My MountainDog Diet/Training experience...

[Aikman56]

I posted this over on Rx, and thought I'd share here (the thread referenced is on Rx, I just copied and pasted my post!). I hope some of you might find this of value...


Hi guys.

Back when I first hired John Meadows to handle my diet and training for my November 30th competition, there was a thread up that discussed some of the various online trainers and coaches and asked for opinions based on experience.

I mentioned that I had recently hired John and side that time have gotten many PM's, emails and FB messages (as well as folks asking me to post my thoughts within the thread) asking about my thoughts AFTER having spent the money.

As I promised, this is a "looking back" at my pre contest training with John Meadows...results, experiences, thoughts and reflections.

THOUGHTS ON HIS DIETING APPROACH

Having adopted his philosophy about 8 months prior to actually hiring him, I already knew what I was getting into, going in. However, the true value lies in the adjustments that he makes over the course of the program.

For anyone that's visited his site and read "In the Trenches" or read his posted diets online, you already know he doesn't do any "cookie-cutter" garbage. Programs are highly individualized and specific to client concerns and goals.

I really think that the biggest difference in JM's approach and the thing that's made the greatest difference, is his use of nutrient partitioning and his understanding of how to make work to the trainee's best advantage.

His peri-workout protocol is something to which I wish I'd been adhering for much longer. I train harder than I ever have...both intensity and volume...and I'm virtually never sore. And when I am sore, it's for a FAR shorter time than is typical. And, no, this kind of nutrient partitioning and peri-workout nutrition is in NO way dependent on exogenous insulin usage...I just figured I'd throw that out there since it always seems to come up.



THOUGHTS ON MOUNTAINDOG TRAINING

It's a pursuit of pain.

Really...by far the most intense thing that I've ever done. What's more, I'm always amazed that he is able to present new ways to make me push myself to places that I've never been.

And I'm 38 years old, training for over 20 years..so that's saying something!

Whether training 4 or 7 days a week, I found myself constantly progressing. John's workouts are an odd amalgamation of intensity, volume, progression and unique exercises that keep things both challenging and interesting. They're NEVER boring...


THOUGHTS ON JOHN MEADOWS AS A COACH

Folks, I don't have the proper adjectives to tell you what a pleasure working with him has been.

He is attentive, timely and made me feel like I was his primary concern...not one of a hundred clients or that he was checking a box to justify taking my money. To my mind, that is the highest compliment that I could give a coach.

John always had my updates ready by Sunday night so I was fully prepared for the coming week. When I had questions, I can count on one hand how many times he took more than an hour to answer...usually it was within 30-45 minutes via email and within 5 minutes if I texted him.

Whether my concern was something regarding a food not agreeing with me or an exorcise that might have aggravated an old injury, John's solutions were always well-thought out, appropriate and very timely. Additionally, he made sure I knew WHY he was having me do a thing...not just "do what you're told!".


RESULTS

I was in my best shape ever, at a higher stage weight than ever.
All without doing more than 30-40 minutes of cardio daily and NEVER going hungry!

Could I ask for more???



OVERALL VALUE

If you're in the market for a coach, offseason or precontest, I recommend John Meadows with my most enthusiastic approval.

While he isn't cheap, neither is anything worth having.

You can buy a used Yugo, or you can pay more and drive around in a Bentley. All things being equal, if you have the financial means, hire John.

Thank me later.

**broken link removed**


WHAT'S NEXT?

For me, I'm planning a return to the stage at the 2015 NPC Florida State. This show is typically in August, so I'll have roughly 14 months of offseason, then 4 months of precontest to bring a better package than I brought this past November.

Oh, and is there any doubt as to with whom I'm working???

I just sent JM the payment to begin my offseason. Could there be any better review or a coach than to give him more of my hard-earned money?


I think not.

 

[Knight9]

Hell of a review.... keeping in touch with you on an every other day basis during your prep-I got to hear the praises of this journey you were taking under John's supervision every time we spoke. Overall, you seemed extremely satisfied the whole way through.

I can not tell you guys enough how pleased Aikman was....how calm and relaxed his prep seemed to be....and how much better he looked this prep. He was heavier, fuller, more balanced, and more shredded than I had seen him in any other show. It was really a pleasure to sit on the sidelines and watch someone close to me go through the process...making me sure that I 100% want to hire John as well next time I prep.

To be honest, I am the one who pointed Aikman in John's direction and initially encouraged him to look into his philosophies and prepping with him. So John, thank you for not making me look like an a-hole .
:headbang:

 

[Aikman56]

That's true, and I really SHOULD have mentioned it!

Knight9 tried for over a year to get me to start researching JM's stuff before I ever started researching him.

If I'd have listened, I'd be even further along now!

 

[Ironman2010]

Awesome review buddy, definite food for thought. It's always great to hear how different trainers approach different situations, and i guess if you can afford to get a piece of every pie. Then you should.

Me and my brother payed for his training services, and i can tell you, they were some of the most gruesome workouts i have EVER done. I mean you can't get through those sessions unless you give 110% every time and you have a big pair of balls on you! I have adopted his principles into my own regimen and feel it works great, certain exercises i have never gone back on because the little variables he makes you do to those exercises, certain angles, certain negativity movements, man there so good.

 

[tr]

Pics (before and after) would tell more than thousand words...

 

[Aikman56]

15 weeks out...

10 weeks out...

6 weeks out...


Night before the show, spray tanned and flat!...


Onstage at Finals...

 

[Knight9]

Yep looked even better in person.. (at show)

It'd be awesome to see Queefer and him on stage together...maybe they have been in past years actually.


Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Aikman56]

Nah...I've never competed against him.

But he has disposed of some guys that have beaten me, so he'd probably eat my lunch!

 

[gradeaphysique]

Im wondering, did your calories end up being on the low end throughout your prep? Im asking this because you seem flat but yet not conditioned enough. I have no doubt John is good at what he does just offering some food for thought. Compared to the calories and macros you were consuming prior to the pic where you were 15 weeks out did calories drop drastically from the start or was there any point where they did through the prep? A shot from the rear would also be a good gauge for how conditioned you were.

 

[Ironman2010]

You looked great for your show man, right on track even from the 15 week out barrier, you look a bit like the big bad dennis wolf lol

 

[QuietStorm]

Awesome review. Thanks for sharing your experience and the pics. well done!

 

[Ocean cool]

Great Review.

 

[Ocean cool]

All i know is that John Meadow's training is very high volume 6 days a week.

 

[Bleed]

Very high volume 6 days a week year round or just this way pre contest?

All i know is that John Meadow's training is very high volume 6 days a week.

 

[Knight9]

All i know is that John Meadow's training is very high volume 6 days a week.

There's a lot more to know than that! The info is out there if you want to know more. And pre contest its normally 7 days a week for those who can take it...but a surprisingly large % of clients can with their intra workout nutrition and the way he diets people.

Offseason John likes to train 4-5 days a week and eventually work his way a day at a time as contests near.

 

[Aikman56]

Im wondering, did your calories end up being on the low end throughout your prep? Im asking this because you seem flat but yet not conditioned enough. I have no doubt John is good at what he does just offering some food for thought. Compared to the calories and macros you were consuming prior to the pic where you were 15 weeks out did calories drop drastically from the start or was there any point where they did through the prep? A shot from the rear would also be a good gauge for how conditioned you were.

My calories came down gradually, but I was never hungry.
I do know that I deteriorated pretty rapidly after the prejudging and 6+ hours of laying around backstage that night didn't do me any favors. I did look fuller and harder than the stage pics show. Now that sounds like a big excuse, but Knight9 will tell you the same thing.

As for anything else that might have contributed to the apparent.flatness, it's really hard to know. If you read my and Knight9's posts in my thread about the contest, you know it was a comedy of errors. Makeshift stage, lighting was about 3 feet over the head of the competitors and it was run horribly. I wasn't even onstage until well after midnight.

All i know is that John Meadow's training is very high volume 6 days a week.

Precontest, it's seven, actually.

Very high volume 6 days a week year round or just this way pre contest?

The 7-day routine is pre contest. I'm doing my offseason with him now and am only training 4 days. I'll go up to 5 in a few months and when the next pre contest rolls around, it'll gradually climb back up to 7.

 

[Aikman56]

There's a lot more to know than that! The info is out there if you want to know more. And pre contest its normally 7 days a week for those who can take it...but a surprisingly large % of clients can with their intra workout nutrition and the way he diets people.

Offseason John likes to train 4-5 days a week and eventually work his way a day at a time as contests near.

This is the biggest lesson I've learned...Nutrient partitioning and timing are EVERYTHING. I'm never as close to as sore as I used to get, and most times, I don't get sore at all.

 

[Ocean cool]

How many sets does John usually (in general) recommend per large and small body part and the rep range?

 

[Aikman56]

How many sets does John usually (in general) recommend per large and small body part and the rep range?

There's really no "answer" to this question.

I've done everything from sets of 6 on squats and leg presses up to 20-30 rep sets for both. Same with other body parts. Anywhere from 9 to 20 sets for a body part. The only real constant is that arm training isn't that heavy...lots of reps and pumping sets. Beyond that, it's really too differing to comment on!

You can look on t-nation and eliteFTS and see lots of his actual workouts in full, if you like. That's going to give you a more satisfying answer to that question than I can possibly do here.

 

[Knight9]

There's really no "answer" to this question.

I've done everything from sets of 6 on squats and leg presses up to 20-30 rep sets for both. Same with other body parts. Anywhere from 9 to 20 sets for a body part. The only real constant is that arm training isn't that heavy...lots of reps and pumping sets. Beyond that, it's really too differing to comment on!

You can look on t-nation and eliteFTS and see lots of his actual workouts in full, if you like. That's going to give you a more satisfying answer to that question than I can possibly do here.

Yes, there is A LOT of free information out there regarding John's methods. t-nation, eliteFTS, youtube, threads on here and elsewhere, his website and philosophies...
And then if you want the real good stuff 9.99 a month for his exclusive content.
:headbang: