People who followed my training journals on the AST Sports Science web site and those who read my “Lost Logs” eBook quickly notice the meal schedule has the same foods at the same times every day for weeks on end. One FAQ is “Do you ever get bored following the same eating schedule day in and day out?” It is a fair question and believe it or not, I never got bored…..
A.) I liked the food I was eating and actually enjoyed my meals.
B.) Food selection/timing was about function first and foremost. Variety didn’t fit into the equation when designing the eating schedule.
If you want to have an extreme physique you need to have an extreme lifestyle and that means being meticulous about your diet. Following an eating schedule is very important and eating the same basic things daily makes it easy to know your exact nutritional intake. This is essential as you are preparing for a contest because you will need to manipulate nutrients and calories as you go. If you don’t know your detailed intake it makes it almost impossible to adjust your diet to get the desired results.
Eating the same foods everyday also makes it easier to organize your diet. It takes away all the guesswork when you are planning out your day. If you wake up not having any idea what you are going to eat, you will have a much harder time making sure all your nutritional needs are being met because you may not have what you need when you need to eat it.
Always remember that consistency outside the gym with your nutritional behaviors is equally as important as your dedication to the weights and a well organized and detailed eating plan will help you stay on track.
Hi Jeff, my primary goal is fat loss. Would it be okay to omit the pre workout drink or is that a bad decision?
Also, are there any advantages/disadvantages to performing the barbell military press standing up? My gym does not have a barbell should press station (with bench), and so I usually perform my should presses by way of standing.
Standing barbell press is a great alternative to seated press. I think they are equally effective at overloading the shoulders.
I think the total calories consumed during the day is what you want to think about when skimming calories and gradually reduce that total over time. I think you want the majority of your calories consumed around your workout time. If the pre drink has been part of your plan consistently I am not sure I would just eliminate it. There will come a time in the skims depending upon how low you are going where there is no where else to skim from other than the pre/post area.
Hi Jeff,
When doing standing barbell presses do you keep your knees locked or are you using a little leg drive to get the weight up?
Soft knee allowing your body to move as you lift the weights.
Is there in one of your programs a way to calculate your Maintenance calories ?
and im about 178 pounds, with some bellyfat..
i want to get bigger, and the max ot is working great on the strenght, but somehow i feel smaller when i look in the mirror, i probably dont eat enough
well my question is also, would you lose the fat first, or bulk up and then lose the that?
for dosent it work like that ?
Caloric calculations really happen best when you can chart your intake over time and adjust based on your progress. There is not a set calculation I use. I think there are too many variables so again, I figure it out over time based on intake and results.
I don’t prescribe to the idea that you need to lose fat first and then focus on building muscle and I never like the word “bulk”. I think it is too your benefit to focus on building muscle while losing fat as every once of muscle will raise your metabolic rate and help the process.
There is no way I can eat at the same times every day, I work swing shifts and I work out / eat / sleep at different times on different days of the weeks! My question is this, is the MaxOT system not for me?
The SYSTEM principles will still work. You simply adjust your nutrition each day based on your waking hours and your workout timing.