Sergio Oliviera article in hi-tech health and fitness magazine

[Big Boi 1906]

I recently got a magazine called Hi-Tech health and Fitness and it had an article writen by Sergio Oliveira. The article had points in it that made me think about what is efficient in dieting and training and what is not. Sergio states in the article,

"Ignorance has produced a massive group of 'Bodybuilding Lemmings,' who blindly follow the training, diets, and supplement programs that these bodybuilders 'supposedly' use."

"By the way, most of these bodybuilders have relationships with one or more of the muscle magazines, and what you read about regarding their training is often created by the editiors of the magazine, usually without consulting the bodybuilder."

"It defies me how we continue to look up to the genetically gifted, excessivley drug enhanced bodybuilder for answers to developing gentically average, drug-free individuals."

"Proper control of training, diet, and the use of certain bodybuilding supplements (most, however are worthless) will produce changes in your physique that you never thought possible."

The "more is better" approach does not apply to bodybuilding. Most training that occurs in gyms today does more to prevent growth than to promote it. If you train correctly i.e. - intensely, briefly, and infrequently, you will maximize your anabolic adaptation to that training, while minimizing the catabolic responses associated with the stress from it. Training excessively and/or infrequently, even though it will stimulate muscles to grow will prevent your muscles from recovering and growing."

"For genetically average, drug-free bodybuilders, solid gains can be made from training the entire body all at once, once or twice a week (or splitting the body in half), doing one to three sets per body part, and taking each set to at least the point of complete muscular failure."

"This will produce significantly more muscular growth than a three or four day-split routine, consisting of 10 to 15 sets per body part. Let me stress, significantly more."

"The key is to find minimal amount of exercise needed to stimulate growth; not to see how much exercise you can tolerate. Then follow this by several days of complete rest."



I find this article very interesting and very different from what is over abundant information about bodybuilding out there. It took me a long time to realize that most of the magazine and internet info on diet and routines suggested are geared towards those on anabolics. Even with the issue of protein intake, I found an article stating that people on AAS or GH that their bodies are faster and more efficient at protein synthesis and assimilation and that they require a high amount of protein and carbs but drug-free bodybuilders bodies cannot tolerate those high amounts of protein and carbs, that it simply turns to fat.

What are you guys insight and opinons on this?

[Beast]

Similar to my feelings. I am not a fan of hammering a muscle once a week with 20 sets and forced reps yada yada yada. I would much rather see someone do an Upper/Lower split, hitting each muscle twice a week.

[adoniscomplex]

i agree for the most part , i think its rediclous to do 6 day a week one body part programs , with sets till you pass out

i dont think that a 1 time a week program is the most optimal idea either though

[Pup0182]

The major problem with our sport is that Brotelligence seems to count for more than Intelligence with most guys, especially newbies. The biggest guy in the gym is not necessarily the smartest and the guy who is ripped to shreds isn't necessarily an authority on performance nutrition.

Objectivity isn't in most bodybuilders skillset unfortunately, there are many ways to get the job done, but guys seem to want to take the most extreme approach, they get burned out, overtrained and break their diets, then they give up and say they are genetically limited...the most successful diet and training programs are the ones that you can stick to and still make progress.

[Big Boi 1906]

True,

I think alot of guys new to this go by the Flex and Muscle and Fitness bibles as truth. You really dont know what the deal is until you deep into this, unless you start out with someone who is experienced and will tell you the truth.

It took me a LONG while to find out that 99% of the info out there regarding bodybuilding is in a perspective for the AAS enhanced bodybuilder.
Like I didn't know that people on AAS and/or GH require an EXTREMELY large amount of carbs and protein, and that protein synthesis and assimilation was extemely faster and more efficient than someone not taking steroids. Meaning, if I were to go out and buy the new FLEX mag and follow some pro's diet suggesting 500g carbs and 500g prot and 10g fat, I'd get fat and have no testosterone.