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by Power Lifter Rich Daniels CPT
www.southflfitness.com
It seems a lot of people want the ripped abs
and the power to go with it. In this article I will show you how I compete
as a powerlifter and look like a bodybuilder. I have been lifting now for 14
years. It started like some, with the old school style of "bulking" to put
on size and strength. I added some strength, but a lot of fat to go with it.
Over the years I played with different diets and training programs trying to
lose fat, increase muscle, and get stronger. Well I have come up with a
simple plan that worked for me and helped me break the Florida state record
in the deadlift.
DIET
I eat pretty much like a bodybuilder and train
with methods used by the famous "Westside Barbell". I have used their
methods along with old school training and even some bodybuilding exercises
added in. The diet I have put together is tailored to meet my body type and
training needs. I don't believe there is a "one size fit's all " diet out
there that is for everyone. You must learn to “dial in” with your body and
adapt the diet to fit it’s needs.
Here is the diet I use 8 weeks out from a
powerlifting contest to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss:
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Meal 1: 8-10 egg whites, 1/2 cup
oatmeal, 1 piece of fruit
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Meal 2: protein shake or 2 can
tuna
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Meal 3: 8 oz. skinless boneless
chicken, 1 cup green beans
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Meal 4: protein shake or tuna
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Meal 5: 6 oz. ground turkey, 1/2
cup cooked brown rice
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Meal 6: protein shake or tuna
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Meal 7: 8 oz whiting, 1 cup
green beans or broccoli
The basic foods I stick with for the meals are
tuna, egg whites, turkey, chicken, protein shakes, and whiting (fish low in
fat). I keep fruits in the morning and vegetables at night. I avoid high GI
carbs and late night carbs. At 8 weeks out I cut out all junk foods and make
diet number one. Supplementing flax seed oil and other sources of
polyunsaturated fats, helps to make sure I receive the necessary amounts of
good fats in my diet.
UNIQUE METHODS FOR MASS
There are many ways to attack adding some
serious size and keeping your strength levels up. Some simple, some unique.
Never become closed minded to new training ideas and methods. Now more than
ever, you see power lifters having physiques that are leaner and more
muscular. Why? A lot of you may have already heard of things like bands and
boards in training. They over load the top of an exercise and also produce a
large amount of eccentric resistance. Bands are a very inexpensive items to
buy. A pair of mini's, which is a good starting point, costs around $20. You
can buy a couple 2x4 boards, cut them in 18" pieces and you’re ready. I
don't recommend training with bands for longer than 3-4 weeks at a time.
It's best to cycle them into your training.
BOARD PRESSES
I'm going to go over just a few examples you
can try. Let’s pick triceps as an example. Do 4 and 5 board presses. Loop
the band under a power rack and up over the bar. Lay down and have a helper
place the boards on your chest. Un-rack and lower the weight. You will feel
the force pulling down to the boards. Use and index on smooth close grip.
Remember to keep your elbows in and pause on the boards, then press back up.
You can use what reps you like but I suggest you aim for around 6-8 reps.
This exercise really helps build the triceps without over stressing the
elbows. It also is a great way to isolate the triceps in a bench specific
motion. You can also try reverse grip to further take the shoulders out of
the mix.
FLOOR PRESSES
Next exercise is floor press. Lay in a rack
with pins set so you can take the weight out yourself. You can do these with
or without a band, but if you use one, make a figure"8", then pass it behind
your back (at chest level) while you lay back on it, your hands passed into
either ends of the band. Make sure you get a good resistance when your arms
are extended. When you’re set, un-rack the bar. As you lower the weight,
your elbows will touch the ground. Pause for a second then blast the weight
back up. Again use a close grip here. These work great for taking the lat's
out of the exercise and are valuable to me when in prep for a bench contest.
Again, I suggest aiming for 6-8 reps.
This type of training is a must try for a
natural lifter looking to get stronger and add size. Remember, you need to
get stronger to get bigger. They go hand in hand. (The reverse is not always
true!) It doesn't surprise me when you see a physique that stands out and
you find out they're a former powerlifter. I have trained this way while
dieting for a photo shoot or to go a lighter weight class. I have never
believed in high reps to get cut. It’s the diet that gets you ripped folks.
Our bodies also get bored very quick from repetitive training, so with these
exercises above you can keep it fun and unique. These examples are just a
way of stimulating the muscle in a different way. Sometimes that's all you
need for new growth or to get you over a plateau.
To sum it up, bands increase the time of
maximal or near maximal force and increase the eccentric load which leads to
increased size and strength. The use of bands also show a major benefit for
muscle hypertrophy and that's a great thing for bodybuilders! Anyone with
any questions on this type of training can email me at :
at_i_tude@hotmail.com
Rich Daniels , CPT
www.southflfitness.com
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