I'm curious what everyone's off-season nutrition looks like. Here's mine (started 6 Oct). I will do various weeks of gaining and hardening phases. Goal is to add at least 10 lbs of lean muscle.

#1- 8 oz lean meat, 5 egg whites, 1 egg, 1/2 C oatmeal, 1 TBS fish oil
#2- 3 scp US, 2 scp mass maker, 2 TBS heavy cream
#3- 8 oz lean meat, 6 oz yam, 2 C veggie, 1 TBS Udo's choice oil
#4- 3 scp US, 1 scp mass maker, 2 TBS hvy cream
#5- 10 oz ostrich, 2 C veggie
#6- 3 scp US, 2 TBS cream
#7- (training days only) 6 scp mass maker

supps: 6 U-40/4 aminos per meal
600 mg R-ala spread throughout day
6g CLA spread throughout day

On training days, i'll have 10 mass aminos before and after training. I will drink 2 servings of glutamine select during the session.

Cal are between 3519 (nontraining) and 4130 (training). Macros- 48% P, 24% C, 28% F (Tr)
49% P, 19% C, 32% F (Nontr)

Others?

In all thy getting, get understanding

Fitdoc--

I was using the hardening and lean gain phase diet for a while. To be honest I was constantly starving on both, more so of course on the hardening. And I had no motivation in the gym, couldnt get a pump to save my life. I dont know about you, but I dont starve in the offseason, no way, enough of that for a show. So I tweaked it and talked with Jeremiah and here is what Ive been doing.

Meal 1: 7 whites, 1 whole, (supposed to do a scoop of MP, but havent been) 3/4 oatmeal
Meal 2: 2 MP, 2 MM
Meal 3: 6 oz tuna or 1 cup cottage cheese, 3/4 cup oats (due to ease) and a can of green beans
Meal 4: same as above
Meal 5: 2 MP before training
Meal 6: 2 MP and 3 MM post training
Meal 7: 8 oz beef, 1/2 to 3/4 cottage cheese, huge salad with 2tbs of newmans own
meal 8: 2 MP, 1 tbs of flax oil

Non training days meal 5 and 6 are eliminated so only 6 feeding sessions.

Just came off Synergy, taking creatine and mass aminos, cant even use livers right now.

Weight is steadily climbing. But as I type Im really hungry now and have another 40 minutes before meal 3. To be honest I think Ill be bumping my cals once again. Anyways...thats my plan for now. Im not completely strict on the weekend, ive been known to handle a medium pizza myself on top of the other food or have a night of vodka and tonics. Probably holding right at 10%, last checked I was 8.5%, but Im up from 157 to 166. Im gunning for 170 at 10% but Id say the bodyfat is there, so need some lean mass. Take care,

Jason--

Jason Theobald

www.geocities.com/chezburger10/JASONTHEOBALDBIO.html

Fit doc,
Why don;t you follow the post workout meal with another carb/ pro meal to help replenish your glycogen levels ? Doesn;t mass maker spike your insulin levels and in that is elevated and you have a p/f meal after wards does the fat ahve a greater chance of storing as adipose. thats why i never under stood mass maker with a p/f followed right afterwards. Could you elaborate on this. thanks

when do you take your R ala and how much with what each meal. Sorry for all the questions just want clarifications. Plus the way we train heavy and hard that really doesn't hit glycgen levels as hard as super setting and higher reps (per polquins logic )

The way i wrote my nutrition plan above was a little misleading (sorry). On training days, the 6 scoops mass maker is not an actual meal #7 at the end of the day. The 6 scoops MM is inbibed immediately after training. One to 1.5 hrs later, i'll have meal 3 (8 oz meat, yam, veggie, oil).

Insulin sensitivity is increased after resistance training anyway, so the MM is not doing anything the training hasnt done already. I dont worry about the small amount of healthy fat i eat in meal #3 (after mass maker).

Regarding r-ALA, i think that's one of the most underated supps to come out in the last couple years. On NON-training days, i take one tab (150mg) with meals 1,3, and 5. I could easily take a tab with meal #2 since i'm drinking mass maker there, but i choose 1,3,5 on NON-training days.

On TRAINING days, i take 1 tab with meals 1,2 (carbs in both meals) and 2 tabs with my post-training MM shake. According to research, 600mg r-ALA works as well as higher doses, so i choose to use 600mg/day.

Like i stated in another thread, to get the full antioxidant and insulin-like action of alpha lipoic acid, one needs to use the r-isomer of ALA. If the bottle of ALA one is using does not explicitly say "r-ALA" or "R+" or something like that, assume it's a mix of r and s ALA and dont buy it.

In all thy getting, get understanding

Supplements:
Super Pak with meal #1
6 Ultra 40, 4 Mass with each meal
Creatine Select: 1 scoop. per meal for 7 days, then 1 scoop 2 times daily for 3 weeks.

Meal #1
8 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal
3 scoops Mass Maker + 1 scoop Ultra Size in 12 oz water
3 Flax caps

Meal #2
5 oz lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish)
6 oz baked potato or yam
1 cup vegetables
3scoops Mass Maker + 1 scoop Egg
3 Flax caps

Meal #3
5 oz lean meat
1 cup rice or beans
1 cup vegetables
3 scoops Mass + 1 scoop Egg
3 Flax caps

Meal #4
5 oz lean meat
6 oz baked potato or yam
1 cup vegetables
3 scoops Mass Maker + 1 scoop Egg

Meal #5
5 oz lean meat
1 cup rice or beans
1 cup vegetables
3 scoops Mass Maker + 1 scoop Egg

Meal #6
8 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal
3 scoops Mass Maker + 1 scoop Ultra Size in 12 oz water

If you need a meal replacement for # 2 – 5 use: 2 scoops 100% Egg or 2 scoops Ultra Size
mixed w/ 2 large scoops Mass Maker in 16 oz water

Fitdoc,

Until reading some of your latest post I had never heard of R-ALA or ALA. Can you give me some information on what it does or why it is used? A link would be great if its complex

Now thats a meal plan Mark

that makes more sense.
mine is
1 cup oatmeal dry
10 egg whites
2 scoops MP
150 mgs R ALA
1 TSP EFS

meal 2
3 scoop MP
1 scoop egg
1 TBSP EFAS
1 TSBP olive oil
meal 3
chicken 10 oz
4 TBSP newmans dressing
2 cup veggies

preworkout
1 can tuna or 2 scoops muscle provider
8 egg whites
1/2 cup oatmeal dry

post workout
6 scoops mass maker
10 grams glutemine
300 mgs ALA
1 scoop muscle provider


10 oz chicken
8 oz yam
2 cups veggies
150 mg r ala

8 oz turkey burger 93 % lean
with 2 cups veggies
150 ala


4 mass 4 liver 5 meal a day
BCAAS slect 3 serving during workout

goal 225-230 at 5-6% offseason


I like to seperate fats and carbs at each meal to prevent possible fat build up from excess insulin levels. Where do you get R ala at cheap ?

Post workout why would you use r- ala would you want that to rise in insulin drive nutrients into cell in the meal following ? so why are these other guys so high on dextrose and malodextrin , whey isoalte post work out for driving insulin so high post workout ?

Mark- it looks as if you've really bumped up your carb intake. What's your current weight and if you know the macro breakdown and calories of your diet, will you share that with us?

Thanks

In all thy getting, get understanding

Thanks for the great information Fitdoc.
It appears from the articles you provided that for someone like myself who has a slower metabolism this product could assist in increasing ones metabolic rate.

Hey Fitdoc...Great topic for a post. I have been trying to figure out how to setup my off season diet, all of this stuff is great information and it's great to see what others are doing. I have some basic ideas, but I have an email in to MarkR for some assistance.

Since it's off season we're talking about, does everyone introduce a little more variety in their meals? (I realize the protein choices are differenet - we're all using some MM).

This post epitomizes what the Bev board is all about!

What range bodyfat % are most of you trying to stay in for the off-season?

Matt F--

I was last tested at 8.5%. Im not that now, Im fine with 10-11%. I weigh just under 170 so thats still pretty lean. I go by the mirror mostly and get checked periodically. I dont sweat it too much, stick to my diet about 90% of the time. If I think Im getting too far off track i just buckle down and drop the carbs a bit and eliminate my alcoholic drinks for a couple weekends, no big deal.

Jason

Jason Theobald

www.geocities.com/chezburger10/JASONTHEOBALDBIO.html

I think that's my problem, I just can't let myself get over 6% but in the same respect I fing it very hard to add any lean mass.

I personally dont know anybody who can maintain 6% and add lean mass at the same time, without the use of anabolic steroids. When Im down at 6% as a bantam Im **** near in contest condition carrying well under 10lbs of fat and starving as well.

Im sure there are some out there, who can do that naturally, but as I add cals, my body returns to that 8-12% range depending on how strict ive been.

I also like to train heavy and for the pump. I cant get a pump on the amount of cals it takes for my body to maintain even 8% and Im always sluggish and tired. No motivation. Im a much happier person around 10%. Everyone is different though,

Jason--

Jason Theobald

www.geocities.com/chezburger10/JASONTHEOBALDBIO.html