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.

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 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 multiple 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Here is the Twenty fourth audio in the series.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bulkingpodcast2.htm
December 2006  
36 minutes

What is it about?
This week, your host Dan Gastelu reviews the science of bulking nutrition, right down to the cellular level. This review includes applying his Dynamic Nutrition for Maximum Performance and Performance daily intake models.

In addition, Dan reviews macronutrient composition and caloric intake modulation for bulking, and nutrition basics for before, during and after resistance training sessions.

Dan also covers the importance of creating a scientifically-based nutrition and supplement foundation for best year-round bodybuilding training, in the bulking period and contest season too, and the newest development in nutrition, called "nutrient signaling".

The concept of "selective bulking" is then reviewed to experience double (or more) increases in lean body composition. Don't miss this seminar! Did you miss Part 1? Click here for the first part of this series.


My favorite Highlights: 
Keep your nutrition "clean" year round

Macronutrient mixtures MATTER!
What you need optimally is personal!

Glycogen/Glucose is key for workout perfomance and protein synthesis
Give the body what it needs for performance!

Intakes of proper nutrients signal the body to be more anabolic
Don't miss meals!

HYDRATION!  Carry your water!

Research on supplements is generally not in a comprehensive context.  ("the single study wonder")

Keep your body efficient at burning fat, which improves muscle building.

High saturated fats increase cellular saturated fat which increases inflamitory conditions...which is anti-anabolic

Modulate diet if bodyfat begins to increase with caloric increase

Fructose is not ideal for workouts
Use diluted glucose/amino acid (BCAA) beverage for workout

Dont eat post workout meal until after the muscle cools down

Diet needs to be DYNAMIC based on what you are doing.
Caloric tables tend to underestimate energy expenditure.

More meals can increase insulin levels which can increase fat accumulation..so watch what you eat!

The better you do everything (training, diet, rest, supplementation) the better your results!

Find what works best for you!
You are individual!


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 more topics in this series and I will put the links to them in here later...

ORIGINAL: danmirage


My favorite Highlights: 
Keep your nutrition "clean" year round

HYDRATION!  Carry your water!

Dont eat post workout meal until after the muscle cools down

 
could you talk about those three please?

hi, this is the email i originally tried to get to dan but i never got a response maybe you can help me out........


hi dan, i listened to your podcasts on bulking and was really blown away. i realy want to apply you techniques but i have some questions. ok here we go...

1.i know that you recommend only 5 meals when bulking to keep daily insulin increases down to a minimum. when you say 5 meals does that mean 5 meals and then maybe a pro shake on the side somewhere or just 5 times a day putting cals altogether into you system?

2.how often should i bump up my cals and how much? i know you said to start off i will bump them up about 10 percent from my maintenance. but then i also remember you saying somewhere that i would be getting them up to 4 or 5 grand. how do i know when to bump them up and do you recommend a constant bump up everytime i plateau on lbm gain no matter what?

3.i remember you said that it is important to wait to put cals into your system after your workout abot 30 mins to 1 hour because of the blood redirection that would occur when you eat away from your pumped up muscles, but are you saying no pro shake right after too? or just an actual food meal?

4.what supps should i take in the begining and throughout the 3 month bulk and when is the best time to take them?

5.during the bulk prep when you take a week or 2 completely off from working out can i still do cardio and like light calistenics to stay in shape? im just afraid of having to down my cals so much due to being so inactive, i really like to eat ha ha.

6.how long should i wait in between sets during my workout? and also would it be the same rest time for smaller muscles like biceps tris etc?

7.when do you bring in drop sets, pause sets, etc if at all?

8.during the bulk i know that you said that no cardio at all is recommended. well, what would be the maximum amount one can do and not saccrifice major muscle gains?

9.do you want every single meal to fall into the 30/55/15 profile? or just the total at the end of the day?

10.i remember you mentioned carnitine. when would be the best brand of that that you recommend and when should i take it?

11.if i do the 3 day on 1 day off split how would you recommend i pair up muscles? should i always hit my area i want to improve the most on the 1st day of each cycle?

heres my stats i would really appreciate it if you could give me advice as you see fit.

age. 28
wt 160
bf % 5
areas wanting improve most ... calves/legs/traps/delts
workout split: 6 days a week mon-sat with sunday off/ day 1 chest back bi calves/ day2 shoulder traps tris calves/ day 3 legs glutes calves
(i usualy about 5 days a week do 30 mins of cardio on an elliptical trainer later in the evening)


right now im eating about 3600-3750 cals for maintenance. im on my feet alot of the day on top of my wt training workouts and cardio so im able to eat this much and keep my wt and bf the same.
i know though that if im cutting down the amount of time i spend lifting wts(i usually do a circuit training style where i go about 8-12 reps for about 2 hours straight) and cutting down my cardio that im not gonna be able to eat quite as much.
ive bulked b4 starting at 147 and 5%bf. i went up to about 189 at 11 % and decided to cut from thier leaving the end result at 160 at 5%. id like to be 185 at 5%. can you give me a program that guides me through? id really appreciate it. i really like to be able to take in alot of food without putting on fat or messing with my body comp ,thats why i try to be so active so that i can break even right now. but im ready for the next bulking transformation to happen and i really like what you had to say on the podcast . well i really hope this is a situation you can help me out personally with. hope to hear back from you soon. thanks a million!!--roger

ORIGINAL: bklynboy

ORIGINAL: danmirage


My favorite Highlights: 
Keep your nutrition "clean" year round

HYDRATION!  Carry your water!

Dont eat post workout meal until after the muscle cools down

could you talk about those three please?

Keep your nutrition "clean" refers to eating real, whole, fresh, foods vs. processed, fast, junk foods.

Carry your water means, NEVER leave home without it.  I have an extra bottle of water everywhere I go.  I pick up water and only go for the extra bottle if I can ot get water.  Keep water coming in ALL day!
 
AFter your last set, do a cool down before you take your PWO.  The blood is in the peripheral muscles and not in the digestion.  So cool down and wait for the heart rate to drop and muscle to cool a bit.  For me this takes 20 minutes after my cooldown cardio.  I can feel it.
 
Pay attention or watch your heat rate a few days and you will get an idea how long it is for you. 
 
Then you will know for life.
 
Questions?

The reason Dan did not reply is that people pay him for this type of complete answer. This is what we do professionally.  Your job is to get the majority of this answered from either study or hiring a pro to guide you through and then we can answer short questions!
 
Let me take a quick swing at this!
 

ORIGINAL: rogerking

hi, this is the email i originally tried to get to dan but i never got a response maybe you can help me out........


hi dan, i listened to your podcasts on bulking and was really blown away. i realy want to apply you techniques but i have some questions. ok here we go...

1.i know that you recommend only 5 meals when bulking to keep daily insulin increases down to a minimum. when you say 5 meals does that mean 5 meals and then maybe a pro shake on the side somewhere or just 5 times a day putting cals altogether into you system?
 
5 complete meals not counting the Pre and post workout supplementation.

2.how often should i bump up my cals and how much? i know you said to start off i will bump them up about 10 percent from my maintenance. but then i also remember you saying somewhere that i would be getting them up to 4 or 5 grand. how do i know when to bump them up and do you recommend a constant bump up everytime i plateau on lbm gain no matter what?

When your muscle gain slows.  Read my gaining mass thread, it is long, but at the bottom I discuss how/when to make alterations in diet...gives you an idea.


3.i remember you said that it is important to wait to put cals into your system after your workout abot 30 mins to 1 hour because of the blood redirection that would occur when you eat away from your pumped up muscles, but are you saying no pro shake right after too? or just an actual food meal?

Look at answer to questions by other poster above


4.what supps should i take in the begining and throughout the 3 month bulk and when is the best time to take them?

Diet first.  Basics second (multi, EFAs), pre and post workout nutrition third, creatine monohydrate (everyday same time, time is immaterial) fourth... 

 
5.during the bulk prep when you take a week or 2 completely off from working out can i still do cardio and like light calistenics to stay in shape? im just afraid of having to down my cals so much due to being so inactive, i really like to eat ha ha.

Completely off.  Your calories in should drop a bit accross the board! When you return you calories to grow will be slightly lowered!

6.how long should i wait in between sets during my workout? and also would it be the same rest time for smaller muscles like biceps tris etc?
 
That is a training variable that you can modify to keep training intensity up.  So there is no SET answer to that, though some people will give you one due to ignorance.
 
For strength, yes a 2 minute rest lets you do a max weight again.  But you can vary the rest for hypertrophy from 120 seconds to 30 seconds...a watch your intensity shoot through the roof!


7.when do you bring in drop sets, pause sets, etc if at all?

That is a training variable that you can modify to keep training intensity up.  So there is no SET answer to that, though some people will give you one due to ignorance. 


8.during the bulk i know that you said that no cardio at all is recommended. well, what would be the maximum amount one can do and not saccrifice major muscle gains?
 
Depends on the makeup of your body's muscle fiber type preference.  Make the training intense.  Do a 5-7 minute gradual warm up and gradual coodown of the same duration and leave it at that for a full bulk cycle.

9.do you want every single meal to fall into the 30/55/15 profile? or just the total at the end of the day?
 
That can be one Nutrient ratio you use.  Try to keep each meal within 5%+- of each target.  And the day within 5%+-

10.i remember you mentioned carnitine. when would be the best brand of that that you recommend and when should i take it?

That would be for the slight (1/10th of 1%) edge when cutting or to stay lean when bulking....Acytyl-L-Carnitine.  But you have to take at least 3 grams a day!
 
"It is derived from L-carnitine, and is synthesized in the brain and the liver by an enzyme called acetyl-L-carnitine-transferase.
In addition to its ability to transmit signals across nerve cells, and its potential role in offsetting the destructive symptoms of Alzheimers, ACL limits tissue breakdown by reducing cortisol levels in the blood. It also increases Leutenizing Hormone (LH) which leads to a natural testosterone increase and more recent research seems to suggest it might actually increase IGF-1 levels. Increasing IGF-1 is one of the properties of Growth Hormone.
Part of the challenge in supplemeting with Acetyl L-Carnitine is the low dosages in commercially sold products. Most people would need to supplement with at least 3 grams per day to see positive benefit to ALC supplementation." You can take two 750 mg capsules twice per day.
 
Do you need it?  NO!!


11.if i do the 3 day on 1 day off split how would you recommend i pair up muscles? should i always hit my area i want to improve the most on the 1st day of each cycle?
 
Vary the training.  Use common splits!  Do the weakest link first, yes!

heres my stats i would really appreciate it if you could give me advice as you see fit.

age. 28
wt 160
bf % 5
areas wanting improve most ... calves/legs/traps/delts
 
Do the weakest link first,


workout split: 6 days a week mon-sat with sunday off/ day 1 chest back bi calves/ day2 shoulder traps tris calves/ day 3 legs glutes calves
(i usualy about 5 days a week do 30 mins of cardio on an elliptical trainer later in the evening)
 
Drop the cardio, Vary the routine.  Get more rest frequently.


right now im eating about 3600-3750 cals for maintenance. im on my feet alot of the day on top of my wt training workouts and cardio so im able to eat this much and keep my wt and bf the same.
i know though that if im cutting down the amount of time i spend lifting wts(i usually do a circuit training style where i go about 8-12 reps for about 2 hours straight)
 
Don't go over 60+- minutes for the lifting...otherwise you are in cortisol country!  That is CATABOLIC!  Get in get it done and get out!
 
and cutting down my cardio that im not gonna be able to eat quite as much.
ive bulked b4 starting at 147 and 5%bf. i went up to about 189 at 11 % and decided to cut from thier leaving the end result at 160 at 5%. id like to be 185 at 5%. can you give me a program that guides me through? id really appreciate it. i really like to be able to take in alot of food without putting on fat or messing with my body comp ,thats why i try to be so active so that i can break even right now. but im ready for the next bulking transformation to happen and i really like what you had to say on the podcast . well i really hope this is a situation you can help me out personally with. hope to hear back from you soon. thanks a million!!--roger
 

 
OK?

awesome dan! thanks so much for taking the time to go through my super long email. im really looking forward to going through this program . oh yeah, one more thing, is there an actual limit to how long a bulk should last or is it just judged by how long you can stand having alittle extra bodyfat? id like to suck it up and really try and push through this for eight months or so and really put on quality mass. would you say that would be too long, like my system will only grow for so long?

There is not a limit per se.
However, you DO want to cycle through various training segments so that the training is changing frequently to keep the gains ongoing.
 
There is a reduced rate of return for training if you do not keep the stimuli fresh.
 
Even bodyfat gains choulds be minimal and you can even lose some as you go...

ok cool. so for example switch things up like adding drop sets, rest pause, forced reps, switch up the order that i perform the exercises, and always make sure to go heavy intensity the first 3 day cycle, then the 2nd half of the week go medium intensity with maybe some extra reps. maybe switch the rest time between sets etc?

Read that gaining mass link in my sig.
 
There are Variation links in it that describe the general idea.
 
The idea is to create a plan with built in progression.  Not just weight!
Cycles within cycles of change that keeps your body adapting.

cool. ok, i have a few more questions.
1.do you recommend a pro shake b4 bed or will your body more then likely just store it as fat?
2.what effect would taking a fat burner have during a bulking cycle?
3.is it ok to eat carbs at night with your last meal as long as its in the right percentages with pro and fats?i noticed alot of bodybuilders cut there carbs in the evening and mainly eat protein.
4.is it bad to take in a high amount of fiber through your diet while bulking? say like 70 gms a day?
5.does overheating foods change fiber content? what about if you heat up oatmeal with protein powder, will the pro powder become retarded somehow and have a lower bv?
6.i have a buddy that is bulking and his main carb is oatmeal but he thinks it might make him retain alot of water cause of the heavy water content in the oats after its cooked, is this possible?
7. i noticed in your section that spoke about how to switch your routines up the part about going to a dbl split where you might hit a bigger muscle group in the am and a smaller one in the evening. so this is cool to do as long as you have a pre and post wo meal b4 and following each wo? that sounds pretty cool, and i have the time with my job schedule.

1
I recommend a complete meal (as defined in my gaining mass thread) within 3 hours of bed.  Save the protein for pre and post workout.
 
2
Wasting money.  There is no such thing as a fat burner.  Muscle is the place on the body where fat is burned.  If you are gaining too much fat, look at your recovery, diet, sleep, stress, etc...
 
3
Again a balanced meal.  There are a few people who can do the taper of carbs and be ok...but carbs HELP you to gain muscle!!!  So why drop them.  Just eat unprocessed.  BALANED meals. Proper nutrint ratio for you and your goal.
 
4
You should not exceed 35 grams roughly of fiber a day.  More can interfere with nutrient absorbtion, cause bloating and etc.
 
5
Fiber is not altered by normal cooking.  The Bv of proteins is generally fine while cooking at normal temps.
 
6
No.  However there is a lot of fiber and he could bloat.  Also maybe it has high salt, sugar, or flavor content which CAN make you hold water.  Also, some people are allergic to oats (very few) and they can retain water from the allergic response.
 
7.
Double splits are awesome as long as you a) get enough recovery and b) can sleep at night.
If you can't sleep...it is not for you!  Keep the training time per session below 40 minutes.  Make sure to allow enough recovery for each muscle you train before hitting it again.
 
Double splitting will raise your metabolism...so watch your LBM.  yes, PWO for each session.  That should balance out the caloric jump.

when is it more important to take in glutimine? pre or post wo? breakfast or bedtime?

What is it that you want the glutamine to do for you?
What do you think it does?
 

thats what i was asking you.

I won't go into it all now.

In short glutamine can:
Feed the gut and aid the body in dealing with stress
Provide Energy for muscles
Act as a mild Volumizing agent for muscle
In low dosages, stimulate GH release

If you were cutting, these might be more important.
When you bulk your body is awash with glutamine.

In short, it is a tiny, tiny player in a big orchestra.