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How to Maintain Energy During Prep
By IFBB Pro Josh Wade
Sponsored by ALLMAX
Dieting for competition is never easy! Here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
It doesn’t matter how many times people have been through a prep, you still get the same complaints: “my energy is down, I’m more tired than normal,” etc. Even though it’s all a part of the process, here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
Even after competing for over 14 years, dieting for competition is never easy! Cravings come and go and energy has its ups and downs, especially when body fat starts getting low and you have less slow-acting energy from fat stores. I’ll talk about fast-acting energy and how I still have very productive workouts throughout my whole prep later, but for now I’ll explain why when body fat gets low you feel like you are asleep on your feet.
When I start prep, I usually cut out dietary fats first like avocado and olive oil to rely on body fat as my slow energy fuel source. This way I start removing body fat but keep my carbs as high as I can to keep workouts productive and muscle tissue full. Most people know that at times of rest or while exercising with a heart rate below 65 percent of your maximum heart rate that fat is the primary fuel source, so that’s why while doing all your cardio when your legs start feeling heavy and you feel like you’re falling asleep on your feet that you are getting close to ready. It’s not an enjoyable feeling but one that is necessary and gives you a feeling of knowing you’re almost ready. The way I get through those periods is plain and simple: STAY BUSY!
It’s kind of funny, but I get the most stuff done around the house and even look for projects to do just to keep myself busy and active. Two things are accomplished through this. First, I’m staying active so I’m continuously burning body fat and calories; second, I stay so busy I don’t get bored and think about food. Most people get hungry because they are bored or dehydrated so another thing is to make sure you are drinking plenty of water. A little trick I do to get some flavor is to add some Aminocore (BCAAs) from Allmax Nutrition to my water and sip on it when needed to take the edge off dieting, as even that sweet flavor makes me think I’m getting a treat plus there’s nothing wrong with staying a little more anabolic throughout the day with extra leucine.
Now back to the fast-acting energy that keeps me productive throughout my workouts. There are a few supplements I use for this purpose but the two I feel are the most important here are my Impact Igniter Xtreme pre-workout from Allmax Nutrition, which has enough caffeine to get me moving and cognitive ingredients to keep my focus. I also add Carbion by Allmax Nutrition for the fast-acting carbohydrates to fuel my workout, keep my endurance up and help aid in recovery plus it keeps me hydrated as well with the added electrolytes which is a win-win! Each scoop of Carbion has 50 grams of carbs and I will vary the amount I use but I usually consume 100 grams of carbs from it DURING my workout to keep the workout endurance as high as possible. I will taper down to 50 grams during prep if body fat isn’t coming down as fast as I would like, but your workouts are critical to preserve muscle tissue while dieting so I never like to pull it completely out for a client unless they just can’t get the fat off. Then it’s do whatever it takes even if workouts start to suffer, knowing it’s only temporary.
Nasty Burn and Pump
Q: How often do you vary your reps and sets?
A: Most of the time I keep training similar using a standard pyramid style based on effort more than anything like 15 hard reps, followed by 12 hard reps, then 10, then 8 and usually some sort of shock technique added to the last set like a drop set or forced reps, etc.
I’m going to piggyback this answer off some concepts I learned from John Meadows (my friend and coach for over five years; RIP). While getting older and beating my body up for so many years I’ve learned that progressive overload isn’t the only way to get super sore and build muscle. That’s when you need to put more thought into your programs. For me it’s usually when I’m battling through injuries or aches and pains is when I need to put more thought into my training, and I’ll give you an example of what I’ve done recently to help my knee start feeling better without using tremendous loads. Plus, I’ve been enjoying this process of varying reps and intensities to make training fun again, as I feel I can give more energy to lower rep (not failure) warm-ups and then an all-out set of slow focused, meticulous reps for a nasty burn and pump.
I watched a video from John Meadows (YouTube channel mountaindog1), “How to build your legs without free squats,” and I had to give it a try as the progressive overload I was doing on squats weekly wasn’t allowing my knee to heal. The concept was to work your way up plate by plate with very minimal rest for like six reps until you find a hard six then rest and do one all-out set with the weight you found for a hard six and do 25 reps with it. When you can’t get full ROM, get out of the machine and shake them out and then get back in and do that as many times as it takes to make 25 reps and then move on to the next exercise. For me on the leg extensions it took me nine sets to find the hard six reps, which just gave me extra warm-up sets. This was an amazing workout and now I’m using it or a variation of it and bringing back progressive overload to it every week to improve from week to week. Give it a try and remember it’s not always about the weight, but the effort you put into your workouts. Sometimes it’s simple; MAKE IT HARD!
USE VERY MINIMAL REST BETWEEN WARM-UP SETS. JUST ENOUGH TIME TO CHANGE WEIGHT!
Leg Extensions -120 x 6, 135 x 6, 150 x 6, 165 x 6, 180 x 6, 195 x 6, 210 x 6, 225 x 6, 225 x 6, 240 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
Hack Squats - 0 x 6, 90 x 6, 140 x 6, 180 x 6, 230 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
DB Walking Lunges - 30# x 24 steps, 40# x 24 steps, 50# x 24 steps
Lying Leg Curls - 120 x 10, 140 x 10, 160 x 10, 180 x 10+10 partials+20-second isohold
DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts - 55 x 10, 65 x 10, 75 x 10, 85 x 10, 100 x 12
Please send questions for this column to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.teamwadefitness.com
Instagram:
@ifbbprojoshwade
@teamallmax
@allmaxtraining
For more information, visit allmaxnutrition.com
ALLMAX is now selling directly to the consumer. Go to store.allmaxnutrition.com and use code JOSHWADE15 for 15% off.
DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMSSUBSCRIBE TO MD TODAYGET OFFICIAL MD STUFFVISIT OUR STORE
ALSO, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON:
FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM YOUTUBE
How to Maintain Energy During Prep
By IFBB Pro Josh Wade
Sponsored by ALLMAX
Dieting for competition is never easy! Here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
It doesn’t matter how many times people have been through a prep, you still get the same complaints: “my energy is down, I’m more tired than normal,” etc. Even though it’s all a part of the process, here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
Even after competing for over 14 years, dieting for competition is never easy! Cravings come and go and energy has its ups and downs, especially when body fat starts getting low and you have less slow-acting energy from fat stores. I’ll talk about fast-acting energy and how I still have very productive workouts throughout my whole prep later, but for now I’ll explain why when body fat gets low you feel like you are asleep on your feet.
When I start prep, I usually cut out dietary fats first like avocado and olive oil to rely on body fat as my slow energy fuel source. This way I start removing body fat but keep my carbs as high as I can to keep workouts productive and muscle tissue full. Most people know that at times of rest or while exercising with a heart rate below 65 percent of your maximum heart rate that fat is the primary fuel source, so that’s why while doing all your cardio when your legs start feeling heavy and you feel like you’re falling asleep on your feet that you are getting close to ready. It’s not an enjoyable feeling but one that is necessary and gives you a feeling of knowing you’re almost ready. The way I get through those periods is plain and simple: STAY BUSY!
It’s kind of funny, but I get the most stuff done around the house and even look for projects to do just to keep myself busy and active. Two things are accomplished through this. First, I’m staying active so I’m continuously burning body fat and calories; second, I stay so busy I don’t get bored and think about food. Most people get hungry because they are bored or dehydrated so another thing is to make sure you are drinking plenty of water. A little trick I do to get some flavor is to add some Aminocore (BCAAs) from Allmax Nutrition to my water and sip on it when needed to take the edge off dieting, as even that sweet flavor makes me think I’m getting a treat plus there’s nothing wrong with staying a little more anabolic throughout the day with extra leucine.
Now back to the fast-acting energy that keeps me productive throughout my workouts. There are a few supplements I use for this purpose but the two I feel are the most important here are my Impact Igniter Xtreme pre-workout from Allmax Nutrition, which has enough caffeine to get me moving and cognitive ingredients to keep my focus. I also add Carbion by Allmax Nutrition for the fast-acting carbohydrates to fuel my workout, keep my endurance up and help aid in recovery plus it keeps me hydrated as well with the added electrolytes which is a win-win! Each scoop of Carbion has 50 grams of carbs and I will vary the amount I use but I usually consume 100 grams of carbs from it DURING my workout to keep the workout endurance as high as possible. I will taper down to 50 grams during prep if body fat isn’t coming down as fast as I would like, but your workouts are critical to preserve muscle tissue while dieting so I never like to pull it completely out for a client unless they just can’t get the fat off. Then it’s do whatever it takes even if workouts start to suffer, knowing it’s only temporary.
Nasty Burn and Pump
Q: How often do you vary your reps and sets?
A: Most of the time I keep training similar using a standard pyramid style based on effort more than anything like 15 hard reps, followed by 12 hard reps, then 10, then 8 and usually some sort of shock technique added to the last set like a drop set or forced reps, etc.
I’m going to piggyback this answer off some concepts I learned from John Meadows (my friend and coach for over five years; RIP). While getting older and beating my body up for so many years I’ve learned that progressive overload isn’t the only way to get super sore and build muscle. That’s when you need to put more thought into your programs. For me it’s usually when I’m battling through injuries or aches and pains is when I need to put more thought into my training, and I’ll give you an example of what I’ve done recently to help my knee start feeling better without using tremendous loads. Plus, I’ve been enjoying this process of varying reps and intensities to make training fun again, as I feel I can give more energy to lower rep (not failure) warm-ups and then an all-out set of slow focused, meticulous reps for a nasty burn and pump.
I watched a video from John Meadows (YouTube channel mountaindog1), “How to build your legs without free squats,” and I had to give it a try as the progressive overload I was doing on squats weekly wasn’t allowing my knee to heal. The concept was to work your way up plate by plate with very minimal rest for like six reps until you find a hard six then rest and do one all-out set with the weight you found for a hard six and do 25 reps with it. When you can’t get full ROM, get out of the machine and shake them out and then get back in and do that as many times as it takes to make 25 reps and then move on to the next exercise. For me on the leg extensions it took me nine sets to find the hard six reps, which just gave me extra warm-up sets. This was an amazing workout and now I’m using it or a variation of it and bringing back progressive overload to it every week to improve from week to week. Give it a try and remember it’s not always about the weight, but the effort you put into your workouts. Sometimes it’s simple; MAKE IT HARD!
USE VERY MINIMAL REST BETWEEN WARM-UP SETS. JUST ENOUGH TIME TO CHANGE WEIGHT!
Leg Extensions -120 x 6, 135 x 6, 150 x 6, 165 x 6, 180 x 6, 195 x 6, 210 x 6, 225 x 6, 225 x 6, 240 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
Hack Squats - 0 x 6, 90 x 6, 140 x 6, 180 x 6, 230 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
DB Walking Lunges - 30# x 24 steps, 40# x 24 steps, 50# x 24 steps
Lying Leg Curls - 120 x 10, 140 x 10, 160 x 10, 180 x 10+10 partials+20-second isohold
DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts - 55 x 10, 65 x 10, 75 x 10, 85 x 10, 100 x 12
Please send questions for this column to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.teamwadefitness.com
Instagram:
@ifbbprojoshwade
@teamallmax
@allmaxtraining
For more information, visit allmaxnutrition.com
ALLMAX is now selling directly to the consumer. Go to store.allmaxnutrition.com and use code JOSHWADE15 for 15% off.
DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMS
SUBSCRIBE TO MD TODAY
GET OFFICIAL MD STUFF
VISIT OUR STORE
ALSO, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON:
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
Click here to view the article.
By IFBB Pro Josh Wade
Sponsored by ALLMAX
Dieting for competition is never easy! Here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
It doesn’t matter how many times people have been through a prep, you still get the same complaints: “my energy is down, I’m more tired than normal,” etc. Even though it’s all a part of the process, here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
Even after competing for over 14 years, dieting for competition is never easy! Cravings come and go and energy has its ups and downs, especially when body fat starts getting low and you have less slow-acting energy from fat stores. I’ll talk about fast-acting energy and how I still have very productive workouts throughout my whole prep later, but for now I’ll explain why when body fat gets low you feel like you are asleep on your feet.
When I start prep, I usually cut out dietary fats first like avocado and olive oil to rely on body fat as my slow energy fuel source. This way I start removing body fat but keep my carbs as high as I can to keep workouts productive and muscle tissue full. Most people know that at times of rest or while exercising with a heart rate below 65 percent of your maximum heart rate that fat is the primary fuel source, so that’s why while doing all your cardio when your legs start feeling heavy and you feel like you’re falling asleep on your feet that you are getting close to ready. It’s not an enjoyable feeling but one that is necessary and gives you a feeling of knowing you’re almost ready. The way I get through those periods is plain and simple: STAY BUSY!
It’s kind of funny, but I get the most stuff done around the house and even look for projects to do just to keep myself busy and active. Two things are accomplished through this. First, I’m staying active so I’m continuously burning body fat and calories; second, I stay so busy I don’t get bored and think about food. Most people get hungry because they are bored or dehydrated so another thing is to make sure you are drinking plenty of water. A little trick I do to get some flavor is to add some Aminocore (BCAAs) from Allmax Nutrition to my water and sip on it when needed to take the edge off dieting, as even that sweet flavor makes me think I’m getting a treat plus there’s nothing wrong with staying a little more anabolic throughout the day with extra leucine.
Now back to the fast-acting energy that keeps me productive throughout my workouts. There are a few supplements I use for this purpose but the two I feel are the most important here are my Impact Igniter Xtreme pre-workout from Allmax Nutrition, which has enough caffeine to get me moving and cognitive ingredients to keep my focus. I also add Carbion by Allmax Nutrition for the fast-acting carbohydrates to fuel my workout, keep my endurance up and help aid in recovery plus it keeps me hydrated as well with the added electrolytes which is a win-win! Each scoop of Carbion has 50 grams of carbs and I will vary the amount I use but I usually consume 100 grams of carbs from it DURING my workout to keep the workout endurance as high as possible. I will taper down to 50 grams during prep if body fat isn’t coming down as fast as I would like, but your workouts are critical to preserve muscle tissue while dieting so I never like to pull it completely out for a client unless they just can’t get the fat off. Then it’s do whatever it takes even if workouts start to suffer, knowing it’s only temporary.
Nasty Burn and Pump
Q: How often do you vary your reps and sets?
A: Most of the time I keep training similar using a standard pyramid style based on effort more than anything like 15 hard reps, followed by 12 hard reps, then 10, then 8 and usually some sort of shock technique added to the last set like a drop set or forced reps, etc.
I’m going to piggyback this answer off some concepts I learned from John Meadows (my friend and coach for over five years; RIP). While getting older and beating my body up for so many years I’ve learned that progressive overload isn’t the only way to get super sore and build muscle. That’s when you need to put more thought into your programs. For me it’s usually when I’m battling through injuries or aches and pains is when I need to put more thought into my training, and I’ll give you an example of what I’ve done recently to help my knee start feeling better without using tremendous loads. Plus, I’ve been enjoying this process of varying reps and intensities to make training fun again, as I feel I can give more energy to lower rep (not failure) warm-ups and then an all-out set of slow focused, meticulous reps for a nasty burn and pump.
I watched a video from John Meadows (YouTube channel mountaindog1), “How to build your legs without free squats,” and I had to give it a try as the progressive overload I was doing on squats weekly wasn’t allowing my knee to heal. The concept was to work your way up plate by plate with very minimal rest for like six reps until you find a hard six then rest and do one all-out set with the weight you found for a hard six and do 25 reps with it. When you can’t get full ROM, get out of the machine and shake them out and then get back in and do that as many times as it takes to make 25 reps and then move on to the next exercise. For me on the leg extensions it took me nine sets to find the hard six reps, which just gave me extra warm-up sets. This was an amazing workout and now I’m using it or a variation of it and bringing back progressive overload to it every week to improve from week to week. Give it a try and remember it’s not always about the weight, but the effort you put into your workouts. Sometimes it’s simple; MAKE IT HARD!
USE VERY MINIMAL REST BETWEEN WARM-UP SETS. JUST ENOUGH TIME TO CHANGE WEIGHT!
Leg Extensions -120 x 6, 135 x 6, 150 x 6, 165 x 6, 180 x 6, 195 x 6, 210 x 6, 225 x 6, 225 x 6, 240 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
Hack Squats - 0 x 6, 90 x 6, 140 x 6, 180 x 6, 230 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
DB Walking Lunges - 30# x 24 steps, 40# x 24 steps, 50# x 24 steps
Lying Leg Curls - 120 x 10, 140 x 10, 160 x 10, 180 x 10+10 partials+20-second isohold
DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts - 55 x 10, 65 x 10, 75 x 10, 85 x 10, 100 x 12
Please send questions for this column to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.teamwadefitness.com
Instagram:
@ifbbprojoshwade
@teamallmax
@allmaxtraining
For more information, visit allmaxnutrition.com
ALLMAX is now selling directly to the consumer. Go to store.allmaxnutrition.com and use code JOSHWADE15 for 15% off.
DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMSSUBSCRIBE TO MD TODAYGET OFFICIAL MD STUFFVISIT OUR STORE
ALSO, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON:
FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM YOUTUBE
How to Maintain Energy During Prep
By IFBB Pro Josh Wade
Sponsored by ALLMAX
Dieting for competition is never easy! Here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
It doesn’t matter how many times people have been through a prep, you still get the same complaints: “my energy is down, I’m more tired than normal,” etc. Even though it’s all a part of the process, here are a few tricks for sticking to and having a successful prep.
Even after competing for over 14 years, dieting for competition is never easy! Cravings come and go and energy has its ups and downs, especially when body fat starts getting low and you have less slow-acting energy from fat stores. I’ll talk about fast-acting energy and how I still have very productive workouts throughout my whole prep later, but for now I’ll explain why when body fat gets low you feel like you are asleep on your feet.
When I start prep, I usually cut out dietary fats first like avocado and olive oil to rely on body fat as my slow energy fuel source. This way I start removing body fat but keep my carbs as high as I can to keep workouts productive and muscle tissue full. Most people know that at times of rest or while exercising with a heart rate below 65 percent of your maximum heart rate that fat is the primary fuel source, so that’s why while doing all your cardio when your legs start feeling heavy and you feel like you’re falling asleep on your feet that you are getting close to ready. It’s not an enjoyable feeling but one that is necessary and gives you a feeling of knowing you’re almost ready. The way I get through those periods is plain and simple: STAY BUSY!
It’s kind of funny, but I get the most stuff done around the house and even look for projects to do just to keep myself busy and active. Two things are accomplished through this. First, I’m staying active so I’m continuously burning body fat and calories; second, I stay so busy I don’t get bored and think about food. Most people get hungry because they are bored or dehydrated so another thing is to make sure you are drinking plenty of water. A little trick I do to get some flavor is to add some Aminocore (BCAAs) from Allmax Nutrition to my water and sip on it when needed to take the edge off dieting, as even that sweet flavor makes me think I’m getting a treat plus there’s nothing wrong with staying a little more anabolic throughout the day with extra leucine.
Now back to the fast-acting energy that keeps me productive throughout my workouts. There are a few supplements I use for this purpose but the two I feel are the most important here are my Impact Igniter Xtreme pre-workout from Allmax Nutrition, which has enough caffeine to get me moving and cognitive ingredients to keep my focus. I also add Carbion by Allmax Nutrition for the fast-acting carbohydrates to fuel my workout, keep my endurance up and help aid in recovery plus it keeps me hydrated as well with the added electrolytes which is a win-win! Each scoop of Carbion has 50 grams of carbs and I will vary the amount I use but I usually consume 100 grams of carbs from it DURING my workout to keep the workout endurance as high as possible. I will taper down to 50 grams during prep if body fat isn’t coming down as fast as I would like, but your workouts are critical to preserve muscle tissue while dieting so I never like to pull it completely out for a client unless they just can’t get the fat off. Then it’s do whatever it takes even if workouts start to suffer, knowing it’s only temporary.
Nasty Burn and Pump
Q: How often do you vary your reps and sets?
A: Most of the time I keep training similar using a standard pyramid style based on effort more than anything like 15 hard reps, followed by 12 hard reps, then 10, then 8 and usually some sort of shock technique added to the last set like a drop set or forced reps, etc.
I’m going to piggyback this answer off some concepts I learned from John Meadows (my friend and coach for over five years; RIP). While getting older and beating my body up for so many years I’ve learned that progressive overload isn’t the only way to get super sore and build muscle. That’s when you need to put more thought into your programs. For me it’s usually when I’m battling through injuries or aches and pains is when I need to put more thought into my training, and I’ll give you an example of what I’ve done recently to help my knee start feeling better without using tremendous loads. Plus, I’ve been enjoying this process of varying reps and intensities to make training fun again, as I feel I can give more energy to lower rep (not failure) warm-ups and then an all-out set of slow focused, meticulous reps for a nasty burn and pump.
I watched a video from John Meadows (YouTube channel mountaindog1), “How to build your legs without free squats,” and I had to give it a try as the progressive overload I was doing on squats weekly wasn’t allowing my knee to heal. The concept was to work your way up plate by plate with very minimal rest for like six reps until you find a hard six then rest and do one all-out set with the weight you found for a hard six and do 25 reps with it. When you can’t get full ROM, get out of the machine and shake them out and then get back in and do that as many times as it takes to make 25 reps and then move on to the next exercise. For me on the leg extensions it took me nine sets to find the hard six reps, which just gave me extra warm-up sets. This was an amazing workout and now I’m using it or a variation of it and bringing back progressive overload to it every week to improve from week to week. Give it a try and remember it’s not always about the weight, but the effort you put into your workouts. Sometimes it’s simple; MAKE IT HARD!
USE VERY MINIMAL REST BETWEEN WARM-UP SETS. JUST ENOUGH TIME TO CHANGE WEIGHT!
Leg Extensions -120 x 6, 135 x 6, 150 x 6, 165 x 6, 180 x 6, 195 x 6, 210 x 6, 225 x 6, 225 x 6, 240 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
Hack Squats - 0 x 6, 90 x 6, 140 x 6, 180 x 6, 230 x 25 with as few pauses as possible with full ROM
DB Walking Lunges - 30# x 24 steps, 40# x 24 steps, 50# x 24 steps
Lying Leg Curls - 120 x 10, 140 x 10, 160 x 10, 180 x 10+10 partials+20-second isohold
DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts - 55 x 10, 65 x 10, 75 x 10, 85 x 10, 100 x 12
Please send questions for this column to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.teamwadefitness.com
Instagram:
@ifbbprojoshwade
@teamallmax
@allmaxtraining
For more information, visit allmaxnutrition.com
ALLMAX is now selling directly to the consumer. Go to store.allmaxnutrition.com and use code JOSHWADE15 for 15% off.
DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMS
SUBSCRIBE TO MD TODAY
GET OFFICIAL MD STUFF
VISIT OUR STORE
ALSO, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON:
YOUTUBE
Click here to view the article.
