag-10 fund.
c) Rich can watch the Celts on TV this month. $120 to Mag-10 fund.
d) The Poliquin purchase can wait. $30 to Mag-10 fund.
e) He will read the Globe online. $20 to Mag-10 fund.
f) Rich can carpool or take the bus or train to work two days per week, thus saving on gas and parking. $70 to Mag-10 fund.
g) Using the aforementioned six suggestions, he'll save on groceries and bottled water at work. $40 to Mag-10 fund.
There you have it: $360! It probably won't always be this clear-cut, but if you take it step-by-step, I guarantee that you'll free up a considerable amount of cash, even if you don't reach your objective completely.
So now you have a strategy for budgeting to be a bodybuilder. Sure, all this planning seems pretty, well, anal. But is it any more so than how we "analize" our training and nutrition lives? No way! Sure, preparing a budget might not seem as important as planning a diet or designing a training program because it seems peripheral, indirect. But I can assure you that rather than peripheral, it's actually the cornerstone of your lifestyle. Once you realize its utility, you'll notice that the other components of bodybuilding success are more easily managed.
Just think about everything you've done today and then consider whether it would have been possible without adequate cash flow. Instead of shortchanging your hard work in the gym and the kitchen by losing track of your money, draw up a budget and watch your financial worries diminish while your gains soar! |
| Read more |
|
LEARN
HOW TO
DEADLIFT
- Avoid the most common deadlifting mistakes
- 9 - minute instructional video
- 3 part follow up series
|
