Ask The Muscle Expert Part 1

Hi Vince,

Do you need to a deficit/maintenance/excess in calories in order to drop your BF %, whilst at the same time increasing the amount of lean muscle you have?

Many thanks for the help
Kelvin

I have been doing various chest exercise for a while now but I am really struggling to get that line down the middle of my chest to give overeall definition to the pecs. Are there any exercises that target that area?

I have a similar question as Kelvin….

My physique is in good condition but I am always aiming to improve.

I want to continue to build lean muscle whilst dropping body fat. I want to a diet that that will be my lifestyle. So do I need to be in a caloric deficit/maintenance/excess, because to gain muscle you need a surplus and drop fat a deficit?

Please help and explain how you achieve both simultaneously.

Cheers

Hi Vince;im bout 114kg 1.89m tall body fat at 28% im south Aarican(just thought that might be of intrest} im currently trying to cut e there is alot of different guys who have different opinions bout ripping,do i have to do more reps with lighter weights cause i do that but dont feel that im getting the same hard workout at the end of my session than i did when i was doing the hevier weights.Personal trainers i spoke to had different thing to say,as a guy who had to go from zero to hero what would yor opinion be.Thans for the newsletter i like your articals e all the looney stuff you do enjoy.

Johan

What is your advice to use the program, Eat Stop Eat, with your NNMB program? Or the Eat Stop Eat program with the SIx Pack Quest?
Although Eat Stop Eat is mainly for fat loss, it produces ALOT of growth hormones which can aid muscle growth.
So what is your advice on this, Vince?

hey ive just started working out in hopes of losing some weight and getting some toned muscles but ive found that its hard for me to cut out al the junk that i eat, also when i started on legs last week i found that i could hardly walk for the next couple of days, is that a good thing or bad???

Hey Vince,

That is some seriously good Q&A mate… I know what super compensation is, but haven’t heard it explained that way before. 1 workout per week is standard bodybuilding training and where most of the mis-information comes from for “normal” people in the gym. Whole body training for 70-80% of anyone in the gym would be a better option than once per week on something like a 2 on, 1 off, split routine resting Sunday for example. As a rule, not many people know how to train their muscles that hard that they need a full 6-7 days recovery, which again is a misunderstood principle of bodybuilding.

The last one is such a great example of how misled the general fitness world is and by saying that I mean no offence to anyone, it’s just the way most of us have been taught. Diet is without question the key.

Regards, Clayton
Personal Trainer | Adelaide, Australia

Vince what is your opinion on the whole dextrose/maltose/waxy maize with pwo shake? is all that sugar necessary or is fruit yogurt and oats sufficient with a scoop of wpi and skim milk .

Hi Vince,

I’m 42 & working out for long time now. There is no gain in the muscle mass for quiet some time. Should I go for an OFF-SEASON ???? Can I just leave the weights for a month or so & do just basic bodyweight exercises???

Thanx
Sunny

I just wont to ask you how can i have chest muscle for example like c.ronaldo and not like those bodybuilders who have big chest.Thank you!

hey vince i got a question , see i want to get riped so i know that workingout the “big” muscles burn more calories and have bigger caloric need than those of the small muscular groups, so my question is, would it be helpful if i first consentrate on bulding big muscular groups and then get riped ? like bigger legs would help me out ??

i heard a lot of things about protein intake that you have to take 1g/lb of bodyweight others say that 1.5 some 2 and others says that protein intake is overrated which is the best? naturally of course

Hi Vince. I noticed you recomend full body workouts rather than split routines. U say its better for muscle growth. Can you explain why? Almost everyone else suggests split routine for getting muscular. Can you also explain why split routines are not the best choise. Also, why does everyone else do split routines if they are not so great. PLZ i rly need our help
-Alex

Hello Vince ! I would like to know the best exercise for the inner thighs ? This has been my problem area for a long time . Thanx for ur time

Hey Vince. I just kinda want to see if what im doing is ok. I Run for 10 minutes which comes out to being 1.2 mi. every morning mon-fri getting 8 sprint/run sessions in 5 of which are flat and 3 of which are uphill. then on tuesdays and thursdays (preferably), i perform about a 1-1.5 hr workout that i would say covers the whole body and follow it up with a protein shake. im thinking that ill start running/jogging on mondays & fridays anywhere from 10-30 min. is this amount of running going to interfere with muscle synthesis/maintenance? also i tend to “degrade” on the weekends (sat & sun) in the case that i dont really do anything “that” physical and i dont really watch what i eat…..often leads to binging on favorite foods/sweets. my bf% is 10% according to all the free calculators on the web, and im in good enuf condition to be recognized/complimented by others but im looking to improve….im wanting to drop the bf% to single digits for summer which for me starts in 4 weeks….any help/suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. thx

How much cardio is too much cardio?

Especially for women, how do you know if you’re doing too much or little? I always hear that women should do cardio 3-4 times a week. At the same time, I hear that doing too much cardio will deteriorate muscles. I believe the most difficult part of creating a workout plan is incorporating cardio into a weight training program. So Vince, what do you find to be the “ideal” combination of weight training and cardio for someone trying to slim down?

Hey Vince,
do you eat any meat in the morning? or is it only muscle muesli?

To Alex
I think Vince doesn’t recommend split workouts because it can easily lead to overtraining. i.e sometimes you are still tired from yesterday back work, so the fact that you are training arms now doesn’t make much difference, you still have not truly recovered. By the way, if by everybody you mean bodybuilders - well they are on juice. They can probably cross the road and still get some minor muscle.

What should i do if i start gaining to much fat but am still trying to bulk. Should I switch to cutting or try no to gain any more fat til i reach my desired weight then cut??

Alex
to Dave.
I see what you mean but i was just wondering if thats the only reason. I mean, which is better for bilding muscle fast, split routines or full body. I read stuff and I observe people and almost veveryone is doing splits. Not just juiced bodybuilders but some other trainers and experts. They can’t all be dumb for doing split routines.

Disclaimer: This is hella of a long post!

Alex, i just read a fantastic article on the subject. It is not strictly about split routines but i think it relates very well. It is written by Richard A. Winett, Ph.D. and it is called “High-Intensity Training and Traditional Athletic Training”. I am going to take some excerpts (it is like 3 page long!) but if you can find the article i think it is going to be very beneficial.
Okay, here we go.

1.Why other experts do splits?

“There’s one very interesting and important criticism of very brief, infrequent, high-intensity training that I’ve never seen satisfactorily addressed. The criticism is typically made by people advocating higher volume approaches to resistance training. These people most often appear to be in the periodization camp. The gist of the criticism is that since no contemporary athlete revolves his or her training around the high-intensity (effort) model, for example, swimmers or track and field athletes, this proves that the high-intensity approach is basically flawed.”

“What many of us have been thinking for a number of years but (at least speaking for myself) could not quite articulate is this point: “Suppose the entire approach to athletic training is basically flawed? Suppose the paradigm - the theory and framework - of training adhered to by so many athletes all these years is not just flawed, but totally incorrect? Suppose that athletic success has much, much more to do with having the right genetic characteristics for specific sports and events, including the ability to tolerate a great volume of inappropriate training?” These thoughts suggest that great athletes are often not really trained appropriately, they just survive an onslaught of often inappropriate training!”

“That’s simply what these kinds of athletes have always done and now they’re just doing more of what they have always done. We also know that some of the rationale and concepts used to justify this approach such as developing an “aerobic base” or training every day to prevent “deconditioning” have no basis in reality. The term “aerobic base” has never been well defined and does not
appear to have a physiological rationale. In fact, long, slow sub-maximal distance work of any kind is not an effective way to increase aerobic capacity. Rather, what is needed is some systematic overload primarily delivered by increasing the intensity of training not volume of frequency.”

This basically explains why other trainers and experts do it! The whole mainstream approach is wrong. But nevertheless it is what they have always done and they continue it. And if you think about it, it makes sense.
There is a lot else i could have presented here but i am bit lazy when it comes to posting.

2.Why then bodybuilding magazines promote splits?
Well, they are really for bodybuilders on juice so it works for them. But ordinary people with no great genetics won’t be able to completely recover from everyday workout.

To Vince

Hey man, if you would read this and comment it would be superb.

Hi i am one of your biggest fan, started knowing you from craig’s seminar last year you always motivate me to work harder,with my clients or even myself. thank you

I’ve been working out at home for many years now and have seen great results, but I feel like there are certain restrictions from not working out at the gym. For example, I’d like to see more definition on the inner/upper portion of my chest to get that “cleavage” look. I’ve focused on dumbbell flyes and incline presses primarily but feel like I’m not left with many other effective options (ie. can’t do cable crossovers at home). Do you have any tips on what home chest exercises could help define this area ?

I have been thinking about the recovery question and answer and I believe there needs be more info shared on this subject. Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty principles are sound and based on science. I think Vince’s compensation curve has some merit, but it depends on the intensity of each workout. I have found that once you increase the intensity to the point where you are lifting at close to your max, then more recovery time is needed. MUCH MORE. Heck, I workout once a week now and make gains!

Source: http://www.mikementzer.com/

UNDERSTANDING RECOVERY: A WOUND HEALING MODEL

by Dave Staplin

To understand and study the process of muscle recovery and repair, it is useful to develop a MODEL. Modeling the biochemical reactions to stress and the observed effects such as soreness allow for a better understanding of the events and TIME COURSE necessary for muscle recovery. Such a model comes from the study of the wound healing process; particularly the inflammatory reponse (7,9). Whenever muscle cells are subjected to high intensity anaerobic training stress, damage occurs at the cellular level (1-4,7-9). The DEGREE of damage depends upon the degree of intensity–the higher the intensity, the greater the damage (2,4,5,7,9,10). It is the process of healing this damage which then makes the muscle cell larger and stronger(2,9).

Recovery from training stress requires a number of steps; each of which must proceed to completion UNINTERRUPTED for COMPLETE recovery and adaptive response (7,9). While the exact mechanisms are unclear at the present time and subject to further research and clarification, it is thought that acute inflammation is the initial response to muscle cell damage (7,9,10). This is especially the case where high intensity eccentric work is performed such as Negative Training, Hyper Training or when accentuating the Lowering of the weight during standard repetitions. Delayed-onset muscle soreness is thought to be one of the effects of this acute inflammatory response as well (1-8,10). This sequence of events occurs in the following manner and time:

1. Connective and/or contractile tissue (muscle cell) damage occurs during intense muscular contraction, particularly eccentric action (1-10).
2. Within the first 24 hours, levels of neutrophils (white blood cells which respond to injury) increase and migrate to the site of injury or exercise trauma (1,6,9).
3. At the same time, lysosomal enzymes which digest and break down damaged tissue are released and this breakdown activity commences (3,6,8,9,10).
4. Macrophages (cells which aid lysosomes and synthesize a variety of chemicals in response to inflammation) begin to accumulate around 24 hours and continue to do so for up to several days. One of the chemicals these cells secrete, PGE2, is believed to make nerves , more sensitive to pain and may help explain soreness sensations starting 24 hours or so after exercise, and lasting for as long as 7 or more days (1-7,9,10).
5. This inflammatory response causes further damage to the affected area and may continue for several days beyond imposition of the INITIAL training stress damage (1,6,7,9).
6. Once these initial inflammatory responses (steps 1-5) are completed, then signs of the BEGINNINGS of tissue regeneration (rebuilding of the muscle) can be observed (4,7,9).

The muscle cell must first rebuild to normal levels of structure and function and then, only then, and only IF allowed FURTHER TIME, will it supercompensate and build up to levels GREATER than before. The next question is: How long does this ENTIRE process take?

It must be remembered that the severity of response and so the time necessary to complete it vary according to the degree of trauma or in this case, the intensity of the work, the muscle has been subjected to (2,4,5,10). Numerous studies have examined this response process, especially with eccentric contractions (1-10). The time course for completion of the above 6 steps ranges from 5 days to over 6 weeks (1-10)! This has profound implications regarding FREQUENCY of training! The more intense your training, the longer you must allow for recovery. If you add 50% to the weight you normally use for high intensity repetitions and then proceed to perform NEGATIVE repetitions, you have just dramatically increased the stress and therefore the TIME necessary for the muscle to recover. One concrete training example may help further clarify these ideas.

From mid-July to mid-October 1997, my training partner and I increased our Squat and Deadlift poundages 49% and 70%, respectively. We used standard repetition protocol–2 seconds concentric (raising) and 4 second eccentric (lowering). We terminated sets when no more full-range, unassisted reps were possible. In other words, we performed no Forced Reps, Negatives or any other technique which would have increased the intensity of the sets. Further, we had been performing only 2 sets per workout every 7 days on Mike’s Consolidation Routine.

continued…

By early November, we had experienced 2 consecutive workouts with no further progress in any of our sets. We then took 23 days off. We returned to the gym and we were now able to add 10% to the Squat poundages for the same number of reps as our previous squat workout AND we had not performed squats for 30 days!

At first, this may seem beyond belief–an absolute impossibility! Not, however, if you understand recovery from the standpoint of the inflammatory response and recovery model outlined in steps 1-6 above. It is important to never forget that high intensity anaerobic weight training stress is a study properly subsumed under the heading of MEDICAL SCIENCE. As such, medical science can teach us much, but as pioneers in the field of high intensity, anaerobic exercise, so too can we teach medical science much!