I am a 21 year old male. I work in a distribution
center (plenty of lifting) and studying to be a personal trainer. I
started the NHE eating plan about a week ago and have been
strength training for about 8-9 months. I definitely plan on ordering
the HIE book but until I receive it I had a few questions to get started
in the right direction:
1. I organize my workouts into muscle groups
(performing mainly isolative exercises). Back, chest, arms
(triceps & biceps), and legs & shoulders each on a separate day. I do
deadlifts, bench (all 3), and squats along with at least 3 accompanying
exercises for each. Is this method detrimental to my progress? What do
you suggest?
2. My chest routine: flat bench, decline bench,
incline dumbbells, and two sep. types of cable crossover. Since starting
cable crossover I've noticed increase in definition. What are some
methods to improve my chest strength, for it has been at a stand still
for some time?
3. Upon starting the 2nd week of NHE how should I
regulate fat intake. I know that pork fat such as bacon and sausage
should be minimized. Should I also favor things made with turkey instead
of beef (ex. burgers & pepperoni)? Should I stick to lean beef and white
meat (chicken), can I have dark meat?
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Ask Rob regulars may note that this is a rewritten reply to a previous
question submitted by Matthew Cavey.
1. I recommend a 3-day split (see HIE); you are describing a 4-day split
so I would modify that accordingly.
2. It appears you have reached a strength plateau. There are three
reasons why this happens:
Aging - At some point later in life weight training becomes no longer a
vehicle for strength gain, rather a way of combating strength loss.
Genetic Maximum - As with cardiovascular endurance (associated with
Vo2Max), muscular strength is subject to genetic limitation. Everyone
responds to strength training by becoming stronger and to endurance
training by increasing oxygen delivery and uptake capacity. These are universal
training adaptations. However, some begin at a higher baseline and/or have
greater capacity for physical adaptation. Elite-level athletes are in
this category.
Suboptimal Training - In most instances, one's training regimen or
diet can be altered to improve results. Switching from a 4- to a 3- day
split may help by decreasing exercise volume; this will cause an
increase in strength if you are presently overtraining your shoulders
(which may preclude maximal expression of pectoral strength) or
overtraining systemically (which would cause a generalized cessation of
strength progression). If that doesn't spur gains, experiment with
increasing chest-training frequency. Train chest twice per week by dividing your present chest
routine in half
(coupled with upper back)
with at least two days intervening between
workouts.
3. On a controlled-carb diet, there's no reason to limit yourself to
white meat except if that's your preference. Burgers (without bread) are
okay in moderation (let's say no more than 3, occasionally 4 per week).
Consumption of processed meats such as pepperoni, sausage,
bacon should
be minimized. Chicken fat is less saturated and generally healthier than
beef fat, which provides a valid rationale to favor poultry over beef
(and seafood tops chicken in this category). Factoring out the fat and
assessing the nutritional content of the meat only, lean beef ranks
highly. The more important question is what accompanies meat on your
plate: vegetables or pasta/bread. This is
where the critical decision is made determining whether the meal will
further or hinder your fat loss efforts.
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