By the Strength Sensei - Charles Poliquin:headbang:
Observations on the Meadows Program
Two weeks ago, John Meadows of Mountaindogdiet.com fame, trainer of many elite bodybuilders, sent me a program for the sheer purpose of developing hypertrophy.
After 37 years of writing my own programs, I decided to let a very qualified mentor guide me.
Plus I never had trained for sheer hypertrophy. The average rep I have done in nearly four decades is 3.2 reps… For you chihuahas out there, it was actually 3.17129 reps, but I rounded it off for you feeble brains.
The three biggest changes compared to my previous training experience were total reps per workout, intra-workout nutrition, and training 7 days a week.
Here are some observations, having done 2 weeks of it:
1. My greatest fear in life is having to walk long distances. So when I first received the program, I was amazed at the sheer number of reps to be performed. So be it, shut up and train.
2. I am not gifted for reps, so my work capacity was challenged to the max for the first two weeks.
3. I do the program as is. No modifications. You can only truly evaluate and give feedback to your coach. So there was only one exercise of the whole program, that did no agree with me. It was dumbbell triceps kickbacks, I could not feel them to save my life, and the noise levels of the crepitus in my left shoulder had the neighbors send a cop car over. So I substituted incline triceps extensions, with John’s blessing.
4. I adapted fairly fast to the high reps, I don’t have as much of a drop in rep performance as I did initially. So the conditioning benefits are appreciable, and of course the load on joints is minimal.
5. Legs are challenging. For example, never did more 8 reps on leg curls, to do warm-ups of 15 reps is odd for me. Shut up, just do as you are told. The first 20 minutes in, I thought I had sun burned on the hamstrings. I had to take a two hour nap to recover.
6. If I take a NO2 increaser, I get more sore. If I don’t , the intra-workout nutrition really does really cut on soreness.
7. Milos Sarcev is big on peri-workout nutrition for hypertrophy, and is the leader in that field. John clearly lifts his hat to Milos for that. Like any honorable person, John makes no qualms that he got the concept from Milos. John is coming out with his own formula for the next Olympia. So in the meanwhile, I made my own according to his guidelines.
8. Both John and I agree that for maximal strength training, neurotransmitter output is key, hence no intra workout carbs when not necessary.
9. There is no way in hell you can do his leg or back workouts without the intra-workout carbs. Since, as expected, KLM had lost my luggage, I had to do 2 small workouts without he carbs, here in Copenhague. Not an issue, did fine with BCAA and EAA mix I had in one of the suitcases.
When the last suitcase showed up today, I was happy I had the carbs for tomorrow’s back workout, and Friday’s leg workout, as here in Copenhague, and the rest of Scandinavia, to buy supps, they check your credit score. They should wear a mask at the counter when they take your money…
10. I am playing with the make-up of the peri-workout drink. After talking to John, I have diluted it twice to what he advocates. I don’t mind more fluid. I drank it concentrated the other day while teaching in Minnesota. I puked it after my workout while teaching a seminar. Charming….
So on back and legs for example, I use 40 grams of EAA, 30 grams of BCAA, and 70 grams of cyclodextrins. I have added a host of other goodies which I want John to give a try (more on this in an upcoming article)
11. Training 7 days a week is challenging, more for the mind than the body, I have trained 14 days in a row for the first time ever, sometimes twice a day. Probably another reason for no jump in bodyweight. John Broz is also into no days off, works for strength training too.
Again, without intra-workout nutrition it would be impossible. One thing for sure, when you take flights as often as I do, it takes more time management. The ATP-Lab products are quite useful to keep those Yang neurotransmitters levels up.
12. In the mid course of the second week, I dropped two kilos overnight, so I went up to 3.3 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight. In two days, I was fine. From experience, jacking up protein, not carbs works for me when I over reach. Everybody is different. Jacking up carbs makes me lose muscle. Upping protein works better for me.
In conclusion, I like the structure of the workouts. I do look forward to every workout. No major change of the scale yet, I think it is because my work capacity is not maximal yet, so I don’t lift heavy enough yet for the reps. As John Meadows, Paul Carter and I have observed, hypertrophy tends to occur in jumps. In other words, no change for quite a few weeks, then BOOM, 4 kg overnight. I am starting the 4th week with enthusiasm.
Anyone interested in stopping to waste time and gain size would gain from the modest investment of getting a program from John Meadows. Before you embark on his workouts, you probably need to read this article a few times: The Myth of Discipline
The concept outlined in the article has kept me going on the days I don’t feel like training. I still train. Got to follow the coach, no pissing, no moaning. Now time for a nap, a second breakfast, then back training!
Seize the day,
Sensei
Observations on the Meadows Program
Two weeks ago, John Meadows of Mountaindogdiet.com fame, trainer of many elite bodybuilders, sent me a program for the sheer purpose of developing hypertrophy.
After 37 years of writing my own programs, I decided to let a very qualified mentor guide me.
Plus I never had trained for sheer hypertrophy. The average rep I have done in nearly four decades is 3.2 reps… For you chihuahas out there, it was actually 3.17129 reps, but I rounded it off for you feeble brains.
The three biggest changes compared to my previous training experience were total reps per workout, intra-workout nutrition, and training 7 days a week.
Here are some observations, having done 2 weeks of it:
1. My greatest fear in life is having to walk long distances. So when I first received the program, I was amazed at the sheer number of reps to be performed. So be it, shut up and train.
2. I am not gifted for reps, so my work capacity was challenged to the max for the first two weeks.
3. I do the program as is. No modifications. You can only truly evaluate and give feedback to your coach. So there was only one exercise of the whole program, that did no agree with me. It was dumbbell triceps kickbacks, I could not feel them to save my life, and the noise levels of the crepitus in my left shoulder had the neighbors send a cop car over. So I substituted incline triceps extensions, with John’s blessing.
4. I adapted fairly fast to the high reps, I don’t have as much of a drop in rep performance as I did initially. So the conditioning benefits are appreciable, and of course the load on joints is minimal.
5. Legs are challenging. For example, never did more 8 reps on leg curls, to do warm-ups of 15 reps is odd for me. Shut up, just do as you are told. The first 20 minutes in, I thought I had sun burned on the hamstrings. I had to take a two hour nap to recover.
6. If I take a NO2 increaser, I get more sore. If I don’t , the intra-workout nutrition really does really cut on soreness.
7. Milos Sarcev is big on peri-workout nutrition for hypertrophy, and is the leader in that field. John clearly lifts his hat to Milos for that. Like any honorable person, John makes no qualms that he got the concept from Milos. John is coming out with his own formula for the next Olympia. So in the meanwhile, I made my own according to his guidelines.
8. Both John and I agree that for maximal strength training, neurotransmitter output is key, hence no intra workout carbs when not necessary.
9. There is no way in hell you can do his leg or back workouts without the intra-workout carbs. Since, as expected, KLM had lost my luggage, I had to do 2 small workouts without he carbs, here in Copenhague. Not an issue, did fine with BCAA and EAA mix I had in one of the suitcases.
When the last suitcase showed up today, I was happy I had the carbs for tomorrow’s back workout, and Friday’s leg workout, as here in Copenhague, and the rest of Scandinavia, to buy supps, they check your credit score. They should wear a mask at the counter when they take your money…
10. I am playing with the make-up of the peri-workout drink. After talking to John, I have diluted it twice to what he advocates. I don’t mind more fluid. I drank it concentrated the other day while teaching in Minnesota. I puked it after my workout while teaching a seminar. Charming….
So on back and legs for example, I use 40 grams of EAA, 30 grams of BCAA, and 70 grams of cyclodextrins. I have added a host of other goodies which I want John to give a try (more on this in an upcoming article)
11. Training 7 days a week is challenging, more for the mind than the body, I have trained 14 days in a row for the first time ever, sometimes twice a day. Probably another reason for no jump in bodyweight. John Broz is also into no days off, works for strength training too.
Again, without intra-workout nutrition it would be impossible. One thing for sure, when you take flights as often as I do, it takes more time management. The ATP-Lab products are quite useful to keep those Yang neurotransmitters levels up.
12. In the mid course of the second week, I dropped two kilos overnight, so I went up to 3.3 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight. In two days, I was fine. From experience, jacking up protein, not carbs works for me when I over reach. Everybody is different. Jacking up carbs makes me lose muscle. Upping protein works better for me.
In conclusion, I like the structure of the workouts. I do look forward to every workout. No major change of the scale yet, I think it is because my work capacity is not maximal yet, so I don’t lift heavy enough yet for the reps. As John Meadows, Paul Carter and I have observed, hypertrophy tends to occur in jumps. In other words, no change for quite a few weeks, then BOOM, 4 kg overnight. I am starting the 4th week with enthusiasm.
Anyone interested in stopping to waste time and gain size would gain from the modest investment of getting a program from John Meadows. Before you embark on his workouts, you probably need to read this article a few times: The Myth of Discipline
The concept outlined in the article has kept me going on the days I don’t feel like training. I still train. Got to follow the coach, no pissing, no moaning. Now time for a nap, a second breakfast, then back training!
Seize the day,
Sensei
