Awesome Muscle Building Topic #1 Nutrition Tips

My Intro:

I have listened to Daniel Gastelu's (Ph.D., trainer, researcher, author) Seminar series on Developing Awesome Muscles and I believe there is a good deal of information of value in there for bodybuilders, powerlifters, physique athletes and even those looking to just get ripped. 

These are free to stream or download and packed with information.  They range in time from as little as 15 minutes to as much as an hour...on average being 30 minutes.  (I will show you how to cut 33% of the time off if your time is precious.)  There are no ads and no fluff.

I want to know if anyone would be interested in listening to the segments Daniel has presented, one at a time and discussing them...I will answer any questions anyone has about the content.  I am corresponding and will be talking with Daniel and if there is anything anyone wants to know more about, I am sure I can get him to cover it.

There are 22 topics from supplementation and nutrition for fat loss and muscle gains to some specific methods and techniques for maximal performance and development.

I will highlight the key points as I see them and try to clarify anything that I feel is presented in a complicated fashion.

Everyone else is free to do the same as well as discuss the points, ask questions, debate, and together work out practical scenarios for applying these things to our training to get the most of the cutting edge science that is presented.

P.S.  Daniel builds on ideas as he goes through the series and I feel that listening in order is very helpful in getting some of the insights he sharing.
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Here is the first audio in the series.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/awesomenutritiontips.htm
Nov 2005
19 minutes

Daniel Gastelu covers a wide range of training and nutrition topics and insights. He gives updates on important research findings and tips on improving your nutrition and training programs.

Highlights:
Most thorough lat exercises from research
Athlete diets deficient in calories in addition to basic nutrients and performance
Glucose and workout energy for performance for Powerlifters and Bodybuilders & how to use (i.e. keep it diluted and start consuming pre workout)
Psyching up..is it important to training performance?
Stretching and strength & flexibility

Listen to the last piece on the body makeover if you want interesting insight on growing more muscle....Especially as he contemplates as he says" the 1 bodypart per week mode...I don't know where this comes from...but you need to constantly evaluate your potential!"

If you want to talk about anything you hear...post a comment in this tread!
Remember this is a moderated forum so comments may not immediately appear.

There are 22 topics in this series and I will put the links to them in here later...

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this was great dan!

but i'm thinking that you shouldnt drink a glucose drink [i.e. gatorade] on days that you are doing cardio after your workout, because the purpose of waiting for post workout cardio is so that your muscle glycogen is depleted, but like he said, drinking enough water is key.

my personal favorite thing from this episode is where he said, get rid of the leftovers. i find this to be totally true, you shouldnt keep the leftovers, because if you do you will be tempted to eat them.

you only look as good as you feel

Comments:

1) Best lat exercise is weight assisted lat pulldowns according to the show based on EKG (most targed muscle used).  However, I would say this is NOT the best exercise you can do if you want muscle mass.

The best lat exercise according to Jeff Anderson's Optimum Anabolics program (also based on EKG research) is assisted wide arm chin up followed by assisted chin up followed by hanging rows (barbell rows).

This is where the comment was confusing to me. 

Why?

Because based on an EKG only, the best exercise for the lat's is a weighted lat pulldown.

However, based on real world experience, that isn't the BEST exercise for barn door lats.

Of course, all of us reading this will agree that a combination of many lat exercises is optimal but the comment makes you think that weight lat pulldowns are the best when in fact they really are not.

I guess if the Best is defined as an EKG reading, maybe but it was confusing.  I could have heard it wrong as well or mis-understood what Daniel was trying to say with that.

It was a short part of the show and he moved on quickly.  Daniel did make mention of pullups and chinups as well so I know he understands the importance of variety in your workouts.

Everything else sounded great.  I agree that psyched up workouts are so much better!

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

but i'm thinking that you shouldnt drink a glucose drink [i.e. gatorade] on days that you are doing cardio after your workout, because the purpose of waiting for post workout cardio is so that your muscle glycogen is depleted, but like he said, drinking enough water is key.

That is absolutely right.  You might consume a pre workout carb drink to ensure you had adequate carbs for a serious workout..but would not replenish carbs again until after the cardio.
 
If you are trying to lose fat..that is if you are in a fat loss mode vs. a muscle gain mode, you would not likely use pre  and/or post workout carbs.
 

I could have heard it wrong as well or mis-understood what Daniel was trying to say with that.

 
"Most thorough lat exercises from research"  meaning the medium/wide grip pull dowm/pullup activated more total muscle fibers for a sinlge movement. 
 
I completely agre with you Marc.  There is not a "Best" and not an "Only" exercise...
"...a combination of many lat exercises is optimal..."
 
That has certainly been my experience!

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my personal favorite thing from this episode is where he said, get rid of the leftovers. i find this to be totally true, you shouldnt keep the leftovers, because if you do you will be tempted to eat them.

 
LOL..now if someone cooks a turkey...I take it all...I eat that whole thing up in a few days!

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hmmmm, I was lukewarm on this first episode.

I wish he would've given us more details about the studies (you know me, eternal skeptic).  Journals, sample sizes, controls, etc.

I found him a bit unfocussed, tripping from one topic to another.

I've been throwing away naughty leftovers for years (or informing a certain other inhabitant of my abode that he is "in charge" of them, and if I come near them, he is free to "shoot at will").

While there was nothing really revolutionary in there for me, it was good to hear a lot of the information again.  I have a thick skull!

The most frustrating part was the "psyching up" study.  What did he mean by "psyching up"?  How does one control the "psyched up" cohort's, um, "psyching up"?  And how do I psych up?  He had a great opportunity in there to give some information that would've been really good for me--I'm not the greatest "psycher-upper"--but it was just a description of the study and the recommendation of "do it."  Argh.  Potentially the most valuable part for me to put in my training, and I have no bearings.  I can't even look up the study he cited to learn on my own.

"If there's nothing else that's relevant, I'll be leaving now"

"Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground"

hmmmm, I was lukewarm on this first episode.  While there was nothing really revolutionary in there for me, it was good to hear a lot of the information again.  I have a thick skull!

Keeping in mind that you are very well read!
 
I would have to come up with some really novel tips to give you a "revolutionery" experience!
 

I found him a bit unfocussed, tripping from one topic to another.

He gets more focused in his manner of speaking...or did I get use to it?
 
He taught science at Rutgers and reminds me of one of my science professors in that tangential stpeaking way!
 

I wish he would've given us more details about the studies (you know me, eternal skeptic).  Journals, sample sizes, controls, etc.

I think he wanted to skirt the technical details to allow for more info flow...but he answers emails and if you want a reference he will probably give it to you.
 

The most frustrating part was the "psyching up" study.

I was wanting more info on that too.  I trained a basebal team in Japan using a psyching up methodology that made them play like animals and they won the playoff by a huge point margin...I always wondered if it was only that factor that made the difference for them.
 
I asked him for the reference on that, so I will post it when I get it!
 
I thought it was worth noting that your carb drink consumed during the workout needed to be diluted or it bogged down in the digestion.  So just popping 1/2 a banana or grapes or pure juice would not be ideal.
 
Another thing he mentioned, which I also found in my own diet studies, was that many people are deficient in calories and almost everyone is deficient and nutrients!  That is not too bad for a sedentary person..but in a physique athlete like us...that will effect results and we wont see optimal performance in this state!

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"PSYCHING UP It is important to mentally psyche up before attempting a heavy lift. Based on my experience, I'd say the difference between psyched and unpsyched lifing is about a 10-20% drop in strength, plus the weight feels ponderous and heavy when there is no psyche. Proper psyching should put you in a state of extreme rage or fear---the primitive emotions. By the time you start the lift, the conscious mind should be completely shut down---there is no thought, and then even no emotion. You want to completely lose your mind, and perform the lift using only instinct. When you can reach this state (it takes a lot of practice), there will be no physical sensation at all during the lift---your body is numb, you are not aware of your limbs, you may lose your sense of hearing as well, and for that brief time there is just a direct link between the mind and the muscles, with out the normal conscious interface. Its a pretty weird mental state, one that cant be reached any other way than by putting extreme demands on your body.
Many people try to psyche up by making a ruckus---they swear, stomp around, have people slap them, bang their heads on the wall, yell at themselves, etc. But, its really all in your mind. I advocate the silent psyche. Keep it in your mind. I look totally calm on the outside while psyching up, but inside there is a violent storm raging in the brain."
http://home.datacomm.ch/ssimmen/barry.htm#pysch

That "before attempting a heavy lift" psyching would not be ideal for every workout session.  You don't want to engage the "fight or flight" response for all your training.  That would make you good at producing cortisol...which is catabolic.
 
There is a way to engage the mind in a positively aggressive way that is extremely beneficial on an ongoing basis.

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Greg,

Here is the abstract for that.

...if you look up the original..maybe you could share what a "free choice psych up" and "a cognitive distraction" are!

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 599–603.


“Psyching-Up” Enhances Force Production During the Bench Press Exercise

Tod, D.A., K.F. Iredale, M.R. McGuigan, D.E.O. Strange, and N. Gill. “Psyching-up” enhances force production during the bench press exercise. J. Strength Cond. Res. 19(3): 599–603. 2005.—We investigated the effect of “psyching-up” on force production during the bench press. Twelve men (mean age ± SD: 27.4 ± 11.2 years) and 8 women (20.9 ± 2.5 years) with strength-training experience performed 5 bench press repetitions on a modified Biodex isokinetic dynamometer during 3 interventions. The interventions were counterbalanced and included a free-choice psych-up, a cognitive distraction, and an attention-placebo. Peak force recorded after psyching-up (mean ± SD: 764 ± 269 N·m) was significantly different from both distraction (703 ± 282 N·m, p = 0.003) and attention-placebo (708 ± 248 N·m, p = 0.01). The mean percentage increase in peak force from distraction to psyching-up was 11.8% (6 to 18%, 95% confidence interval [CI]) and 8.1% from placebo to psyching-up (3 to 13%, 95% CI). The results of the present study indicate that psyching-up may increase force production during the bench press exercise in participants with at least 1 year strength-training experience.

Dan i was wondering, what do u think about calorie/carb cycling when cutting?

it's something ive always done but right now i've been cutting and i decided to see how it would work without cycling.  according to my waist measurements i've lost a little over 1/2in. and it says +1.8lb. LBM and -2lb. fat which is good
but my calipers are saying a lot worse than that, basically no change at all which is really aggravating.

anyway so whats ur opinion on cycling when ur cutting?

It is not 100% essential.  It is simply one tool.
You will find that you can get quite a bit of mileage out of doing many different things.

I am not sure if you are referring to changing the calories from day to day...but even that is a tool.

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ORIGINAL: danmirage

It is not 100% essential.  It is simply one tool.
You will find that you can get quite a bit of mileage out of doing many different things.

I am not sure if you are referring to changing the calories from day to day...but even that is a tool.

well i was referring to having a "high carb" or "high calorie" once in a while. In my past cuts i've done a higher calorie day once a week, once every 5 days, and a higher carb day every 4 days.
that last one seemed to work well with the caliper results where as this one seems to be getting me good results with waist measurements but not much else.

so what do u think? i'm worried at this point starting to have carb up days would screw with my body after being on a steady deficit for the past 4 weeks.
maybe i should have something like 400 calories more on workout days

also what do u do for cutting?