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DeltaOne
Why did you start training?
The reason I picked up weights in the first place was because I injured myself badly back when I trained gymnastics, I had an accident that left me with several broken facial bones and a almost herniated L1 disc. I was also training wrestling, but I was too weak and too uncoordinated for both sports, not to mention injured.
So spent almost a year doing absolutely nothing. After a while I decided to join a gym out of boredom. I didn't took things seriously, I'd go in, do some curls, pushdowns and bench, or do some back extensions to strengthen my back. Eventually I started feeling confident and my injury stopped giving me so much trouble. I started reading Alpha's log on TN and felt inspired by what he did, so I started copying him.
After a while I knew I would get nowhere doing the same stuff as a super-advanced terminator like Alpha, coupled with some personal shit I was going through with my life, which also sent me into a depression, this made me something "snap" inside me and one day I woke up and said "No excuses mate" so I started reading more and more about training and started trying different things.
What does your current training look like? (exercises, sets, days training)
Currently I'm training DC. I love DC training and I believe I'll keep doing this forever, because it works for me. I'll try my best to explain DC but PLEASE, if you are interested in learning about DC training, send me an email and I'll send you a link to the DC training forum where there is a thread that explains the whole thing the way it is, what I'm posting is simply a short version.
I do the "basic" DC template. I train 3 times a week, rotating between the following days A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 repeat.
"1" days ( A1, B1, C1 ), are chest, shoulders, tris and back width and thickness day
"2" days ( A2, B2, C2) are biceps, forearms, calves, hams and quads day
The letters stands for the exercise selection of the day. On a A2 day I'd be hitting HS Ham Curls for hams, and on B2 I'd be doing RDLs and on C2 I'd be hitting Lying Ham curls, then back to A2. This goes on for other days and bodyparts as well. It might sound complicated but it's pretty easy. This rotation allows you to progress on multiple exercises that usually have a synergistic effect with other ones, ( ex: progress on deadlifts helps on RDLs, progress on Incline DB press helps on Incline Barbell Press, and so on.) Then there's the rep range for each exercise, which are rest paused except for back thickness, quads and heavy pull movements (deadlifts) for the sake of safety. On those exercises straight sets are used and quads get a widowmaker set after the main sets are done. Straight sets can also be used on other exercises instead of rest pause.
My current training rotation looks like this:
Day A1:
Incline DB Press 20-30RP ( this is the rep range i referred to )
BTN Smith Press 15-20RP
PJR Pullover 20-30RP
Neutral-grip Pulldowns 15-30RP
HS Iso Row 1 heavy set of 8-12 reps; 1 even heavier set of 6-8 reps. Straight sets.
Day A2:
DB Curls 20-30RP
Pinwheel Curls 11-20SS ( straight set )
Standing Calf Machine 11-12SS
HS Standing Ham Curl 15-30RP
Back Squat 1 "moderate" set 10-12 reps; 1 "heavy" set 6-8 reps; 1 "heavier" set 4-6 reps, 1 widowmaker 20-25 reps.
Day B1:
Incline Barbell Press 11-15RP
DB shoulder press 20-30RP
Reverse Grip Bench Press 12-20RP
Rack Chins 15-20RP
Deadlifts, 1 "heavy" set 8-12 reps; 1 heavier set 4-8 reps.
Day B2:
Preacher Curls 20-30RP
Reverse Cable Curls 11-20SS
Leg Press Calf Raises 11-12SS
Front Squats 1 "moderate" set 10-12 reps; 1 "heavy" set 6-8 reps; 1 "heavier" set 4-6 reps ( widows are done in a different machine for safety )
V-Squat 1 widowmaker 20-30 reps
RDLs ascending sets of 6
Day C1:
Decline Bench Press 11-20RP
SHIPs 15-20RP
Weighted Dips 15-30RP
Wide Grip Pulldowns 20-30RP
T-bar row 1 heavy set 8-12 reps; 1 heavier set 4-8 reps
Day C2:
Incline Curl 20-30RP
Lying Rope Hammer Curl 11-20SS
V-Squat calf raise 11-12SS
Lying Ham Curl 15-30RP
Parallel Box Squat 1x8-12SS; 1x6-8SS; 1x4-8SS
Cybex leg press 1xwidowmaker 20-30 reps
Rep ranges can vary from exercise to exercise ( for example, exercises done with DBs are always 20-30RP and triceps exercises should not be lower than 15-20RP for elbow safety ). and there are protocols for certain exercises like calf raises and reverse cable curls. There are no isolation exercises like lateral raises because, well, you can't progress on those with big weight jumps like you can on compound exercises.
I won't elaborate more on this because I'm afraid I'd give describe the training style wrong and do more wrong than good. Again if anyone is interested in learning more about DC, then I'll link you to another board where you'll learn everything the way it is.
What is your current diet like?
A mess haha. I follow the these guidelines when I comes to my diet:
1- 2g or more of protein per lb of bodyweight
2 - 2 or more gallons of water everyday
3- Eat when you're not full anymore, not every 3 hours.
4- Carb cutoffs
I generally try to stick to organic healthy stuff, I've started doing this after reading John Meadow's articles, although I'm not doing the MD diet. For protein I usually have steak, chicken and omega-3 eggs, which are a staple. Most of my carbs I get from oats and rice, and veggies like broccoli and green beans are mandatory, I have those with every meal along with olive oil or virgin coconut oil. I'm also a big fan of dairy products, since I can handle those without bloating or having digestive issues. Milk has been a staple in my diet for as long as I can remember, and recently I've switched to raw milk or organic milk, as well as implemented Goat milk, which has the same protein content of cow milk but less dairy, and is generally more healthy. Cottage cheese and natural yogurt are also favorites of mine.
I usually eat a lot of salt with my foods. I think this myth that sodium is bad is making people miss the best part of the cake. Sodium helps you hold water and keep you hydrated, which is good for anyone wanting to build muscles. Some people that don't like to bloat or hold water have problems doing this but I don't.
If I have a cardio day on the following day, then I don't eat carbs until after cardio time, so I stay depleted and don't spike insulin, at days like those I don't do carb cutoffs after 6PM because I already had one in the morning, unless I eat a lot during the day.
Do you currently do cardio? what do you do?
I either walk on a treadmill on an inclined angle for 40min-1 hour or do the StairMaster for 30-40min one hour. 2 or 3 times a week. I think the " you can't gain muscle while doing cardio" thing is pure bullshit invented by someone too lazy to eat more or get on the treadmill, even though I hate cardio. People treat cardio as it is the ultimate evil, but reality is, unless your version of cardio is that of running a marathon, then I don't see why you shouldn't be walking or climbing some stairs to keep fat at bay while you eat your way into a massive physique.
What do you do for a living, and how has this affected your training?
I'm a med school student and anatomy lab assistant, although lately I've been considering changing to Physics. I also help out a friend with his import/export business. This makes my average day a living hell with little time for playing my beloved Xbox and doing stuff like, breathing. I joke. My day can be pretty rough but with some time-management everything comes along. I can still find 2 hours to train even though this means I'll be up later than usual or skip homework and so on.
What has been your worst injury, and how did you work around it, repair it?
Before I started training I had injuries I got from my gymnastics accident. I almost had to get under the knife to fix my broken facial bones, which was a pretty hilarious injury considering everything, everytime I tried to breathe through my nose the area around my left eye would swell and look like I had been stung by several bees, then go back to normal after a while, this happened because air was getting inside there due to the cracks on the bone. Since nothing was out of place I opted for no surgery and I believe everything went back no normal and I'm pretty again, at least that's what my mother says. I had a chiro help me fix my back and it doesn't give me much trouble, except when I try too hard on the deadlift.
Training related, I've had three injuries that left me very worried for some time and kept giving me trouble. Once I was doing DB front raises when suddenly I felt something crack in my upper back, followed by a burning sensation and a lot of pain, everytime I tried to move my arms it would hurt like hell, and benching became a pain in the ass, this also made moving my neck virtually impossible. I downed some ibuprofen and aspirin and dealt with it until I could move normally.
Another time I was doing my second rp set of Smith Incline Bench when I felt a pop in the top of my head followed by a very weird sensation. After a while I started feeling pressure in my head and probably the worst headache I ever had in my life, and I knew I had just managed to get myself a Inter-cranial Hemorrhage, since a few days before this happened I was reading on how the same happened to Matt Kroc. I went home and took a Tylenol and aspirin cocktail, and later had to go to the hospital because I realized the aspirin wouldn't let the bleeding stop. Luckily the doctor said it would be okay to continue training as long as I backed down on stimulants like energy drinks and sodium.
Probably the injury that gives me most trouble to this day are my shoulders. I injured both my shoulders doing wide-grip bench presses after a set of behind the neck push press, which created an enormous set back for me since this meant I couldn't train chest, shoulders or tris safely. I then proceeded to re-injury my right shoulder doing smith decline benches, which wasn't a smart choice of exercise by my part. This injury still gets in my way until this day and frustrates me a lot. I didn't do a lot for rehab except stretching the area and extensively warming up before doing any heavy press. Band Pull-aparts and shoulder dislocations helped at first but then ran their course.
How does your size/strength effect your life outside of the gym?
It's pretty annoying to speak the truth. Aside from having everyone that is either overweight, skinny or slightly smaller looking at you like you've raped their mother, there's the general dumb bodybuilder stereotype. I've had two teachers making snide remarks or talking to me as if I was a retard. One of them still tries to make me look dumb, I believe I've must have hurt his ego, since this dude is known to boast how he can "leg press 1000 pounds and have abs". Then there's the "ur on steroids!" crowd that is incredibly annoying. I even had a classmate that stole my gym logbook trying to find out if I was on deca.
But there's a good side to it. Generally some people look at me with friendly faces and ask how should they train/eat and etc and there's those that compliment my physique.
Have you ever felt an ache or pain, or finished a particularly hard set and asked yourself "why the fuck do I do this to myself?" What was your response to that, if so?
Yeah. Every time I do Front squats, which is a lift I completely suck at, I ask myself that question and I answer "Because I can."
If you could do a couple of things different, what would they be and why?
I'm not sure if I'd chance anything. Everything I did in the past led me to be the person I am today and achieve what I have. However, there are things that bug me and I'd possibly change those:
1) Worrying myself with training styles or supplements that became too popular
I remember when the Anaconda Protocol came out and there was the general hype. At the time I was lurking on T Nation but became completely obsessed with it and somehow put in my mind I wouldn't get anywhere if I didn't do it. The same shit happened with the Anaconda supplement, and I though I had to take it no matter what. This was a great set-back and I kept thinking that what I was doing in the gym wasn't gonna work. I see this happening everywhere, on all bodybuilding boards, there's aways someone hyping about a training principle or supplement, acting as if they're never gonna progress unless they're not doing that or taking this.
2) Trying to progress way too fast
This was a double edged knife, this gave me focus to train and progress but would also create limitations. I used to think that if I maxed out on the bench press every single session I'd be always increasing that lift. That didn't work and only frustrated me and only kept me trying harder and keeping a closed mind to other methods and things.
What is it going to take for you to feel like you have accomplished something special in this thing we do?
The Olympia.
Best advice you could give someone about training/diet
The best advice I can give is, You are your greatest enemy. You will be the one wanting to skip a training day, you will be the one wanting to eat junk food. You will be the one that won't want to commit to your diet or training style and you will be the one who will want to give up. When it comes to training and dieting, the only thing that will truly matter is how bad do you want, because there is no magical pill or easy road to achieve your goals. If you want change and progress, then it will be an easy road as long as you have the dedication to achieve it. Those that believe in "easier ways" are often the ones getting way too fat on bulks, or are the one failing to get their goals, or are those screwing themselves up with mega doses of anabolics. So, know your enemy, know yourself and commit to what you want.
If you had to pick one or two key principles/words of advice to tell every newb, what would they be?
1) You are not as great as you think you are, and you are not as strong as you think you are
2) You should really pay attention to what you're eating before you should worry about what supplements you should take
3) There is no easy way to do anything.
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