The Performance Nutrition Blog

One of the most common questions coming from our male customers is how can they get big and lean.  The following is the actual program from our Warwick Manager Steve Bardi.  He maintains a weight of about 200 lbs with visible abs almost all year round.  At his height most people consider him big and lean.  If thats not enough he is permanently tanned and hairless.  Check out the following for a real world program that has helped many of his customer put on muslce and get leaner.

Daily Routine with Supplements for First 3 Months: 

1.       Wake at 6 a.m. and take 1 ADRENA-LEAN capsule to wake up.  I also eat 2 CLA Evolution, 1 Fish-Oil pill, and 4 Met-RX HMB, and 3 TEST REVOLUTION with a Protein shake with 8 frozen strawberries, a banana, and BCAA powder in a blender with water. 

2.      On my way to the gym at 7:15, I am sipping on my pre-workout drink: 1 ½ scoops of BioRhythm Juice, INTEK BCAA powder, and 1 scoop DIESEL FUEL.  I sip on this drink throughout my whole workout in order to stay pumped and anabolic, so I can continue to build muscle and burn calories. 

3.      Immediately after my last set, I start to sip on my post workout shake which consists of 2 scoops of AFTER GLOW, and 1 scoop of INTEK’s ISOLATE RED ICE. 

4.      With two more meals during the day, I will use MET-RX HMB, CLA Evolution and Fish Oil in order to keep body fat to a minimum, especially while increasing calories to build muscle.  This allows me to build muscle while staying lean.

5.      My final protein shake before bed consists of INTEK’s Whey Protein, ORANGE CREAMSICLE flavor, I use MSI’s SLEEP REVOLUTION and 3 TEST REVOLUTION to help me get a fulfilling night’s sleep.  SLEEP REVOLUTION provides a healthy dose of amino acids as well as a combination of anabolic ingredients to assure that the body gets a full nights rest and recovery so I can train intensely the following day. 

My goal with the supplements is to take them when I feel they will benefit me the most.  Although my ideas are somewhat different to what the bottle usually suggests, this is what I have found to be the most beneficial.  My thought is that growth takes place when you are at rest, not when you are actually working, that being said I feel it is in everyone’s best interest to take muscle-building, endurance, and thermogenic supplements around your workouts as a base, along with some supplements for general health throughout the day.   For the most part this is why I take so many different supplements before and during my workouts.  In my opinion this is the most crucial time to be anabolic, or in a (muscle-building) state.  I make sure to eat meals or shakes every 2-3 hours throughout the day, and stay well hydrated by drinking at least 1 gallon of water every day, with the INTEK BCAA Evolution added to it in order to feed my body what it requires to build muscle.  Below I will list what I consider to be the supplements that everyone who is trying to build muscle should take all year-round: 

1.       Protein

2.      Creatine

3.      Amino Acids

4.      Testosterone booster

5.      Glutamine

6.      Essential Fatty acids

7.      Nitric Oxide

8.      Multi-Vitamin

9.      Joint product-depending on time of year

These supplements are on what I call a “Revolving-Basis”, which basically means that I will adjust and change what supplements I use depending on what my goals are at that particular time.  Say for instance it is closer to the spring then I obviously want to cut back the calories I consume, as well as switch what supplements I am using in order to achieve my goal.  Some supplements are better for gaining weight, while some supplements are much better for cutting up or “Shredding”.  I basically never really stop using these supplements listed above, and with good reason; your body cannot and will not have the building blocks necessary to build muscle without these basics incorporated into your regimen.  What I will now give you below is an example of what my diet will consist of while I am going through a “Bulking” phase:

Meal 1:  10 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 cup measured Oatmeal, 1 glass chocolate milk

Meal 2:  6 ounces Sirloin steak, 1 sweet potato, large salad and 1 cup green beans

Meal 3:  Complete MASS 600 protein shake with a few ounces of cashews

Meal 4:  8 ounces Chicken, 2 slices of American cheese, 1 sweet potato, and 1 cup green beans

Meal 5:  Complete MASS 600 protein shake with a few ounces of cashews

Meal 6:  A 10 egg white and 2 whole egg omelette, with vegetables, cheese, and two English muffins with jelly on them with a glass of chocolate milk.

Meal 7:  1 cup of cottage cheese with pineapple mixed into it, or ice-cream depending on my cravings.

I suggest getting a hold of some of OPTIMUM HEALTH’s Complete Digestion when beginning the first phase of the program.  The added calories can, and usually will put some unwanted pressure on your digestive system, and having this supplement handy will help to increase absorption of all the nutrients you are about to flood your body with.

I typically will try to eat the same foods at the same times every day in order to make my body that much more efficient at breaking down the nutrients it needs to grow.  As you can see from my diet listed above, I do not go too crazy in order to put weight on when “Bulking”.  The idea here is to increase my caloric intake slightly so as to avoid gaining too much body-fat over the course of my first 3 months.  I have come to understand my genetics and realize that I do not have the ability to be too heavy without my joints and knees suffering.  Besides, when I take the DIESEL FUEL as part of my supplement regimen, I find that the weight and strength comes pretty quickly on its own.  The next section will cover my workouts, and you will find a list of the exact exercises below.

Workout Program for Months 1-3: 

Monday:  Legs

1.       10 minutes on treadmill to warm-up

2.      Squats- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

3.      Leg Presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

4.      Leg extensions- 3 sets of 10-12 reps

5.      Lying leg curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

6.      Seated leg curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

7.      Seated calf raises- 3 sets of 20-25 reps

Tuesday:  Back

1.       10 minutes on bike for warm-up

2.      3 sets of wide-grip chin-ups to failure

3.      3 sets of Underhand- grip chin-ups to failure

4.      Rack Dead-lifts- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

5.      Seated Cable rows- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

6.      One-Arm dumbbell rows- 2 sets of 8-10 reps

7.      Hyper-extensions 3 sets of 15 reps

Wednesday:  Off

Thursday:  Chest

1.       Incline Barbell presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

2.      Flat Barbell presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

3.      Decline Barbell presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

4.      Weighted Dips- 3 sets of 10-12 reps

5.      Dumbbell Flyes- 2 sets flat, 2 sets incline, and 2 sets decline

6.      Abdominals- crunches, leg raises and side twists

Friday:  Arms

1.       Standing dumbbell curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

2.      Barbell curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

3.      Incline dumbbell curls- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

4.      Rope pushdowns- 2 sets of 15-18 reps

5.      Straight-bar pushdowns- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

6.      Lying skull crushers- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

7.      Weighted Tricep dips- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Saturday:  Shoulders & Traps

1.       Side dumbbell lateral raises- 3 sets of 12-15 reps (30 seconds rest only)

2.      Barbell push presses- 3 sets of 6-8 reps

3.      Upright rows (barbell)- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

4.      Bent-over lateral raises- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

5.      Barbell shrugs- 3 sets (ascending in weight) of 10-12 reps.  Finish with a strip set on the last set with no rest

6.      Behind-the-back Barbell shrugs- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

As you can see from the workout above, the first phase of my program is pretty basic on nature, but that is because being big and strong requires many compound movements, with much rest in between work-outs.  What I will do after the initial 6 weeks of this program is to switch up the exercises so that my body never gets a chance to become comfortable with the weights and exercises.  The first phase is somewhat plain in nature, but performed well, it will help to slap on some clay that we can later turn into peeled or chiseled muscle that you can show off down at Scarborough Beach. 

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