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Gabriel
Wilson recently had the pleasure of interviewing the Hyperplasia
Challenge contestants. For more information on this challenge, click
Here. To read more interviews, Click
Here.
The
Question will be denoted by the letter "Q"
and the answer by the letter "A."
Interview
with Damien Voorhees
Q.
Can you please share your ABCbodybuilding testimony?
A.I
started to work out again in March 2005 at the suggestion of my doctor.
I was recovering from Lyme disease and as a consequence, was always very
tired. I had been into bodybuilding for years but never made much
progress. I followed the flawed philosophies of the corporate world [Weider]
but my persistent hope in getting big kept me going. When my first son
turned one, I stopped working out. It wasn’t even a conscious decision.
After a ten year layoff, I started to work out again. In the gym, I
thought to myself, I’ll just stick to the Cybex machines, my free weight
days are over. Within a month, I was back to free weights and then began
to get really strong… quickly. I left the Cybex in the dust. I saw a
bodybuilder on TV and I was inspired to get back to the iron.
I tried something new and I went online to learn about bodybuilding. I
mostly was appalled at what I saw, until I got to abc bodybuilding. ABC
has more expertise in legitimate bodybuilding than any other
organization I have found and what cinched it for me is that it is also
a Christian website. I wanted to maintain purity of body and soul, and
did not want to compromise either body or soul in the pursuit of making
my temple of the Holy Spirit [my body] BIG!
I registered at ABC on May 10th, 2005. I read, and read and read… then
read some more. I monitored the forums and got to know the regulars. It
took me time to actually post something.
I picked some splits and worked out hard. When the Challenge was
announced, I thought, “Why not!” I was taking basic supplements at that
point: Whey, creatine, L-Glutamine, multi-vitamins, ZiMa, chromium
picolinate, and Vitamin C. The first time I weighed myself since working
I discovered that I had gained about 12 pounds or so. I couldn’t believe
it!
At the beginning of the Challenge, I used a split that I had developed
[see my Hyperplasia Challenge journal for 11/23/05]. After 6 weeks,
Venom [Gabe] suggested I do a 2-week taper, which means a significant
cut-back in workouts. I took Gabe’s advice. During the taper, my short
workouts were used to practice the next workout that I was planning to
use, which was the Cliffhanger. I used, and loved, Cliffhanger. The
taper was very effective physically and mentally: I was psyched to
workout harder, and my body was ready for it.
During the Challenge, my weight gains really seemed to take off when I
began using Champion Super Heavyweight Gainer 1200. I also began to use
Gabe’s supplement list that he describes in his journal for August 5th,
2005. By the end of the Challenge, my bodyweight and lean mass was at an
all time high for me. Since all of my previous bodybuilding experience
was unsuccessful, my gains during the Challenge took me by surprise! I
actually had to think about something for the first time: do I really
want to be freaky? When I went into Old Navy to get some winter clothes,
I actually needed the XXL sizes. WOW! I couldn’t believe it! Well, after
thoughtful and prayerful discernment, I do want to become freaky, if it
fits into God’s plan for me!
Q.
Did you enjoy the HYPERplasia challenge? Please give us your sincere
assessment of the event, and why/if you would recommend it to other
bodybuilders?
A.
I thought the
Challenge was a blast! The camaraderie among participants was fun and
the advice from abc staff invaluable!
Q.
Did you feel that the contest facilitated hostility among the
competitors? If so, what would you change to avoid this in the future?
A.
I felt no
hostility. Any form of competition has a motivating effect for many
people and this effect could cause hostility.
Q.
Did you feel the contest facilitated friendship and cooperation between
the competitors? For example, did it encourage people to work with each
other and encourage each other?
A. I
think the challenge facilitated camaraderie.
Q.
What was the hardest part about the challenge?
A. Eating!
Bulking for me is tough because by body wants to drop weight.
Q.
How much did you have to adjust your life?
A. Wow!
Good question! I had to become quite organized. Bodybuilding requires
lots of stuff: many supplements, special foods and changes of clothing
during the day. It had to find special trays to keep all of the
supplements ready for specific times during the day. Bodybuilding
requires adapting work and family schedules so that neither work or
family are affected.
Q.
What kept you on track and focused for 12 weeks? There must have been
times that were difficult for you to train or stay strict to your
diet—what stopped you from slacking?
A. I
love to workout and the ideas presented at abc keep me motivated.
Q.
Did you ever feel like quitting the challenge, or feel signs of
overtraining? If so, how did you handle this?
A. I
may have felt like quitting the challenge, but it only lasted about ten
seconds! However, without realizing it, I was becoming fatigued and
overtrained. Gabe suggested a taper, and that was hard because I wanted
to continue to keep pushing hard. The result was increased motivation
and renewed physical ability.
Q.
Do you plan on competing in the future? If not, what are your future
aspirations and goals in bodybuilding?
A. I
have no plans to ever compete. I want to get big, and have decided that
freaky is fine. I aspire to a healthy, leaner body with about another
20-30 pounds of lean mass. That would put me at a bodyweight around 250
Q.
What was your diet like during the HYPERplasia challenge? Did you use
any advanced dieting principles such as calorie and carb cycling? And by
how many calories did you drop or increase on average from the start to
the end of the challenge?
A. My
diet was probably not what it should have been. Diet, for me is the
hardest thing. I have no craving for sweets. However, for me to gain
weight I need to eat a lot, and eating bores me. Eating requires a 24/7
focus. For me, without the 24/7 focus on proper eating, my bodyweight
will decrease. I am trying to come up with ideas for a way to supplement
by diet with the calories and nutrients needed for maximum growth that
doesn’t break the bank!
Q.
What supplements did you use?
A. By
the end of the challenge, I was using per day:
3g HMB, 10g L-glutamine, BCAA’s, ZiMa, multivitamin, 3g of Vitamin C,
antioxidants, 400mg chromium picoilinate, JSF, Calcium 1g
Q.
What did your split look like?
A. See
see my Hyperplasia Challenge journal for 11/23/05. First 6 weeks was I
did this split, then did a 2-week step taper, then started Cliffhanger.
Q.
How much cardio did you do?
A. none
Q.
What was more important to you—winning the competition, or improving
your body? And why?
A. Improving
was my only goal. The Challenge, however, gave me points of reference
and forced me into a pattern of commitment to all the aspects of
bodybuiling.
Q.
Would you have done anything different in your program if you could
start the challenge over?
A. I
would have tried to do better on eating: I am not too sophisticated in
the diet area and could have increased my weight over a longer period.
At the end of the challenge, my weight increased slowed down. I still
don’t have answers to the proper bulking diet for me.
Q.
What are some key training tips you would give to a bodybuilder
competing in the same challenge as you (whether it be cutting or
bulking)?
A. Be
as thorough as you can and have a positive attitude. What gave me the
most confidence was that the advice that I was using was coming from the
top experts in bodybuilding in the world. What could be more inspiring!
Q.
Based on the results of the HYPERplasia challenge, and your knowledge of
science, do you feel it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the
same time? Why or why not?
A.
Sure! With my limited knowledge, my stats showed that I was losing body
fat and gaining lean mass. I am sure this has a number of variables. My
body fat wasn’t to begin with, so the percent loss in fat was much
easier I am sure than if I were already cut. Also, my weight is
generally stable so I have to eat a lot just to maintain my weight.
Other people who gain weight easily would have a different dynamic.
Q.
Thank you very much for the interview.
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