Welcome to my blog. It's a thrill to have this opportunity to reach out
to you in an informal manner. Actually, everything I get to do at
M&F as senior science editor is a thrill! Hopefully you guys have enjoyed reading my work over the
years as much as I have enjoyed creating it. Based on the letters and
emails I receive every day it appears that I am hitting the mark.
Please continue to reach out to me and let me know whether you've
enjoyed a particular article or if there's something you wish I would
address.
Carbing Up!
Today is day one of my carb load phase. And here I am sitting in IHOP. There's nothing better than the taste of pancakes and syrup after four days of no carbs and plenty of biking and full-body weight lifting to deplete my body of every bit of glycogen I had stored! I need to carb up because Saturday I am testing for my 3rd degree brown belt in Shaolin Kempo. It's a 6-hour test of non-stop physical exertion and fighting. So I'll need every gram of carb I can store in my body to make it through. The creatine and beta-alanine I take will also come in handy as fighting is a lot of stop and go action. Alright, enough about me...let's get to the QnAs.
Hi Michael: Yes, we'll have several peeps from M&F at the Europa, but we won't have a booth there.
Hey Chris: I get just as excited to make the Raw! videos. Thanks for your support and excitement. I'm glad the M&F Raw! #19 - Working All the Angles, ab exercises video was painful in a "good" way. : ) BSN NO-Explode and CellMass are both excellent products (as you can attest with the results you have experienced) and won't cause you any potential health problems. So don't worry about that. Just be sure you don't take NO-Explode with your preworkout shake. Take it almost an hour before workouts and then take the CellMass with your preworkout protein shake within 30 minutes or less before your workout. Also take another dose of CellMass with your postworkout protein shake.
Dear Ozgur: I'm glad you're enjoying the Raw! series and my book, Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. The term volume refers to how much work you during a workout. To simplify it, in bodybuilding we often refer to volume as the total number of sets you do for a muscle group. For example, if you did a chest workout that involved 3 sets of bench presses, 3 sets of dumbbell incline presses and 3 sets of flyes, the total volume would be 9 sets and that would be considered low volume. However, if you did a chest workout that involved 4 sets of bench presses, 4 sets of decline bench presses, 4 sets of dumbbell incline presses, 4 sets of flyes and 4 sets of cable crossovers, that would be a volume of 20 sets and would be considered a high volume workout. Volume is important for stimulating muscle growth, especially as you progress from a beginner to an advanced trainer you need to progressively increase volume to keep muscle growth on track.
Hi Jasaun: The workout in M&F Raw! #12 - Equipment-Free Chest Workout does hit the triceps also, but not so much biceps. To place even more focus on the triceps put your hands closer (shoulder-width grip) on these push-ups. I will plan on shooting an equipment free-leg workout when I head to Vegas for the Olympia in September. In the meantime, try body weights squats done Tabata style. To do this do as many squats as you can for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds and then squat again for 20 seconds and rest again for 10 seconds. Do this a total of 8 times. It seems easy, but trust me, your legs will be blown in just 4 short minutes. You can also do this for step-ups, by stepping up on a stable chair. For core, try the plank and side plank (side plank can be seen in M&F Raw#19 - Working All the Angles. For other equipment-free core exercise, like the bridge, quadruped and superman, check out this link from the Mayo Clinic.
Hey Jens: And hello to all the M&F readers in Germany! Those tank tops I wear in many of the M&F Raw! videos are Hanes Premium Tagless A-Shirts. They are very comfortable!
Joe: Since arginine and glutamine are amino acids (which form protein) they would add the same amount of calories as 20-30 grams of protein (4 calories per gram). So if you are adding 20 grams of arginine and 20 grams of glutamine to your diet, then that's an additional 160 calories. However, I wouldn't worry about reducing your calories due to these extra calories...unless you're on a very strict and extremely low calorie diet to drop weight.
Hi Mark: Great question! One of the best resources that I am aware of for spotting techniques (how to properly spot someone on the bench press, squat, etc...) is the book NSCA Strength Training. Click on the book title and it will take you to the book's web page at Human Kinetics. They happen to be the same publisher that published my book, Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.
Hi Michael: Yes, we'll have several peeps from M&F at the Europa, but we won't have a booth there.
Hey Chris: I get just as excited to make the Raw! videos. Thanks for your support and excitement. I'm glad the M&F Raw! #19 - Working All the Angles, ab exercises video was painful in a "good" way. : ) BSN NO-Explode and CellMass are both excellent products (as you can attest with the results you have experienced) and won't cause you any potential health problems. So don't worry about that. Just be sure you don't take NO-Explode with your preworkout shake. Take it almost an hour before workouts and then take the CellMass with your preworkout protein shake within 30 minutes or less before your workout. Also take another dose of CellMass with your postworkout protein shake.
Dear Ozgur: I'm glad you're enjoying the Raw! series and my book, Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. The term volume refers to how much work you during a workout. To simplify it, in bodybuilding we often refer to volume as the total number of sets you do for a muscle group. For example, if you did a chest workout that involved 3 sets of bench presses, 3 sets of dumbbell incline presses and 3 sets of flyes, the total volume would be 9 sets and that would be considered low volume. However, if you did a chest workout that involved 4 sets of bench presses, 4 sets of decline bench presses, 4 sets of dumbbell incline presses, 4 sets of flyes and 4 sets of cable crossovers, that would be a volume of 20 sets and would be considered a high volume workout. Volume is important for stimulating muscle growth, especially as you progress from a beginner to an advanced trainer you need to progressively increase volume to keep muscle growth on track.
Hi Jasaun: The workout in M&F Raw! #12 - Equipment-Free Chest Workout does hit the triceps also, but not so much biceps. To place even more focus on the triceps put your hands closer (shoulder-width grip) on these push-ups. I will plan on shooting an equipment free-leg workout when I head to Vegas for the Olympia in September. In the meantime, try body weights squats done Tabata style. To do this do as many squats as you can for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds and then squat again for 20 seconds and rest again for 10 seconds. Do this a total of 8 times. It seems easy, but trust me, your legs will be blown in just 4 short minutes. You can also do this for step-ups, by stepping up on a stable chair. For core, try the plank and side plank (side plank can be seen in M&F Raw#19 - Working All the Angles. For other equipment-free core exercise, like the bridge, quadruped and superman, check out this link from the Mayo Clinic.
Hey Jens: And hello to all the M&F readers in Germany! Those tank tops I wear in many of the M&F Raw! videos are Hanes Premium Tagless A-Shirts. They are very comfortable!
Joe: Since arginine and glutamine are amino acids (which form protein) they would add the same amount of calories as 20-30 grams of protein (4 calories per gram). So if you are adding 20 grams of arginine and 20 grams of glutamine to your diet, then that's an additional 160 calories. However, I wouldn't worry about reducing your calories due to these extra calories...unless you're on a very strict and extremely low calorie diet to drop weight.
Hi Mark: Great question! One of the best resources that I am aware of for spotting techniques (how to properly spot someone on the bench press, squat, etc...) is the book NSCA Strength Training. Click on the book title and it will take you to the book's web page at Human Kinetics. They happen to be the same publisher that published my book, Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.
11 Comments
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Thanks Dr Stoppani
I have a question about the BSN no-xplode and cell mass. What exactly is in them that make them do what they do?
Thanks
Chris
Jim,
Best of luck on Saturday!
I use Optimum Nutrition's protein powders. The labels state that each serving contains 5.5 grams of BCAA's. In your latest Raw video, you talk about using BCAA's in your diet. Are the BCAA's that I am getting through the protein powder any different from the BCAA's that I would get from a BCAA supplement?
Same thing for glutamine as well. Their products list 4 grams of glutamine and precursors with each serving.
Thanks for the clarification. The info & tips that you provide in your Raw videos and through your blog are hands down the best out there!
Dave
Dr. Stoppani-
You mentioned that NO-XPLOD should be taken about an hour before workouts and that the pre-workout shake should be taken within 30min of workouts. Do you recommend this routine for all types of pre-workout supplements (i.e. NO-Shotgun, Dymatize Energized, SuperPump250, etc), or does this routine depend on the what is being taken? Also, if taking pre-workouts sups as the ones listed above, would you recommend adding other sups to the pre-workout shake (i.e. glutamine, beta-alanine, BCAA, etc.)? I am interested in taking Kre-Alkalyn as well. How would you recommend taking this while taking sups mentioned above?
I really appreciate, enjoy, and have learned a lot from all of your videos and books (I am currently reading you 'Encyclopedia...').
Thanks,
Robert
Jim:
What does your diet look like on a typical day if you dont eat any carbs? And how does this affect your energy levels? And how long do you stay on a no carb diet? I guess I'm concerned with this as I tried to follow a similar diet and I found it very difficult to focus and my energy levels lagged much of the time.
Thanks for any reply
Brian
JIm:
I run marathons and half-marathons along with weightlifting. I understand the importance of carb loading before a strenuous event. The questions I have is what is the purpose of depleting the carbs in your system before you start to load? I have a half-marathon coming up and would be interested in trying the carb depletion if it would be advantageous. Good luck with your test.
Thank you
Josh
Jim,
I love your advice and M&F Raw series. Keep up the GREAT work!
I've got a quick question.
You have mentioned that Dextrose is the one of the fastest digesting carbs, and should be used in post-workout shakes to help replenish glycogen stores. While you can buy dextrose as a supplement, or get it in some forms of candy and gummy bears, isn't dextrose a grape sugar? If so, could you use something as simple as grape juice in your post workout shake, or would grape juice be a combination of fructose and dextrose?
THANKS!
Chris
Hey Jim!
Good luck with your brown belt testing! Since we're on the topic of carbs, I'm looking to start my first carb cycle for a MASS GAIN diet. Just trying to pack on the pounds with minimal fat (like everyone else haha). Here is my 5 day lifting and diet plan:
Day 1: Chest and Back - Mod Carb
Day 2: Legs and Core - High Carb
Day 3: Off - Mod Carb
Day 4: Shoulders and Arms - Mod Carb
Day 5: Off - Low Carb
Repeat Cycle
Mod Carb: 2,600 cals 225g protein 225g carbs 90g fat
High Carb: 3,100 cals 225g protein 350g carbs 90g fat
Low Carb: 2,100 cals 225g protein 100g carbs 90g fat
The majority of the carbs are always eaten in the morning and pre/post workout. Got any suggestions on improvements or any additional tips? I'm a big fan and always look forward to new M&F! Raw and any articles you give out. Thanks for taking the time to read this. It's awesome you take the time to help out others on top of everything else you have going. Keep it up!
Jim,
I've been playing around with the idea of having some sort of shake while working out to stave off fatigue. I've seen MuscleTech's Intra-Vol and have been thinking about using it. What do you think of this product? In the mean time I've been mixing powdered Gatorade with a serving of XTEND BCAA's in about 12oz of water. Do you think this could be an acceptable substitute for someone looking to supplement on a budget?
Thanks,
Justin
Hey Jim, congrats on your brown belt!
I was wondering if you could go into why some people argue that taking creatine is not safe? There are a lot of different articles and studies out there...but, I wanted to hear your opinion. Thanks!
Take care.
-Ethan
Dr. Stoppani,
im always looking forward to your M&F Raw videos.They really help me out.well im not sure this is on topic but i have a problem with my chest.My left pec seems to be bigger than my right and well it bothers me alot.ive tried so much to try to even them up but nothing works.can u please help me out. Thank You
-Angel
Hey Jim,
This past Tuesday I suffered a serious accident. While at work I fell 30ft in the cargo hold of a ship onto a steel deck. If it wasn't for working out I would never have walked away from the ordeal. Luckily I only suffered a broken wrist and 7cracked ribs, but no spine, brain or organ damage. That extra muacle must have padded my fall. Now that I obviously can't lift for 6wks, are there ant supplements I can take to aidin my recovery? I'm going to cut down my calories obviously bc I won't need the extra for workouts, but plan to continue drinking shakes for snacks and eating a well balanced meal plan every few hrs. Should I cut out my creatine? Anything to add? Lookforward to resuming in 6wks. The ribs are the killer.