Again, awesome post, thank you. I am here to learn. Actually, this prep protocol was from the main prep Guru used by many south CA pro's (Flex Wheeler, etc.). He charged $1k (about 1.8 k in today's money).
I got Chris his pot seed from Amsterdam, and in return he prepped me.
I do not think today's bodybuilders look better. I was 100% out of following the sport for many, many years. When I started following it again, the first thing I noticed was that the current pros have no where near the leg separations/striations than the pros of 1993 had.
Yes, there are individual examples of current pros with good leg conditioning, but overall, I feel the current guys are unimpressive. This is just my very unprofessional opinion, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind (along with the fact that so many BB's fro my era are now dead).
I have a picture of me hitting a rear double bi at pre-judging. I have shitty genetics, but using the protocol I had a good deal of "pop" to my muscles. I will try and find the pic, as it is on my old computer. The hard copy is around the house some where.
In terms of being flat, remember, I am carbing up and monitoring for 10 days.
You say this mode is outdated...and you may be right, but your position is in need of further explication. I do know that a 2 day load, with carbs held back a bit the third day (day before show) makes sense, as it addresses spillage, the problem I always had. Please unpack the argument further.
We did not have access to AI's back then, BTW. Only Nolva and Clomid. My theory was, that the legs hardened via Nolva displacing estrogen. Again, just a theory.
A couple of other things: I never advocated sodium cutting until close to show time, say Thursday. If I advocated it earlier it may have been me typing to fast or distracted by the personal attacks. I ALWAYS kept water intake high until the night before the show.
In any event, I am going to put my knowledge of prep in a cup. I am then going to empty that cup, and learn from what you and others have to say.
This ^ is the type of discussion we should be having.
Finally, me being "full of shit" I agree 100% that the things I say are hard to believe. But I am not smart enough to make this stuff up. My life has been, quite frankly, insane, that is what mental health care practitioners have told me. I did not believe them, so I took a Bi-polar test on the internet. It claimed that anyone with a score over 35 was bi-polar. I scored a 51.
Fortunately, I flew in a team of health care professionals in from Switzerland, and they are working on me around the clock. My meds are properly adjusted.
I am an ego maniac with an inferiority complex, arrogant, controlling along with many many other character flaws. But I am not a lier, and I do recognize that I rub people the wrong way. It is true that I am hated on multiple boards.
Fortunately, what others think about me is none of my business.
I have stories that are hard to believe. Yes, I was prepped by an IFBB pro who, upon getting his pro card immediately became a gay porn star.
Chris helped me, so I will never judge him. I will post up what happened when he and Jonie (Bovino, his wife) were taking a look at me 3 days out.
The story is absolutely nuts....but it really did happen. Jonie (Chris' wife) was going over my posing...their condo was full of pot plants. Chris was drinking whiskey, shooting up meth, and smoking a joint. It gets crazier from there...
I have found several of your posts entertaining, but this protocol you put forth (pertaining specifically to the drug aspect of it), which i am assuming was handed down to you by Chris Duffy, is horribly outdated. No one today would do this because many of the methods advocated have been proven either ineffective or counterproductive. Contest prep is not the same game today as it was in Duffy's day...and besides, Chris never came into shows very shredded anyway, let alone dry.
The diuretic protocol, the sodium depletion, the excessive cardio, relying on Nolvadex to do the job of AI's, etc, all need to be scrapped. Most guys running this protocol would not only end up severely flat, but the lack of muscle fullness would reduce separation and pop in the muscles, making the physique appear watery. I have seen this time and time again by those guys who still adhere to such protocols.
In my opinion, diuretics should only be used under limited circumstances--basically, when something has gone wrong and there is no choice but to compromise. Diuretics ALWAYS cause a loss in muscle fullness. It is impossible to suck water out of the skin to any meaningful degree when using diuretics without simultaneously sucking water out of the muscles. This is why so many BB'rs who use them end up looking flat and in turn, watery. The muscles will only look dense, hard, and dry when they are full and pulled taut against the skin, which is the exact opposite of what diuretics do.
AI' are much more effective than Nolva, as AI's reduce systemic estrogen and therefore whole-body water retention to a much greater degree than Nolva.
Sodium depletion doesn't work--unless you want to look worse. Sodium is critical for maintaining intravascular water levels. Without it all vascularity goes to shit and you won't be able to get a pump. Many a BB'r has ruined his prep because of this one simple mistake.
The only time I could reasonably see doling 2 hours of cardio a day is if the BB'r is way behind and trying to play catch-up. Otherwise, for get about it, as it is difficult to maintain general muscle mass with 2 hours of cardio per day, let alone leg size.
I'll stop there. Bob, a lot has changed from Duffy's day until now and even back in his day he wasn't particularly known for being extra-knowledgeable about contest prep. Interesting thread, though. Lastly, I am just guessing, bit I think more people would like to hear stories about Chris rather than his contest prep strategies.
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