Adelfo Cerame & Mr C: A Basic Workout + Nutrition Plan for Average Joes Trying to Get Stronger, Leaner & Healthier
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| Image 1: Don't worry, since this is a new series, you will soon know who "Mr C" is ;-) |
Another New Week a Whole New Endeavor
Things seem to be coming along quite well as far as my efforts to broaden my horizons and gain more experience and expertise not just as a trainee, but also as a trainer within the nutrition and fitness game are concerned. As I mentioned in my post last Thursday, I intend to use the current off-season not just to grow physically, but also mentally - to accumulate knowledge, to learn how to better myself and how to help others find and make their way to a leaner and healthier self. |
| Image 2: Should no be too difficult to locate Adelfo among the huge team of fitness professionals, at Epic Inc. |
No, I am not working for Herbalife, now ;-)
It’s a fitness-based company called Epic Inc. They do everything from strength and conditioning programs for the general public, to football training camps, and also have a program that helps student athletes with the opportunity to receive scholarships and I'm honestly pretty excited to be part of a coaching team that consists of ex-collegiate and professional athletes that have played abroad professionally and in the NFL.
Basically I’m going to be getting paid to hold nutritional workshops every other week, and offer nutritional advice for their clients, and at the same time a great opportunity to build my own clientèle.
Dear SuppVersity Student, Meet Mr C - The Subject of Our First "Case Study"
Speaking of clientèle, Adel (Dr. Andro) suggested that instead of just talking about me, I could tailor my blogpost a little more to the non-bodybuilder average Joe who does not necessarily ever want to step on stage by presenting something he aptly called a "case study" - coincidentally I happen to actually have a new client. We will start to work together in about two weeks and he agreed that I could use him (without mentioning his name) as the subject of this new mini-series.
- Age: 32,
- Height: 5’8’’,
- Weight: 175,
- Waist: 36"
- works from 9am-5pm at a hospital
- eats only twice a day (lunch & Dinner)
- lunch consists of cafeteria food, such as tuna melts, chicken sandwiches, and the occasional salad
- dinner consists of fast food and take-out – McDonalds, Jack in the box, Taco bell...
- trains rarely, but if he does, it is at a friend's makeshift gym in a garage at about 7pm-8pm
It's going to be hard work, for both of us!
I must admit that this is the first time I am working with a real "rookie". Almost all my previous clients had already some experience with training and nutrition - not so for Mr. C, though. For me that means that I will have to teach him everything from scratch: From how you can easily keep track of your macronutrient intake to how to perform a bench press. And above all, I got to keep things simple and practical.
His goals, my goals, our goals!
"Every journey has a destination!" As stupid as this may sound, you may remember from either
- Adel's vastly popular Intermittent Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting, e.g. "Programing Success: Goalsetting & Tracking") or his
- more recent "Step by Step Guide to Your Own Workout Regimen", e.g. "Chose the Right Training Style for your goal"
Trainer or trainee - always know you goals!
Too many of my colleagues approach their clients planless, in the most literal sense of the word, and with a cookie-cutter-plan in their hands, let alone in an automated email they had an assistant write for them, as Carl Lanore mentioned it in his Super Human Radio interview with Molly Galbraith, yesterday....but I am getting derailed, here. Let's get back to my plans for Mr. C:
- Starting him off slowly - I got to work his new regimen into his everyday obligations and old habbits, but only for as long as those will not hinder or sabotage his progress; this means he will have to meet me halfway, so that we can create a plan that will work for him for more than the initial 2-4 weeks of dopamine driven enthusiasm and outstanding results.
- Finding the optimal nutrition regimen - Although you may say that this is just my interpretation of "intermittent cookie cutting", given his work-schedule and current primer on fatloss Intermittent Fasting is simply the logical and best choice here, so that’s what I’ll structure his schedule on.
- Writing a custom-tailored workout program - With a primer on simplicity and a challenging, yet manageable workload we will be starting with a 3-4x/ week. Moderate volume (5-6 exercises), moderate intensity workout regimen that's structured around the most fundamental movement patterns: Pressing, squatting, rowing.
Mr C's First Real Nutrition Plan
As I mentioned earlier, I want to keep things as simple as possible, so no caloric zigzagging – I would just risk to confuse him with all these numbers and that for an (at the moment) negligible benefit; maybe later down the road but not yet - here are the main features of the plan
Whole Foods, no fast-food!
| Training days | PRO | CHO | FAT |
| Meal 1 | 65 | 50 | 16 |
| Pre-workout | 65 | 50 | 16 |
| Post-workout | 65 | 100 | 16 |
| Total | 195 | 200 | 50 |
| Non-training days | PRO | CHO | FAT |
| Meal 1 | 65 | 50 | 16 |
| Meal 2 | 65 | 50 | 16 |
| Meal 3 | 65 | 100 | 16 |
| Total | 195 | 200 | 50 |
- Energy deficit of ~20% - we’ll play with these numbers for the first 2 weeks and adjust as we go in order to find set numbers that allow him to lose about a 1 lb. to 1.5 lb. / week
- Similar meal frequency as before - the timing is more rigorous and the structure will make it easier for him to get along
- Food quality over quantity - more whole “real” foods, no more McDonalds and Jack in the Box on a daily basis
- Macronutrient awareness over calorie counting - based on his newly acquired knowledge of the average macronutrient content of whole foods Mr C will have to learn to estimate portion sizes and combine foods to "meet his macros" (at this point still only roughly)
Mr C's First Real Workout Plan
Just as with the nutrition routine, I also tried to keep the workouts simple. Keep in mind that Mr. C is a beginner. This means that he will probably be struggling to perform the lifts properly, but it is now that I am working with him, when he can and has to learn how to do the muscle building compound movements I packed into his workout routine right! Now, or never, so to say ;-)
| 5x5 - Push | Sets | x | Reps |
| Flat bench | 5 | x | 5 |
| Dips | 5 | x | 5 |
| Squats | 5 | x | 5 |
| 5x5 - Pull | Sets | x | Reps |
| Pull or chin ups | 5 | x | 5 |
| Deadlifts | 5 | x | 5 |
| Dumbell rows | 5 | x | 5 |
| Hypertrophy - Push | Sets | x | Reps |
| DB bench press | 3 | x | 6-10 |
| Military press | 3 | x | 6-10 |
| DB side laterals | 2 | x | 12 |
| Leg press | 3 | x | 6-10 |
| Leg extensions | 2 | x | 15 |
| Skull crushers | 3 | x | 10-12 |
| Hypertrophy - Pull | Sets | x | Reps |
| Bent over barbell row | 3 | x | 6-10 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 | x | 6-10 |
| DB reverse fly | 2 | x | 12 |
| Straight legged deadlift | 3 | x | 8-12 |
| Barbell curls | 3 | x | 6-10 |
| DB Hammer curls | 2 | x | 15 |
- 5x5 fundamental strength workouts - since one of Mr. C’s goals was to increase strength, the first part of his routine has a clear focus on building just that; with 5 sets of 5 reps on three basic lifts, there is no way, Mr. C. is not going to see magnificent strength gains within weeks
- Push / pull hypertrophy workouts- the foundational strength regimen is compounded by hypertrophy-specific work later in the week to make good use of the strength gains in order to pack on a few lbs of muscle aka "metabolic currency" in the weeks to come
It's going to be an exciting time for Mr C. for me and - as long as you don't forget to come back every Thursday for my weekly updates - for you, as well! So, stay tuned!
