** Hey Bodybuilding.com friends, IFBB Pro Stan McQuay here to offer my help! **

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

Stan the man.. Awesome that your doing this..I respect your wort flow and your sneaker game! Quick question when your cutting for a competition or to just "lean out" do you drastically cut your calories and add cardio or justi step up the amount of cardio you do and keep your calories clean ? Thanks for your time

Johnnyfalcon,

I never drastically cut calories nor do I drop my carbs very low because I need to still be able to function with my everyday businesses. I design my programs to where I eat the proper carbs at specific times of the day (around my training, cardio and sleep). i also do some cardio, at high intensity to allow my body to eat more calories going into a show......now this won't work for everybody!! I just happen to be blessed with a fast metabolism to where I can eat high calories going into competitions.

[darkangel85]

Hi,

What would you recommend a female who wants to tone her body? What supplements/diets/exercise would you suggest? I am athletic built but I want to add well defined muscles, especially around my abs and legs. I've started going to the gym and see minimal results. Thank you!!

[raycastro]

For your chest to grow you need to work on your press movements more than your fly movements. Learn to lift by taking the load on the shoulders out of the movements by pinning your scapulas together and really exagerating the expansion of your ribcage to keep more tension on the pecs and less on the delts.

One key exercise.....finish with good old fashioned PUSH UPS!!

For the push ups at the end, should that be done after every chest work out? Is there a rep range that you recommend, or just go to failure?

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

For the push ups at the end, should that be done after every chest work out? Is there a rep range that you recommend, or just go to failure?

Usually I will have my clients do pushups at the end of a chest workout with a goal of 12-15 or to failure . I will even sometimes throw in pushups as a superset to a few different press movements feom the beginning!

[raycastro]

When you are away from home, do you make any special preparations for what you will eat while on the road?

[hocho]

Hi Stan, I asked earlier about how to gain weight but so far I have not had the results I expected, I have little more than a year training, when I weighed 121 pounds and now weigh 134, I have 20 years and I was wondering if this is why I can not build more muscle? I wonder how much did you weigh when you were my age and peaked age development.

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

When you are away from home, do you make any special preparations for what you will eat while on the road?

If I am prepping for a competition I will always cook enough food that will be safe to have in a cooler. Or I will make sure my hotel room will have either or both a microwave and refridgerator! But my food will not vary..... just the planning is important.

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

Hi Stan, I asked earlier about how to gain weight but so far I have not had the results I expected, I have little more than a year training, when I weighed 121 pounds and now weigh 134, I have 20 years and I was wondering if this is why I can not build more muscle? I wonder how much did you weigh when you were my age and peaked age development.

Not sure what you mean............ 121 - 134 is very good progress! BUT, as you increase in lean body mass, you will need to adjust your calories acordingly. As you grow, you must eat more.

[ishdevil]

Hi Stan,

This thread is awesome!
I have been working out for some time and have only really been dieting correctly for the last year. Currently I weigh in at about 178lbs, and am downing about 275g protein/day (from chicken, tuna, eggs, and protein shakes). One my four training days per week I generally consume quite a bit of carbs (most complex or fibrous). Weekends are generally where my bodyfat would increase due to bad dieting.

My workouts have consisted of high volume - high intensity (DTP), as well as low volume - high intensity training (Max-OT). Across all of this training, I done not seen any significant gains. After many workout days, I would expect to experience DOMS, but would be perfectly fine (especially on the days after calf training).

I know that there may not be nearly enough information here, but what do you think is restricting this growth?

After getting (very little, but) some insight into my training and diet, where would you suggest I focus? Could there be a third reason, my form while executing the movements, that is stopping my muscular development?

Any help or insight will be appreciated.

Thanks a ton.

-Brent

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

Hi Stan,

This thread is awesome!
I have been working out for some time and have only really been dieting correctly for the last year. Currently I weigh in at about 178lbs, and am downing about 275g protein/day (from chicken, tuna, eggs, and protein shakes). One my four training days per week I generally consume quite a bit of carbs (most complex or fibrous). Weekends are generally where my bodyfat would increase due to bad dieting.

My workouts have consisted of high volume - high intensity (DTP), as well as low volume - high intensity training (Max-OT). Across all of this training, I done not seen any significant gains. After many workout days, I would expect to experience DOMS, but would be perfectly fine (especially on the days after calf training).

I know that there may not be nearly enough information here, but what do you think is restricting this growth?

After getting (very little, but) some insight into my training and diet, where would you suggest I focus? Could there be a third reason, my form while executing the movements, that is stopping my muscular development?

Any help or insight will be appreciated.

Thanks a ton.

-Brent

With the little info I have from you .... my first answer would be you are not eating enough PROTEIN to grow more. You are only eating enough to sustain what your body currently has. I would suggest aiming for 2 grams per pound of body weight on a DAILY basis as your goal. So if you weigh 178lbs...... aim for 350 grams daily!! Keep eating low glycemic carbs and test out different ones!

As for training, mix it up. use different rep schemes: high volume, super sets, drop sets, lessen your rest periods.... etc.
Maybe you are going to heavy and are not squeezing the muscles properly..... could be these issues which could lead to better muscle growth!

Also, are you using Infinite Labs or any quality supplements?
Hope this all helps!!

Stan

[iForce Dave]

stan do you have any experience with clients who start off with a very high bodyweight/bodyfat%? Like over 300lbs/30% bodyfat?

how do you usually approach starting that person off in the right direction? What are some of the key factors in someone like that whose metabolism is very very slow and the weight has been piling on for years?

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

stan do you have any experience with clients who start off with a very high bodyweight/bodyfat%? Like over 300lbs/30% bodyfat?

how do you usually approach starting that person off in the right direction? What are some of the key factors in someone like that whose metabolism is very very slow and the weight has been piling on for years?

Dave stress the importance of diet... obviously. But as for exercises, depending on their condition (obese or not) be very careful with exercises. I really stay limited in movements. mostly stationary, non weighted exercises like basic plyo's or calesthenics or low impact cardio. Just get them to start moving around and being more active is the best start. Stay on them about eating cleaner and lighter!


Stan

[ishdevil]

With the little info I have from you .... my first answer would be you are not eating enough PROTEIN to grow more. You are only eating enough to sustain what your body currently has. I would suggest aiming for 2 grams per pound of body weight on a DAILY basis as your goal. So if you weigh 178lbs...... aim for 350 grams daily!! Keep eating low glycemic carbs and test out different ones!

As for training, mix it up. use different rep schemes: high volume, super sets, drop sets, lessen your rest periods.... etc.
Maybe you are going to heavy and are not squeezing the muscles properly..... could be these issues which could lead to better muscle growth!

Also, are you using Infinite Labs or any quality supplements?
Hope this all helps!!

Stan

Hi Stan,

Thanks for getting back to me. It is a true honor to have someone with your experience assisting me with my goals.

While I do agree that I could stand to increase my protein intake, doing this on a budget is somewhat difficult. However, I have read articles about it being more efficient to sacrifice a little extra cash for (e.g.) 2 months while you 'clean' bulk, rather than try to bulk up for 6-12 months but trying to save money and not going 'all-out'.
So I will definitely give this a shot.

As for the training, I think that your latter point may be right. Just like you noted in a website article in 2000, I also find that I am very critical towards myself. because of this I try to constantly better myself. This leads to trying to push myself further and try to lift heavier than I had before.
In this way I think that I am trying not to crush myself under a pair of 80 pound dumbbells, rather than grabbing a pair of comfortable 70 pound dumbbells. After doing this for a few years, I may have lost track of that 'mind-muscle' connection.
Hopefully I can get that back with the knowledge that I have now.

I am using some local (South African) supplements (Evox), and do check the ingredients to ensure that I am not getting something unexpected. Using Infinite Labs products, but like most international brands, the price of these supplements is doubled by the time we can buy it (due to shipping costs, I assume).


I think that knowing the problem is the first step to solving it. So all of this has definitely helped me to redefine my objectives and plan for success.

Thanks again, Stan. You've been an awesome coach!

[teamsw]

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[P4ULLY]

Hi Stan,
i've been following your journey for a while now, and recently brought a DVD that your in called "Get BIG, Get CUT". I'm a life time natural trainer due to kidney problems and a family history riddled with illness. Ive also got a rare blood type (AB-) so have gluten & lactose allergies and low stomach acid, just means I dont take any protein shakes (not even lactose free, they give me issues also), creatine supplements and have to have even smaller meals, more often (was 5-6, is now 7-8).

Just like a lot of people, im struggling to add mass at the moment. Im looking at increasing my calories (as you mentioned above) and stepping back from my heavy low rep training (Max OT 4-6rep) and doing more hypertrophy based training (6-10 rep). Im currently 92kgs (202.4lbs) and 10% bodyfat at 173cm (5ft8).

I plan to compete in the IFBB Mens Physique this year in October, how far out would you recommend i begin dieting for the comp?

any help would be greatly appreciated,
best of luck for the rest of 2013 and the future

[calvinlifter]

Hi Stan. Awesome to have you here. I've been working out for almost 20 yrs now and even competed at local level back in the early 90's. Despite trying everything i can't get my calves to grow. Always been 15.5-16. I'm completely natural and take 5 meals totaling around 140-150 gms of protein a day. Any more and i start having pain around my ankles. I use carnivor 2 times a day, neurocore pwo and glutamine caps 1.5 gm a day. Any insights really appreciated.

[InfiniteLabsRep]

Stan,

What does your current or last shoulder routine look like?

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

Stan,

What does your current or last shoulder routine look like?

Currently I hit everybody part twice a week for 4 weeks. I have a 3 day split which consists of a "Push Day'', a "Pull Day" and a "Leg Day".
I hit my shoulders on my push day, after doing about 3 chest movements for 4 sets of 12-15 reps. For shoulders I will a Hammer Military Press and some DB flies. these 2 movements are for 4 sets of 12-15 reps as well.

My second "Push Day" will consist of the same amount of sets and reps, but all of the chest, shoulder and tricep movements will be completely different. Therefor, hitting each muscle twice a week, different movements, but at a high intensity 12-15 reps!

Hope I didn't confuse you too much?!

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

Hi Stan. Awesome to have you here. I've been working out for almost 20 yrs now and even competed at local level back in the early 90's. Despite trying everything i can't get my calves to grow. Always been 15.5-16. I'm completely natural and take 5 meals totaling around 140-150 gms of protein a day. Any more and i start having pain around my ankles. I use carnivor 2 times a day, neurocore pwo and glutamine caps 1.5 gm a day. Any insights really appreciated.

Need more info about your physique and structure before I can give the correct advice to you. BUT..... I do have a question as to why you start having pain around your ankels if you go above 150 grams of protein???

Without knowing how much you weigh or how tall you are or your type of body structure or any other typical answers I would need to give the proper answer...... I would say you are more than likely not eating enough protein to grow. 150 grams for an average size bodybuilder is under eating protein!

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

Hi Stan,
i've been following your journey for a while now, and recently brought a DVD that your in called "Get BIG, Get CUT". I'm a life time natural trainer due to kidney problems and a family history riddled with illness. Ive also got a rare blood type (AB-) so have gluten & lactose allergies and low stomach acid, just means I dont take any protein shakes (not even lactose free, they give me issues also), creatine supplements and have to have even smaller meals, more often (was 5-6, is now 7-8).

Just like a lot of people, im struggling to add mass at the moment. Im looking at increasing my calories (as you mentioned above) and stepping back from my heavy low rep training (Max OT 4-6rep) and doing more hypertrophy based training (6-10 rep). Im currently 92kgs (202.4lbs) and 10% bodyfat at 173cm (5ft8).

I plan to compete in the IFBB Mens Physique this year in October, how far out would you recommend i begin dieting for the comp?

any help would be greatly appreciated,
best of luck for the rest of 2013 and the future

First of all, good luck on your quest to shrink down from 202 lbs and 5'8 sitting at a lean 10% BF! Sound like a big guy!
My first bet for you would be that you probably have a pretty fast metabolism to be that weight and that lean at your height, so your best bet would be to increase your calories! Play with carbs! Increase your protein, increase your total meal volume and decrease the amount of actual meals.

As for training..... play with that too! Don't get stuck in the rutt of doing the same crap over and over and over again. Shock the Central Nervous System! Try my volume training!! 15 rep sets, little rest, still moderately heavy weight!

Hope this helps!
Stan

[P4ULLY]

First of all, good luck on your quest to shrink down from 202 lbs and 5'8 sitting at a lean 10% BF! Sound like a big guy!
My first bet for you would be that you probably have a pretty fast metabolism to be that weight and that lean at your height, so your best bet would be to increase your calories! Play with carbs! Increase your protein, increase your total meal volume and decrease the amount of actual meals.

As for training..... play with that too! Don't get stuck in the rutt of doing the same crap over and over and over again. Shock the Central Nervous System! Try my volume training!! 15 rep sets, little rest, still moderately heavy weight!

Hope this helps!
Stan

awesome, thanks heaps Stan. Yeah ive noticed the metabolism is really fast, i'll give the nutrition advice a go, if it means i can eat more thats great (find myself hunger quite a lot). I'm finding the hypertrophy training a lot more intense that the Max OT, no doubt the extra sets will bump that up even more.
I get a few comments about my size (generally asking what cycle im on, my reply being "carbs" haha) but i definitely dont see it. i'm happy with my progress but feel physique over bodybuilding is where my career is heading.

thanks again Stan, best of luck with everything!

[teamsw]

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[InfiniteLabsRep]

Currently I hit everybody part twice a week for 4 weeks. I have a 3 day split which consists of a "Push Day'', a "Pull Day" and a "Leg Day".
I hit my shoulders on my push day, after doing about 3 chest movements for 4 sets of 12-15 reps. For shoulders I will a Hammer Military Press and some DB flies. these 2 movements are for 4 sets of 12-15 reps as well.

My second "Push Day" will consist of the same amount of sets and reps, but all of the chest, shoulder and tricep movements will be completely different. Therefor, hitting each muscle twice a week, different movements, but at a high intensity 12-15 reps!

Hope I didn't confuse you too much?!

Nope. Clear as a bell. I assume these are to absolute failure and if you hit 16 reps, you increase the weight on the next wotkout?
Thanks!

[StanMcQuayIFBB]

Nope. Clear as a bell. I assume these are to absolute failure and if you hit 16 reps, you increase the weight on the next wotkout?
Thanks!

Yes you are exactly right..... not 15 easy reps, but 15 hard, volume pumped, failure reps. if you hit 15 and can do a 16th with no problem... you need to definitely jump up in weight.

[aussiedave]

Hi Stan,

Always been a fan of yours. Since your early days. Saw you grow over the years and thought wow. He's decided to go pro, while still staying aesthetic!!! Obviously without getting into it. Did you have any inhibitions about going into IFBB? Im kinda at that point, just wondered what made you follow through. And are you happy with how you are going now. Development, training, health, etc.

And thanks for answering that question like a champ. People tend to forget its a delicate situation when involved in sponsorships,etc. Awesome stuff!

Good post and Im glad I finally get to address the question which has been asked numerout times. I competed naturally for many, many years. At my height, competing at 176 wasnt really too hard because for one I never had an off season and two, I never used gear!
Now as Edward303 said..... I don't think we really need to address the question as of late. Im an IFBB Pro now and if you really have to ask if I have used gear before, than maybe one should be on the "Natural bodybuilding" forum (not saying you). So many people get upset or angry or have a "bone to pick with me", but please somebody show me ANYWHERE since my Musclemania days that I have said or I claim to be natural? So I hope this post addresses the question that has been asked numerous times now. I can't speak for any of these other guys who CLAIM to be 100% natural as an IFBB Pro, but im speaking for myself and im keeping it real! If you are on this IFBB board and specifically this thread of mine, you will get it straight!

Thanks for the post and great question!

Stan

[teamsw]

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