joelk

Yeah full squat, all the way down. Deadlifts have always been my weakest lift, which is strange because I can squat a lot and also can squat for very high repetitions, so my lower back is pretty capable of handling more weight. Must be in the leverages, something I'm working on at the moment.

I'm currently paying $450 (Australian Dollars) per year but my gym is very basic and I wouldn't mind paying $600 or so if it meant I had access to better equipment, i.e. bigger dumbells.

For protein supplementation I use Nitrofusion (pea, rice and artichoke) and my food sources are generally tempeh and mixed raw nuts and seeds, occasionally seitan.

@ 190lbs Squat 420lbs Bench press 335lbs Deadlift 380lbs

Thanks mate! My avatar pic is about 2 years old now, I was about 10lbs lighter, I'll have to post a new one from my latest comp.

Joel 5'9" 195lbs

I think it is your diet that is the culprit. If you can post what you are eating on average we will be able to help you out a bit more. Many different training programs will give you results, provided you are consistent and listen to your body. If you were to go to a 5x5 program I would suggest splitting your bodyparts over two workouts and just do 1, or at the most 2 exercises per bodypart and train 3 times per week. The routine would carry over into the following week but when you do each workout is not as important as getting enough rest to recover from a strenuous routine like this.

I have been using approx. 1.5g per kg for over a year now and find I am growing better than when my intake was higher. I think you should vary your fat sources to more than just olive oil but I do think you will grow on a higher fat, moderate protein, moderate complex carb diet.

Welcome to the board Aaeolyn! I wish you all the best and hope you find the forum informative and motivational! Please keep us updated with your progress

The split that has worked best for me is Chest, back and abdominals Quads, hamstrings and calves Shoulders, biceps and triceps Training 4 days per week. I still use this program now and don't look like changing it anytime soon.

I actually don't think that is uncommon! I have known of a few people to complain of digestive troubles with dairy proteins and then go off and buy another brand of the same protein. All I can do is shake my head in disbelief!

I like using either spirulina or wheatgrass powder, some of the blends can get quite expensive. The trace minerals and amino acid profiles make them useful to add to smoothies. They also contain high amounts of chlorophyll and other unique phytonutrients.

I get what you're saying about blood preesure, mine has been at the same level for years, even before I increased my fats (only tried it for a couple of comps, as I am still experimenting with what works better for getting in shape). Honestly I do agree with you in some regards to high fats being linked to degenerative diseases but I think it is more dangerous to be consuming high amounts of saturated and trans fats, rather than the mono and polyunsaturated fats which I'm consuming. Granted, once I stop competing I'm sure I will lower my fat calories as I won't have as much muscle mass to hold.

I have some of my stats, haven't had a blood test in a while. Height 174cm Weight 81kg Age 26 Blood pressure 120/80 Resting pulse 56bpm I would say I'm pretty healthy, my diet is only that high in fat for the last 8 weeks of my contest prep, then it goes back to about 40% of total calories (still pretty high I know). But like I'm your man said, I only eat plant based fat sources and the number of cardio protective foods I eat, particularly off season, is relatively high. Also, I think there are a lot of factors that influenced Mike Mentzers tragic early death, a hereditary heart problem, chain smoking, heavy amphetamine use and also his bleak outlook on life after he was screwed in the '80 Olympia would have accelerated his physical deterioration. Honestly, I think people are still scared of fats more than what they should be.

I honestly have got my best fat loss results using 65% fat, 25% protein, 10% carbohydrate split, with a re feed meal every 6 days. My diet was based around tempeh for protein, nuts, particularly almonds and macadamias and a variety of cold pressed oils and plenty of green vegetables. I managed to get in my best shape ever for my recent bodybuilding show and will use the same approach next time I compete. Off season, I add in more complex carbohydrates at the expense of some of the fat calories.

They would be an enhanced vegan! I don't think the risk or expense is worth it for reasons of vanity anyway.

These guys have at least 120lbs more muscle than the biggest Raw foodists. They also have an awful lot more muscle than meat eating natty guys, so it's more about the drugs than the diet for these top bodybuilders. I think a vegan using as much gear as some of these guys use could grow that big, although I guess a vegan in general would have ethical concerns using some of these drugs as they are often designed for animals. Btw, I think Phil Heath should have placed atleast second.

Reverse grip bench press and dips have given me my best results

Mike Mentzer http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2650397149_73b933eac1.jpg?v=0

Man, I'm dieting!! I don't want to look at that now!!

I guess if they are consuming that amount at the expense of the other macronutrients then it wouldn't be very healthy. I think 1g per kg is not all that high compared to what most in the bodybuilding world recommend.

We rank so high thanks to the miracle of modern drugs

I plan on writing one down the track but for now I don't really know- you'll just have to get more great advice off everyone on the forum

Animal pump uses gelatine caps and I doubt the NAC in it is vegan. T-bomb has stearic acid which they haven't specified is from a vegetable source, so I doubt it.

I didn't know that. I'm not as embarrassed to be an American now. Yeah we over took the USA this year Australia - 26% of the Adult Population are Obese USA - 25% of the Adult Population are Obese Makes up for our disappointing effort at the Olympics