|
|
Post by ChrisC on Jul 9, 2004 11:33:12 GMT -5
Looking throguh many of the posts it seems like everyone here diets very strictly. I wanted to hear some opinions about bulking in the off season.
My powerlifting strategy is to eat everything in sight, while increasing poundages and then try and cut back on the food while maintaining the poundages. I typically eat everything for the majority of the year, then try to cut back.
I notice that some of the posters here (like Tim) appear to have a strict diet even in the off season. I;m wondering what opinions people have on this. from a muscle/strength building perspective, what's the optimal diet strategy?
|
|
|
|
Post by Tim Wescott on Jul 9, 2004 12:51:06 GMT -5
Chris,right now I`m training to add size and power so my diet is far from strict.
I do try not to eat too much junk but I occasionally eat some sweets as I know at some point I will compete and end up dieting very strictly again for next year.
I still eat all the right foods although I add in bread ,fruit,fats,and as I stated earlier the occasional junk/sweets type foods.
Presently I`m eating lot`s of beef,tuna,chicken,bread,cereals,dairy products of all kinds,15-18 eggs a day,along with fruits and veggies.
A lot of the food stays the same but I prepare them differently.
You can`t stay ripped all the time and expect to make progress in size and strength.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maximum6 on Jul 9, 2004 13:11:20 GMT -5
Tim...go for French toast if you're going to use bread and whole eggs..plus fat. I used to love to make Eggs and Toasts...put peanut butter or almond butter on your bread...toast it up...chop up strawberries / bananans , or any fruit you like top it up..and make a nut butter fruit sandwich for breakfast. Man i miss my toasts, nut butter, and fruits. Although even though Tim says my diet is strict..i still get to eat many of the things i like. For instance Oatmeal. I especially love it PLAIN. But i add Cinnamon in it not for the flavor..(i prefer plain)..but for the health benefits of it. I also love Brown Rice, White Rice for post workout, Salmon, any kind of Fish..as they are usually lean, clams, Curry Powder, Broccoli, Beef, Chicken, mushrooms.....and not to mention EGGS. See its not so bad. But i do miss the fruits....especially Bananas, White Grapes, Pineapples, apple pies, ...Damn Fructose  |
|
|
|
Post by Tim Wescott on Jul 9, 2004 13:15:14 GMT -5
Max, I`m eating French Toats,pancakes,tuna melts,big homemade burgers,etc. etc. etc. ;D
You name it,and I`m probably eating it as long as it`s going to help me reach my goals.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maximum6 on Jul 9, 2004 13:20:32 GMT -5
then take my place ...and eat the things i don't eat right now....you can say that i eat alot of things that most people would never eat.....mainly because i'm not allergic to anything really.
Tuna Melt??? why not try something better like KOREAN BBQ or BUFFALO BURGERS....or go get an IN-N OUT burger if you have one in your town...their fresh made potato fries and Burgers are the best...
|
|
|
|
Post by ChrisC on Jul 9, 2004 13:31:57 GMT -5
You can`t stay ripped all the time and expect to make progress in size and strength. Tim: I agree - being ripped is definitely sub optimal for muscle growth. Of course, I'm nowehere near to being ripped right now  Normally this isn't an issue for me, I eat everything and then diet down to the 275 class. I've been contemplating moving more towards bb'ing and away from powerlifting. So I'm just a bit more concerned about off season dieting. Losing ~20lbs isn't so bad, but If I step on a stage I would need to drop nearer 40lbs  Thanks for the input, I appreciate it! |
|
|
|
Post by ruglayer09052000 on Jul 14, 2004 2:49:52 GMT -5
I just spent the last 3 1/2 months cutting down to 176 and 6.5%bf from 210 and 19%bf. I'm working on learning what my real maintainence level is so I can start bulking up clean come the fall. I am thinking of bulking clean till my bf% reaches 10, then cutting from there. Any suggestions?
|
|
|
|
Post by Jesse on Jul 14, 2004 5:12:53 GMT -5
I have yet to see ripped and I am pretty far from it right now. I eat everything I can get my little hands on, clean and not so clean. I treat myself to a box of 36 fresh baked cookies from the store weekly these days... hhhmmmm up to 210lbs also, wondering if there is any coinsidence....
Once December comes along I will ditch the sh*t food and go really strict through April and into the summer.
|
|
|
|
Post by Troyster on Jul 14, 2004 11:20:54 GMT -5
It depends on your definition of "dieting strictly". Offseason, I eat a lot "stuff" I won't touch while doing contest prep (or cutting). But, that doen't mean that during offseason I just eat whatever and have no clue what I'm eating.
I'm just guessing here, but it sounds like Tim has a handle on exactly how much of what is going in his mouth. To some, that's extreme dieting (i.e. knowing how many calories/what you consume). But really, how on earth could you know what to change or what not to change if you don't have a grasp on exactly what you're consuming?
T
|
|
|
|
Post by ruglayer09052000 on Jul 14, 2004 19:41:35 GMT -5
It depends on your definition of "dieting strictly". Offseason, I eat a lot "stuff" I won't touch while doing contest prep (or cutting). But, that doen't mean that during offseason I just eat whatever and have no clue what I'm eating. I'm just guessing here, but it sounds like Tim has a handle on exactly how much of what is going in his mouth. To some, that's extreme dieting (i.e. knowing how many calories/what you consume). But really, how on earth could you know what to change or what not to change if you don't have a grasp on exactly what you're consuming? T I use a program to track exactly what I eat and in what ratios, year round. Call it what you will. We do what works for us. |
|
|
|
Post by Troyster on Jul 16, 2004 9:13:15 GMT -5
I use a program to track exactly what I eat and in what ratios, year round. Call it what you will. We do what works for us. Yes, this is my point. To many people, tracking what you eat is EXTREME It kind of sounds like that's Chris' impression. Troy |
|
|
|
Post by Tim Wescott on Jul 16, 2004 9:25:04 GMT -5
I weigh,measure,and count everything when in pre-contest mode. Doing this for so long enables you to get a pretty good idea of what you are eating just right off the top of your head. I mean tracking everything for so long ,teaches you the proper amounts of the macros and calories after a while. In off-season mode I just track protein content daily and just watch the mirror.If I need to do so ,I adjust according to how I look.ie.,if I`m getting too fat all of a suden ,I`ll cut back on carbs /fats/calories though I always tryt to keep protein pretty high. I`ve been doing this so long it`s almost instinctive!! I`m getting a lot thicker/bigger with minimal fat gain so until I feel disatisfoied I`ll keep on going until if and when I need to adjust things. I love the off-season, and I can`t wait to diet to see the new gains I`m making for next years contests. |
|
|
|
Post by Tim Wescott on Jul 16, 2004 9:26:31 GMT -5
BTW,ruglayer,congrats on your fantastic progress and welcome to the board.  |
|
|
|
Post by ChrisC on Jul 16, 2004 9:29:38 GMT -5
Yes, this is my point. To many people, tracking what you eat is EXTREME It kind of sounds like that's Chris' impression. Troy Troy: I don't consider tracking what you eat extreme, tracking things to the nearest gram is what I would consider extreme On any given day, I know my caloric intake to within 300-400 calories. Admittedly that seems like a wide margin of error but given that I consume around 5000 calories a day, it really isn't such a large margin. I was just curious how others approached off-season eating. |
|
|
|
Post by Troyster on Jul 19, 2004 13:05:31 GMT -5
I approach it the same. While "on-diet", I can get my weight moving or slowing by as little as a 50 calorie adjustment. However, like you pointed out, at the higher calorie intake, it's less of an issue. Irregardless, I still write down, weigh and measure everything the same. Like Tim said (and same for me), you get to know things pretty good due to repetition. But I only know one way to measure and record. I will, however, throw in a cheat here and there and need to estimate what it was "worth" in my record. Generally, on-season or off, I try to consider everything I put in my mouth under the notion of wheter or not it will help me reach my goal. Empty calories are not conducive to my goals. They are, sometimes, conducive to my sanity though  T |
|
|
|
Post by Tim Wescott on Jul 19, 2004 14:42:50 GMT -5
Troy,while I don`t count calories and macros in the off season(only protein),I will indulge in some junk here and there but by no means do I go overboard.(usually ;D ) You should post some pics so the guy`s here will see the physique that matches your knowledgable posts. You look damn good and your training and eating philosophies show why! |
|
|
|
Post by Troyster on Jul 20, 2004 9:41:04 GMT -5
That's a good idea Tim. To post 'em here I need to email them to you or link to a URL, correct? What's the addy bro? T |
|
