|
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
leviagra151
Q.
Can you please share your ABCbodybuilding testimony?
A.
Man I can’t say
enough about ABCbodybuilding.com. You can search and search and search
until you’re blue in the face, but the CORRECT information you need to
build the better you leads you here.
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 absolutely
recommend the challenge, to anyone. It’s really not about whether you
win or lose, it’s about motivation. At least it was for me. I’ve been
associated with competitive sports since I was five years old.
Competition is easy when you’re staring your opposition in the face, but
when it’s you against you, it’s really easy to let slide. Knowing there
was someone out there competing against me made it a little easier to
just do it.
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. No
I don't believe so. But then again I won so I wouldn't have a lot to
complain about. I think what people need is proof of their competitors
results. Mandatory before and after pictures maybe? But that wouldn't be
very fair to those who couldn't afford a digital camera. That's a tough
question, because so much of the competition relies on the faith system.
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. Yes,
and I think it would be apparent if someone were to go through and read
the forums. We're not competing for a $1000 prize here. For me and I
think most others it is just a big kick of motivation to be competing
against tangibles instead of just oneself. If you work hard and obtain
positive results, then everybody is a winner.
Q.
What was the hardest part about the challenge?
A. Endurance.
I know there was a couple days that the combination of full time school
and part time work got me down and I wasn’t eating or lifting with the
utmost focus. It’s not just a challenge. Pardon the cliché, but it
really is a lifestyle change.
Q.
How much did you have to adjust your life?
A. I
didn’t really have to make any adjustments. Everything I needed was
available to me. I just learned to manage my time better.
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. Like
I said before there were absolutely times I started to slack. What kept
me under control and brought me back was the weekly measurements. I
didn’t want to see that body fat percentage increase or that LBM
decrease. It’s like having a good addiction. I’ve been competitive all
my life and I hate to fail.
Q.
Did you ever feel like quitting the challenge, or feel signs of
overtraining? If so, how did you handle this?
A. I
never had any intention on quitting the challenge. It’s not in my nature
to quit something like that. As far as overtraining, it wasn’t an issue.
I know my gains are greater when I cycle cardio with weight training.
The things outside of the weight room lead me to burnout faster than any
weight. No matter how hard I lift or what I put up, I always feel better
after I’ve done it.
Q.
Do you plan on competing in the future? If not, what are your future
aspirations and goals in bodybuilding?
A. I
will definitely be competing in the sites challenges as long as they
decide to host them.
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. No
advanced techniques. Just eating clean. The bulk of the foods I consumed
came from foods on the Bodybuilder’s grocery list. It’s amazing how even
the smallest changes in your eating habits can lead to visible changes
in the body’s composition. I had never counted my calories before so I
really couldn’t tell you how many calories I dropped on average to lose
weight. I ran various searches throughout the internet and put in my
stats to the calorie calculators to see what I SHOULD be consuming and
came up with a mean. I tried to take in about 2200 to 2400 calories per
day at a 40/40/20 mix of macronutrients. To me it’s not so much calorie
deficit to calorie surplus as much as it is what you eat and maybe even
more importantly when you eat it. A calorie is not a calorie is not a
calorie. Different foods have different thermal effects.
I started out with a standard and then interchanged day to day with
different foods with approximately the same caloric content to keep it
interesting.
Q.
What supplements did you use?
A. Whey
protein, creatine (dextrose/maltodextrin mix post workout),
multivitamin, flax seed oil, B and C vitamins.
Q.
What did your split look like?
A. Back/biceps
Chest/triceps
Shoulders/forearms
Legs
Cardio every other day.
I try to focus more on compound movements and exercises that increase
functional strength. This helps in sports more so than just shooting for
the beach body.
Q.
How much cardio did you do?
A. 30
to 40 minutes every other day. I tried my best to mix it up with not
only running on the treadmill but swimming, cycling, pickup basketball,
sprint work, and anything to keep it interesting and not monotonous. My
goals were not only to lose fat, but to improve overall cardiovascular
endurance as well. After all I still play sports competitively.
Q.
What was more important to you—winning the competition, or improving
your body? And why?
A. Improving
your body is winning no matter how you slice it. Winning the
competition, however, was just icing on the cake.
Q.
Would you have done anything different in your program if you could
start the challenge over?
A. I
would have dedicated more time to my daily journals. I mainly just used
the journals to record my weekly results. Even though it takes a little
bit of time, it would’ve been well worth it to see my progress, and
probably would have provided even further motivation to stay on track.
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. Intensity.
It’s ½ to 2 hours a day that you can leave all the worlds pressures at
the door and focus on one thing, so be intense. Drink lots of water,
it’s not a gimme, it’s a must. Lift heavy. I’m not a scientist but the
best I can understand the muscle can only do three things relative to
size: get bigger, get smaller, or stay the same. If you want your
muscles to grow, you have to give them some stress to adapt to.
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.Well
I’m pretty convinced that it is. It happened for me. At least according
to my results. I had to crash course my girlfriend into taking caliper
readings for me. But one thing is for sure, no matter if I started at
30% bf and dropped to 20%, or started at 20% and dropped to 10%, the
change is still the same. Use the same tester, at the same time of day,
and the same scales for weighing and the changes are real. And that’s
the basis for the challenge, which is great because everyone has a
chance to win.
As for scientific evidence for or against losing fat and gaining muscle
at the same time, I’m sure there’s plenty for both sides. It’s however
you want to spin it. Being a biology major I have a broad but limited
knowledge of the body’s processes. One thing is for certain, adipose
tissue and muscle are two very different things. So it seems plausible
that one can be gained while the other lost. I also believe, however,
that the body can’t be efficient at both at the same time. So for
advanced lifters periods of cuts and bulks are probably still the most
effective way to go. But for beginners, (or in my case someone that is
coming off a long leave of absence from lifting and is probably
regaining muscle that was previously built) it is very possible and can
easily be dramatic in both aspects.
Q.
Thank you very much for the interview.
© ABC Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer |
