May 20, 2006

#6: Building Muscle and Losing Fat

Q: Hi Vince,

I have enjoyed reading your tips online and have taken some of your advice already with good results.

I am "bulking up" at age 40 for my first show in November 2006. At 5' 7" in height, I feel that I should be as close to a hard 170 pounds as I can get on the day of competition. I weigh about 180 now and figure with 12 weeks of dieting (24-pound loss), I still have about 15 pounds (180 + 15 = 195 - 24 = 171) to gain by August.

I have trained sporadically since the early ‘90s, but not super-seriously until October 2005 when I decided to go for it. I feel that my gains were always less than they could have been because I never ate enough. This time, I decided to err on the side of eating too much (if not just enough). I try to take in about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight in six meals and it seems to be working – I am definitely gaining. Fifteen pounds by August seems ambitious, but I think that I can do it!

The problem is that I started with a pretty good load of belly fat. At 5' 7", 180 pounds, I'm not real fat by relaxed standards, but as a bodybuilder, it's way too much. An informal test at my local supplement shop gave me a result of 21% bodyfat. I'd be surprised if it is truly that high, but 15%, give or take a few, isn't unreasonable.

My question is this: If I begin to try to shed some bodyfat now, am I in danger of not adding enough muscle before stepping on the stage? I don't want to embarrass myself on November 6. I don't have particularly good genes, but I wouldn't mind a top-three finish.

I know that the 12-week diet is going to be tough enough as is. Am I helping or hindering myself by adding cardio to my routine at this point in my "season"? I train late in the evening (9:00 p.m., after my two young kids are sleeping), so I would have to do my cardio early in the morning. I purchased a stationary bike last summer for this purpose.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this and greater still, the time to answer. It's motivating for me to reach out to somebody who is living my ideal lifestyle. I met Shawn Ray in the ‘90s and wrote to Dave Draper late last year. It really juices me up to talk to people who are the Real Thing!!

Best luck to you this competitive season!

Sincerely,

...Ted Girvan

A: Hello Ted,

I am glad I could be of some assistance to your training and your nutrition plan. From the information above, it is good to see that you have a plan of attack – too many people fly by the seat of their pants and come up short.

Personally, I would create one goal and try to achieve that goal. Take your structure now and do what is necessary to gain the weight you desire. Do this by eating lots of clean food, and don’t be afraid to add in some dietary fat. Once you have achieved the target weight, you need to switch gears and start stricter dieting. Twelve-week diets are common, but if your bodyfat level is too high, do not be afraid to diet for 16 weeks. This will give you plenty of time to lower your bodyfat.

So, train hard, eat lots of clean food, and get the results you want – then start your diet and cardio program. Doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach is the best time for fat loss.

Good luck in your November show. Let us all know at SeriousAboutMuscle.com how you make out.

Until next time…train hard, train fast, GET BIG.

...Vince Wawryk, Canadian Champion 2002, 2003, 2004

If you would like to ask Vince a question, please e-mail: askvince@seriousaboutmuscle.com.

SeriousAboutMuscle.com contributor Vince Wawryk is from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a three-time Canadian bodybuilding champion. Vince won his class at the 2002 CBBF National World Qualifier, 2003 CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Championships, and 2004 CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Championships. Right now Vince is training for the 2006 Canadian Bodybuilding Championships where he hopes to again win his class as well as the Overall title.