I am an advanced trainee looking for something new and different in my weight training. I am sick of all my various routines and strategies, none of which fire me up. As you and I both know (as does anyone that’s been in this game for a long time) the ability to hit a workout with real fire in the gut makes a huge difference. I feel like a guy that has the same six movies and I am tired of looking at the same movies over and over. I have two or three ‘in-season’ routines and two or three ‘off-season’ routines and every one of them seems old and stale. Give me something new and different Maestro!

Baz, Toronto

I feel your pain. After you’ve been at it for a decade or so, elite trainers develop a series of proven-effective routines and while this is good (you obtained great results from these individual routines in the past) this is also bad because, as you point out, it’s like listening to the same half dozen records or watching the same movies over and over. Yes they were effective in the past and can be effective in the future but part of their effectiveness stemmed from their being new and different and exciting. It is tough for an old pro to try something

Evening Primrose Oil

totally different; particularly when they already have a large collection of routines that worked in the past. Still, mental motivation is a HUGE factor and rolling into a workout revved up, fired up and psyched up is the real key to bodybuilding success. Better to use a flawed routine that fires you up than a perfect routine that bores you to tears. Put another way, motivation is a mental trait and it is tough to get fired up over something old and worn. Here is a push-pull chest/lat routine that I use with great success when I need a stagnation buster. You can adapt this approach to any body part.

First super set: Dumbbell bench press alternated with heavy pull-downs using V-handle.

Dumbbell bench presses are done using a PAUSE – most every bodybuilder uses the classical touch-and-go style because the lifter can handle considerably more poundage. First we shift from barbell to dumbbells and second we institute a one-second pause at the bottom of each rep. Perform 8 sets, including warm-ups. A strong, advanced lifter capable of a 350 bench might use the following poundage…remember all reps are paused: 70s for 12, 75s for 10, 80s for 8, 85s for 8, 90s for 6, 95s for 5, 100s for 5 then 90s for one set to failure. Super-set (alternate) with pull-downs using the strongest grip, the narrow-grip V handle…stretch at the top of each rep and pause when the weight is pulled to the sternum…perhaps 170 for 12, 185 for 10, 200 for 10, 225 for 8, 240 for 8, 260 for 6, 275 for 5-6 then 225 for one set to failure. In between each set perform a Parrillo Fascia Stretch and hold the stretch for a full 10 seconds.

Second super-set: dumbbell flyes alternated with bent-over rear cable lateral raises.

Flyes are super-deep in the bottom and RAISED SLOWLY. It is an easy thing to take really big dumbbells and do a sort of half-bench press/half flye using ego-stroking weight and a little tiny range-of-motion. Use smaller bells and strive for a tremendous range-of-motion. We seek to make flyes tougher by purposefully raising the bells slowly out of the bottom using pec power alone. Super set 5-6 sets of flyes with equally precise bent-over rear delt raises using cables. Essentially we want to turn the bent-over cable lateral into the mirror image of a perfect flye. Slow motion (not stupidly slow) ensures that rear delts, rhomboids, teres and center traps are worked to exhaustion.

You can use this same strategy on other body parts: thighs/hamstrings; bicep/triceps; abs/lower back; lats/delts (pulldowns/presses) etc. etc. I like to cram as many precision exercises done super-set style into a one hour timeframe. Let’s forget about poundage and go for “feel” and muscle isolation. Have a Parrillo fascia stretch ready to go between each super-set. Use this approach for 4-6 weeks and segue back into a more standardized barbell power routine. This rut-buster, super-set approach has always worked for me.

Victor Steele,

What percentage of machine training to free weights is optimal? I find that because of safety and time I am using resistance machines for about 70% of my weight training with 30% free-weight. I use machines for 100% of my cardio. It seems that you put a LOT of emphasis on free weights and I am thinking that perhaps I am missing something. I understand that free weights are better – but how much better? I am a little bit hesitant to perform barbell squats and bench presses because I train alone.

Ross, Macon

Good question. Think of free weights as meat and potatoes and think of machines as dessert. Generally speaking elite bodybuilders will start a body part with a free weight exercise and finish off the body part with machines or cables. I hear you about the safety issue with squats and barbell benches: I would suggest the Smith Machine for squats and use dumbbell benches. The practical approach is to use free weights when possible and machines for the isolation movements that follow the big, compound multi-joint exercises that should form the backbone of your program. Machines are seductive because they are safe, easy and comfortable – however safe, easy and comfortable is not optimal when it comes to stimulating muscle tissue, the eternal goal of bodybuilding. Hey I like certain machines for isolation exercises; the pec dec, a good curl machine, Hammer Strength makes some nice pull-down and rowing devices; however it is a mistake to use machines to virtual exclusion and it is a mistake to think that machines stimulate as much muscle fiber as free weights. Cardio is a bit different. There are a pretty good variety of aerobic machines and many of them are beneficial. I would suggest you try aerobic machines that incorporate the arms as well as the legs. My personal favorite is the decidedly old school Schwinn Aerodyne push/pull stationary bike. It has handles, can go both forward and backward, and is built like a tank. These elaborate electronic cardio devices with built in TVs are the epitome of sissy cardio. Plus, when they breakdown or go haywire you have to bring in a $100 dollar per hour tech to fix them. I would shift your current 70-30 balance of machines to free weights to 70-30 in favor of free weights over machines.

Vic,

My brother-in-law is a medical doctor and a complete ass. He has my wife upset and saying that because I take in 200+ grams of protein everyday I am “at risk” of destroying my kidneys. Naturally he looks like hell and is lecturing me while drinking one of his endless glasses of super-expensive wine; he is a skinny-fat jogger and loves to preach and lecture, ignorant of the fact that he has the physique of a 12 year old girl. I’d really like to beat his ass and if I ever get a divorce, I will assuredly act on that urge.

Pete, Port Arthur, Great State of Texas

All this protein is poison BS is predicated on the erroneous assumption that there is some epidemic of protein-caused kidney failures; as if bodybuilders nationwide are keeling over right and left and ending up on kidney dialysis machines as a result of too much protein. In our four decades in the bodybuilding business we have never heard of a single instance of a bodybuilder overdosing on protein and blowing out his kidneys. This absence of a single instance of protein overdosing does not stop the high-moral-ground medical professionals from ominously stating that taking more than 30 grams a day is somehow on a kidney-endangering par with drinking a gallon of vodka a day. Notice how all these protein opponents love their wine – which has far more kidney-damaging potential than protein. Yet, they mysteriously give their vice a pass and go out of their way to scare the hell out of bodybuilder relatives and spouses. Way back when, John knew one very famous Baltimore bodybuilder who won the National championships weighing 154 pounds. This little dude took in 1,000 grams of protein per day (that’s no typo) and was the epitome of health and fitness. He never had the slightest complications from his massive intake and while I am not suggesting you quadruple your protein intake, my point is illustrative of the fact that a whole lot of bodybuilders are taking a whole lot more protein than you without the slightest problem. Next time he starts lecturing you, tell him how concerned you are about his wine-soaked kidneys.

Vic,

I am a local-level female bodybuilder that does fairly well in competition. I am a hardcore Parrillo System user and have a reoccurring problem. The closer I get to a show, the stricter I diet, the harder I train, the flakier, redder and worse my skin gets. I tan and I use spay tan to cover this up, but I ‘dry out’ and my complexion becomes blotchy and unhealthy – do others have this problem? I feel fine, I train hard and I do well, but these skin eruptions are becoming predictable and regular every time I close in on a bodybuilding show.

Crystal, Falls Church, Virginia

I would bet the farm that you have an Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) deficiency. EFAs are not a problem for normal people living normal lives eating a normal (lousy) American diet. There are fatty acids in saturated fat and Americans eat so much saturated fat – the wrong kind of saturated fat, long-chain saturated fat – that despite all the other nightmarish consequences of eating wrong, EFA deficiency is NOT one of them. EFAs can be stored in the body and therefore EFA deficiencies don’t show up for a long time. John Parrillo tells a tale that is remarkably similar to yours…

I remember one female bodybuilder in particular that had a terrible time with her skin getting dry and breaking out; this problem would increase in severity at contest time. I put her on a remedial EFA supplementation program and her skin became completely clear in a dramatically short period of time. You can only imagine how happy she was.

John used a little-known substance called Evening Primrose Oil. One of the first symptoms of EFA deficiency in adults is dermatitis: red, dry, scaly skin, particularly around the face. The condition cannot or will not be relieved by lotions or moisturizers. As John says, “You’ll simply have red blotches with moisturizer on them.” The Evening Primrose is a small, flowering plant with yellow blooms that open at night. EPO contains Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) and consuming EPO capsules is a terrific way in which the hard-dieting bodybuilder in the final phases of a competitive training cycle leading up to a show can imbibe the requisite EFAs without eating long-chain fat. In the Parrillo philosophy, supplements are designed to increase cellular nutrient levels beyond levels that can be obtained from regular foods. Food will always be the cornerstone of sound nutrition. The science behind EFA metabolism is complex and need not be gone into here and now; I would strongly suggest you purchase a bottle of Parrillo Evening Primrose Oil™ and begin taking 3-5 capsules per day. I will bet that within a week of commencing, your skin problems will be a thing of the past.

Greetings Ancient One,

I am like the rest of the bodybuilding world and looking to get leaner and larger in 2012 – what is the biggest problem you encounter amongst the serious seeking physique renovation? What are the mistakes? Do you have any helpful suggestions?

Jimmy, Charleston

John Parrillo has a terrific four-step prescription for “busting through plateaus.”

1. Move into a calorie-plus state: the first mistake most New Year’s resolvers make is to slash calories. This shatters the metabolism and stunts progress. As John says, “The ‘eat-more-calories’ advice defies conventional wisdom; but handled properly and combined with intense exercise, this approach works every time.”

2. Select “plateau busting” foods: lean protein; fiber carbs; starch carbs and Parrillo engineered foods and supplements. Purchase a copy of the Parrillo Performance Nutritional Manual and lockdown a dietary game plan.

3. Utilize metabolism-building supplements: The right supplements taken at the right time in the right amounts ‘supports’ the efficient working of the human metabolism. Be sure and use the often overlooked Advanced Lipotropic Formula™ as it contains fat-mobilizing nutrients. Take one capsule with every one of your 4-6 multiple meals and be assured of receiving a continual supply of fat-mobilizing nutrients throughout the day.

4. Perform pre-breakfast cardio: get every day off to the perfect start by performing 45-60 minutes of high-intensity Parrillo-style aerobic exercise. Spike the metabolism first thing, burn through glycogen, start melting off fat. This is a beneficial and invigorating way in which to start the day.

By JOHN PARRILLO

Prebiotics. Ever heard of them? Read on.

Prebiotics are foods or supplements that encourage the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut. They have therapeutic value for all-too-common health conditions like aging, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, yeast infections, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, immune system slumps, and maybe even colon cancer risk.

Prebiotics were discovered in 1995, and defined as a group of functional fibers that selectively stimulate this friendly bacteria by increasing their number. Prebiotics occur naturally in a range of food products, such as fruits, vegetables and grains. Some specific examples include: bananas, peaches, leeks, garlic, onions and artichokes. Scientists have even found over 150 prebiotic compounds in human breast milk. There are also commercial prebiotics. Both types pass through the small intestine undigested, then move on to the large intestine. Here, they

Parrillo Protein Ice Cream

are fermentable and they fuel the good bacteria to perform better and multiply. Bad, disease-causing bacteria, however, can’t utilize them.

To learn how prebiotics work, it’s important to also understand the function of probiotics, better known as friendly bacteria. Vital to your health is a balance between the friendly and “bad” bacteria in the gut. When the bad bacteria outnumber the good, digestive problems, including diarrhea, constipation, gas, bad breath, and nausea, can occur. Probiotics such as yogurt, kefir, and probiotic supplements can be used to restore balance of bacteria in the gut. To help probiotics multiply, they need to be fed with prebiotics. When you properly supply your body with probiotics and prebiotics, there are numerous health benefits.

For example:

• Resolve constipation. Constipation puts carcinogenic bacteria in contact with colon walls, increasing the risk of colon cancer. As a soluble fiber, prebiotics increase stool weight, decrease stool transit time, enhance elimination and, therefore, decrease cancer risk.

• Fight yeast. Yeast infections result from the overgrowth of Candida albicans and can result in fatigue, joint and muscle pain, sleep problems, vaginal discharge, abdominal discomfort, and other symptoms. Prebiotics help friendly bacteria multiply and prevent these problems.

• Reduce bad cholesterol. As soluble fiber, prebiotics help lower cholesterol levels. They also keep triglyceride levels in check. In addition, prebiotics may decrease high blood pressure.

• Attack obesity. A mound of research has been conducted on animal models with regard to weight reduction. Researchers have found that prebiotics increase anti-hunger peptides in the colon. These peptides, when secreted, are thought to directly suppress the appetite and help the body use insulin more normally. Other research has found that prebiotics may decrease fattening of the liver and the formation of fat tissue.

As for results in humans, a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, studied 48 overweight but healthy people. They took either a placebo or a prebiotic for 12 weeks. Without making any lifestyle changes, those taking the prebiotic lost an average of 2.27 pounds while those on the placebo gained nearly 1 pound. (That might not seem like a lot but these people didn’t make any changes to their diet or do any type of exercise.) Taking the prebiotic also reduced hunger and improved blood sugar and insulin function.

It’s tough to get beneficial amounts of prebiotics through diet alone. Between 4 to 15 grams of prebiotics per day in powder or capsule form (alone or in combination with probiotics) is considered beneficial, and up to 25 grams per day is considered safe.

One way to supplement with prebiotics is to try our new Hi-Fiber Chocolate Syrup Mix™. It is high in prebiotic fiber – 12 grams. Plus it’s low in calories – only 20 calories a serving. It has no fat or sugar, either. Our High Fiber Chocolate Syrup™ is so easy to make: For 4 servings, just add 1 tablespoon of water to 2 level scoops of High Fiber Chocolate Syrup Mix™ and stir until smooth. For an extra special treat, how about this: a Contest Brownie™ or slice of Hi-Protein Cake™, topped with a scoop of Parrillo Protein Ice Kreem™ and drizzled with Chocolate Syrup.

Prebiotics like our High Fiber Chocolate Syrup Mix™ are food sources preferentially chosen by beneficial bacteria. The result can be enhanced intestinal health, and a balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria.

Quad Stretch

Start: Stand next to a bench or other piece of sturdy gym equipment. Bend your right knee. Holding your right ankle, bring your bent leg behind you. Position your ankle so that your instep is secured against the equipment. For balance, hold on to the equipment.

Stretch: Press your right heel to your glute while pushing your quad down and back. Hold for ten seconds, then release. Repeat with the left quad.

Variation: To stretch your upper quad, press your leg down first. Then push your heel to your glute.

nutrition Tip of the month:

Carbohydrates – The Optimal Fuel for Success

Consuming carbs during exercise can improve performance. This works by helping to maintain blood glucose levels and preventing hypoglycemia, rather than by sparing muscle glycogen. Keep in mind, I’m talking about maximizing exercise performance here, not fat burning. If you’re doing aerobics simply to burn fat then you don’t want to eat anything during exercise because this will decrease the utilization of body fat as fuel. Competitive endurance athletes may however improve performance by consuming a carbohydrate drink during exercise, such as Parrillo Pro-Carb Powder™. This will help replace fluids as well as maintain blood glucose.

News & Discoveries In Fitness & Nutrition

Yo-yo Dieting Alters Genes Linked With Stress

Animal study shows exposure to stress after dieting increases binge eating

Stressed-out mice with a history of dieting ate more high-fat foods than similarly stressed mice not previously on diets, according to a study in the Dec. ‘10 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest that moderate diets change how the brain responds to stress and may make crash dieters more susceptible to weight gain. Researchers at the Univ. of Pennsylvania examined the behavior and hormone levels of mice on limited diets. After three weeks of fewer calories, the mice lost 10 to 15 percent of their body weight, similar to human diet weight loss.

One in every three Americans is now obese. “Yo-yo dieting,” temporarily losing weight only to regain it, plus more, is a well-known phenomenon. While previous studies show that mice on lifelong calorie-restricted diets live as much as 50 percent longer than their well-fed peers, little is known about the long-term consequences of quick-fix diets. Researchers found the mice had increased levels of the stress hormone corticosterone and displayed depression-like behavior, and also discovered that several genes important in regulating stress and eating had changed. Previous research shows that experiences can alter the form and structure of DNA, an effect known as epigenetics. Even after the mice were fed back to their normal weights, the epigenetic changes remained. To investigate whether those molecular changes might affect future behavior, the researchers put the mice in stressful situations and monitored how much fatty foods they ate. The previously restricted mice ate more high-fat food than normal mice. These results suggest that dieting not only increases stress, making successful dieting more difficult, but that it may actually ‘reprogram’ how the brain responds to future stress and emotional drives for food. -Society for Neuroscience, November 30, 2010.

Question of the month:

Question: I’m starting on a fat loss plan and will be following a strict Parrillo diet. How fast should I lose fat?

Answer: A pound a week is a good general rule. It is possible to lose fat faster than that, but you increase your risk of losing muscle if you do. I have found most people can lose one pound of fat per week without losing much muscle. So plan ahead. If you want to lose 20 pounds of fat plan on 10 weeks of dieting, a two-week break to build your metabolism, and 10 more weeks of dieting, for a total of 22 weeks. If you want to enter a contest, plan on being ready two weeks out, so you have time to fine tune things and fill out a little at the end. Keep in mind that when I say “diet” you still get to consume a lot of calories – your maintenance energy requirement. This is not a painful starvation diet.

Quick Tip of the month:

Draining Cooked Spinach

No one wants their spinach quiche to be soggy, so what’s the best way to drain cooked or frozen spinach? You can always squeeze the spinach with your hands or in a dish towel, but here’s an easier way: put the spinach in a potato ricer and squeeze! All the water comes out of the holes and leaves you with nicely drained spinach ready to cook with!

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

Try one of the new salt-free spice blends that have built-in grinders now available at the grocery store. Freshly ground spices have a fresher, stronger flavor, and it’s so much easier and quicker than combining your own spices when pressed for time!

Cardiovascular exercise is critical for bodybuilding success. This is now considered common knowledge and every competitive bodybuilder at the regional, national and international level includes aerobics as a regular part of their bodybuilding regimen. What few know is that John Parrillo was the first bodybuilding expert to insist aerobics need be included in any bodybuilding strategy. Before Parrillo’s cardio-trained bodybuilders started showing up, lean, shredded and HUGE, cardio, for bodybuilding purposes, was considered counterproductive. “Everyone knows aerobics destroys muscle!” This was the smug criticism leveled by the cardio haters back in the days when John first began having his athletes perform aerobics. The look of smugness was soon replaced with disbelief and then awe when the first wave of aerobic-performing Parrillo bodybuilders began showing up at competitions weighing in excess of 240 while sporting 5% body fat percentiles. This “1st Wave” of Parrillo athletes swept away all the smack talk and soon cardio became standard operating procedure for elite bodybuilders worldwide.

Pre-cardio bodybuilders fell into one of two types: they were either large and smooth or ripped and tiny. Parrillo’s 1st Wave bodybuilders were both gigantic and ripped and as the old saying goes, “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” Soon all the vanquished bodybuilders began including cardio in their training and the naysayer experts that derided aerobics changed their tune faster than you can say flip-flop. They say that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and if that is true Mr. Parrillo must feel like one of the most flattered men on the face of the planet. Nowadays the self same experts that dissed cardio as counterproductive and muscle-destroying resort to revisionist history and claim that they were for cardio all along and not only were they for aerobic inclusion, but it was they that were the first to suggest it to begin with. How utterly predictable and pathetic: we know the truth of the matter and the historical record speaks for itself. Oddly, even today, most experts and bodybuilders still don’t understand the entire truth about cardio and its relationship to bodybuilding. While bodybuilders routinely and universally perform aerobics, very few do it the right way, the Parrillo way.

Aerobics and bodybuilding: Why should an aspiring bodybuilder, even one without any designs on competing, go to the time and trouble to include routine cardio exercise into their bodybuilding training regimen? Isn’t lifting weights intensely and dieting strictly enough to ensure bodybuilding success? The quick and simple answer is no, it is not enough, and here is why: the cornerstone of the Parrillo approach to bodybuilding is the idea that the metabolism, our rate of caloric expenditure, can and should be increased or more accurately, accelerated. The Parrillo phrase for this is “building the metabolism” and building the metabolism requires that three diverse disciplines be used in coordination: lifting weights, nutrition and supplementation and aerobic exercise. When all three elements are in place and practiced diligently, the combined effect stimulates the metabolism and stimulates it repeatedly. Repetition is the key. If repeated metabolic stimulation is achieved and then repeated through diligent practice for protracted periods of time, the metabolic thermostat is elevated and will continue to stay elevated for as long as the procedures are practiced. Over time the bodybuilder morphs his metabolic burn rate upward. At some juncture the continually elevated metabolism stays elevated on a permanent basis. There are three interlocking disciplines needed to build the metabolism…

• Intense weight training elevates the metabolism
• Intense aerobic training elevates the metabolism
• Consuming lean protein and fibrous carbohydrates elevates the metabolism

Intensity: John Parrillo insists that those bodybuilders training under his supervision and those following his training program not only perform aerobic exercise but perform aerobics with great intensity. “Intensity in cardio refers to the pace at which we move while performing aerobic exercise: quick pace is key and critical.” The Master Blaster relates and expands, “Moderate-paced cardio, the type used by ‘normal’ individuals in the vast majority of instances, is not sufficient to trigger the results we seek. Those that tool along at a steady and even pace, perhaps reading a magazine or watching TV as they perform cardiovascular exercise, might burn a few calories; but there will be little if any post-workout metabolic elevation, much less any sustained increase in the metabolic rate. Only hard cardio, the type that causes the exerciser to breathe hard and breathe heavy, will produce the long-lasting results we seek.” Those results include the number of calories burned during the session and the number of calories burned post-workout. A normal sized individual tooling along moderately riding a stationary bike might burn 200 calories in a 30 minute session, about the same amount of calories contained in a single small order of French fries from a fast food joint. The Parrillo bodybuilder goes HARD, all out, just below the level of exertion that would force them to quit: no magazine reading for the Parrillo trainee: drenched in sweat at session end, this degree of exercise intensity doubles or triples the number of calories oxidized in the same amount of time as a mild aerobic session. The metabolism remains elevated for hours after the end of a torrid, Parrillo-style cardio session.

Mitochondria and aerobics: It is a scientific fact that intense aerobic exercise done over a protracted period of time will create new mitochondria within the muscle fiber worked by the prolonged and protracted cardio exercise. The more mitochondria the better: Parrillo bodybuilders literally reconfigure their muscle tissue as a direct result of intense exercise. Unless the exercise is intense, prolonged and done often, the body will not be forced to construct new cellular blasts furnaces. More Mito means more energy production capacity; more Mito means far more calories can be consumed without getting fat; more Mito means a fitter, more capable athlete, an athlete capable of performing longer sessions and more difficult and demanding sessions. Adding mitochondrial “density” is a key element in the Parrillo approach. Fast, hard, sweaty and often could be the Parrillo cardio mantra. This type of cardio pacing results in a larger, leaner and far fitter bodybuilder. Since mitochondrial density only occurs in muscles worked during aerobic exercise, John recommends the bodybuilder use a wide variety of aerobic machines and modes. “Don’t fall in love with one mode or machine,” John warns. “Not only does doing the same type of aerobic activity too often run the risk of incurring repetitive motion-related injuries (literally wearing out body parts) but those that use machines that only use legs to create cardio effect will only build mitochondria in the legs. Don’t neglect the arms and torso: mix it up; I will often have bodybuilders go ‘balls-out’ on one machine, for say ten minutes, before switching to another machine that incorporates different body parts. Optimally we want an even distribution of mitochondria spread throughout the limbs and torso.”

Timing: Another of John’s strategies (he has a million of them) specifies the ideal time to perform cardiovascular exercise. Most bodybuilders are unaware that timing and preconditions can radically improve results obtained from an aerobic session. Preconditions are important in aerobic exercise if the goal is to burn off body fat. Bodybuilders are not primarily concerned about building endurance and bettering health; bodybuilders perform aerobics for one reason and one reason alone: proper cardio burns off body fat – sure they want to improve their endurance (this allows for longer, harder workouts) and sure bodybuilders want to be healthy, however their prime motivation for doing aerobic exercise, their main motivation for doing aerobic exercise, is to melt away body fat. Glycogen is the key. Glycogen is the form in which carbohydrates are stored in the body. Parrillo pointed out that upon awaking the cardio athlete has not eaten for 6-9 hours (the length of the sleep session) and because of this glycogen stores will be low. If glycogen is present, the human body will preferentially burn it; Parrillo’s revolutionary idea was to hit a morning cardio session while glycogen stores are at their lowest, coming off the sleep cycle. By training with the requisite intensity early the body will burn through any residual glycogen and at that juncture the body is forced to use stored body fat for energy. By waking up and not consuming carbs, by hitting a hard cardio session, fat burning is optimized. This tactic, first espoused by John Parrillo, has become standardized in elite bodybuilder circles. Every major bodybuilding competitor uses aerobic exercise to melt fat and an overwhelming percentage perform cardio first thing in the morning before eating to take advantage of this metabolic anomaly and accelerate fat burning.

More is better: A Parrillo bodybuilder performs morning cardio 5-7 times per week and often will add a second aerobic session later in the day to further amplify fat burning. The Parrillo athlete will typically start off his or her day with an intense aerobic session lasting from 30 to 60 minutes. Often, if the bodybuilder is competitive and has a show coming up, a second cardio session is performed later in the day. Ideally this second session is after the last carbohydrate ingestion of the day. This strategy has a method behind its madness: if after the last carb meal of the day an aerobic session is performed, the carb/glycogen in the body will be dramatically reduced. Keep in mind that protein does not contribute to glycogen, ergo, eating pure protein will not disturb the low glycogen status we are seeking to establish. If, by way of example, the bodybuilder eats their last carb meal at 5 pm and performs an intense aerobic session at 6 pm, the bodybuilder can still eat protein later that evening. The late evening cardio session ensures further depletion of glycogen before the next morning’s cardio session; thereby ensuring even more fat-burning in the following morning’s aerobic session. Copious cardio, intense cardio, is critical in the Parrillo strategy. As long as the athlete is properly nourished, aerobics will not negatively impact muscle gain; properly handled, cardio will, over time, create a much larger, much more muscular and far fitter bodybuilder. The oft-cited “bodybuilding lifestyle” is the amalgamation of expert weight training combined with expert aerobics and underpinned with the legendary Parrillo nutritional template.

Aerobic supplementation:

CapTri® is an MCT, a medium-chain triglyceride, a fat – but a beneficial fat as opposed to detrimental LCT long-chain fat. For a bodybuilder seeking to utilize cardio to become maximally lean, CapTri® is a key supplement. The benefits are innumerable and the drawbacks are zero: CapTri® calories, 120 calories per tablespoon, are impossible to end up as body fat. MCTs go to the front of the oxidation line and when consumed MCT calories are burned ahead of protein and even ahead of carbs. MCTs are burnt before carbs whereas LCTs cannot be burned until all carbs are burned. This means that CapTri® can be used liberally and will never ever interfere with fat-burning. Another outstanding characteristic of MCTs is that MCTs actually amp up the metabolism. A slew of scientific studies have shown that if MCTs are taken consistently, the metabolism spikes in response to ingesting them. CapTri® provides energy and is used by elite bodybuilders to offset energy loss associated with a dramatic reduction in starchy carbs prior to a competition. If you are serious about leaning out, you need to begin supplementing with CapTri®. The other critical supplement for those that continually and consistently engage in copious cardio is Max Endurance Formula™. John Parrillo designed this amazing product specifically to amplify results obtained from high intensity aerobic activity. Ammonia is produced by the body in response to intense cardio: if your sweat smells of ammonia during or after cardio then you need to supplement with Max Endurance Formula™! Potassium and magnesium aspartate clears ammonia and other waste products that, left untouched, quickly deplete your energy levels. By taking a handful of Max Endurance Formula™ capsules before engaging in intense, sweaty aerobic activity, the bodybuilder eliminates endurance-robbing, result-stifling ammonia buildup.

Aerobic perfection: To recapitulate, in order to make aerobic exercise maximally effective we need to follow these key Parrillo performance points…

1. Aerobics need to be intense: pace is everything; breathe hard for max results
2. Ideally cardio is done before breakfast: burn through glycogen then burn fat
3. Cardio needs to be done often: first thing in the morning and perhaps a 2nd session
4. Nutrition is critical: the finest cardio can be undone by poor
5. eating 5. Supplement with CapTri®: these calories cannot end up as fat and provide energy
6. Supplement with Max Endurance Formula™: sweat hard and clear ammonia

Follow these rules, procedures and protocols and melt off body fat faster than you can possibly imagine. Utilize the entire Parrillo protocol; no picking and choosing; this is not some sort of fitness cafeteria wherein we select the aspects of the Parrillo system we like and ignore those aspects that we don’t – the Parrillo Performance bodybuilding system is an integrated system where one element amplifies results obtained by the other elements. If you tinker with the system you will negate the results. Remember the Parrillo cardio mantra: go hard, go long, go often and use nutrition and weight training to amp the metabolism. Do so and obtain stunning results in the shortest possible timeframe. Let’s get going out there – and don’t forget the CapTri® and Max Endurance Formula™. Let us not lose sight of the goal: build the metabolism!

A 12-pack of Dentyne Ice gum at that low price? Can’t pass that up. Two dozen crisp Gala apples for what would only get me a few at the supermarket? Come on man, that’s a bargain. Socks – it doesn’t matter how many I have, I always feel like I could use more. What if my wife goes on laundry strike and I run out of clean socks? And so it goes. This time I had come in for eggs, a rotisserie chicken, and Brussels sprouts and so far I also had about ten other items in my cart – all essential of course. Sure I already had the Blu-Ray of Avatar, but not with the six hours of bonus footage! I was particularly interested in the extended scene portraying intimate relations between the big blue aliens with tails. Does that make me a perv?

Ron Harris

It wasn’t unusual for me to run into someone I knew, as I often saw the same faces at my gym, my bank, church, and the supermarket. So it was no surprise when Jeff, father of my one and only training client Jared who should be coming back from freshman year of college for Christmas, rounded the corner. His cart was fairly brimming over with what appeared to be at least a grand’s worth of food – much of if from the bakery section.

“Hey there!” I greeted him. “Long time no see!” And it had been. Jeff and I didn’t hit the gym at the same time too often, but something told me he hadn’t been there in some time. It could have been the little paunch I could see protruding from his unzipped jacket. The real telltale sign was in his face. Not that it was a bit fuller-looking than usual, but I saw that guilt that people always seem to feel around me when they haven’t been training or eating right. Like I’m some kind of Fitness Cop? There have been times when people have even been apologetic as if they were letting me down. I always remind them that they need to exercise and eat right for themselves, not to please or appease anybody else. Least of all me!

Inspecting the vast quantities of foodstuffs in his cart which included boxes upon boxes of frozen appetizers, I asked if he was having a party. He shrugged.

“A little get-together for Christmas Eve, you know.” I suppressed the urge to chuckle. If a couple dozen close friends and in-laws showed up at his place every Sunday to watch the New England Patriots play, I could only guess that he was expecting 50-60 folks the next night to enjoy the generous amounts of food and liquor that would be available. I saw a few bottles glinting at the bottom of the cart and it was all good stuff – Patron, Tanqueray, Grey Goose – no cheap rotgut for my man and his pals. I was actually surprised he wasn’t having his little shindig catered, but I knew that in spite of his considerable net worth, Jeff was not the type to squander money. We chatted for a moment, and he let me know that Jared was indeed back on break and would probably be calling me to schedule a workout soon. Making a real effort not to sound accusing or judgmental, I asked him how his own training was going. You may recall that he had been expressing an interest in returning to bodybuilding competition again for a couple years now. Jeff had last flexed on stage when disco was king, and at the rate he was going, it might be back on top of the charts by the time he donned his posing trunks again.

With a long sigh, he explained that he had fallen off the wagon in recent months. “I started missing a few workouts and meals here and there, and then I felt so bad about it that I didn’t see the point in trying.” The vicious circle he was describing was all too common. Often when a person is on top of their training and nutrition and begins to slide for whatever reason, they start looking and feeling worse. One of two things happens at that point. Either the person becomes disgusted and angry and commits to getting back on track immediately, or they let the fact that they have slipped make them feel guilty and depressed to the point of giving up on their goals. I was afraid that Jeff was on that second road, and I wanted him to turn back now before he continued any further.

“I get it Jeff, really I do,” I began. “You were doing so well there for a while and now you feel like you’ve blown it, right?” He shrugged.

“Pretty much,” he replied. Nearby, an elderly Asian woman was giving out samples of some new type of pizza rolls or some such crap. Jeff kept glancing over in that direction. As luck would have it, I had an English Toffee Protein Chew Bar™ in the inside pocket of my coat. I think it had been there since the previous winter, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Don’t even think about eating those little nuggets of processed flour and saturated fat,” I told him and handed him the bar. “If you’re hungry, eat this.” He thanked me.

“I almost went to the gym last night, but I kept thinking how I look like a slob now,” he confessed. “You don’t even want to know some of the things I’ve been eating before bed the last couple months.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing you and 100 million other people don’t pack away late at night, like ice cream, cookies, chips, and greasy fried food.”

“The fried food has usually been at lunchtime,” he corrected me.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. None of it does. You’ve taken a few steps backward with your physique. Everyone does sometimes, trust me. The main thing is that you have to make the conscious decision right now to get back on the right track.”

“Yeah, once the holidays are over…”

“Oh no,” I cut him off. “My boy has karate until noon Saturday, Christmas Eve. The gym is open until five. Can you and Jared meet me there for a workout at one?” He hesitated for a moment, no doubt pondering making a lame excuse, but then agreed they would be there.

“Good.” I gestured to his cart. “After you have one last bad night of eating at your party, you need to start eating clean again. Four

solid meals a day and two shakes or bars. And you can wear big shirts to the gym for a while if you’re feeling chubby, but you need to start hitting the weights again like before. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, I can.”

Before we parted ways, he invited me and my family to the party, but I reminded him that I had been going to my sister-in-law’s raucous party with a house full of Cubans and Puerto Ricans every Christmas Eve now for a full decade. I told him I looked forward to a great workout that afternoon before our respective bashes commenced later on. I thought of all the people who gave up on their own fitness goals for good simply because they had slacked off for a while. It was kind of sad, actually. Although ideally we should all be perfectly consistent with our workouts, our meals and our supplements; beating yourself up over it to the point where you quit is tragic. If you fall off the wagon, don’t let it get too far down the road without you. Just get right back on it and you’ll be well on your way to getting to where you want to go again.

I really didn’t want to be that fat father who just sat on the sidelines watching; I wanted to be involved with my kids in their activities. One of the final straws came when we took a beach vacation and my kids said, ‘Dad, please don’t take off your shirt while we’re on the beach.’ Now that cut deep and was a mental turning point. I decided that I needed to get serious about fitness.” If he needed any further convincing, a subsequent trip to his doctor removed all doubt that it was past time to get serious about fitness. In January of 2009 Jim Kipp got down to

Jim Kipp

serious business insofar as training. “I had a buddy and after the Super Bowl we both vowed to train together and attack our mutual weight problem. We hit the gym and being an ex-athlete I took to the weight training and the aerobic training with a vengeance. The not-so-funny thing was, past the first five or ten pounds, I couldn’t seem to lose any more bodyweight. My unchecked eating habits were undoing the nice training progress I was making in the gym.” Mr. Kipp was getting stronger and improving his cardio capacity, but what he sought the most, a dramatic reduction in his body fat percentile eluded him. Jim Kipp was becoming stronger and fitter, yet still remained fat. He was learning a valuable lesson: hard training without disciplined eating is not enough.

Jim’s fitness quest was more than some ego vanity trip and looking good at the beach. “I had always considered myself to be an athlete. I could not believe how I had let myself go. My doctor gave me another jolt when he related that while my HDL and LDL were alright my triglycerides were sky-high, through the roof, over 300. My doctor told me that I had to do something about what I was eating and I had to reduce my bodyweight or I would need medication. I didn’t listen and ended up on a cholesterol medication. I began conventional dieting, but the low-calorie, low-fat high-carb approach left me always feeling hungry. I was starving myself and it was affecting my mood and personality. I knew that there had to be a better way.”  Kipp happened to train at the same gym as Parrillo cover-man Russ Testo and the two struck up conversations and eventually Jim discovered Parrillo Performance Products. “I finally got diet traction and I finally found out about Parrillo supplements. Suddenly I was shedding fat and adding muscle. I couldn’t believe it: you read about this sort of ‘perfect storm.’ A person is overweight and out of shape and undergoes a drastic transformation; while you hope that someday this same sort of physical miracle will happen to you, that you will experience the incredible gains you read about, it still comes as a shock when you actually hit on that magic combination of exercise and nutrition and supplementation that actually enables you to become that transformed person you’ve read about.” In about the same time Jim was getting gains, losing weight and simultaneously becoming stronger, some training partners noticed that Jim was a really good bench presser. “Back when I was in my twenties and light and fit, I came very close to bench pressing 300 pounds. Within a relatively short amount of time after I decided to get back into shape, now in my 40s, I was benching around 270 pounds and some training partners noticed and were telling me, ‘Jim, for a 40+ year old middleweight (165 pound weight limit) your bench pressing would be very competitive in powerlifting.’ I was like ‘really?’ The furthest thing from my mind was powerlifting – of which I knew nothing.”

To make a long story short, Jim Kipp in fact entered a bench press competition in January of 2011, weighing 165 pounds, and bench pressed 295 “raw” (without using a supportive bench press shirt.) “That was an exhilarating and exciting experience. It was incredible to lose weight and become stronger. I had dropped thirty pounds of body fat and added a good amount of muscle. I had six pack abs, felt incredible and now was winning powerlifting bench press competitions. It was like a really good dream.” And the dream kept

getting better: in February he entered his first official power competition and pushed up a 305 pound bench press. This was followed by several more local competitions. In each competition Kipp was winning trophies and medals and gaining competitive experience. “I cannot say enough good things about the ‘Wednesday night crew’ that trains at my gym, Albany Strength XXXL; without them I would not have undertaken powerlifting and without their support and encouragement I would not have progressed to the degree that I have.” Fast forward to September of 2011 and Jim Kipp wins the open division in the 74 kg weight class (163 pound class) and is crowned the national bench press champion. “That was incredible. Can you imagine? A few short years before I was just another overweight middle-aged guy and now I am a national champion with a completely rebuilt body? What was even more incredible was that by winning the national championships I was named to represent the USA at the world bench press championships at the 2012 International Powerlifting Federation World Bench Press Championships in Plzen, Czech Republic, on May 23rd, 2012. (“If you would like to share in my goal of representing my country at this event, a donation of any size would be greatly appreciated.” You can contact Kipp at wjkipp@gmail.com or http://kippersdailyworkout.blogspot.com)

At a subsequent power competition in November of 2011, Jim benched 325 pounds and though the lift was turned down on a technicality – he moved his foot which actually made the lift harder – this bench showed Jim that a 350+ pound bench press is a very real possibility and in the not too distant future.

It has been an amazingly rapid transition for Jim Kipp in terms of physique and strength. Had someone a few short years ago told Kipp (when Jim was weighing 200 pounds and was struggling with his health issues) that in very short order he would possess a dramatically transformed physique,

complete with the coveted ‘six-pack’ and further that he would be the United States bench press champion and on his way to compete at the world championships, no doubt the rational and level-headed Kipp would have felt that the person suggesting such a wild tale was obviously on drugs and hallucinating badly. “When I sit back and review all that has happened and the rapidity with which it has happened, I feel as if I am dreaming.” Parrillo Performance Products played no small part in Jim Kipp’s incredible rocket ride. “I take some type of Parrillo product every single day. I found way back when I started this transformational journey that starchy carbs and refined foods were the main culprits that were keeping me fat. I went on a ketogenic-type eating regimen where I ingested a lot of protein and fiber carbs and not much else. This worked really well – but not nearly as well as when I began supplementing with Parrillo Products. Every morning I start my day with a Parrillo All-Protein™ shake; this provides me with 30+ grams of pure protein and no carbs. I have a Parrillo Protein Bar™ midmorning and another Protein Bar™ mid-afternoon. Every evening without fail I have a Parrillo Hi-Protein™ vanilla shake. I mix this with very little water in order to give it the consistency of pudding. I love this protein-rich mixture and look forward to it. CapTri® has been a real boost: I use CapTri® every day and will even cook with it, using it to sauté vegetables. Parrillo products provide me with a critical 100 grams of supplemental protein each and every day and CapTri® calories enable me to stay strong and hard without adding to body fat. I make sure to eat with discipline and I make sure to supplement with discipline. I cannot conceive of training as hard and long and often as I do without Parrillo Performance Products!”

Insofar as future plans, Jim Kipp has a world championship to attend and compete in May 2012. This will be followed quickly by the USAPL national championships in August of 2012. “My attitude is realistic: I need to train as hard and conscientiously as possible and see how things turn out. I have no control over my competitors or their lifts; nor the location or circumstances of the competition. What I do have control over is myself and my own preparation. My goal is to shift my body composition around a bit; using Parrillo Products and a newfound nutritional methodology, my goal is to lose body fat while adding muscle – yet stay within the 165 pound weight class. Most of my international competitors will train at 170 to 175 pounds in bodyweight and reduce down to make weight in the 165 pound division. As soon as they weigh-in, they rehydrate and eat enabling them to lift in the competition weighing 170 pounds (or more.) I want to use that strategy myself. I know that additional muscle means a bigger bench press. I have a lot of time between now and May and would love to get below 9% body fat percentile while adding another five pounds of solid muscle: this will undoubtedly help my bench press go up. More muscle equates to more pushing power.” Jim’s power training strategy includes lots of classic power bodybuilding exercises. He augments his power exercise with a wide range of bodybuilding movements. “I love to train. I feel as if I am continually improving my techniques and continually improving my training strategies.” Regardless of how the world bench press championships unfold in May, you may rest assured that Mr. Jim Kipp will be in the fitness/power game for a long time to come. With so little time under his belt, one can only wonder how far he can go. Kipp gives credence to the new contention that “45 is the new 20.” We will keep readers apprised of this amazing man’s amazing progress.

Jim Kipp’s Training Split

• Monday: Flat Bench, Incline Dumbbell, Decline Dumbbell, Dumbbell Flyes
• Tuesday: Squats, Leg press, Leg Curls, Leg Extensions
• Wednesday: Weighted Crunches, Cable Crunches, Weighted Plank, Weighted leg Raises, Bench Press, Board Presses
•  Thursday: Lat Pull Downs, Rows, Seated Rows, Shrugs, Dead lifts
•  Friday: Dumbbell Press, Side Laterals, Front Laterals, Bent Over Lateral Raises
•  Saturday: Skull Crushers, Pushdowns, Triceps Presses, Mule kicks,Various curls

I try and perform aerobics each week. I feel that cardio keeps me lean and enables me to improve my general level of fitness. Being fit allows me to train harder and train longer. Health is an important part of fitness and keeps my metabolism from becoming sluggish.

Jim Kipp’s Daily Meal Schedule

• Meal 1 5:30 AM: 8 egg whites, ½ cup oatmeal, CapTri®, Parrillo All Protein™ shake
• Meal 2 9:00 AM: Parrillo Hi-Protein™ shake, ½ cup rice, Parrillo Protein Bar™
• Meal 3 11:00 AM: Yam, 5 oz tuna, salad greens, CapTri®
• Meal 4 1:30 PM: Optimized Whey™ shake, chicken breast, rice, broccoli, CapTri®
• Meal 5 5:30 PM: Chicken or fish, broccoli, asparagus or brussels spouts, CapTri®
• Meal 6 8:00 PM: Parrillo Protein Bar™, salad with CapTri®
• Meal 7 10:00 PM: Parrillo Hi-Protein™ shake