anabolic extreme archives issue #2 dnp and insulin 2

December 1999
Issue #5

Introduction
By Jason Mueller

Wow! It's a brand new Millennium. Hopefully we've survived with all of our fingers and toes intact. It's tempting to wait until after the New Year to write this, however, print deadlines wait for no man. I will be celebrating the New Year with a few close friends that night, safely ensconced within the confines of my home. With every whacko and police officer on the street that night, I decided not to tempt fate. Hopefully all of you made if through safely.

The promise to ones self to get into shape is probably the most common New Years Resolution. Given the special significance of this New Year, I would imagine that more of you than ever have decided to reevaluate your physique goals, or promised yourself to pursue your old goals with renewed vigor. In light of this, I thought this would be a good opportunity to discuss some tips and techniques I've found to be particularly effective in achieving your desired results.

TIP 1 - Keep a Training Diary
Ok, Ok, so this is hardly original and I'm sure you've read this many times before. My question is, why don't you do it? It always amazes me that with all the time and effort people spend on trying to improve their physique, how few of them actually keep a written record of their progress. Let's look at why this is so important.

The first and foremost reason I think people should keep a training diary is because it makes you accountable to the person who matters the most, yourself. How many times has a day gone by that you haven't eaten the way you were supposed to, or you failed to go to the gym, or you stayed out to late instead if getting the rest you needed to recover? This has happened to all of us, and even the most seasoned, dedicated veterans will find themselves occasionally falling short of the mark. Unfortunately, many people find themselves in a situation where this becomes more common than not, telling themselves at the end of every failed day, I'll do it tomorrow.

Let's face it, as bodybuilders, we introduce a whole new set of stressful variables into our lives. Most people don't care about what or how they eat, it's three meals a day of whatever they happen to have access to at the time. Consequently, our society is set up around eating three meals a day, not the six to eight many bodybuilders consume. Then there is the issue of training. After a hard day at work, who has time to go to the gym? Where is the time for the kids, the spouse, where is the time for me to sit on my ass and vegetate for a few hours!!? Now, when can I sleep? I have to work all day, then go to the gym, then come home for some quality time with my spouse, kids, girlfriend, dog, cat, whatever, then prepare my meals for the next day so I can do it all over again. Finally, time to sleep!! Obviously juggling the responsibilities of being a bodybuilder with our everyday responsibilities takes every ounce of dedication and commitment within each and every one of us. It also explains why so many of us often fail to keep everything on track.

Once you've made this commitment to yourself, you need every possible advantage to successfully achieve your goals. A training diary will go a long way to keeping you on track because you are held accountable for your actions on a daily basis. Gone are the days when you can tell yourself, I'll do it tomorrow, because every entry into that log becomes a test. It's no longer an issue of feeling guilty for a few minutes at the end of the day, it's an issue of feeling guilty every time you miss a meal, miss the gym, or fail to rest properly, because you have to write it down.

Keeping a training diary accomplishes several other goals. For all of us, there are periods when things just seem to click, and we make rapid progress in the gym. What was it that caused this sudden growth, or this rapid loss of fat? All to often we accept these periods of rapid progress as luck, or as a final payoff of all of our hard work. However, what if it was possible to analyze this period of rapid gains and emulate it in the future? A training diary makes this possible. By examining your patterns of eating, training, and resting (and drug use if applicable), you can see what works and what doesn't. Over time, you'll be able to modify all of these factors based on your own personal history and avoid many of the mistakes you made in the past.

Finally, a training diary is a great motivator. Few things are as satisfying for me as looking back over a days activities as I make my last entry and knowing that I got every meal in and had a successful session at the gym. Because this is such an individual sport, most of the motivation we need must come from within. We don't have teammates to rely on, know one eats the meals or lifts the weights but you. Therefore it's important that you allow yourself a few moments of positive reflection on a daily basis to keep those internal flames of passion burning.

TIP 2 - Take an Occasional Break from the Sport
What the hell? First of all he tells us to keep a training diary to stay on track, now he tells us to take occasional breaks? No, my dear reader, I have not been drinking once to often from the spiked punch bowl. Like the name of the magazine implies, bodybuilding is an extreme sport. Even these best of us will be sometimes taxed to our absolute limits by the demanding rigors of a bodybuilding lifestyle. There are times when a break from the sport is just what the doctor ordered, but it's only the wise man who knows when these time are.

Bodybuilding demands honesty to ones self. There are certainly times when I'm lazy and don't feel like eating that seventh meal or that I want to stay home from the gym and watch the Playboy Channel (only for the witty commentary, of course). There are also times when I'm truly burned out and overstrain, and I do actually need a break. These are the times when you have to really ask yourself, am I feeling this way because the Best of Pamela Anderson is on Playboy tonight or do I really need to stay home and rest? This certainly becomes easier as we become more experienced trainers, and it is vitally important to listen to your body. Simply because you are on a two day on - one day off program doesn't mean the world is going to come to and end if you have to take an extra day off.

Bodybuilding, just like any other sport, requires a bit of instinctive training. One of the things we learn as we progress in the sport is to listen to our bodies, to know what those subtle messages really mean. I know individuals whose commitment to the sport is remarkable, people who can't fathom taking a day off for fear of regressing even the slightest bit. While I find this level of dedication admirable, it can also be counterproductive at times. It's important that you listen to what your body is trying to tell you. If it's telling you, "HEY, I NEED A BREAK!!", don't be afraid of taking a brief respite from your training schedule.

It's good to set short-term goals for oneself. A common goal I try and shoot for is one month of consistent training and eating. At the end of this month, I'll take a week off from the gym. Inevitably, upon my return I'm stronger and more focused than I was before the break. Training in this fashion allows me to retain my aggressiveness and intensity over a long period of time.

TIP 3 - Hire a Trainer
No, I'm not talking about the guys running around your gym with the wind-tunnel tested hairdo's that hit on everything that's remotely female. I'm referring to real trainers, guys who have the knowledge and training to help you achieve your goals. Unfortunately, trainers like this are few and far between.

It's always amazed me the resistance many bodybuilders exhibit to the idea of hiring a trainer. It's not uncommon to see a bodybuilder spend hundreds of dollars a month on food, gym fees, supplements, and drugs, yet make little or no progress. However, the mere mention of hiring a trainer elicits a response akin to questioning someone's sexuality. I suppose because bodybuilding is such an ego sport that most athletes are simply unwilling or unable to hire someone that could greatly accelerate their gains and chances for success. However, many of the top bodybuilders hire trainers, at least during their crucial pre-contest preparation. Athletes like Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, Ronnie Coleman, Nasser El Sonbaty, and Kevin Levrone all have trainers they work with in both the off-season and pre-contest. I can probably say with relative certainty that all of these athletes are more advanced than most of the readers of this webzine, yet they've all made incredible progress with the help of trainer.

So, how do you tell the good trainers from the bad ones? Obviously the very first test one should use is, does this guy look like he knows what he's talking about? Let's face it, most trainers in gyms do not have physiques that are going to knock your socks off. I work out at a gym where personal training is very big. 9 out of 10 of these guys look like they've never stepped foot in a gym. Now I realize that most people do not want to have the physique of a Mr. Olympia. However, I find it comical to watch gym members shell out $50 an hour to a guy that probably rarely trains himself. On the flip side of this coin, you have to realize that it is possible to learn something from a trainer with a physique less impressive than your own. Using the example of the pro bodybuilders in the above paragraph, all of those guys have physiques light years ahead of the trainers they pay to work with them. At the gym I workout at there is a trainer named Greg who has a very impressive natural physique. If he and I were to stand us side by side, it would be obvious that I am a more advanced bodybuilder. However, I've worked with Greg in the past and found him to be extremely knowledgeable. In choosing a trainer, makes sure he practices what he preaches.

Certifications can be very telling if someone is properly qualified to be a trainer. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) certification is extremely difficult to pass, as is certification with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Trainers with either of these certifications are usually very competent. Many trainers will tell you they're certified, expecting you to accept their answer without questioning it further. Don't hesitate to ask them about the organization they are certified through, and take the time to investigate it once they tell you. Many clubs, 24 Hour Fitness comes to mind, have their own certification process that a chimp could pass. Don't think that simply because a trainer is certified they know what they're talking about.

Finally, the best way to find a competent trainer is the interview process. Hey, you're hiring this guy, so he should be willing to sit and talk with you, answering your questions before you start shelling out your hard earned money. Obviously, you need to be very impressed by what this person is telling you if you're going to make the decision to retain them. If they're not willing to be interviewed by you, don't waste your time hiring them.

One option in hiring a trainer is to look online. Online training is really only suitable for athletes looking for knowledge rather than motivation, it's fairly difficult to motivate someone through email or on the telephone. However, the advantage is that you know you are hiring someone with proven skills. Scott Abel is a terrific trainer and does both online and telephone consultations. His contact information appears at the end of his article, Innervation Training. I also am available for personal training and can be contacted via this website.

I guess it goes without saying that your biggest asset in reaching any goal is learning as much about it as possible. The fact that you're online, reading this publication and others like it, certainly is a testimonial to your desire to take your physique to that next level. By incorporating these strategies into your workout regimen, your that much closer to having the body you've always wanted.

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