January 12, 2001

I plan on competing in the Northwest Natural show in Boise this summer. My plan is to be at 4% body fat and be in my best condition ever. To attain this I really wanted to start dieting this year to have enough time to make a gradual and less drastic change. Also this gives me enough time to adjust from eating five to seven meals a day, this will elevate any cravings for junk food. Here is a breakdown of exactly what I plan on doing to attain my goal.

A. Water

1. Increasing intake from one gallon of water to two gallons a day.

a. This ratio is increased to coordinate with my use of thermogenic supplements, added protein etc.

2. Also at this time if I am dehydrated my metabolism rate slows down and it is a lot easier for my body to go into catabolism.

1. I start my carbohydrate intake at 190 grams a day, decreasing from there because I have a meso-endomorph metabolism. I keep the majority of my starchy carbs (wheat pasta, oatmeal, etc.) for my first two meals of the day before training. Then more vegetable carbs throughout the rest of the day (dark green and le~) to aid in digestion. This is especially true in my last meal of the day.

1. At this point I keep my protein at 240-250 grams per day; 90 to 100 grams from Cytoplex shakes, the rest from chicken breast, egg whites, salmon and tuna. I can't get away with red meat it digests to slow for me.

1. I keep my dietary fat at about 20-25 grams per day (not including the fat from my chicken and egg whites). The majority will be from CLA tablets, Flaxseed oil or MCT oils. Adding these dietary fiats make my muscles feel fuller and I don't crave junk food.

1. I am switching my workout split from 4 days on and one day off to 2 days on 1 day off This will give me more time to recuperate given my reduced calories. But still staying really active on my rest days. I use almost every intensity technique at this point ranging from giant sets, tri sets, partial sets, drop sets and rest-pause sets, etc. I do this to keep my body confused, because my goal is conditioning and not size. I still want to keep my poundage pretty heavy always staying with barbells and dumbbells, NOT machines.

1. I do cardio once a day for the first month and then twice a day from then out.

a. I always use a heart rate monitor.
b. The length is 30 to 40 minutes.

2. I do my cardio at special times according to my blood sugar.

a. First thing in the morning on an empty stomach (only after taking a few Xenadrine and a few Amino Fuel tablets, for energy and to keep me catabolic without affecting my blood sugar.
b. Doing cardio immediately after a workout.
c. After not eating after about 5+ hours (not preferred).

1. I pose in between every set (especially larger muscle groups).
2. Posing for 20 minutes after every workout.
3. At least 2 hard sessions on your rest days.

1. Cytodyne Technologies, Cytoplex, Xenadrine NRG, EAS CLA, and Syntrax Methoxylon.

* Active rest: I generally go biking, hiking, posing, walk the dogs and yard work, etc. Never getting my heart rate above 60% MHR. Thanks,

Mark Howard

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