When Doing The Diet, Training is Fundamental

In the several books I have read over the past few months that focus on Natural Bodybuilding (no drugs), all have a common theme; diet is 80% of the battle and the physical effort (training), only 20%. What you need to understand is that this 20% effort will require 80% of your energy. And, even though your goals may not include bodybuilding, or any other type of sports training, these books DO provide an insight into how diet and exercise are used to control the ratio between fat and lean mass. And, it is fundamental that you understand this 80/20 relationship. because if you don’t include that 20%, the 80% diet will be a wasted. In pursuit of normal, in pursuit of That Last 10 Pounds, some form of training will always be required.

I mentioned in one of my resent blogs that I was going to give the concepts outlined in Lyle McDonald’s e-book, Ultimate Diet 2 (UD2), a shot and see how they worked. So over a four week period, I stuck to the carb cycling and the training protocols he recommends. Also keep in mind, I have been performing his Stubborn Fat Protocol 2.0 twice a week since late May and have found it to be an excellent cardio routine. I usually complete the HIIT portion on an upright stationary bike (a spinner) and when I am done; my legs feel so full, almost at bursting pressure. I call this routine the Widow Maker, and after 7 to 10 HIIT bouts plus another 5 k on the treadmill, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

As far as the suggestions from UD2, because of traveling between Beijing and Taiwan there have been some limitations. Examples; in Beijing I am over eating and in Taiwan I am under eating, in Beijing limited gym and in Taiwan full gym.

Specifically with diet, in Beijing I eat 3 meals, breakfast in the hotel, lunch at the client company’s cafeteria and dinner back at the hotel. The hotel serves smorgasbord type meals that are very convenient and very good; I just hope Lyle can forgive me for eating 4 lamb chops, asparagus tips, grilled peppers/onions/squash/eggplant plus a full salad and sashimi for dinner. And they generally bring around a small lobster tail to pick at as part of the event. So to keep the carbs at bay, I skip the dinner roll, mashed potatoes and try to ignore the desert tray. This is my low carb dinner, I digress…..

Basically, during this four week experiment, the diet was NOT well planned. I thought about what I ate but I did not pay attention to total calories or strict macronutrient levels, other than carbohydrates. And based on the UD2 carb recommendations, on Low carb days, I was never above 75 grams total and generally below 50. On carb loading Friday, I did not make it above 200 grams until the third week and that’s when I discovered the overload (glycogen/water overcompensation); arms and legs full, nice pump, skin was tight and carrying an overall well defined look. Cool Beans!!!

Folks, the carb load IS the point where you re-stoke your metabolic furnace. This is where your low carb metabolism starts to level out; plateau. But if you fuel up (carb up) after a depletion cycle you will reap the benefits of your training efforts. You will look and feel better than normal.

One more note of dietary discovery; the first four days of the program are designed to drop your total glycogen levels with the fifth day set up to re-fuel (carb-up). However, on the fourth day, 1 1/2 hours prior to the 80% workout, you will want to have a snack or meal that includes a pretty good loading of lower GI carbohydrates (half a bowl of oatmeal anyone?) and, I would recommend that 30 minutes prior to picking up a weight, a hand-full of fast digesting, high sugar carbs. I used ‘craisins’ but I think anything from M&M’s to a sweetened sports drink would do the trick. Anything less and about half way through the workout you may find yourself struggling to make the heavier lifts.

As far as the general diet and exercise routines over the four week period, my notes are;

Day	Diet	Routine	Notes
Sunday	Normal Meals	AM, Widow Maker	Week 1; This may be a bit much at the end of the week.
			Week 2; HIIT bouts harder to complete. Still doing 6 to 7 bouts and shooting for 10. SS portion and the 5 IT’s are OK. Still shooting for 25 minutes SS.
			Week 3; OK. 7 HIIT bouts plus 25 minutes. Could have gone 30 easy. And completed 5 IT’s at 10 and 11. What I find amazing is the leg pump after the HIIT, my shorts are so tight.
			Week 4; Very Low Power on the HIIT (7 bouts) still pretty good pump and the SS run was a bit weak. Still covered 4.5 k on the rum (25 min). Again, kept SS above 8 k/h, this gives best heart rate (130 – 150 bpm). Any slower and I feel it just isn’t quite enough.
Monday	Low Calorie, Low (No) Carb	AM, 20 Minute Cardio Splits** PM, High Volume Weights, Lower	Week 1; PM - Need to increase from 4 sets to maybe 6 evening lift.
			Week 2; None
			Week 3; AM - Cardio OK, fatigued but very doable.  PM - High Volume leg’s was a killer. Weight good at 60%, just the different level of discomfort. Added another set of squats (heal raised).
			Week 4; AM – Cardio OK, 20 minute slits perfect for this. PM - Legs High Volume, pretty beat; woozy and a bit of that ‘almost nausea’ feeling. At the end, legs were a burning and very heavy.
Tuesday	Low Calorie, Low (No) Carb	AM, 20 Minute Cardio Splits** PM, High Volume Weights, Upper	Week 1; None
			Week 2; AM - Cardio a real pain, still not recovered from Sunday. PM - None
			Week 3; AM - Cardio still very rough, barely recovered from previous day 20 minute splits. PM - 60% upper Volume split a bit slower (fatigued) than expected. However made it work.
			Week 4; AM - Very flat. I felt like there was more but didn’t dare push it. Very fatigued, brain static; when I got to bike, missed an interval timing point. PM – Found routine very flat. Some power, limited pump, just going through the motions.
Wednesday	Low Calorie, Low (No) Carb	AM, Widow Maker	Week 1; None
			Week 2; None
			Week 3; HIIT bouts still are killer (completed 8) and SS portion could have gone to 30 min. Sunday Widow Maker after Saturday evening Full Body is difficult but Wednesday is better with a 24 hour break for legs. After Widow Maker, felt wimpy and deflated. This lasted well into Thursday.
			Week 4; 8 HIIT bouts but very limited power (on the weak side, good leg pump but less than Sunday), however, did make my 5 k goal SS and end game IT, the secret – 30 Minutes SS above 8 k/h and keep the IT’s at 10 k/h or better. Again, after Widow Maker, felt wimpy and deflated.
Thursday	AM Low Carb, PM Start Re-feed	AM, 30 Min Light Hills Recumbent PM, 80% RM Heavy Lift***	Week 1; PM - Add light opposing lifts during 4 minute rest.
			Week 2; None
			Week 3; AM – Recumbent Bike perfect morning WO for this routine, went from 20 to 30 minute, will increase to 40. PM – Based on failure previous week at 90% think not eating enough carbs prior to Thursday workout. Added Bagel and ‘craisins’ to 30 min pre workout. Felt Great at 80%. The Key is Carb Up before this work out. However, ‘craisins’ with loads of added sugar is not the best choice!!!
			Week 4; AM - cardio very slow, still not fully recovered from Widow Maker, even with 24 hour break.  In other words met a single goal (5 k) and suffer on the rest? Or could it be the carb restriction? PM - Remembered to carb up prior to training session. Dead’s felt strong at 120, however bench failed at 85 (too many warm up’s, not enough rest between sets? Not enough carbs?).
Friday	Hi Carb All Day, Mega Water	AM, 45 to 60 Min Slow Run Cardio (<8 k/h)	Week 1; None
			Week 2; Back To Taiwan. Very stiff after run (lower back) Maybe too much Deadlift, maybe just fatigue from flight and new routines.
			Week 3; This run not nearly as bad as last one, no lower back stiffness, 45 minute and a very slow 7.5 k/h. Finished 5.5 k; slowest 5k I think I have ever run.
			Week 4; AM – Cardio reduced from planned 45 minute slow run (7 k/h) to 30 minutes and 15 minute fast walk – inside knee joint very stiff (Tibia Collateral Ligament). Don’t need an overuse injury.
Saturday	AM Hi Carb taper to Normal Meals by PM	AM, 30 Min Light Hills Recumbent PM, 90% RM Heavy Lift***	Week 1; None
			Week 2; PM – Failed at 3 reps on heaviest Dead’s, had to drop weight 10 kg. Added light opposing lifts during 4 minute rest. Overhead Lever Row
			Week 3; AM - 30 minute bike ride, slow hills. Push to 40 next week. PM - 90% lift OK for 4 reps highest weight. Pyramid sets, starting with just the bar. Got 4 good dead lift reps out of 130Kg and 2 sets of 8 at 120, bench felt strong at 90. However, by the time I made it to the squats and rows, fatigued. Either too many deadlifts or not enough carbs.
			Week 4; AM – Cardio pretty good, not real strong but doable. Recovered from knee issue. PM – Very Strong, longer rest periods and fewer warm ups. Made 130 X 6 and 130 X 5 plus 90 bench.

  

* The actual workouts are posted and downloadable. Upper right corner of this Web Page.

** 20 minute cardio splits are 40 minute workout routines; 20 minutes on the treadmill at fast jog (for me this anything under my 5 k race pace or between 7 and 9.9 k/h) and the second 20 on an upright bike (spinner) doing simple 1 minute on 2 minute off intervals at the MAX load setting on and an easy load setting off.

*** 80% and 90% RM routines are based on 4 exercise whole body routines at 80 and 90% 1RM. However, I am not lifting in that weight range; more like 60 and 70% of calculated 1RM. At this level, what I shoot for is 8 reps (strict form) for the 80% and 4 clean reps for the 90%. With both of these routines, I give myself a 4 minute rest between sets. And I pyramid up to and down from the top weight for a total of 6 to 8 sets per exercise. Also, because of boredom between sets (4 minutes is an eternity in my book), I’ll generally do a couple of light sets (30 to 40% 1RM) of opposing or other body part lifts; just something to kill time and stay warm. The 4 base exercises are; deadlifts (full floor to upright), flat bench press (4” from sternum), squat (ass to grass) and barbell row (neutral grip). Last note; because of the long rest period, this workout stretches into a 2 hour session.

Prior to this four week endeavor, I weighed on an InBody 220 bio-impedance scale at the local Word Gym in Taiwan. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, these rigs have a tendency to be inaccurate for a one time check. However, as far as gaging (trending) an improvement or a plateau, it should be just as accurate as any other Body Fat measuring protocol.

So after the four weeks, how did Lyle McDonald’s recommendation work out? Well see for yourself; all skinfolds down with a WOW factor on my lower stomach and thighs. I can’t reach my ‘love handles’ but from what I can see in the mirror, they look a bit smaller. Why the WOW factor; I have not seen a decrease in my thigh skinfold in over 3 years and my lower stomach, my man pooch, has always been a problem area. So to verify what I saw with calipers and in the mirror, I again weighed in at the World Gym’s InBody 220 Fat-O-Meter.

Boy was I surprised with the results from this weigh in; I didn’t see a fat loss and in fact, body fat percentage didn’t budge, it stayed the same. So what did I see? I saw a total weight gain; there was 0.5 kg of fat gain and 1 kg of lean gain. Overall, the InBody 220 shows an improvement on body fat only because there was 2 to 1 gain in lean mass. This is actually good news because it shows a lean muscle gain in a 58 year old male subject. And anytime you can put weight on a middle aged individual that isn’t 100% body fat, you’re doing good!!!!

So how do I interoperate the difference between what skinfolds tell me and the bio-impedance indication? You really can’t because they are based on different technologies, different statistical models and different algorithms. However, they do give you a range. And because both methods are highly inaccurate, skinfold and the low side and bio-impedance high, your actual percent body fat should fall somewhere near the middle. So for this trial, I am assuming a starting level of 16% and ending at 14.5%.

My qualitative assessment (my subjective opinion) of performance over the four week period;

• I made a net improvement on body fat.
• There was a positive lean mass increase.

So in a four week time period, concentrating only on carb intake (volume and timing) and a dedicated training (volume and timing) effort, you can initiate noticeable and positive changes. Just think what you could accomplish in 8 or 12 weeks? And just think what you could accomplish if you actually paid attention to calorie intake?

	Starting	Finishing
Skin Folds
Pectoral	10 mm	8 mm
Abdomens	12 mm	9 mm
Thigh	14 mm	10 mm (WOW!!)
Lower Stomach ** (unofficial)	14 mm	12 mm (WOW!!)
Calculated Body Fat ***	14%	11%
InBody 220 **** Body Fat	14.5 kg (18%)	15.1 kg (18.2%)
InBody 220 **** Lean Mass	37.8 kg	38.6 kg
InBody 220 **** Weight	81 kg	83.1 kg

                       

** Lower Stomach; below and just to the left of the navel, typical ‘man pooch’ area. I lovingly call mine, ‘my wine pouch’!!! And this is the first time I have ever seen a skinfold change in this area change.

*** Calculated Body Fat based on 3 point skin fold; pectoral, abdomen and thigh, and age compensated. Lower stomach is not part of the calculation but in my opinion a good check point since it is difficult to see progress in that area.

**** ‘InBody 220’ Bio-Impedance Scan, They have one of these at the Taichung World Gym.

So how about my strength indicating KPI’s; how did they fair? Remember these are calculated 1RM to bodyweight ratio’s and are used to gage lean mass;

• Deadlift; before = 1.85 and after = 1.84
• Bench; before = 1.38 and after = 1.35

Based on these numbers, there is reasonable assurance that nothing was lost in the strength department. Another positive indication.

I will have to say Lyle’s thoughts on nutrient partitioning and timing are on the mark. Losing fat and maintaining muscle or gaining muscle without gaining fat is possible; to a certain degree. The basic limitations are; 1) starting point body fat percentage and 2) initial fitness level. If you are north of 20% body fat (25% for the girls) I would diet down first. And, if you don’t feel comfortable benching, squatting and deadlifting a minimum of your own body weigh plus being able to run a 5 k whenever the urge arises, then I could not recommend the listed level of training. It would be too challenging. 

Bottom line; this is a 7 day a week program with training scheduled twice a day and consisting of morning cardio and afternoon resistance routines. And even though training is advertised at only 20% of any Fat loss program, training will consume 80% of your energy. Throw in diligently tracking macronutrients and dramatically restricting calories, I would then have to classify the entire process as ‘Extremely Difficult’ and not for a beginner. In fact, I would say that anyone who thinks they have even an intermediate level of fitness may be surprised by the difficulty of the effort. However, anything less and I doubt you could get to or maintain a body fat ratio much lower than 15%. Now if you had a team to support your efforts, say a dietitian and maybe a training partner/coach, the whole process would be significantly easier.

So for those of you that climb up on stage to show the world your Drug-Free accomplishments in the natural bodybuilding and physique competitions, I have a new level of respect for the effort it takes.

So with that; run fast, jump high and never give up on that Last 10 Pounds.

  

MMJennings