Protein consistency…Tired all of the time… Lateral raises not lateral heaves…Can’t fight a lick!

Vic Steele,

Any tips for upping my lean protein intake? I finally got serious about the Parrillo Principle of taking in 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day and have been real diligent about it for the last three weeks. I cannot tell you what a difference this has made. I have never been on steroids, but I imagine this is what it feels like.  I haven’t missed eating 250 grams per day for 22 straight days. I’ve added five pounds of muscle, lost body fat and I feel amazing. Plus I have been breaking personal records in my lifts right and left. The problem is I am getting really bored with chicken breasts and canned tuna. I would love some protein alternatives – I want to keep this progress train rolling!

Arn, St. Paul

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THE 8 TOP SUPPLEMENTS FOR EXERCISERS OF ANY AGE

Whether you want to stay in peak health, have healthy joints, develop lean muscle, or all the above, there are 8 supplement “musts” to help you reach and maintain your health and fitness status. I’ve outlined them here, in no particular order. Keep in mind, though, no supplement works as effectively unless it is supported by proper diet.

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Parrillo Tips and Tidbits July 2010

nutrition Tip of the month:

It’s not who diets the hardest, it’s who diets the smartest: Some people try to lose too much fat too quickly by making drastic dietary changes. Your body is like a thermostat: it does not respond well to severe change of any kind. If you drastically lower your caloric intake, your body begins hoarding fat and slowing its metabolic rate to conserve energy. Soon, you feel bad (you have no energy) and look terrible (you store fat and lose mass). Sure, you may lose some bodyfat, but you also lose a lot of muscle mass, not to mention your sanity, your spouse, and perhaps your job! Rather than making a quantum leap from off-season dieting to pre-contest starvation, we encourage bodybuilders to gradually modify their off-season diet while simultaneously increasing the time and intensity of their aerobics. By doing so, you give your body time to adjust so it can continue to burn bodyfat and maintain muscle mass.

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Stress and Cholesterol

Did you know that stress in your life will increase cholesterol?

It’s true – and here’s why: When you’re under stress, your body produces more of the stress hormone called cortisol, otherwise known as the fight-or-flight hormone. Cholesterol is a building block of this hormone; therefore, the body must produce more cholesterol to meet the demand for cortisol. As proof, studies of accountants show that their cholesterol levels rise significantly at tax time. It stands to reason, then, that reducing stress levels through relaxation and stress management will lower your cholesterol.

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Parrillo Certified Personal Training Structuring the weekly training template In this day and age, TIME is our most precious commodity

by Duke Nukem

Typically, the first question a new client asks of a Parrillo Certified Personal Trainers is, “How do I fit in training when I am working long hours and have lots of outside responsibilities and commitments? I can’t spend two hours a day in the gym.” Any Parrillo Certified Personal Trainer (PCPT) will be quick to point out transformative fitness does not need to take a lot of time if the time spent is well spent. In Parrillo World, when we train, we train all out: cardio and weight training are done with gut-busting intensity. Better to spend thirty minutes using blistering intensity than to pretend train for two hours, engaging in halfhearted training, interspersed with lots of socializing and talking with other gym members. If you work hard and work smart you can get by with way less, particularly if you make it a point to not socialize during workouts. As one fabled IFBB professional once noted, “When I train, I feel as if I am in a battle with my own body. I am not at the gym to hit on women or shuck and jive with the other fellows. I might say a few words to my training partner about how I want him to spot me on the next set. Other than that, don’t come over and try and strike up a conversation with me while I’m training. You’ll get the cold shoulder. If you want to talk with me save it for after the workout.” In every single workout maintain tight concentration and become completely focused; that way you’ll get the most return for your time investment.

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A Bodybuilder Is Born: Generations

I had dropped off my sixteen-year-old princess (except in this case I am not the king, other than maybe King Midas), Marisa, at the 5 o’clock Zumba class at our gym. Marisa was just days away from her first of what would probably be at least three senior proms. She was nearing the end of her sophomore year. As I knew she was bound to do, Marisa had grown bored with weight training and was on a Zumba kick. As far as I could tell, it was basically a type of Brazilian dance form of cardio involving a lot of ass-shaking and hip-grinding. I had never watched an actual class, but many times I had watched the infomercial as I did my cardio, mainly for the visual stimulation of the suggestive movements.

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Missy Rosemeyer – Yet another successful Parrillo Transformation

One longtime reader recently wrote, “The Parrillo Performance Press is a breath of fresh air. Mainstream bodybuilding publications are all about hyped-up outrageous claims. The muscle magazines are aimed at capturing the aggressive young man market. These glossy publications feature gassed muscle monsters. How a professional bodybuilder trains has very little applicable use for an average trainee like me.” Right on! While muscle monsters are always popular amongst the 15-to-35 year old male demographic, mainstream muscle mags have little to offer for Joe or Mary Average in their fitness quests.

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Bench press techniques…Build the metabolism…Muscle Amino Formula™ eaten by the handful!

Hey Vic!

I train at an excellent hardcore gym here in south central Texas and have noticed that among the top bodybuilders and top lifters there are a lot of different bench press techniques. Is there a reason for this? I would think that there would be one single bench press technique that would trump all the rest – but what do I know. I thought you could help me out. I would love to incorporate a new bench press technique as I am pretty well stuck at 315 and want to compete in a bodybuilding competition next year.

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Lipotropics Revisited

Advanced Lipotropic

From years of helping people get lean, I have found that in addition to cleaning up their diet and getting in the gym consistently, faster results come when they are using “lipotropics.” Lipotropics are natural supplements that help you utilize stored fat for energy and spare glycogen. A good formulation, such as Parrillo Advanced Lipotropic Formula™, should contain all or most of the following:

Biotin

A B vitamin, biotin activates genes involved in regulating insulin and blood sugar. Biotin is required to make four key enzymes called carboxylases. These enzymes are involved in the metabolism of fats, and the conversion of protein and fat to glucose. Without biotin, the body cannot adequately metabolize fat.

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The Parrillo Mass Stack

When it comes to getting in the best possible shape, the subject of supplements becomes an important one for you to implement. You need to know which supplements work best, and which ones work best together. The technical term for this is “stacking.” In this column, I’m going to talk about the best “mass stack” for gaining lean muscle. Using the following supplements synergistically will help you make great gains, along with hard training.

Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine has been the subject of more than 400 research studies in the past 10 years, focusing primarily on muscle performance and size both in athletes and in individuals with neuromuscular diseases. Creatine is a key nutrient in muscle energy production, and it also appears to increase muscle size.

What can you expect from creatine? Typically, hard-training bodybuilders can expect an increase of 4 to 14 pounds of lean mass during the first month of use. The more muscle mass you have, the more creatine you can assimilate leading to greater weight gains. We’ve seen athletes experience a 5 to 15 percent increase in strength on their maximum lifts and an increase of about 2 reps per set with their working weight during the first month. This increase in intensity allows you to put a greater load on the muscle, which will indeed increase your gains in muscle mass over time.

The way to use creatine is to start with a loading phase, which usually is 20 grams a day for five to seven days. To do this, take five grams (one teaspoon) four times a day, for five to seven days. This is followed by the maintenance phase, which is five to ten grams a day. After only one month, you should see a noticeable increase in size and strength. Parrillo Creatine Monohydrate™ is the highest purity creatine supplement available. Take creatine monohydrate with your meals or supplement drink as this will facilitate absorption.

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