have I been doing it all wrong all these years?

[myosaurus]

reading that thread made by LATS, ''myths about pros bodybuilding'' has brought me back some memories... if LATS himself and possibly Dante can chime in that would be great, as I think my story will involve DC training principle in a way...
http://www.professionalmuscle.com/f...orum/16369-myths-about-pros-bodybuilding.html

around 1993, I started my first cycle. that's also when I met my friend who I feel is the closest thing to the pro BB I've met in person. he shared everything including diet and drugs as I was very close with him.
he was a classic ectomorph, although I never met him when he was small I've heard stories where he couldn't bench 135. he was known to break out heavily and he had a nickname ''ugly Greg''(fictional name). he was known to be one of heaviest user at the time, this was also when everything was human grade. after anabolic control act passed by Bush administration, things got really expensive so he couldn't afford as much. he would take 600mg test cyp(steris) and 400mg deca(organon Greece), and 50mg Russian dbol. couldn't afford growth so he never used it. he walked around 268 at 5' 10'' and looked just plain fat, I mean like lee priest offseason fat. the most interesting thing about him was his diet and training...
his diet was basically anything, he didn't really count calories but I imagine it was around 6000 calories. he would walk into the gym eating 2 cheese burgers and bullshit with people for a while, then he would do his traing which was only 1 exercise per bodypart and maybe 2-3 hard heavy sets(after lots of warm ups) then go home.
his split was
mon: off
tue: chest/bis
wed: hamstrings/calves
thur; off
fri: delt/tris
sat: back
sun: quads

his chest session would be like 3 hard sets of incline db press then few sets of heavy cheat BB curls. that's it, just positive failure and no intensity techniques like drop set or rest/pause... everyone thought he was just a lazy bum, a delutional perma bulker who's scared of how he really looked when all the fats came off. then he started prepping... training was the same but his diet was nothing but chicken breast and rice cakes.
he went from 268 to 220 shredded and came in 3rd place behind orville burke in national qualifier. those who were at the eastern USA that year when orville won, then you may know who my friend is, and how tough the competition was back then... he had legit 20 inch arms and pro level legs and back.

after seeing what he did, I followed similar foot step, except I didn't get as fat, ate more protein, and had more volume and variety of exercises. I actually feel I had better genetic than him but I never got quite as large as he did and was competing in high end of light heavyweight. I also had more access to better drugs cheaper. looking back, I feel I really limited my potential. perhaps my friend, who had no real knowledge in exercise and nutrition than I, somehow knew the best way for him to get huge was exactly what he was doing, like massive weight gain and progressive overload in simple routine. have I been doing it all wrong? I know part of it was my own fault as I was in an environment where I couldn't look like my friend in offseason and keep my job. what my friend did sounds similar to what DC preached all these years...

 

[asteelz]

Oddly enough sometimes the people with the least knowledge can make the best progress simply due to doing what feels right for them. The example I can give that supports this is how every so often I find that I've over complicated everything from diet to training to gear. When I reduce all those things, subsequently reducing physical and mental stress, boom I blow up.

 

[massnup]

Maybe adding more volume and exercises is what held you back from gaining as much size as him?

 

[thewizkid]

what was your diet? you can train hard but you have to eat more

 

[myosaurus]

Oddly enough sometimes the people with the least knowledge can make the best progress simply due to doing what feels right for them. The example I can give that supports this is how every so often I find that I've over complicated everything from diet to training to gear. When I reduce all those things, subsequently reducing physical and mental stress, boom I blow up.

agree. too much informations out there that distracts us from what worked in the past. reading magazines and following weider principles may have been bad for my gains.

Maybe adding more volume and exercises is what held you back from gaining as much size as him?

perhaps. I was spending around 2 hours in the gym. on the back day, i'd do 5 x 5 with 495, with all the warm ups that alone would take about an hour. then I'd do tons of pull ups, bb rows, cable rows, pulldowns... looking back, I didn't need all those exercises...

what was your diet? you can train hard but you have to eat more

I was eating enough to grow, just not as big and fat as my friend.
meal 1: 3 whole eggs, 4oz London broil, 1.5 cup raison bran, 1.5 cup milk, 1 banana, vitamins/supps
meal 2: 3 piece fried chicken with fries
meal 3: (pre workout) 1cup oats, 25g whey
meal 4: (post workout) 50g whey, 100g ultrafuel(maltodextrin)
meal 5: 12 oz chicken breast, 1/5 cup rice, 1 cup beans, 1 cup broccoli
meal 6: restaurant food, usually greek souvlaki platter with rice or
3 piece fried chicken, 2 slice mushroom slice, fries, bisquit,(save 3 pieces chicken and fries for next day)
vitamins/supps
meal 7: (wake up at night) 1 serving lean body shake.

 

[growing1221]

How big did you get doing that routine vs your friend? Sometimes less is more

 

[LedShotter]

Dont forget different genetics as well

 

[SRhealth-Rachel]

Maybe the strength of your training are different

 

[NGL34]

Myosaurus bro, seriously you have one hell of a physique. You should post a pic. What you've done this far proves your method works and works for you.

Who knows what would of happened if you followed your buddy's approach.. you may have sacrificed all that size to shred all that chub. Also I'm assuming your friend also had a few years on gear than yourself. Your friend reminds me of trey brewer. And we all know how that story ended.

 

[xpac2]

Maybe the strength of your training are different

Please stop posting

 

[concreter]

Some to most Bodybuilders don't mind only looking good for 4 weeks a Year.

 

[Nabz]

Maybe the strength of your training are different

Go home, you're drunk.

 

[ALLEX]

If he had done everything like you and you did everything like him, he would look like him and you would look like you.

 

[LATS]

This goes to show that this game is genetics.. And remember genetics encompasses all things.. Joint integrity.. Food assimulation .. Response to drugs.. Response to training and recuperation.. What I have seen over the 35 years of doing this is that it is truly not fair lol.. What some can get away with others can not.. But if I can put any perspective on it it would be this....

In regards to training and diet do only what you can do on a consustant basis.. Don't take on training protocols that you can only do for short periods or don't really enjoy.. Same with diet.. Do what you can do on a consustant basis without burning your self out.. Example: years ago the pro bodybuolder Mike Christian would train 3 days a week in the off season... His training centered around chest, back and legs... Some delt and arm work were thrown in on the workout days if he felt like it and briefly.. His diet was eating three times a day.. Yet he maepde great gains.. Genetics ? Yes.. But he also did a routine that did not burn him out and he was able to to do consistently.. Lack of consuistancy and burnout hinders gains like no other..

The gentleman you cite as your example trained like he wanted and this allowed him to be consustant.. Same with his diet.. All this adds up.. I owned gyms for years and you would see many come in enthusiastic over their now teaining routine and diet,, train and eat their ass off for 8 weeks then fizzle out.. Wouldn't see them again for 4 weeks.. Then they would start up again.. And burn out again.. Yet the " lazy" trainee who never missed his workouts and eat what he wanted was there all the time and making slow consustant gains.. Now buckling down for a show is one thing.. Things needs to change a bit for that 10 to 12 weeks.. But for general gains and progress do what you like and are excited about in the gym.. It will add up over time..

As for drugs.. If you are a hyper responder you can get away with most protocols.. The pros many times don't have any different problems getting things than you do.. I can't tell you how many top amateurs and some pros who have to,d me they just buy what they can afford and make adjustments to what they have,, but true responders just don't need a lot to get a response.. I've seen it all the time.. But again it comes down to consuistancy of taking the compounds.. And if you are mega dosing you can not maintain that level for long.. Slow and steady will win out..