Cardio is great, but I think a strict keto diet will get you where you want to go: Check this out, I found this on Muscle Chemistry's site. I did it for 6 weeks minus all the drugs except clen and ECA and I lost 12 pounds of fat.
8 WEEK SUPERCUT CYCLE
It's that time of year again. Here on the East Coast, convertible tops are starting to come down, sweatshirts are being put away, and the season of skin is rapidly approaching. Which means that after a long season of mass cycles, "see food" diets, and setting personal bests in all lifts, it's time to shed some fat. I know it's about that time for me ... time to let the abs out!
With that in mind, I put together this diet/training/supplement cycle that I plan on doing starting April 1. You will see that it is a patchwork of a bunch of information that I have accumulated from a variety of books, boards, and bros. So here it is, my 8 week supercut cycle:
Diet
Of course, it all starts with diet. I hate to diet as much as anyone does, but we all know that it is a necessary evil. Since this is only an 8-week course, the most effective diet to use is a CKD (cyclical ketogenic diet).
I know, I know. CKD's are a pain in the ass. We're bodybuilders, not mathematicians right? Who has time to figure out all of the ratios and shit? Well, fortunately my girlfriend found a site that does all of that shit work for you. All you have to do is answer a few questions and it will generate your info for you.
Here's the link:
http://www.voicenet.com/~petrizzi/fitness/ckdcalc.html
While I'm at it, here's a link to an article with good, basic CKD guidelines:
http://www.solid.net/lowcarb/lylemcd/cyclic1.html
http://www.soild.net/lowcarb/lylemcd/cyclic2.html
So, now you know how you have to split up your macronutrients for the ketogenic phase (Monday through Friday PM) and for the supercompensation phase (carb-up ... Friday PM - Sunday PM).
For the unimaginative, or for the easily bored, I am also going to give you a few links to some low carb recipe pages.
http://www.ptyza.com/pamstuff/lowcook.htm
http://www.lowcarb.ca/recipes.html
Some guys can go all week drinking protein in water and doing shots of flax oil to stay in ketosis. That seems like a lot of fun, but I am not one of those guys. I need some food with my shakes! So, here is a sample week of what I will be doing on a typical ketosis phase (I am 220 lb. @ 12% fat, so you may need to adjust):
Monday
Meal #1
3 Egg "Mock"muffins
Isopure Zero Carb shake
Meal #2
Low-carb bar
EFA Supplement
Meal#3
Baked Chicken
Spinach w/ butter
Meal #4
Cream cheese on celery
Isopure Zero Carb shake
Meal #5
Grilled Chicken Strips dipped in Ranch dressing
Meal #6 (post workout)
Isopure Zero Carb shake
Tuesday
Meal #1
No-carb donut holes
6 pieces bacon
Isopure Zero Carb shake
Meal #2
¼ cup ricotta cheese, with 1 packet Equal and sprinkle of cinnamon
Meal #3
Chef Salad (turkey, ham, hard cheese, and eggs)
Low-carb dressing
Meal #4
Low carb bar
EFA Supplement
Meal #5
Pepper Steak
Meal #6 (post-workout)
Isopure Zero Carb Shake
Wednesday
Meal #1
Cheese Omelet
6 pieces bacon
Isopure shake
Meal #2
Low carb bar
EFA Supplement
Meal #3
Chicken salad
Meal #4
Turkey/cheese roll-ups
Isopure shake
Meal #5
Crispy Chicken on Spinach salad
Meal #6 (post-workout)
Isopure Zero Carb Shake
Thursday
Meal #1
No-carb Cinnamon cake
6 pieces bacon
Isopure Zero Carb Shake
Meal #2
Low-carb bar
EFA Supplement
Meal #3
Chef Salad
Meal #4
Cream cheese on celery or Wasa crackers
Meal #5
Grilled chicken
Broccoli covered with cheese
Meal #6 (post-workout)
Isopure Zero Carb Shake
Friday
Meal #1
No-carb Light muffins
6 pieces Bacon
Isopure Zero Carb shake
Meal #2
Low carb bar
EFA Supplement
Meal #3
3 or 4 cheese filled hot dogs
Salad w/ dressing
Meal #4
No-carb cheesecake cups
Isopure Zero carb shake
Meal #5
Salmon Steak w/ lemon sauce
Cheese covered mixed veggies
Meal #6 (post workout ... start the carbs!)
Isopure Zero Carb Shake
ULTRA FUEL
Carb-up days are easy. Just eat lots of low fat, high carb foods. Throw in a few protein shakes each day and you should easily be able to cover yourself. If you can't eat all of those carbs, drink `em. UltraFuel works well. Drink lots of Gatorade.
You might do yourself a favor by switching to Lactaid milk during this period, and also taking a supplement called Beano with your meals. This is because your body won't be ready for the lactose in regular milk if you go off the deep end. The Beano provides you with an enzyme to break down some starches in your system. You will be putting away a lot of calories in a short time, and the "beneficial bacteria" chillin out in your intestine are gonna go crazy when all of the fiber/sugar hits them after they've been deprived for about a week.
I learned this the hard way before, and I was running to the bathroom every 10 minutes with some powerful gas. Lactaid and Beano are cheap, and they will save you some trouble.
Dirty trick to get into ketosis QUICKLY (thanks Elite Fitness & Dan Duchaine)
The trick, originally brought to my attention by Dan Duchaine, is the use of Humulin R injectible insulin.
Humulin R insulin is important compared to other types of insulin because it reaches its peak effect in 2 hours, causing a quick metabolic shift into ketosis.
Using small amounts of insulin will cause your blood glucose to drop, in a quick and controlled manner. Glucose levels hit about 50 mg/ml and force your body into ketosis at a much faster rate.
Insulin is one of the most controversial drugs used in bodybuilding today. The reality is that if you slip up and use too much insulin, you could enter a hypoglycemic coma, which could cause irreversible damage to your body and in some cases prove fatal. Please note that that the following information is highly controversial and provided solely for informational purposes.
Despite the controversy surrounding its use insulin is one of the easiest substances in bodybuilding to obtain legally. It is available over the counter in most U.S. states and costs between $20-$30 in local pharmacies and is even cheaper through U.S. mail order pharmacies.
In most U.S. states a prescription is required to purchase and possess the insulin
syringes used to administer the drug. This problem can be avoided by ordering syringes from mail order sources. A person using insulin for bodybuilding purposes should face no real legal ramifications. The only problems that can arise is getting caught possessing syringes with out a script or actually selling insulin for any purpose other than the treatment of diabetes.
A glucometer, to display your blood glucose levels, is highly recommended while attempting to use insulin safely. A glucometer costs around $100. It is possible to use insulin without a glucometer if your are cautious but it is not recommended.
You will also need to purchase insulin syringes that hold up to 100 units. Do not use regular syringes. You will need to measure out precise amounts of insulin, between 2-3 units, which cannot be measured accurately using a regular syringe.
Here's how it works:
After you eat your last carb meal on Sunday night, you will need to take a reading on the glucometer to check your blood glucose level. The body's normal blood glucose level is usually between 80mg/ml and 120 mg/ml.
At this point, draw 2-3 units of insulin and inject it subcutaneously into a fold of skin.
After waiting between two or three hours, take another reading with the glucometer. You blood glucose level will have dropped since your last measurement. Again inject 2 units of insulin and measure your blood glucose level around 2 hours after your injection.
Repeat this cycle until your blood glucose level is between 55 mg/ml and 65 mg/ml.
When your blood glucose is at this level, you will descend into ketosis while you sleep.
REMEMBER TO STAY AWAKE FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS AFTER AN INSULIN INJECTION.
The last thing you want is to fall asleep after an injection and have your blood glucose drop to a
dangerously low level while you sleep. You could fall into a hypoglycemic coma and no one will recognize the symptoms until it is too late.
Upon waking in the morning, measure your urine with the Ketostix. Measuring ketones in the morning is necessary because the sticks show only the unused level of ketones in your body and should show trace to moderate ketone levels. If you measure them in the afternoon the numbers will not be as accurate, because most of the ketones that were produced will have been used by your body as fuel.
Dietary Supplements (thanks Dave's Power Store)
Some supplements you should consider taking while on this diet include:
A basic multivitamin and mineral supplement is warranted due to the lack of breads, cereals, grains, fruits and some vegetables for 5 days per week.
I also recommend Fibersol by Twinlab or Sugar Free Metamucil because of the lack of dietary
fiber that low carbohydrate foods possess. Fibersol is a carbohydrate-free soluble fiber. Even if you want to forget all the healthy benefits of a high fiber diet, at least know that it may be very unhealthy and unpleasant to not have at least one bowel movement per day. If you don't supplement with fiber you may not have a movement for 3-4 days. That's way too long.
I would still use creatine monohydrate every day at 10 grams per day.
You may also want to add L-glutamine at 40 grams per day, split up 5 grams every 3 hours you are awake, and 10 grams right before bed.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in muscle. It improves immune cell function, stimulates protein synthesis, and prevents catabolism from the effects of cortisol. I have made it through many cutting cycles NATURAL without losing much muscle, and I attribute that to high glutamine intake.
Although not a supplement, I cannot suggest or recommend highly enough, that you consume at least 1 gallon of water every day -- not soda or coffee. With a higher protein intake and because ketone bodies act as a natural diuretic, you'll urinate more. This can cause mild states of dehydration that could cause some not-so-mild performance problems in the gym if you don't replace the water lost.
Ergogenic Aids / Fat Loss (thanks Grendle, TBM, and Q)
To maximize fat loss, you will need to be on a potent stimulant/thyroid protocol. Since this is only 8 weeks, it will be a pretty aggressive stack.
For the ultimate fat burning combo you will need to obtain Ritalin, cytomel (T3 thyroid hormone), clenbuterol, ephedrine hydrochloride (get the real stuff from a gas station or a hardcore nutrition store - forget the herbal versions), glucophage (Metaformin HCL), and yohimbine hydrochloride.
If you need to know why we are using these drugs then you shouldn't be doing this stack.
Week 1-2
-20 mg Ritalin upon waking
-60 mcg clenbuterol upon waking
-50 mcg cytomel upon waking
-6 mg yohimbine 30 minutes to one hour after the clenbuterol.
-10 mg Ritalin 6 hours after the first pill
-60 mcg clenbuterol sometime before 2 pm
-50 mcg cytomel with the clenbuterol
-6 mg yohimbine 30 minutes to one hour after the clenbuterol
- 2 hours before bed take 1600 mg glucophage (Metaformin HCL) to curb nighttime appetite.
Week 3-4
Same as above, but replace clenbuterol with 50 mg of ephedrine HCL.
Week 5-6
This should be taken as time off from the Ritalin and the beta-agonists. You
should continue cytomel at 100 mcg per day (in two divided doses). You can
use DNP if you would like during this two-week period.
Week 7-9
Stop the use of the cytomel and all other drugs.
This should insure that for most of your waking day you are under the influence of Ritalin. You will immediately notice that the drug has curbed your appetite, but without the tremors and anxiety associated with products like ephedrine and clenbuterol.
Ritalin is a stimulant, but it uses totally different pathways then either ephedrine or clenbuterol. Therefore it is possible to combine the drugs into a synergist cocktail yielding incredible results. Be aware that there is a potential for over-stimulation in this mixing of drugs. Do not combine Ritalin with a beta-agonist product the first time you try either drug. This combination is intended for people who are experienced with the beta-agonists and also with Ritalin.
For the more adventurous, there are a few other aids that you could toss in to maximize fat loss:
DNP - "If you don't know where to find DNP then you shouldn't be using it" - Jay Meuller
DNP is my favorite dieting aid out of these 4 because it's so deadly and you can't fuck around with it. DNP was originally used and still used for different things such as TNT, rat Poison and a host of other similarly dangerous items.
DNP is the single most effective way to lose body fat in the fastest period of time. So, why don't people use it more often? 1) It's hard to get and 2) The possible negatives far outweigh the positives.
The way DNP makes you feel is the number one reason people hate it or won't use it. Non-stop sweating, fatigue, and lack of energy make it near impossible to carry on normal daily activities. Working out becomes a horrible experience and your body constantly craves carbs.
However, there is an upside to it. If you take a safe dosage such as 400-600mg's in a 2 on, 1 off
fashion, it is manageable for periods of up to a month. Using DNP puts a huge amount of pressure on the kidneys and liver, thus making Milk Thistle a supplement to use.
When on DNP, all bodily functions become yellow. Everyday functions such as urinating, and sweating leave stains of yellow and have the same tint to them when leaving the body.
Water is a must asset to have to keep the body hydrated throughout the day. Vitamin C should also be used at 1000-2000mg day to combat the possible blurriness that occurs from DNP.
I have heard of glycerol being used but I don't use it myself.
A normal cycle would be 3-4 weeks long with a 2on 1off schedule. 400mg the first day and possibly 600mg the second. Because DNP doesn't kick in for up to 36hrs, some people will overdose thinking its not working. That is the wrong move to make and could prove deadly.
After taking the first 400mg, see how you feel the day after. If you know that you're ok and could go higher, do so.
Pure DNP at 400mg's is more than most people can handle, so for most, upping the dosage is not required.
If your not making DNP yourself, you better trust your supplier because he is playing with your life by dosing the capsules. If he or she OD's the capsules and puts 400mg instead of 200 and you take 2, that's 800mg's of DNP in you. Can you say Emergency Room?
I can't stress enough the importance of knowing exactly how much DNP you are taking. This is not something to be taken lightly and as I stated, before it's important to get it right the first time because there are no second chances with this drug.
There are two times I'd use DNP. One is to cut down to low single bf% and the other is when fat loss comes to a stand still. Some people use it to kick start their diet, but to me that am a waste because when people first start to diet, the fat comes off quickly. After that it becomes harder and harder to lose fat without sacrificing hard earned muscle. This is where DNP comes in handy.
Another side note about DNP is that it causes severe water retention. When people use it, they think its not working and immediately start to eat like normal post cycle. The problem is, it takes up to a week to see the full results of DNP. Once the water is gone, you can see how you have faired.
Don't be upset if it looks like nothing is working when it really is. You can speed up the process by drinking a lot of water the week after your last dose then dehydrating for a night till the next morning. How you look that morning will be a good indication of how your cycle went.
Nicotine - One study stated that nicotine was possibly the most effective anti obesity drug
available at the time that the study was performed (late 70's). Nicotine has various properties that help in weight reduction while sparing muscle:
Reduced appetite - Nicotine inhibits food intake via three mechanisms, first it elevated adrenalin and nor-adrenalin levels which reduces appetite. Next Nicotine itself has been shown to reduce the craving for carbohydrates. Great addition to a ketogenic diet.
Thermogenic effects - The release of adrenaline and nor-adrenaline also cause a thermogenic effect similar to that of ECA.
Actual fat reduction - Nicotine stimulates a very rapid mobilization of fatty deposits. This happens as quickly as 10 minutes after administration. The lipids are mobilized and free fatty acids are released in the blood stream in great amounts. The free fatty acids diminish quickly due to an unknown action of nicotine. Nicotine seems to help the body use the FFA's for energy in an accelerated fashion.
Nicotine has an eight-fold weight loss effect on the system:
Reduction of overall appetite
Reduced craving for carbs
Thermogenic effect
Fatty deposit mobilization
Stimulation of FFA degradation
Estrogen reduction
Prostaglandin release
Growth hormone release
I know how extremely controversial that nicotine use is, and I in no way condone anyone going out and starting up a smoking habit for the sake of fat loss. However, I have experimented with slapping a low dose patch on me for 2 weeks, and I did lose fat at an increased rate.
Play at your own risk with this one guys!
Ergogenic Aids / Anabolics (thanks William Llewellyn)
As far as for what AS to use on this cycle, I will defer to my trusty copy of Anabolics 2000 and list the "potent cutting/hardening cycle" given. I am far from a pro at AS use (having only 2 cycles under my belt), but I am good at cutting. But you could use any of the standard stacks for cutting.
Weeks 1 - 8: Finaplix @ 2 pellets per day, Winny @ 150mg/day (week 1 @ 100mg/day)
Week 8: 5000 - 7000 IU of HCG
Week 9: 5,000 IU of HCG
Week 10: 3000 IU of HCG
Again, this was out of Anabolics 2000. From what I've seen around, these numbers seem low. Do what you know best for you. These are just guidelines.
Personally I think Fina @ 75 mg per day is a minimum, but that's just me. I like to keep things simple. Remember that your goal is to lose fat. The AS are present to be sure that you don't lose any hard-earned muscle.
For something a little more aggressive, here is a stack that I got from Q:
Week Fina EQ
1 700 mg 400 mg
2 700 mg 400 mg
3 700 mg 400 mg
4 700 mg 400 mg
5 700 mg 400 mg
6 700 mg 400 mg
7 700 mg -
8 350 mg -
9 - -
Weight Training
While on a CKD, I have found it best to follow this training split:
Monday - Squats/Chest/Back (heavy and hard) + cardio
Tuesday - Abs + cardio
Wednesday - Full body circuit (see below) + cardio
Thursday - Abs + cardio
Friday - Full body circuit (see below) + cardio
Saturday & Sunday - rest
On Monday, go heavy and hard. I use squats, flat bench press, incline presses, heavy rows, and pulldowns on this day. After warm-ups, I use an 8-6-4-2 rep scheme.
Going heavy and hard early in the week while your glycogen stores are full will allow you to accomplish 2 things:
You will keep your strength in your big lifts. Most people lose strength when they go on a cutting cycle.
You will rapidly deplete glycogen stores. Big, compound moves rapidly use up the stored glycogen in your liver and in your muscles.
As for the full body circuits, the week-to-week progression I plan to use builds off of the weeks before it. That way, your muscles will be forced to adapt to a new training stimulus every two weeks. This will help to further retain your muscle mass. The workouts will look like this:
Weeks 1 & 2 - 2 sets of 20 on all exercises, hitting positive failure by end of set,
up to 30 seconds rest in between sets - if needed
Lunges (hold dbs in hands)
Flat db Chest Press superset with db Pullover
One Arm db row
Seated db Military Press superset with db Upright Row
Alternate db curl superset with Push-ups
Weeks 3 & 4 - 3 sets of 15 or until failure on all exercises, up to 30 seconds rest in between sets.
Single Leg Presses (or step-ups if not in gym)
Incline db Chest Press superset with Incline db Flye
Military Press (bar) superset with Bent Over Row (bar)
db Side Raise superset with db Upright Row
Seated db curl superset with Skullcrushers
Weeks 5 & 6 - 3 sets of 20 on all exercises, hitting positive failure by end of set,
up to 30 seconds rest in between sets - if needed
Static Lunges (hold dbs in hands)
Flat db Pullover/Chest Press/Flye superset - do one pullover, one press, one flye. That's a rep.
One Arm db row
Seated db Arnold Press/Upright Row/Side Raise superset - standard superset
Seated db Curl 21's
DB Skullcrusher/Close Grip Bench Press/Push-ups superset
Weeks 7 & 8 - 3 sets of 8 on all exercises, adjust weights up accordingly, hitting positive failure by end of set, use rest guidelines laid out in workout program below.
One Arm db Row - 3x8, no rest
Flat db Press/Flat db Flye superset - 3x8, 60 seconds between sets
Seated db Arnold Press/Standing db Upright Row superset - 3x8, 30 seconds rest
Standing db Curls/Standing db Hammer Curls superset - 3x8, 30 seconds rest
Close Grip Bench Press/Kickbacks superset - 3x8, 30 seconds rest
High Stance Single Leg Press - 3x8, no rest (if no gym access, use step ups)
Single Leg Curl - 3x8, no rest (eliminate if no gym access)
Stiff Leg Deadlift - 3x8, 30 seconds rest
Cardio Training
The cardio training I am going for is a steady progression from 30 minutes per day, gradually building up to two sessions per day of one hour of interval training. While some may say that this is too much cardio, I know what works for me. This does the trick. The progression looks like this:
week 1= 30 mins/day (preferably do all cardio in the AM on an empty stomach)
week 2= 45 mins/day
week 3 = 50 mins/day, split 25 in AM and 25 after workout
week 4 = 60 mins/day, split 30 in AM and 30 after workout
week 5= 90 mins/day, split 45 mins in AM, and 45 mins after workout
week 6 = 120 mins/day, split 60 mins AM and 60 mins after workout
week 7 & 8= 120 mins/day, INTERVAL TRAINING, split 60 mins AM & 60 MINS after workout. For intervals, I usually use a hill program on a treadmill or a random program on an elliptical trainer (if access to a Pre-Cor EFX, try program #5).
Abdominal Training
Over the winter, you should have been doing your heavy ab work to build up the mass on those abs. The heavy weight work is what will create those ridges in your abdominals.
For this program, you will be doing high rep range work. The purpose is to keep your heart rate up and keep the fat burning process going.
week 1 = 3 sets x12 reps
week 2 = 3 sets x15 reps
Knee-Raises on Vertical Bench (or reverse crunches or heel press ups)
Partner-resisted crunch
Roll-outs (the move that torso track simulates), using ab wheel
Bench Crunch
week 3 = 3 sets x 15 reps
week 4 = 3 sets x 20 reps
Knee-Raises on Vertical Bench (or reverse crunch/heel press up)
Weighted Incline Crunch w/ slight Twist at top
Russian Twist (weighted)
Bench Crunch
Flutter kicks
week 5 = 3 sets x 15 reps
week 6 = 3 sets x 20 reps
V-up Crunch
Cable Crunch (or Weighted crunches if not in gym)
Roll-outs (the move that torso track simulates), using ab wheel
Plyometric Crunches
week 7 = 3 sets x 15 reps
week 8 = 3 sets x 20 reps
Crunch/V-up/Cross-Touch Crunch/Reverse Crunch giant set, 30 seconds rest
Conclusion
So there it is, my personal plan for an 8 week supercut cycle. It is admittedly aggressive, but as I said it is designed to achieve maximum results in a short period of time.
I can not stress enough that this article is just a big mesh of a lot of information I have accumulated from many sources, with some of my own experience tossed in (I am educated in nutrition as well as being a certified trainer).
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