d’shawn wright - parrillo performance · 2018-08-01 · lationship of muscle size to muscle...

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In many ways D’Shawn Wright is a throwback body-builder. His ultra thick phy-sique and truly herculean mass harken back to body-

building’s golden era, an era when bodybuilders first and foremost sought to build muscle mass. Muscle size was the prerequisite bodybuild-ing attribute for men of the golden era, the late 60s and early 70s. Back then, men sought to become gargan-tuan: forced eating was combined with power training, using primi-tive equipment, to create incredible results. This primal approach pro-duced immortals like Arnold, Rob-bie Robertson, Sergio and Franco. These men built mass before refining it. The modern novice and interme-diate bodybuilder seek condition and definition above all else. The result is the male model look: go to any lo-cal show nowadays and note the pro-liferation of a certain type, defined, perhaps even proportional, but sadly lacking any hint of eye-popping mass. As one pro bodybuilder com-mented after watching yet another skinny bodybuilder parade onstage at a local competition, “If I wanted to see lithe and lean physiques, I would have gone to a gymnastic competi-tion - where’s the BEEF?”

This man, like the rest of the audience

attending a bodybuilding show, wants to see some muscle mon-sters! Who cares if a 15-inch arm and 42-inch chest is defined and shredded? Back in the day, a true bodybuilder would not dream of competing until he had built some respectable muscle mass: that meant an 18-inch arm, a 50-inch chest and a pair of 27-inch thighs for a big man. It is called build-ing not body defining. Nowadays we have far too many lifeguard type physiques parading onstage, like a bunch of chucklehead, as-sembly line Ken Dolls. We want to see some serious muscle on our bodybuilders! Back in Arnold’s golden era, it seemed every mus-cle article in every muscle mag stressed how to build “bulk.” The consensus was, first and foremost build some worthwhile muscle. Then and only then, re-fine that bulk; sculpt the muscle mass as the show approaches. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, IFBB judging standards shifted and suddenly men like Frank Zane and Chris Dickerson were beating mass monsters like Bertil Fox and Mike Mentzer. It seems ridiculous by our modern era judging standards where only the most massive and the most ripped stands a chance of winning, but

D’Shawn Wright:

The true bodybuilder needs MUSCLE!

Why we love BIG bodybuilders!

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Photo by Costa Dino Kirkwood

By Marty Gallagher

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there was a time when pro judges would select a Chris Dickerson (with 16-inch arms) over a massive and defined Ray Mentzer. It defied logic and reason, yet that is the way the judging winds shifted.

The vast majority of young trainees are completely brainwashed, infatu-ated with the idea of refining and defining their “beach muscles,” the

abs, arms and shoulders. This type avoids heavy leg and back train-ing for fear of “injury.” Meanwhile they spend endless hours perform-ing every chest, shoulder and bicep exercise known to man. The lithe modern bodybuilder eats like a chain-smoking model and is weak as a newborn kitten, yet this type of lightly muscled, highly conditioned physique is all the rage. Alas, the era

of the true Big Man seemed to be a thing of the past. So imagine how thrilled we were when we received our photos of D’Shawn Wright, 260 pounds crammed onto a 5 foot 9 inch frame. He is thick as a brick and his physique reeks of power. How re-freshing to see a man with loads and loads of thick symmetrical muscle, a throwback muscle rhino in our era of timid beach muscle gazelles. D’Shawn has the bone structure and skeletal frame to carry a lot of mus-cle and his power training approach has worked wonders for him. It is particularly gratifying to see a man with thick, powerhouse “tree-trunk” thighs. You don’t see thighs like this at amateur bodybuilding shows anymore and the reason is you can’t build legs like this doing a few sets of casual, sub-maximal leg exten-sions every Tuesday. To build pow-erhouse legs you have to front squat 500 pounds and you have to sweat and grunt and exert – all of which is frightening to the Ken Dolls.

D’Shawn was not always gargan-tuan; in high school he was a lean and trim all-district soccer player. He is from the Virginia coastal area and originally inspired to take up bodybuilding by his father and older brother. “Both my father, Larry B. Wright, and my older brother, Ant-wan Vaughn, were champion body-builders. I aspired to be like them.” His high-level soccer gave him a great base physique and incredible endurance. It also gave him a superb work ethic; he was a super-fit athlete mentored by champion bodybuild-ers. How could he not succeed? “I felt I was always in the shadow of my father and older brother; my brother was an incredible body-builder – it was both inspiring and overwhelming. I wanted to become just as credentialed and just as

revered as he was.” Larry B. passed away in 2012 and he would be proud to see how D’Shawn has carried for-ward his legacy. D’Shawn Wright is a well-known figure in the Virginia bodybuilding community. His thick muscle and charismatic showman-ship have won him Best Poser at the 2012 Virginia State championships. In 2013 he was the overall champion at the NPC Lenda Murray body-building championships.

“D” has made a name for himself as a poser. His unique and dramatic presentation skills have made him a highly sought after guest poser. He was a guest poser at the 2013 Virgin-ia State Show and in 2014 he guest posed at the Max Muscle Virginia Classic. Posing, at its best, conveys the personality of the bodybuilder to

the audience. Russ Tes-to, arguably the great-est poser in history, is certainly the greatest poser since Ed Corney once said, “Great posers are born with the gift.” D’Shawn has that gift and he has the flair and the physique; his grace belies his size. While one would expect a man with a powerhouse rhino physique to pose awkwardly and ponder-ously, when D hits the lights he is fluid magic. D’Shawn will compete at the NPC National Championships this coming November in Miami and he indicates he will take his phy-sique “to the next level” between now and then. Like every other NPC-level bodybuilder he vows to arrive in Mi-

ami bigger and leaner than he has ever been. While it seems hard to imagine the big man growing even bigger, he is determined to make that happen.

With his breathtaking size, if D’Shawn can dial in his condition and show up as shredded as he is massive, he could achieve his ul-timate goal: win an NPC pro card and head to the IFBB. D’Shawn is a fulltime fitness professional. He is a gym owner and makes his liv-ing changing bodies for the better. While for many fulltime fitness pro-fessionals it is tough to maintain the fire, D’Shawn is decidedly different. His trials and travails getting to this point in life have given him a per-spective few bodybuilders have. D had “made his bones” as a topflight

personal trainer, that rarest of breeds, a trainer that actually obtained re-sults for those clients that followed his expert advice. After years of working as a personal trainer at vari-ous gyms, in 2009 D’Shawn opened Body By D Gym & Fitness Center (www.bodybydgym.com) in York-town, Virginia. In five short years Body By D has gone from its origi-nal 75 members to over 400 current members. The gym has more than doubled in square footage and has become known as the premier fitness training facility in the area. Just re-cently the gym was awarded Coastal Virginia Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award in the “Best Gym” category.

This is a big deal, particularly when one understands the heart-ripping effort D’Shawn went through in


JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESSJOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESS



“Both my father, Larry B. Wright, and my older brother, Antwan Vaughn, were champion bodybuilders. I aspired to be like them.”

D’Shawn Wright

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order to get his gym off the ground. To create capitol, he had to give up his home, he put all his available money and resources into the gym and became homeless. He slept at the gym – along with his young chil-dren, Aliyah and Cristian. This level of commitment morphs a man and will make him or break him. Thank-fully it all worked out and the gym is thriving. The hard times this three-

some went through to get to this point are behind them and the struggle makes the current suc-cess incredibly sweet. Because of his trials and travails and his ultimate success, D’Shawn has become a local celebrity. He currently hosts a ra-dio show called “Man in the Mirror” and puts out a message of positivity in the face of adversity. He has become a motiva-tional speaker and com-munity organizer; the message is one of hope and hard work. Giving back to the community is of utmost importance to D’Shawn, whether it is through fitness, volun-teer work, motivational speaking, interviews with other community leaders, or simply being a good mentor. “I seek to inspire by example – not words.”

He puts the weights in his gym to good use. His off-season bodyweight is 260+ pounds and he will compete as light as 225 pounds. He is strong as he looks and loves incline barbell pressing. D has

incline pressed a staggering 405 for 6 reps. He routinely incline dumbbell presses a pair of 150s for 6-8 reps. He loves to front squat and has blasted up 405 for 5 reps. D’Shawn dumb-bell shoulder presses a pair of 140s for 8 reps and has deadlifted 505 for 6 reps. D’Shawn understands the re-lationship of muscle size to muscle strength: if you want significantly larger muscles you need to become

significantly stronger. Ken Doll types should take note. D’Shawn wanted to offer special thanks to IFBB Pro Curtis Bryant and Ella Williams. They act as his trainers and their in-put and supervision have allowed D to progress far faster. He is grateful for these pro bodybuilders looking over his training, diet and posing. He also wanted to thank IFBB Pro Denise Gerard, who passed away in May 2013. In the immediate future he will prep for the NPC nationals. Since bodybuilders don’t peak un-til their 40s, D’Shawn Wright will be progressing far into the foresee-able future: bigger, stronger, leaner and fitter.

Monday: OffTuesday: ChestWednesday: ShouldersThursday: Back and calvesFriday: ArmsSaturday: OffSunday: Legs

D’Shawn is a power trainer and seeks to improve his poundage with-out sacrificing technique.

Aerobic training: In the competi-tive off-season D’Shawn will per-form his aerobics five times a week for twenty minutes per session with great intensity. When preparing for a bodybuilding competition, he in-creases his cardio frequency to six times a week and increases the ses-sion length to 45 minutes. He per-forms cardio first thing in the morn-ing on an empty stomach and splits his sessions between the treadmill and the elliptical machine.

Note how D’Shawn keeps his protein intake high all throughout the day. He will use 1.5 servings of Optimized Whey Protein™ in each of his shakes as this nets him 50 grams of protein twice daily. D’Shawn’s beef servings are slightly more than a half-pound at each meal. He will drink a gallon of

water per day without fail. When he begins his pre-contest diet, he “switches out” his ground beef for lower fat chicken, fish or tur-key. He will cut back on his oatmeal and switch out his sweet potatoes for lesser amounts of rice. He will increase his pre-competition water intake from one gallon to two gallons.

I found out about Par-rillo Products by pick-ing up a copy of the Parrillo Performance Press at a local gym. I had gone through a tough, difficult contest preparation phase with less than expected results; I de-cided to try some new things and I decided

to try some CapTri®. I purchased a bottle of CapTri® and I purchased the “Cooking with CapTri®” cook-book. I got terrific results. When cutting carbs in preparation for a contest CapTri® really helps me maintain my energy levels. I also like CapTri®’s fat-burning quali-ties. CapTri® has helped in my quest to build lean muscle mass. When competition dieting gets boring, the Parrillo CapTri® Cook-book has been a lifesaver. I try to incorporate the CapTri® recipes that complement my standard menu. My favorite recipes in the cookbook are the Chicken Fingers and Chinese Fried Rice. CapTri® is amazingly good and came along at just the right time.

I also enjoy Parrillo Protein Bars™, Peanut Butter Delight and

Fudge Brownie are my favorites. Af-ter the initial success I experienced with these Parrillo products, I decid-ed to try Muscle Amino Formula™. This too has proved to be a terrific product. The BCAAs helps preserve my lean muscle tissue when I am dieting hard. I take Muscle Amino Formula™ capsules with every meal and before bed. As I prepare to diet and train for NPC Nationals, I will be purchasing more Parrillo Prod-ucts to help me on my journey. These products are competitively priced and potent. The unique food options, the muffins, brownies, cakes, frost-ings and even Ice Kreem™ are great. I am a fan of Parrillo Performance!

JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESS




“When competition dieting gets boring, the Parrillo CapTri® Cookbook has been a lifesaver.”

Off-Season Diet Plan

Meal 1: Parrillo Optimized Whey Protein™ shakeMeal 2: 10 egg whites, oatmealMeal 3: Ground beef, sweet potatoMeal 4: Ground beef, sweet potatoMeal 5: Parrillo Optimized Whey Protein™ shakeMeal 6: Ground beef, salad

D’Shawn Wright

D’Shawn Wright’s Training Split

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Why Parrillo insists on high caloric intake: If you are a serious bodybuilder, cal-

ories can and should be eaten often in meals or snacks that are consumed 4 to 8 times per day, every single day. The calories must be of the right type and kind. We call a proper, body-building-appropriate calorie a “clean” calorie. Clean calories eaten in ample amounts boosts the metabolism and supports the hardcore weight train-ing and the copious cardio John Par-rillo insists we do if we are to fulfill our genetic potential as bodybuilders. We need lots of calories to promote healing and growth. A Parrillo Pro bodybuilder has large, shapely, pro-portional muscles because of what he eats, when he eats and how much he eats; the Parrillo Pro bodybuilder is able to accomplish the most difficult feat in all of bodybuilding: adding muscle size without adding body fat. Anyone can grow muscle; the trick is build muscle without adding an unac-ceptable amount of body fat.

The basic mass-building formula has been known for decades: eat tons of calories on an indiscriminate basis while simultaneously engag-ing in hardcore power training; use super heavy, very basic exercises; train heavy, eat everything that’s not nailed down and be sure and sleep a lot. Using this strategy, anyone with a pulse can grow muscle – and just as surely add body fat. Powerlifters have used this approach for eons: eat big, lift big, rest big, grow big and in the vast majority of cases, grow fat! This “see food” diet is unacceptable to the Parrillo bodybuilder. The amount of body fat accumulation is unaccept-able. Besides, John Parrillo has de-vised a devilishly clever way in which to add muscle size without adding an unacceptable amount of body fat. He bases his approach on the expert use of regular food and amplifies a clean-

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that probably keeps would-be body-

builders from ever ac-tually looking like a bodybuilder? You can make a good argument for insufficient nutri-tional support including quality supplements, but I am convinced that the number one gain-stopper is training too heavy.

What?!? Yeah, I know how ridiculous that sounds. Every body-builder alive built his or her physique through the use of ever-increas-ing poundage in their workouts, aka progres-sive resistance training. As we became stron-ger, we also became larger as the muscles struggled to adapt to the heavier loads we forced upon them. So don’t think for a min-ute that I am question-ing the validity of that process.

The problems come into the pic-ture when trainers insist on using

weights they can’t handle in prop-er form, on their own, and very of-ten lifting them in rep ranges that

do little to stimulate growth.

Walk into any gym on a Monday

between 4 and 7 PM, and you will see examples of this all around you. The bench press is a frequent-

ly violated area. Even many who profess to build a bodybuilder’s physique insist on con-tinuously attempting to increase their one-rep max on the bench. Why? Bragging rights is all I can think of. Powerlifters need to be able to bench press a lot of weight for one rep. Bodybuilders need big chests. Training like a powerlifter will not make you look like a bodybuilder. Yet you see guys attempting to use so much weight that their spotter has to work hard to assist them from the very first rep. What does that spotter yell for the remainder of that set as he takes a good portion of the resistance away to prevent the guy on the bench from being crushed like a cock-roach under a boot

heel? “All you bro, ALL YOU!!!”

Many studies have been done to

“Heavy weights certainly do build muscle mass.”

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determine the optimal rep ranges for building strength vs. muscle mass. Becoming stronger demands that you handle very heavy loads, in the 1-5 rep range. To stimulate muscle growth, the reps need to be higher: 8-12 in general. Most bodybuilders have found success with even higher reps for legs,

as in 12-20. A certain amount of damage is done to the muscle cells if you keep them under the right amount of tension for the right amount of time. Going too low on the reps means you are stimulat-ing the nervous system more than the muscles. Going too high on the reps means you are building

muscular endurance. That’s fan-tastic for sports like triathlons, not so hot for would-be bodybuilders who need bigger muscles.

But even when many trainers use the right rep range, they are still using so much weight that they have to heave and cheat, using other muscle groups along with momentum. We’ve all seen guys using such a heavy barbell or pair of dumbbells for curls that what they are doing more closely re-sembles a clean and jerk. Others use so much weight that they need to cut the range of motion short. Every gym has at least one if not several guys who load up the bar with 405 or more for squats, then proceed to bust out 3-inch reps no-where near parallel, grunting and screaming all the while. Needless to say, most of them have very little leg development to show for the big weights and theatrics.

I’ve talked before about the criti-cal difference between bodybuild-ers and the other 95% of people who train with weights. Most people simply move a weight from point A to point B, whereas a bodybuilder strives to feel the target muscle forcefully contract and stretch with each rep. We are ‘training the muscles,’ not just lift-ing weights.

Does getting stronger matter? Ab-solutely! But, and this is important to note, you should only increase the weights IF you are using good form, getting enough reps, and feeling the target muscle do the work. That muscle should get

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pumped after a few good sets. If you’ve just done 12 sets of 3 dif-ferent types of curls and your bi-ceps aren’t pumped and tight and burning with lactic acid, some-thing is wrong!

Every gym has dozens of guys who train very heavy, yet aren’t particularly impressive to look at. Far more rare is the man or woman with a physique that im-mediately identifies them as a bodybuilder. Watch them train, and it’s very different. They train with more precision, better focus, and typically with higher reps than the average person. You can see the target muscle working when they are performing an exercise for it, because they know how to isolate that muscle and make it do the work whether it’s a bench press, a lat pulldown, or a lateral raise. Even when their form might appear to be a little loose at times, you still see that target muscle contracting. They are in touch with their muscle groups and in tune with them. Often they will be mocked for being ‘weak’ by the smaller gym members who don’t understand how and why muscles grow. They operate under the myth that heavier weights mean bigger muscles, without understanding all the other factors involved that we have just gone over.

Never hesitate to go a little lighter if that’s what it takes to improve your form and allow you to feel your muscles working. Sure, it’s nice to be strong too. If that’s what you value most, train that way and get as strong as you can. Just know

that if your goal is to build extreme muscle mass that sets you apart not only from the general public but also from the herds of weight lifters in gyms everywhere, ditch-ing your ego and using a weight you can really handle nicely and work the hell out of your muscles with is the right thing to do.

“Never be afraid to lighten the weight and do it right!”

“Train with good form and in the proper rep range.”


JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESS A BODYBUILDER IS BORN: Generations

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I n the US military they have a saying, “Embrace the suck!” This motto means seek out

and embrace the toughest possible training. An elite soldier doesn’t shrink away from tough training; they don’t sidestep, duck or avoid a physical challenge or a challeng-er, the soldier/fighter stands their ground and does his earnest best. This idea, that the toughest training nets the optimal results, has been proven to be true time and again. In the world of competitive body-building, John Parrillo has been preaching this message, that hard training is the key to real gains, since the 1970s. It is logical that the body will only build muscle and will only give up its stored body fat in response to serious amounts of high intensity training – both in hardcore resistance training ses-sions and (separate and distinct)

All Real Bodybuilders Must Sooner or Later “Embrace the Suck!” By Andre Newcomb

in high-intensity cardio training sessions.

Parrillo pro bodybuilders under-stand that high intensity training modes and methods are the only modes and methods that will trig-ger the dramatic physical progress we bodybuilders seek. John Parrillo has long insisted that the only way to build a muscle is to tax the tar-geted muscle up to, and then past its current strength and endurance ca-pacities. We need to stress the mus-cle to capacity and beyond, in some way, in every single workout. When the target muscle is decimated, cre-mated, shocked stupid by the sheer intensity of the weight training, then and only then is the intensity deemed sufficient enough to trig-ger the miracle of muscle hypertro-phy. Anything less is insufficient to cause the body to grow muscle. For

hypertrophy to occur, the weight training need be so dramatic and traumatic, so intense, that the target muscle essentially freaks out. The freak-out is actually molecular dis-location that trips the adaptive re-sponse switch and causes the taxed muscle to grow and strengthen, all in direct response to the intense-ness of the effort generated by the trainee during weight training.

How could sub-maximal effort trig-ger hypertrophy? It takes a dramatic event to add muscle and get stron-ger. The real gains lie in the “barely completed rep or the forced rep.” The Parrillo approach uses all kinds and types of “intensity boosters.” Concluding a limit set with some perfectly applied forced reps, Par-rillo-style, is one surefire way to be sure you are working hard enough to trigger muscle hypertrophy.

Physiologically, without past-the-limit intensity, why would the body grow muscle and become stronger? In response to a sub-maximal set? We think not and offer up an ex-ample: Let us say the target muscle is the chest, the pectorals, and the exercise selected is bench-pressing done with a pause. The bodybuilder is capable of 200 x 8 reps, paused. He does a warm-up set of 135 x 12 and two min-utes later performs a sec-ond warm-up set, this time 170 pounds for 5 reps, all paused. Now warmed-up and ready, he benches 200 for 7 paused reps and quits, for whatever reason. Is there any benefit to that sub-max-imal set? Not if the goal is to build new muscle. If the goal is to preserve what we have, then yes, this set works well as a way to hang onto and reinforce our current capacities.

There will be no muscle growth because there is no molecular dislocation; the stress was insufficient and therefore no hypertrophy and any strength or power increases can occur – the sheer physical effort is in-sufficient. Here is the Par-rillo alternate approach: the same lifter completes his 7th rep with 200 pounds in the bench press, at which point his training partner steps in and ad-ministers three forced reps. Our hypothetical training partner really knows his stuff and on each forced rep the partner provides variable amounts of upward pull. The up-

ward bar speed needs to stay con-stant throughout each forced rep. During a forced rep, the training partner never allows the forced rep to become an isometric push; the barbell or dumbbells are never

allowed to descend once the push has started. The savvy training partner provides the bare minimum help to the bencher on rep 8. On rep 9, the training partner has to help the bencher considerably, particularly as the bar approaches lockout. On rep 10, the final rep of the set, the

training partner basically does an upright row, lightening the pound-age considerably for the exhausted bencher.

An often-overlooked benefit to intense forced reps is the growth impact of the nega-tive rep. On each paused bench rep, the lifter uses a purposefully slow lower-ing of the barbell down to the chest. He engages his “braking” muscles, main-ly the lats and triceps, on each negative eccentric. On rep 9, the negative is again lowered slowly, but by this time the benchers braking muscles are exhausted and he barely avoids collapse. On the 10th rep the spotter must keep his hands on the bar and actually assist in the negative, guarding against a total muscle collapse. If the bencher’s arms give out, the spotter must grab the weight fully, completely, immedi-ately. The forced rep is one of many ways that a Parrillo bodybuilder ensures he is triggering hypertrophy in each session. Drop sets are another intensity booster and a fantastic way for the bodybuilder training alone to trigger muscle growth. The drop set procedure is simple: start with a dumb-

bell exercise, go to positive failure using perfect technique then grab a pair of lighter bells and rep out once again. Now replace those bells and repeat one more time. Usually three drop-sets are done, but fewer or more can be performed, depending on circumstance.

ThE PARRILLo PRIncIPLES

Maximum Effort, Intensity Boosters


and

Leg Specialization

Photo by Mark Mason

Drop sets are another intensity booster and a fantastic way for the bodybuilder training alone to trigger muscle growth.

Maximum Effort, Intensity Boosters & Leg Specialization


John Parrillo has also experimented using Giant Sets as intensity boost-ers. He has devised one horrific protocol that is a 100-rep set. Five exercises, 20-reps per set, are per-formed, one after the other, for the same body part. 20-reps per set for each exercise; one ex-ercise after the other is done until all five exercises, 100 cumulative reps, have been performed. Needless to say, the target body part is com-pletely shattered by the 100-rep set. This 100-rep Giant Set or the infamous Par-rillo 100-rep forced rep belt squat protocol, both could be said to personify the “embrace the suck” ideal. There are many Parrillo in-tensity-boosting tactics, all designed to take a man up to and then past his limits. Rest-pause tactics allow a muscle time to clear lactate, to “rest” mid-set, so that the bodybuilder can squeeze out yet another growth produc-ing rep at the end of a set. The Parrillo “intensity set” is another tactic designed to trigger growth: the idea is to move the poundage at a pur-posefully slower rep speed. This makes the poundage consider-ably “heavier” and requires incred-ible concentration and a high pain tolerance. Simply by slowing the raising and lowering speed of our exercises, our bench presses, lateral raises, overhead presses and squats, will make them considerably heavi-er and create a deep muscular in-road that causes tremendous hyper-trophy – assuming the bodybuilder can stand to stay in the pain-zone long enough to reap results.

We want our weight training to build us a mountain of muscle and make us bull strong; we want our cardio to burn off body fat and jack up our metabolism all day long. The Em-brace the Suck attitude mirrors the

Parrillo approach towards all kinds and types of training. The Parrillo approach towards progressive resis-tance training, weight training, is all about amping-up the intensity. John insists his competitive bodybuilders use forced reps, assisted reps, nega-tive reps, resisted reps, drop sets, rest-pause, 100-rep giant sets, and a slew of over-the-top “intensity en-hancers” in order to grow muscle. The Parrillo approach towards all kinds and all types of training is

characterized by his allegiance to “making the already difficult ex-tremely difficult.” Is this approach not the very personification of Em-brace the Suck?

What is the most arduous, difficult and painful of all resistance-training (gen-eralized) categories? The undisputed King of Suck goes to leg training: squats, leg presses, hack squats, leg curls, calf raises. Done right, and there is no more demanding weight workout than a hardcore leg training session. The degree of men-tal and muscular effort gen-erated in a single 60-minute hardcore leg training session is mind-blowing. In Parrillo world, the idea is to “give weak points priority.” As John oft says, “Concentrate on your physical weak points and your strong points will take care of themselves.” Across the board, amongst beginner and intermediate bodybuilders, the universal weak point is legs: underde-veloped thighs, calves, ham-strings and glutes. A Parrillo leg specialization program

is the perfect prescription to bring weak legs up quick.

Nothing looks worse then a well-developed upper body atop a scraw-ny pair of bird legs. The Parrillo leg specialization program requires the athlete blasts their legs twice weekly: day one is squat day (back squat hi-bar or low-bar, front squat, belt squat, pick your squat poison) backed up with leg curls, calf raises and hack squats. Three days later

the lifter hits legs once again, this time using different leg exercises. Each successive week the squat poundage is pushed upward. The following 10-week squat routine is for a man with a squat of 300-pounds that wants to squat 350 in ten weeks. We start off well below capacity and end up well above ca-pacity: muscle gains follow strength increases.

Hi-bar back squatWeek 1: 245 for three sets of 10Week 2: 255 for three sets of 9Week 3: 265 for three sets of 8Week 4: 275 for three sets of 7Week 5: 285 for three sets of 6Week 6: 295 for three sets of 5Week 7: 305 for three sets of 4Week 8: 315 for three sets of 3Week 9: 325 for three sets of 2Week 10 - report card day: 350 x 1 below parallel

At the end of the 10th week, the body-builder has increased their squat by 50 pounds, a 15% strength increase.

This is bound to trigger massive muscle size gains in the lifter’s thighs. In addition, the bodybuilder rounds out the day 1 workout with lying leg curls and seated calf raises. All three exercises, squats, leg curls, calf raises, should be done three ex-ercises in a row, without pause, in tri-set fashion: a set of squats is fol-lowed immediately by a set of leg curls which is followed immediately by a set of calf raises – 1,2,3 then rest. A novice or intermediate body-builder might need 3-4 tri-sets while the advanced lifter might need up-wards of 4-6 tri-sets to get to max poundage (see charts below.)

The totality and intensity of this leg program is the epitome of the “embrace the suck” mindset. Each successive week you are expected to increase the poundage handled or the reps made in each and every leg exercise. There is a lot of oppor-tunity to pick and choose amongst the arsenal of weight training inten-sity boosters. Do you have a train-

ing partner? If so, you can have him administer some perfect forced reps on your leg presses, hack squat and leg extensions. You can have him administer some awesome negative reps on the leg curl and leg extension machine. On the regular squats, the best use of a training partner is as a spotter. No forced reps or nega-tives on regular squatting please as this is needlessly dangerous. On day II when you swing into the leg ex-tension/leg curl/calf raise sequence, pyramid up then finish with a rep-to-failure higher-rep grand finale. Done fast, and this three-phase ex-ercise sequence can be done in five minutes. It leaves the targeted mus-cles absolutely devastated.

So there you have it: a way in which to bring up a lagging body part through a 10-week leg special-ization program. If you are lucky enough to have a training partner then by all means, feel free to lib-erally experiment with forced reps and negatives. Just don’t accidently

kill each other and end the partnership. Be sensible when using these Parrillo intensity-enhancing techniques: take the long view; it is going to be a ten-week haul. Small gains achieved weekly mount up quick when acquired over a ten-week timeframe. Be sure and eat big and eat clean when handling this type of program. If you “under-eat” you’ll never make the full ten weeks. Guys have routinely put 3-4 inches on their thigh circumference after one, all out 10-week leg specialization blitzkrieg. So let us strive to “embrace the suck” and let us bring up lagging body parts.


JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESS Maximum Effort, Intensity Boosters & Leg Specialization

Saturday - Day 1Tri-set: the following three exercises are done one after the other with no pause…Hi-bar back squat: progressive, peak up to the three all-out “top” sets(Follow the periodized 10-week template) Leg curls add weight for 1st three sets, maintain for final twoSeated calf raise add weight for 1st three sets, maintain for final twoHack squats 3 sets progressive, use continual tension, and never

lock out

WednesdayLeg press: sets of 12, 8, 6 reps, adding weight…then one set of 10 repsTri-set – the following three exercises are done as a non-stop tri-set…Leg extension four sets: 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps then 15 repsSeated leg curls four sets: 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps then 15 repsStanding calf raises four sets: 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps then 15 reps

The degree of mental and muscular effort generated in a single 60-minute hardcore

leg training session is mind-blowing.

18 September 201� / Performance Press 1-800-3��-3�0� www.parrillo.com 1�www.parrillo.com 1-800-3��-3�0� Performance Press / September 201�

Calories 18Protein 1.2g Fat .2gTotal Carbs 3.84g

Fiber 1.2gCalcium 19mgPhosphorus 36mg Iron .4mg

Sodium 1mgPotassium 182mgVitamin A 217 IU

Easy ways to cook Patty Pan Squash with CapTri®:

Nutritional Information for 100g, raw:

Training Tip of the month:

tipsof the month

tidbits&RECIPE

spotlight

18

News & Discoveries

In Fitness & Nutrition

InterestingArticle Fact:

A high-protein diet supports the production of growth hormone and IGF-1 necessary for growth and repair. Read more in John Parrillo’s article on page 20.

19

High-Protein Weight Loss Diets Can Work

FooD of the month:

Patty Pan Squash• Also called scallop squash, sunburst squash, and

custard squash• A type of summer squash that comes in yellow, green,

and white varieties• At its most tender when relatively immature• Good source of magnesium, niacin, vitamins A & C

Supplementof the month:

As mentioned in the Spicy Chicken Fingers recipe on page 18, giving meat a quick freeze will make slicing it into strips for stir-fries or stews much easier. About 30 minutes in the freezer will partially freeze thin cuts of meat, and if you are using meat that’s already frozen, just let it defrost until partially frozen and cutting will be less of a hassle!

• Grilled slices or in Kabobs (brush with CapTri® and add seasonings before grilling)

• Stir-fried, seared, or sauted with CapTri®

• Oven roasted (toss with CapTri® beforehand)• Steamed (drizzle with Butter Flavor CapTri® before

serving)

Scientists have shown that instead of counting calories for weight loss, we would do better to boost the protein content of our diet. Nutritional values of foods are typically given in kilojoules or ki-localories, standard units of energy. However, new research sug-gests that this is too simplistic as different macronutrients – car-bohydrates, fats and proteins- interact to regulate appetite and energy intake. In these animals, overall energy intake seems to be less important than achieving the correct nutritional balance. Pro-fessor David Raubenheimer, a nutritional ecologist, says, “Foods are complex mixtures of nutrients and these do not act indepen-dently but interact with one another. The appetite systems for different nutrients compete in their influence on feeding.” When foods are nutritionally balanced, there is no competition between these appetite systems, and when one nutrient requirement is sat-isfied, so too are the others. Many foods however, are unbalanced and have a higher or lower proportion of protein to carbohydrate than the animal requires. Therefore, to obtain the right amount of protein the animal may have to over- or under-eat fats and car-bohydrates. The researchers studied baboons that live on the edge of human settlements. Despite eating different combinations of foods each day, they achieved a consistent balance where 20% of their ener-gy needs came from protein. However, their overall energy intake varied significantly, over a 5-fold range. According to Rauben-heimer: “This suggests that the baboon values getting the right balance of nutrients over energy intake per se.” Other studies found that spider monkeys and orang-utans, too, foraged for a balanced diet. But when seasonal availability of some foods pre-vented them from getting a balanced diet, they prioritized getting the right amount of protein even if this meant eating too much or too little fats and carbs. Like spider monkeys and orang-utans, humans prioritize protein over carbohydrates and fat. This means that if we have a diet with low protein, we will over-eat fats, carbs and energy to get the target level of protein. This may explain why human obesity cases in the Western World have soared over the past 60 years whilst the proportion of protein in our diet has dropped during this time.

Kitchen TipsIdea Corner

Questionof the month:?

Nutrition Tip of the month:

Behind-The-Neck Lat PulldownsBehind-the-neck lat pulldowns work the upper lats and rhomboids. Like pull-ups, the same perfor-mance points apply to the lat pulldowns. As you be-gin the exercise, pull your shoulders down. During the movement, do not arch your back. Pull down so that your elbows stay close to your sides. Stay tight through-out the exer-cise. To work your lower lats with this exer-cise, pump up before letting the bar go.

Now you can have Ice Kreem™ even if you’re on a strict diet! Treat yourself to a bowl of delicious Ice Kreem™, packed with protein, with no fat or sugar. It’s so easy to make, just add 4 scoops of mix and 2 scoops of water to your ice cream maker and follow the machine’s directions. In only 25-30 minutes your Ice Kreem™ is ready to enjoy!Parrillo Ice Kreem™ is also available in Vanilla, Straw-berry, Coffee and Peach flavors; which one will be your new favorite?

Parrillo Chocolate Protein Ice Kreem Mix™

• Packed with 42g of protein per serving• 0g fat, 0g sugar, and only 2g Net Carbs per serving• 3 ways to enjoy: As Ice Kreem™, a frosty Shake or

a quick protein drink

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 per-formance 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. Com-petitive 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.

Question: I’m starting a fat loss plan and will be following a strict Parrillo diet. How fast would you recommend losing 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 metabo-lism, 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.

150 g. chicken breast1 tbsp. CapTri®

25 g. oatmeal (rolled oats)garlic powder

paprikachili powderblack pepperPAM cooking spray

Cut partially frozen chicken into thin slices (1” x ½”). Put in a bowl and toss with other in-gredients adding spices to taste. Place chicken strips on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with

PAM, and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Substitute fish or strips of turkey breast for a change of pace.

Spicy Chicken Fingers

Have you tried the cool kitchen gadget that will cut fresh zucchini or squash into long noo-dle-like strips? For an easy side dish, just steam the strips until al dente, drizzle with Butter CapTri® (you can also use pesto or other sauces), add seasoning if you wish, and then enjoy your squash “spaghetti”!

Quick Tip of the month:

- Caroline Wood, July 3, 2014, Society for Experimental Biology

Photo by Clay

Irvin

g


JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESS tHE GH PLAN

Hear the term “growth hor-mone” and you know what it means: it triggers growth in

your body. When you were a child, growth hormone or GH helped you grow taller and fill out. As an adult you have less GH at work, but you can coax your body into produc-ing more GH to accentuate your muscular gains, even burn some body fat. You can do this through nutrition, supplementation, and training.

A GH PrimerLike all hormones, GH is a protein. It is manufactured in your pituitary gland and dispatched to the blood-stream. It makes its way to cells, in-cluding muscle cells, where it pro-motes muscle growth. When GH gets to fat cells, it helps initiate the release of stored body fat. GH also goes to the liver where it pumps up supplies of insulinlike growth fac-tor-I (IGF-I), another hormone that helps your muscles grow. IGF-1 is structurally and functionally simi-lar to insulin. It enhances protein synthesis and increases muscle growth.

There are two other hormones in-volved here: (1) Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), which works like an “on switch” to insti-gate the production and release of GH from the pituitary gland, and (2) growth hormone inhibiting hor-

mone (GHIH), which functions like an “off switch” to halt the produc-tion and release of GH from the pi-tuitary. You can use food and sup-plements to activate these switches.

Although as an adult, your GH lev-els are low, the hormone still per-forms important jobs. If you over-train (meaning you’re not getting enough nutrition to fuel intense workouts), GH kicks in to protect your muscles from breaking down. GH also guards levels of stored glycogen (muscle energy) so that your body burns fat instead of the glycogen for fuel. During the day, GH levels are low, but at night they tend to peak. With the proper strat-egies, you can maximize your GH levels all day long to capitalize on its muscle-growth and fat-burning attributes. Here’s how.

Concentrate on ProteinThe best dietary strategy for in-creasing GH naturally is to follow a high-protein diet such as the Parril-lo Nutrition Program. A high-pro-tein diet supports the production of growth hormone and IGF-1 neces-sary for growth and repair.

On my program, I recommend 1.25 grams of protein per pound of body-weight each day. Proteins should come from egg whites, protein sup-plements, white meat chicken, white meat turkey, and any type of fish.

I particularly like fish. It helps usher carbs into muscles for energy, which contributes to muscle growth. The omega-3 fats in fish are also fat-burners.

Add in SupplementsProper supplementation added to a high-protein diet is vital to enhanc-ing GH levels. Our flagship supple-ment for stimulating the release of growth hormone is our Enhanced GH Formula™. It contains arginine pyroglutamate and lysine monohy-drochloride, two potent amino ac-ids, that have been shown to stimu-late the release of GH in test sub-jects. Arginine, in particular, boosts GH by inhibiting GHIH.

Arginine also has a number of other important functions in the body, including the fortification of the immune system. In studies with animals and humans, arginine has been found to improve wound heal-ing and bolster immune responses, plus reduce the incidence of infec-tion following surgery. In addition, arginine apparently helps prevent the body from breaking down pro-tein in muscles and organs to repair itself when injured.

Arginine has other duties, as well. It is required to manufacture cre-atine, an important chemical in the muscles that provides the en-ergy for contractions. In addition,

arginine apparently helps prevent the body from breaking down pro-tein in muscles and organs to repair itself when injured.

As for lysine, it plays several roles in the body, including the regula-tion of nitrogen balance and the ab-sorption of calcium. Lysine is also important in the formation of col-lagen. Research suggests that lysine may help regulate blood pressure and reduce cholesterol lev-els. When coupled with ar-ginine, it helps stimulate GH release.

Take two or three capsules on an empty stomach in the morning, before training and in the evening before bed.

Glutamine is another impor-tant amino acid that indi-rectly supports levels of GH. It is found in our Ultimate Amino Formula™. Glutamine is technically described as a “glucogenic,” meaning that it assists your body in manu-facturing glycogen, the chief muscle fuel. Also, supple-mental glutamine may even curb the desire for sugary foods. I recommend that you take two or more capsules of this supplement with each meal.

Another important supplement strat-egy involves protein powder, taken at the correct time to accentuate the release of GH. Immediately after your workout, you have a window of opportunity to recover, and that’s when you need a liquid carb/pro-tein mixture, such as Parrillo 50/50 Plus™. Post-workout is when insulin sensitivity is the greatest and you

can drive most of your glucose and amino acids into your muscle cells.

50/50 Plus™ is a post-workout “smart bomb” that provides a perfect blend of high biologically available pro-tein and slow release carbohydrates - exactly what the body craves after the slaughterhouse of high intensity training. The result is a fabulous tasting drink in powder form that when mixed with water provides 20

grams of protein, 17 grams of carbs, and no fat or sugars per serving. 50/50 Plus™ comes in four delicious flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Orange Cream and the revolutionary 50/50 Plus™ “Milk” flavor.

MCTs and GHIf you’ve been doing my program for a while, you know the impor-tance of supplementing with Cap-Tri®, our MCT oil. Basically, you use CapTri® to replace some of the carbs in your diet to help burn fat fast. As an MCT, CapTri® is burned

like a carbohydrate in the body and spares glucose fuel for an energy-boosting effect in the body and brain. Thus, by supplementing with CapTri®, you have a pure energy source to help prevent diet-induced fatigue. At the same time, CapTri® keeps your metabolism high, and a high-metabolism is conducive to losing body fat. Some very intrigu-ing research has now emerged that MCTs, like CapTri®, can be a potent

stimulus for GH release.

GH TrainingWhen you lift weights, your body releases GH to coax your muscles into growth and repair. GH will peak im-mediately after your workout (another reason why ingest-ing a protein drink then is vital; it enhances this spike in GH).

Research has uncovered ex-actly what the best method of training is to stimulate GH release: High-volume (total number of sets), high-inten-sity, higher-rep training with very little rest between sets. Studies have found this is

the very best way to hike your GH levels, but don’t wimp out on the poundages just because I said “high reps.” Every set must be performed with heavy weights and taken to failure for best results.

Employ these dietary and training strategies and you’ll set the stage in your body for elevated GH and its positive side effects of muscle-growth and fat-burning. For more information consult the Parrillo Nutrition Program and the Parrillo Training Manual.


Research has uncovered exactly what the best method of training is to stimulate

GH release: High-volume (total number of sets), high-intensity, higher-rep training

with very little rest between sets.


less you strap up and start hoist-ing some serious iron, nothing of any real trap consequence is go-ing to happen. However, it just so happens that I have some direct

experience training traps with only one good leg. I broke my leg a few years back and was in a cast and on crutches for the best part of a year. I got really good at seated

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FINALLY did it, 1st place!!

Getting back into the game and lifting big again...Feels great!

IRON VIC SPEAKS By IRON VIC StEELE

Weak traps make a man look weak…Anti-protein phobia… Chicken & CapTri®…Crazy music? Time to go!

Rugby and supplementation

Vic,Traps really are the power mus-cle. Obviously Olympic weight-lifters have excellent traps from all their pulling and cleaning and snatching – is there any other way to get big traps other than pulls from the floor? I have a combat-related leg issue that prevents me from putting equal weight on each leg when standing. Are traps only built by exercising standing up? Bo, 82nd

Indeed, when you think big traps you think big power clean, big deadlift, big poundage to stress the strong-as-hell trap muscles. The traps are so strong that un-

dumbbell cleans, seated shrugs, seated upright rows and seated high pulls. I would sit on a sturdy as hell bench in the gym in front of the heavy dumbbell section of the rack and place a pair of dumbbells in front of the bench. I would sit down, lean forward, strap in each hand with wrist straps, sit erect and begin to snap clean or shrug or high pull for reps. I was able to rep clean a pair of 75s and could do strict upright rows with a pair of 60s. I read where Steve Reeves, Mr. America 1950, could pow-er clean 225 while on his knees. Somehow in some weird way, that story inspired me in my determi-nation to seriously work my back while hobbling around on one leg.

23www.parrillo.com 1-800-3��-3�0� Performance Press / September 201�

I read where Steve Reeves,

Mr. America 1950, could power clean

225 while on his knees.


While I was injured and unable to stand, the seated dumbbell work was ideal. In addition to the upper back dumbbell work, you can use the bench to perform seated dumb-bell curls, overhead dumb-bell presses, overhead tricep press, all types and kinds of side and front laterals. As for the upper back work, the hard-est part for me was not doing the shrugs and cleans, it was getting the heavy bells out of and back into the dumbbell rack, before and after the set. I used wrist straps to pull on some heavy iron. The wrist straps were key: they elimi-nated grip issues and enabled me to perform lots of reps past where my ability to grip the dumbbells gave out. I was able to build some seriously thick traps by pulling while sitting down. Try starting off performing a single “rep-out” set in the shrugs with a set of moderately heavy bells. An intermediate body-builder might start with a pair of 60-pound bells: strap in, and rep out. Get as many full shrugs and partial shrugs as you can. Let the bells stretch the shoulders down at the start of each rep and shrug them all the way to the ears; hold the top position for a split-second before lowering. Try for 12-20 reps and don’t get sloppy or you’ll risk getting hurt! Pulling while seated is tricky yet productive.

Mr. Steele,How can you insist that your read-

ers consume so much protein? Isn’t that somewhat self-serving as Mr. Parrillo, your boss, sells all types and kinds of protein powders and high protein food products? The protein recommendations I see Parrillo recommend are outra-geously high. How much protein is really needed Mr. Steele? I suppose you justify your conve-niently high recommendations by thinking only of muscle while ne-glecting health. I suppose you eat

lots of meat protein and then swilling down protein drinks by the gallon. That hardly seems healthy. The main-stream experts feel that .35 grams of protein per-pound-of-bodyweight-per-day is more than adequate. Why I saw Mr. Parrillo recommend one 200-pound muscle-head eat 400 grams of protein per day! 2 grams per pound of bodyweight! Sir! That is po-tential kidney failure! This is enough protein to feed a fam-ily of six (using mainstream protein consumption recom-mendations) for a week. Is this not protein overkill?! Thad, Manhattan

Here is the deal Thad: obvi-ously you are not, nor have you ever been, nor will you ever become, any type of ath-lete, or if you are, you are an athlete in a sport that requires no strength or power. Perhaps you are a professional bad-minton player – more than likely you are a misshapen weakling that likes to stand

on the sidelines and throw rocks at those of us that actually obtain real results from our training. As anyone that actually trains hard enough to obtain gains could tell you, a body shattered by the high intensity training needs lots of re-storative calories and specifically calories biased towards protein, a lot of protein. Of course if a man never trains hard enough to trig-ger hypertrophy or break a sweat, then, I am quite sure they can get

by on your .3 grams of protein per-pound of bodyweight per day. If you do the math, a 200-pound man living by your anemic recom-mendations would take in a pal-try 60 grams per day. I probably spill that much. Anyway, muscle is made out of amino acid and when you decimate your muscles in fierce training, the amino con-tent is depleted. Taking in a bunch of protein has been proven, over these long decades, to be the ticket for healing, recovery and growth. It sounds as if you are striving to emulate the physiques of Woody Allen or Don Knotts, or perhaps one of the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings. If that is your goal, then by all means, abide by your pitiful protein recommendations. Likely obtain your protein from garbage protein sources such as soymilk or steamed tofu. I am quite sure .3 grams will suffice to keep your 12.5 inch arms up to their low standards of supreme weakness.

Vic Steele,What is the best way to cook chick-en? I am bored with dried-out grilled and roasted breast meat. I am in a mass-building phase so I have a little latitude on the food selections. I love dark meat chick-en, if it’s done right. Boyer, Baton Rouge

If you have the time, a low and slow stovetop sauté of chicken parts in CapTri® is incredibly tasty. Dredge bird parts in raw oatmeal ground fine in a blender or food proces-ser. Lay the bird parts in a 1/8th of an inch of CapTri® covering the

bottom of a skillet. The oil should barely bubble. The procedure is to turn the pieces every ten minutes; turn each piece twice, for a thirty to forty minute total cook time. Use a meat thermometer to make sure internal temperature reaches

160 degrees. The biggest mistake is having the CapTri® oil too hot. 30-40 minutes is a long time and the sauté heat need be low. Don’t space out and forget about it: the worst kitchen fires involve hot cooking oil going up in flames. Pay attention when using hot oil to sauté atop a stove. Done right and this crispy bird is as moist and juicy as any you’ve ever tasted – and best of all, it can be prepared right in your own home!

Vic,I have idiots playing super loud

music at my gym. What’s the best way to approach this? It is driving me crazy. I was here before this crew showed up. Now suddenly between 7 and 9 pm we have to be subjected to death metal or rap. Management is trying to appease the kids. The rest of us are ready to bail – which is a shame as this used to be a great gym.

Shamus, Boston

Three things: the fact that man-agement is aware and allowing it to happen is a bad sign; as in, they’ve done the math and they’d rather play the music and keep the kids – at the risk of losing the reg-ulars. Could you wear an iPod and play your own music and get into your own private training zone? I love to listen to music when I train – my own music. Could you train at a different time of day? If the idiots are showing up at night, why not train in the early morn-ing? Or it could just be time to bail: sometimes the best solution is to find a different place to train. I will not train at a gym where I feel bad vibes from the clientele. I am not looking to get into a fight when I train at a commercial fa-cility – on the other hand I will NOT let some punk kid walk all over me. And who needs this? I’d rather train somewhere else: I have a nice home gym and bounce around between two commercial gyms and my home training lair. Be open to change, as it might be time to make one.

Vic,What is a good supplement stack


JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESS IRON VIC SPEAKS By IRON VIC StEELE

The wrist straps were key: they eliminated grip issues and

enabled me to perform lots of reps past where my ability to grip the dumbbells gave out.

Taking in a bunch of protein has been proven, over these long decades,

to be the ticket for healing, recovery and growth.


for getting into shape for Rugby? I play division I college level and right now I am 6-4 and 240. I am big and strong and now need to get leaner and lighter before camp opens. I am a returning starter and need to come into camp a ripped, 215-220 with an 8% body fat percentile. I will be work-ing the hell out of my cardio: my strength is great. I set a PR bench press of 350, not bad for a guy with super-long arms built all wrong for benching. I also deadlifted 500 and power cleaned 250. Now I need to build lo-comotive cardio and strip the fat off the muscle. I got the training covered – what about the supple-ments? Which ones aid the lean-out effort? Rex, Syracuse

First off, you have to get on the Parrillo multiple-meal, hi-calorie, hi-protein nutritional program. Limit dietary fat intake to no more than 5% to 10% - however, take in ample amounts of MCT oil in the form of CapTri®, a proprietary liq-uid that packs 120 “clean” calories per tablespoon. Add to the multiple meals of approved foods and the CapTri® some Optimized Whey Protein Powder™ and/or Parrillo Hi-Protein Powder™. Two shakes per day add close to 70 grams of

pure protein and this goes a long ways toward attaining the 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day Parrillo rec-ommends. If you are a 180-pound person, the goal is to take in be-tween 180 and 270 grams of pro-tein per day. In addition, purchase a canister of 50/50 Plus™, the post-workout replenishment powdered shake will feed traumatized mus-

cles exactly what they need for healing, recovery and growth. A Parrillo bar, of some type or fla-vor, is highly recommended.

The Parrillo bar, regardless the type, is truly “powerhouse nu-trition in a wrapper” and can be stashed in the glove box, gym bag, purse, desk drawer or packed in a backpack. The Parrillo bar is also a perfect antidote for overcoming a sweet tooth. Those that find it hard to resist the lure of chocolate, especially late at night, can eat a Parrillo bar, perhaps the Choco-

late Almond Coconut Parrillo Energy Bar™ or the Parrillo Sweet Milk Chocolate flavor. These two bars are able to quench the sweet-est of sweet teeth, and do so using power-packed nutrients instead of consuming weakening, fattening sugar foods. Add up all the Par-rillo protein possibilities and it is very easy to obtain 100+ grams of protein per day solely from Par-

rillo products.

High protein in-take will keep your body from breaking down when confronted with all the in-tense training you are going to subject yourself to. Insofar as the Parrillo pills: Ad-vanced Lipotropic Formula™ for sure; take Advanced Lipo capsules to make sure ureic acid and ammo-

nia don’t shut down your fat-burn-ing mechanism. Also be sure and obtain some Muscle Amino For-mula™ capsules, as these are per-fect for ‘sparing’ protein going into a workout. Take more Muscle Amino™ capsules again at the con-clusion of the workout; branched-chain amino acids contained in Muscle Amino Formula™ are perfect for accelerating recovery. Put it all together and you have a roadmap for showing up to rugby camp leaner, lighter, more muscu-lar and stronger – you ought blow some minds!

2� September 201� / Performance Press 1-800-3��-3�0� www.parrillo.com


Photo by Thad Zajdowicz

Which supplements are best for becoming a leaner, lighter, more muscular

and stronger rugby player?

PRSRT STDU.S. PoSTage

PaiDCinCinnaTi, oHPeRmiT no. 855

d’shawn wright - parrillo performance · 2018-08-01 · lationship of muscle size to muscle...

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