10-8-6-15

Dear Ron,

I understand the set/rep schemes of 6 sets of 6 or 8 sets of 8, but what is the purpose of the 10-8-6-15 system, and when is it used?

Thanks,

Dr. Paul Weber

Ron says…

Dr. Paul, the reason for 10-8-6-15 is to break a serious rut that all bodybuilders must deal with from time to time. As you know, Vince discovered early in his training that all muscles must constantly be confused so they don’t fall into ruts. If they do, then they will no longer respond. As you stated, "6x6," "8x8," "4x12," "synaps," "no synaps," and compounds were some of Vince’s "muscle confusion" techniques. So, this one, 10-8-6-15, is a stroke of genius. Not only does Vince change the rep scheme, he changes the weight as well from 10 reps to 8 reps to 6 reps. As the reps go down, the weight goes up. Finally, there are 15 reps of intense flushing. This routine will definitely break that rut when nothing else will work. I hope this helps.

Which milk-and-egg protein?

Dear Ron,

First, I would like to thank you for what you are doing, by preserving the methods of Vince. My question is what milk-and-egg protein on today's market would most closely resemble the powder that Vince would have recommended? I know that Vince relied heavily on Blair's protein, but that is hard to come by where I am at. I heard that both Vitol's and Universal’s milk-and-egg powders are pretty good.

Thanks for the help.

Daniel A. Husak

Ron says…

Daniel, if I may be redundant, it’s not me, it’s a lot of intelligent non-drug-users who are seeking a great natural physique. Folks such as you will carry on Vince’s legacy. Most of us when young are selfish, taking a "me-me" attitude. As we age, if a person has any maturity, you realize that it is your duty to pass knowledge on such as Vince did.

Regarding protein, please note that Vince liked Blair’s protein very much, but did not rely as heavily on it as some may think. Doug Schneider will be posting an article that I wrote last year entitled "The Blair and Vince Controversy." Please read it, I think you will like it as it will explain this controversy from MY perspective. I knew Blair fairly well.

In 1972 Vince and his friend Ray Raridon, who worked for the old SIGNET lab, formulated their own line of supplements at Vince’s Gym that went on to become NSP in 1974. I was the Eastern distributor for many years until Ray passed away in 2000 -- I then bought the company outright. I discussed this for several months last summer with Randy Roach who is writing a very long, extensive article on the history of nutrition in bodybuilding for the Weston A. Price Foundation magazine. Randy lays out where Vince and his supplements fit into the history of our industry.

My NSP milk-and-egg protein is the exact same formula as it was in 1972. All the NSP supplements that Vince believed in and developed such as desiccated liver, glandulars, amino acids, vitamin and mineral packs, digestive enzymes, and various other kits are all still available. I am proud to carry on Vince’s tradition.

I’m not familiar with Vitol’s milk and egg; however, if it is not instantized and is legitimate milk and egg, then it must be ok. I do know that Universal’s is very high quality.

Remember, use only high-quality protein, and the best biological proteins are from milk, eggs, liver, and glandulars. Whey, soy, and gelatin are very low grade and also have a very low P.E.R. (protein efficiency rating). Note: whey is just a skim of cottage cheese, but if companies called it a fancy name and charge $50 per can, then in your mind it must be fantastic. All three -- whey, soy, and gelatin -- are a real joke. As the Canadians would say, "you’ve been hosed, my friend."

Remember one final thing: you cannot digest protein without fat -- not water, not juice, and not 2% milk, but real, natural fat. You would be shocked at the number of so-called nutritional experts who own supplement companies that don’t know this. The owners of some of these "high-tech modern miracles" come directly from the steroid cult, the pharmaceutical industry, and, shockingly, some are convicted felons. They don’t stand for anything except making money -- BIG money! If you don’t stand for something, you don’t stand for anything. If you read Nelson Montana’s "The History of the Supplement Industry" (it refers to the period after 1987) it will shock you. Now I guess you understand why I had such great respect for Vince Gironda.