|
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
tarheelsykes
Q.
Can you please share your ABCbodybuilding testimony?
A.
I had visited the
site a year or two ago, but had actually forgotten it was here. When a
coworker shared info on fiber she got from this site back in June, I
started coming on here often. Having gotten a masters in exercise
physiology, I am always looking for in-depth discussions on the area,
and this website does a great job of doing that
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
did enjoy it. the chance to set up goals and have a set timeline was
great. Helped keep me motivated. I would suggest it to people who are
not ready for the stage, but live in areas where they may not have
friends for friendly competition. Creates camaraderie that cant always
be found in small gyms
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
don't think it did at all, I thought everyone was very supportive and
helpful, a big part of what kept me going
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. Absolutely,
that is what made it special. And because of that I look forward to the
next one.
Q.
What was the hardest part about the challenge?
A. For
me it is always the diet, making sure the meals are ready. as long as
food is prepared, I am good at eating what I should.
Q.
How much did you have to adjust your life?
A. Not
too much, my normal schedule is to eat every 3 hours and to work out 6
days a week. The one thing I had to account for was longer cardio
sessions at night. But luckily I have a great wife who shares a love for
exercise, so she was happy to push me and participate in that cardio.
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. The
push of other competitors. to come online each day and see what they
were doing. Made it clear that I cant slack because they aren’t.
Q.
Did you ever feel like quitting the challenge, or feel signs of
overtraining? If so, how did you handle this?
A. I
few times other stress distracted me, made me want to give up, but
always used prayer to clear my head, focus on what was important and get
back on track
Q.
Do you plan on competing in the future? If not, what are your future
aspirations and goals in bodybuilding?
A. I
never plan to step on stage. My plan is to continue to make personal
goals such as the hyperplasia challenge throughout the year. I turn 30
in 2 months. The best shape I feel I have ever been in was about 218lbs
at10% bodyfat, my goal is to beat that in the next year
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. From
start to end I dropped about 900 calories per day. During the time I
didn't do any carb cycling, but each week included calorie cycling. I’ve
noticed over the last couple of years my body is a little more stubborn,
so I have to be more creative.
Q.
What supplements did you use?
A. What
supplements did you use?
RenewLife Intestinew (for glutamine)
Creatine
vitamin shoppe multivitamin
RenewLife Fishoil
ON whey protein
Q.
What did your split look like?
A. used
the 13 week cut workout for first 4 weeks
then switched to day1 chest/biceps, day 2 legs, day 3 back/triceps, day
4 shoulders/traps and day 5 legs. rest one day and repeat. abs, calves
and forearms were mixed on different days depending on time.
Q.
How much cardio did you do?
A. Varied
between 2 hrs to 4 hrs per week, split between 3-5 days
Q.
What was more important to you—winning the competition, or improving
your body? And why?
A. I
am a competitive person, so I wanted to win, but the main thing was
seeing my body change and continue to push thru adversity as I worked
towards the finish
Q.
Would you have done anything different in your program if you could
start the challenge over?
A. I
kept carbs a little higher and done more cardio earlier on. If I could
have gotten a killer workout partner, that would have been nice too
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. Cutting
is focusing on each set, as calories drop and energy does the same, it
can be hard to focus, but important to get the most out of every set.
And definitely include shocks (my favorite are the drop/static sets) to
get a great feel, and to keep it interesting
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.
For someone who is a novice, absolutely it is possible. The more advance
you are, the harder it can be. I think you are likely to see dramatic
changes in fat loss, but more moderate in muscle gain. I would still
always do separate cuts and bulks
Q.
Thank you very much for the interview.
© ABC Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer |
