10 sets of 10 reps and more protein…One legged-bar bar brawler…New Parrillo Products…CapTri® cooking for Dummies

Parrillo Cupcakes

Vic Steele,

Here’s my problem: I am stuck at a bodyweight of around 165 and cannot add weight to save my life. I am 5-9 and very, very lean. I have entered the Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon in years gone by and currently have a 7.5% body fat percentile. I know this for a fact because I had myself tested at the University of Kentucky Sports Laboratory a month ago. This was an underwater dunk test and I registered a 7.44% body fat percentile. I lift four times a week using a basic Parrillo split routine. I recently read an old column of John’s and was thinking about trying his “10 sets of 10 reps routine.” My goal is to add ten pounds of muscle without blowing my leanness…is that possible? Perhaps you could lay out a routine and supplement schedule. Currently I take 50/50 Plus™ after my workouts and every morning I take Max Endurance Formula™ (I do 45 minutes of intense cardio every single day) plus I take Bio-C™ and Natural E-Plus™. I was thinking about adding Muscle Amino Formula™ and Evening Primrose Oil™. Thanks again and keep up the no-bull advice…

Randy, Lexington

This is a good problem to have: lean as a steel post, you are seeking to add some quality muscle mass. I would suggest a 10 week game plan: let’s look to add one pound of bodyweight (muscle weight) per week for ten consecutive weeks. Do you have the Parrillo BodyStat Kit? If not, order this incredible tool. The BodyStat Kit ensures that weight gains are muscle gains. Let’s look at the training first and then we’ll discuss the supplements – the key for adding bodyweight in your particular case is to blast the hell out of your body then feed it a lot of clean calories. I love the idea of using John’s infamous 10 sets of 10 reps routine and obviously your current eating habits are spot on; otherwise you would not be sporting a 7.5% body fat percentile. Keep your ‘regular food’ strategy in place and let’s add extra calories through the intake of Parrillo supplements. Here is the training portion…

The Parrillo

10 sets of 10 reps Routine

(not for sissies)

• Day 1: legs – tri-set: squats, leg curls, calf raises
• Day 2: chest – bench press, flat bench dumbbell flyes
• Day 3: back – deadlift, chins
• Day 4: shoulders – dumbbell overhead press, press-behind-the-neck
• Day 5: arms – pick one curl, pick one tricep exercise
• Day 6: off
• Day 7: off

The procedure is the same for every exercise: perform 10 sets and perform 10 reps on every single set. Take a set or two (or three) to warm-up; then perform 7-8 sets using static poundage.

Take a few sets to get up to the maximum poundage for that particular day; then stay there for the remainder of the ten sets. In the squat, for example, if you are capable of squatting 250 x 10 reps (for a single, all out set) then the 10 x 10 procedure would be as follows: set #1, 135 x 10; set #2, 185 x 10…now perform 8 sets of 10 reps with 225 pounds. You initially want to use 10% less than your maximum 10-repetition single-set capacity. If a trainee is capable of 250 x 10 for a single set, trying to perform eight sets of ten reps with 250 on day one in session one would be suicidal! You would never make it! Drop the poundage and go for volume. The idea is to make the target weight and the following week bump the leg and back poundage upward by 10-20 pounds. Bump the upper body stuff up by 5-10 pounds on chest/shoulders/arms after a successful session. Caution: ease into this; don’t get too poundage crazy initially. Remember it’s not where you start at on week one that counts, it’s where you end up (poundage-wise) in week #10 that counts! This is a mass building program without peer – assuming you can take it!

Supplements: CapTri® should be at the top of your ‘must buy’ list. Drizzle a tablespoon of CapTri® over each of your 3 to 5 daily “food meals.” This simple procedure will add between 400 and 500 calories to your daily intake. CapTri®’s unique molecular structure makes it impossible for CapTri® calories to end up as body fat. Keep up the 50/50 Plus™ post-workout supplementation; however I need you to double the post-workout serving size. The 10 x 10 regimen has a devastating effect on the human body and you need extra 50/50 Plus™ to cope. Order a couple of canisters of Parrillo Optimized Whey™ protein and a couple of boxes of Parrillo Energy Bars™. Here’s the deal: lean protein (and CapTri®) are the best friend of the lean athlete seeking to add muscle size without adding body fat. Consume an Optimized Whey Protein™ shake the minute you have finished your morning cardio. This will provide 30+ grams of high BV protein. Drink a second Optimized Whey™ shake the last thing at night before going to bed. This will keep you growing while you sleep. The final piece to the supplement puzzle is the venerable Parrillo Energy Bar™; eat at least one bar per day each and every day. Add it all up: two daily shakes provide 66 grams of protein; a double serving of 50/50 Plus™ adds another 40 grams of protein; a single Energy Bar™ adds 14 grams of protein. Parrillo supplementation adds 120 grams of protein and 500 additional calories per day. Add the CapTri® calories into the mix and you have added 1,000 clean calories per day! This combination, 10 x 10 training and intense Parrillo supplementation, is a surefire way to add 10 pounds of pure muscle to an already lean body. At the end of ten weeks you will experience a dramatic increase in muscle mass with no increase in body fat. Keep me posted steel post man.

Vic,

I broke my foot in a bar brawl. I would like to continue training legs but need some help figuring out a program. I am a hardcore trainee and I normally train five times a week. I had worked my squat up to 550 x 5 wearing just a belt and wraps before I had to spank the drunk that took a pass at my girlfriend. He won’t be bothering any other ladies anytime soon. I don’t want to lose my leg strength. The doc says it’ll be six weeks before I can start squatting. What do you think?

Sonny, Oakland

Even though the foot is screwed up and you are unable to do squats, leg presses or hacks with both legs, you can still do single-leg leg presses and calf raises, along with double-leg leg extensions and leg curls. Leg extensions and leg curls can be done without impacting the foot. Let’s shoot for 4-5 sets of two-legged leg extensions and super-set these (alternate) with 4-5 sets of two-legged leg curls. You can work the thigh muscles on the uninjured leg with the one-legged leg press. You can also perform single-leg calf raises with the good leg. When performing the one-leg leg presses, cut the poundage way back: don’t be stupid and try to leg press 50% of what you can do with two legs. 30 to 40% of what you are capable of with two legs would be fantastic. You are a strong guy, so if you were able to leg press 600 for 10 reps using two legs, I would work up to no more than 200 to 250 for the single legged-leg press, at least to start off with. Bring the leg press sled all the way down. Avoid partial reps. Perform a couple of light sets while playing with the feel and foot positioning on the sled. Another trick is to get maximum effect from minimum poundage by slowing down the rep speed. If you lower slower and push slower (not ridiculously slow) then the poundage will feel heavier. For an injured athlete this is a good thing: you will be able to work the hell out of the good leg and obtain maximum results using a relatively light weight. Start the session with 4-5 sets of leg extensions alternated with 4-5 sets of leg curls. Then move onto the single-legged leg press and the single leg calf raise. Single-leg calf raises can be done using the seated calf machine, the standing calf machine or by standing on a stair-step while holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand. Keep calf reps in the 10-15 rep range. This is quite a bit of leg work and will keep the bad leg relatively strong while it heals. By working the uninjured leg, you will be able to maintain the Lion’s share of your current power. Let me know how this works out.

Vic,

What’s up with the new Parrillo Protein Frosting Mix™? Also the Parrillo Ice Kreem™ rocks! Between all the various Parrillo “engineered foods” a person with a sweet tooth could live on Parrillo Products and never break bad! I had a heck-of-a-sweet tooth but by using Parrillo products I have been ‘sweet free’ for six months!

Alex, Old Town Alexandria

Let’s examine the nearly limitless Parrillo possibilities: the Parrillo Sports Nutrition Bar™ comes in three flavors. The Parrillo Protein Bar™ comes in nine different flavors. The venerable Parrillo Energy Bar™ comes in seven flavors; the Parrillo High-Protein/Low Net Carb Bar™ comes in three flavors and the new Parrillo Chew Bar™ has no less than ten different flavor possibilities. Now shift to the engineered foods: Instant Hi-Protein Low Carb Pudding™ has four flavors. Hi-Protein Pancake and Muffin Mix™ comes in two flavors and my personal favorite, the Parrillo Cake and Cupcake Mix™, comes in three flavors. The latest Parrillo offering is Protein Frosting Mix™. This is used to top Parrillo cakes and cupcakes and is available in vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter (allergen-free) and cream-cheese flavors. This particular creation is already being abused by bodybuilders. One acquaintance of mine mixes up Protein Frosting Mix™ by the cupful and then greedily eats it with a spoon. Parrillo Protein Ice Kreem™ requires an inexpensive ice cream machine. Pick one up at the local Wal-Mart for around $30. Ice Kreem™ comes in five different frosty flavors. All in all, there are no less than fifty different flavor possibilities spread out between ten different Parrillo Products. If you have a sweet tooth then the Parrillo products are the way to lose fat, build muscle and do so while satiating sweet cravings.

Iron Head,

I have heard that you can cook with CapTri® – I wonder how this works. I am not much of a chef but would like to try some new things. Like a lot of guys, I never really learned how to cook. Mom did the cooking. Now I am living in an apartment with a couple other guys and I need to get lean. I am thirty pounds overweight. If I can learn to do some elementary food preparation, I can get off the pizza, junk food, sodas and chips. When I do so, I know that I will shape up quick. In other words, I am so out of bounds with my current eating that if I clean it up – and I am ready – then I will make quick progress. So maybe you could pass along a few elementary cooking procedures. By the way I am a pretty strong and muscular guy: I have a 500 pound deadlift and can bench 350 – I weigh 230 and at 5-5, that is way too fat! Thanks in advance Vic.

Tom, Trenton

There are a lot of young guys that don’t even know how to turn on a stove, much less how to activate the oven or the broiler. Keep it super simple: start off by buying a large pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Here are two super quick ways to prepare breasts: cut the breasts into strips about the size of your little finger. Cover the bottom of a 12-inch Teflon non-stick skillet with 1/8^th inch of CapTri®. Get the oil hot – but not so hot that the oil starts to smoke and burn. Use a pair of tongs and place the chicken strips into the hot oil. When they start to turn color, use the tongs and turn them until all sides are brown. Pull them out and enjoy a chicken taste treat that will blow McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets into the weeds. I also like to buy chicken breasts still on the bone and bake them at 325 or sauté them gently in a Teflon skillet with a glass lid. Place the CapTri® in the skillet, place the breasts skin side down and cover; sauté over a low heat for 15 to 25 minutes. Use a cheap, $8 insta-read meat thermometer and poke the thickest part of the breast. When it reads 160-degrees, the chicken is done. Use the meat thermometer to make perfect bird every time.

Purchase brown rice. That’s easy to make. Yams can be baked in the oven. Small red potatoes and red onions can be diced and sautéed in Butter-flavored CapTri® – delicious! I will often throw in some broccoli crowns, garlic, spinach and diced bell peppers. For a terrific egg white omelet, start off with the diced onions and red pepper mix; separate egg whites from yolks and beat the whites in a blender for about 20 seconds. Pour the egg whites into the hot pan full of veggies. Start turning the mixture gently with a spatula until done. This veggie omelet makes a delicious breakfast and is ready to eat inside ten minutes. I would also suggest bachelor-types purchase bagged salad and bagged spinach. Fish is fabulous and easy to prepare; buy white fish fillets and bake them or sauté them in CapTri®. Redirect some of your grocery money towards the purchase of Parrillo supplements: I would start with Parrillo Hi-Protein Powder™, Parrillo Liver Amino Formula™ and definitely some Parrillo Sports Nutrition Bars™. The perfect Parrillo meal includes a portion of lean protein, a portion of starch (rice or potatoes) and a portion of fiber – vegetables. In the morning make oatmeal and mix it with a serving of Parrillo Hi-Protein powder™. Or make an omelet. For lunch (at work) stick to chicken or fish with a salad. In the evening make yourself some chicken, shrimp, shellfish, fish or a lean steak. Shrimp are particularly easy: steam them and they are done inside of five minutes. I would suggest steaming or sautéing fresh veggies. If you are pushed for time, make yourself a salad. I like to prepare flank steak on the weekends: roast or grill this lean beef cut. Be sure and eat a Parrillo Bar™ (or two) when the urge to eat sweets occurs. You can defiantly lose 30 pounds in three months while actually adding muscle in the process. Buy some basic cooking tools and learn how to grocery shop. Any dummy can learn how to cook. Remember the more you cook the better you get at it. Practice makes perfect!