“How I Took My Stagnant Vince - Parrillo Performance

Vince WOODDivision squatting 500, be nchpressing 300 and deadlifting530 pounds.“I feel as if I could swing back and forthbetween these two sports for years to come”that every year, every show getsbetter and better and better Fredand Jan are two very classy peopleand a terrific credit to bodybuilding. In a sport where a lot of peopletear down one another, Fred and Jandraw universal praise from friends,fans, competitors and clients. Theirefforts are appreciated.” (Look foran article on this dynamic duo later this year.) Vince has competedin two powerlifting competitionsin 2008: in February at the WorldNatural Powerlifting Federation’s“Raw” World Championships, hetook second place. Weighing 218pounds, lifting as a ‘master’ (over40) lifter, Vince nailed a 450 poundsquat, a 285 pound bench press anda 515 pound deadlift.   This pastJune at the New Jersey State Championships, Vince won the Mas ter “My goal for 2009 is to concentrate totally on powerlifting;push my lifts upward as muchas possible and in doing so create a lot of new muscle mass. Ifeel that I can squat 530 to 550,bench press 325, and deadlift575 to 600 pounds. Even nowat my current level I am carrying more muscle than at anytime in my life. The ultimategoal is to swing back to bodybuilding in 2010, hopefullyweighing 230 pounds carrying a 10% (or less) body fatpercentile. I will then embarkon a Parrillo-style “lean out”program that will, I sincerelyhope, result in my weighing195 to 200 pounds carryingless than 5% body fat.” Vincefeels great, looks great, andat an age most men his ageare contemplating retirement frombodybuilding, Vince plans on reemerging bigger and better thanever. “This dose of undiluted powerlifting has infused me with enthusiasm: physically I am strong andgetting stronger; psychologically Iam fired up. I would unreservedlyrecommend that any bodybuilderfeeling stale and burnt out considermy approach.” Vince Wood intendsto compete at the national level inpowerlifting this coming year andhis lifts will make him extremelycompetitive in the master’s division.His unique blending of “pure powerand Parrillo” is both innovative andeffective. “I feel as if I could swingback and forth between these twosports for years to come – when Ifeel I’ve gone about as far as I cango in one direction I’ll switch directions and compete in the secondsport. Bodybuilding and powerlifting are completely complimentaryassuming you use Parrillo-style nutrition as the unifying foundation.”Vince Wood Training SplitMondaySquatsCalf raises4 sets of 5 reps5 sets of 10-15 reps30 minute outdoor power walkBench pressFloor pressIncline pressMilitary pressLateral raiseCurlHammer curl4 sets of 5 reps3 sets of 5 reps3 sets of 5 reps3 sets of 5-8 reps3 sets of 8-12 reps3 sets of 8-12 reps3 sets of 8-12 repsDeadliftRowsChinsBench (close)Weighted dipFrench press30 minute outdoor power walk4 sets of 5 reps3 sets of 8-12 reps4 sets of 4-8 reps3 sets of 5 reps3 sets of 5 reps3 sets of 8-12 repsTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayLong outdoor power walkSundayLong outdoor power walkOctober 2008 / Performance Press1-800-344-3404www.parrillo.com“I will throw in hanging leg raisesand crunches for my abdominalson Monday after leg training.Technique is paramount; squatsare low, benches are paused anddeadlifts are locked out fully andcompletely at the top of each andevery rep. Each week prior to acompetition I seek to add poundageto the top set of each of the threeprime powerlifts: squat, bench pressand deadlift. I reduce the trainingreps in the final month leading up toa competition. I compete in “raw”powerlifting, i.e., no lifting “gear”is allowed other than a lifting belt:no knee wraps, squat suits or benchshirts. Again I am a bodybuilderengaging in powerlifting and rawlifting is perfect for my purposes.”Daily MealScheduleMeal I 6am:3/4 cup oatmealwith 2 scoops of Parrillo OptimizedWhey Protein Meal II 9am:50/50 Plus , 5 grams of ParrilloCreatine Monohydrate Meal III 12pm:Parrillo Energy Bar (cherrycordial or graham cracker)Meal IV 3pm:Chicken breast, yams, broccoliMeal V 6pm:10 egg whites omelet w/broccoli,green peppers, spinachMeal VI 9pm:Parrillo Optimized Whey Shake “I drink a double serving of 50/50Plus after my early morning work www.parrillo.comout and drink at least a gallonof water during the day. I am alongtime Parrillo supplementuser. All Parrillo supplementsare potent, effective and tasty.I cannot say enough goodthings about John Parrilloand his nutritional approach.Unlike other supplementsthat make outrageous claims,John always states that realfood is the foundation andsupplements are used to roundout a sound food program. Icannot imagine training for abodybuilding competition –or a powerlifting competition– without using Parrillonutritional tactics and Parrillonutritional supplements. Ihave a thriving personaltraining business and Iinsist my clients use Parrillosupplements and the Parrillonutritional system.Every day I take ParrilloEssential Vitamin Formula ,Enhanced GH Formula andLiver Amino Formula . Ifind that by taking a handfulof liver tabs between meals Iam able to stay anabolic andmaintain positive nitrogenbalance. I enjoy all of John’sbar formulations and find“I have a thriving personal trainingthey taste awesome; the barsbusiness and I insist my clients useare mini-meals in wrappers. IParrillo supplements and the Parrilloeat bars between food mealsnutritional system.“or when I travel. I use ProCarb (vanilla flavor) when Isince 1990 – I guess that tells youam at a powerlifting competition. I everything you need to know aboutmix a massive amount of Pro-Carbhow I feel about the purity of thesein a gallon water jug and sip theamazing products. Thank you Johnmixture throughout the competition.for these amazing products and forThis keeps my energy sky high. I loveyour amazing nutritional system.”Parrillo Pancakes and look forwardto eating a big pile every Sundaymorning for breakfast. I have beena Parrillo Performance Product user1-800-344-3404Performance Press / October 2008

A BODYBUILDER IS BORN: GenerationsJOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESSIt’s funny how your attitudeabout certain things can changeas you get older. When I was akid, late August was a miserabletime of year. It meantthat the glorious summervacation was almost over,and very soon life wouldreturn to the monotonousdrudgery of waking upevery day and going toschool, doing homework,and counting the days untilthe next vacation – muchthe way prisoners markthe days until their releaseinto freedom. I think Iactually used to mark thedays in hash marks on thewall of my cell, er, I meanbedroom. I would even stayawake through the entire 36hours of the annual JerryLewis Labor Day telethonfor muscular dystrophy,as this truly representedthe last gasp of summer. Itwas my desperate attemptto distract myself fromthe inevitable return ofthe school year, which Iequated with boredom, confinement,and suffering. You would thinkI attended The Hitler MilitaryAcademy and my instructors wereSaddam Hussein, Genghis Khan,Idi Amin, and Benito Mussolini.10Apparently I greatly exaggeratedthe cruelty of my teachers and thetorture of the school day in myfeverish little mind.“The day you think youknow it all, you’re done.”Now, seemingly centuries later, Ifind myself anxiously awaiting thestart of the new school year ratherthan dreading it. As a father of kidsentering third and ninth grades, Iwould at last have them back into aOctober 2008 / Performance Pressroutine and out of my hair for mostof the week. No longer would I bepressured out of guilt into endlesstrips to beaches, amusement andwater parks lest myprecious little angelsever have to experienceboredom, and made tofeel more like the activitydirector on a cruise shipthan a parent (“Macaranalessons on the main deckat noon!”) My daughterhad a vast social networkyet was still too young todrive, which put me in theposition of her personalchauffeur on call 24 hoursa day. Now, blissfully,many of those hours shewould be stuck inside aclassroom and I wouldbe free to work, train, ordo whatever I pleased allday.Actually, at two weeksbefore the first day ofschool, Marisa was alreadybeing kept busy practicingfor her new sport, fieldhockey. Never have I seen a pieceof sporting equipment that seemedmore suited to bludgeoning ahuman skull than hitting a ball thanthe field hockey stick. My clientJared was now in football practice,1-800-344-3404www.parrillo.comthe only sophomore playing on thevarsity squad. Physically, he wasnow just as muscular and powerfulas his older teammates (if a bitshorter), which was a testamentto his hard work in the gym overthe past year and a few months.And like a real trooper, the kid wasstill keeping up his lifting despitebeing out working his tail off inpractice for five or six hoursin the sickening humidity ofMassachusetts in August.Under my advisement,he went home and had anenormous meal of steak andpotatoes and laid down fora solid hour-long nap beforemeeting me at the gym.I also had him sluggingseveral 50/50 Plus shakesduring breaks in practiceto keep his strength andendurance up, in additionto using other products likeMax Endurance , LiverAminos , and MuscleAminos incopiousamounts due to his gruelingphysical activity regimen.“Are you drinking one of thoseenergy drinks before you comehere, like Red Stallion or PopStar?” I asked. Recreational druguse thankfully seemed to be on thedecline among teenagers lately, butthey were all knocking back thoseenergy drinks. I knew there werejittery kids bouncing around mytown that would suck down threemanic energy as a replacement fuelsource for gasoline.“Naw, the nap recharges mybatteries pretty good,” he said,loading another ten-pound plate onone side of the Olympic bar as I gotthe other. “And after I get home, eatand shower, I am out like a lightuntil the morning.”“With the schedule you’reon now, you need all therest you can get. I havealways tried to make youunderstand how critical restand recovery are.”“I know,” he said, slidingthe spring clip on the bar’ssleeve to keep the platesfrom flying off during hisexplosive power cleans.“Most of the Seniors on theteam are out every nightpartying. I don’t know howthey do it.” He did his set offive authoritative reps with175 pounds, and we addedanother dime to each side.“They just don’t know anybetter,” I told him. “Thosekids would be doing betterI was at the gym with himin practice if they werenow, putting him through“We must never stop learning getting a few hours morethe paces of his very basicsleep instead of chasingand experimenting.”routine that wasn’t muchgirls around town untilmore than bench presses,one in the morning anddeadlifts, squats, and power cleansor four cans a day, the equivalentprobably having the occasionalfor a few sets of five reps each.of 12-15 cups of coffee. Teenagersadult beverage.”We only did this three nights aneed that much caffeine about as“Lucky I have you to guideweek, as practice was so incrediblymuch as morbidly obese peopleme,” Jared said, “You knowdemanding even for someoneneed more donuts and ice cream.everything.”so young and in such excellentI would hear them howling andphysical condition. This was nothollering as they marched down theI let him do his set beforethe time for him to be training likesidewalks in packs like rabid wolves,responding.a bodybuilder, and he knew it. Still,occasionally attacking each otherI was impressed with the effort heor the nearest inanimate object. All“Jared, I do not know everything –was consistently putting out in ourthat energy had to go somewhere.far from it.” He appeared puzzled.brief sessions.Too bad we couldn’t harness that“Yeah, but you’ve been doing thiswww.parrillo.com1-800-344-3404Performance Press / October 200811

JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESSsince way before I was born.”“True, and the funny thing is thatthe longer I’ve been doing it andthe more I learn, the more I realizehow little I actually know and howmuch more there is to learn.When I was in my early tomid-twenties, I really didthink I knew it all. I lookback now and wince at howobnoxious and pompousI was back then. When itcomes to weight training,nutrition, and supplements,I eventually had to realizethat you need to continuelearning forever. So basically,I’m a student at it all just likeyou are. I may be consideredto be in a higher grade orlevel, but I am definitelynowhere near finished withmy education. Okay, last setnow, concentrate.”Jared pulled five good repsoff the floor and on to hisclavicles, and looked likehe had a couple more inhim. That’s exactly what wewanted. I wasn’t trying towork this poor kid to death,not when he had to be onthe field again in about tenhours for yet another marathonpractice session of drills under theblazing sun. We stripped the barto 135 and together set it up onthe stands of the power rack so hecould start warming up on squats.He gestured to the gym floor, whichwas reasonably crowded.“These guys don’t all spend timetrying to learn anything new, dothey?”“No, they probably don’t, and that’swhy they usually don’t make muchprogress over time past the initial12first couple years of training wheneveryone makes decent gains. Ialways say that the day you thinkyou know it all in bodybuilding,you are all done. There are so many“School is alwaysin session!”different techniques to try that youwould be foolish to not learn aboutas many as possible and try theones that sound like they may havepotential. It could be something sosimple as experimenting with a newexercise, or even just changing yourhand or foot position on an exerciseyou already do. It could be groupingbodyparts differently, or adjustingyour pre or post-training meal, orusing a new supplement. There areso many different variables to playaround with, but unless you makeOctober 2008 / Performance Pressan effort to find out about them, youwouldn’t even be aware of them.”Hot Off the Grill“So I guess I have an awful lot moreto learn, then, huh?” he asked.“Yeah, but don’t feel bad – sodo I.”While Jared did his squats, Ipondered the implications ofwhat we had just discussed.With all the magazines,books, and web sites availablethese days, the only reasonsomeone would not be able toperpetually bolster his or hereducation in all things ironrelated would be out of sheerlaziness or stubbornness. In myown youth, an out-of-controlego and a stubborn resistanceto accepting my own relativeignorance kept me mired inmediocrity for years. Onlywhen I opened up my mind tonew information and allowedthe possibility that I still hadmuch to learn did I truly beginto make significant progressagain.illorraPiquenimoDA Recipe byWhen I got home, I turnedon the TV and the first thingthat came on the screen was acommercial for Old Navy. In it, kidsfrom what appeared to be ages 8-18were dancing around ecstaticallyin their cool and colorful new fallfashions, practically frothing at themouth in glee about going ‘Backto School.’ What a crock of crap,I thought. If anyone right now feelslike celebrating the new schoolyear, it’s us parents!Ron Harris is the author of RealBodybuilding, available o.comwww.parrillo.com1-800-344-3404Performance Press / October 20081313

JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESSit is suggested to take Enhanced GHFormula immediately upon awaking, before training and just beforebedtime. Taken before bed (2 to 3 capsules), these easy to digest capsuleswill dissolve as you sleep, providingyou with GH-triggering amino acids.Grow while you sleep! Take them inthe morning too, and prior to training.Rest and recuperation canwork in conjunction withgrowth hormone (GH) if thisrelationship is properly understood.For background, growth hormone(GH) is a protein hormone made bythe pituitary gland, a small secretorygland at the base of the brain.Hormones, chemical messengerssecreted by endocrine glands intothe bloodstream, are delivered totarget tissues, where they exerttheir effects. (1) Although growthhormone is of interest to adults,its primary function is to promotegrowth during childhood. Activelygrowing children have the highestlevels of growth hormone. Gradually,GH release decreases with age. Thedecline in GH levels may in fact bethe cause of some of the processes ofaging. If you haven’t made good gainsin awhile try to incorporate some ofthe following GH-releasing ideas.GH & Rest between SetsAn important exercise parameterthat seems to enhance GH releaseis to use shorter rest intervals whentraining. To do this, of course, youhave to use lighter weights (andmore reps). A difficult protocol thatworks well to increase GH levels is totrain to failure at 10 reps (use 10 repmaximum weight) combined withone-minute rest intervals (5). If you’reused to resting 3-5 minutes betweensets, shorten up the rest interval14REST, RECUPERATION, & GHto one minute or less; it will workwonders. Sometimes bodybuildersget into a rut; they plateau andcan’t figure out the problem. Itmight be that they’re training likepowerlifters: very heavy weights,very low reps with long rest intervals.In 1993 a scientific study comparedthe GH-release of 20 sets of onerep each (done maximally) to 10sets of 10 reps (also maximum)and found the 10 sets of 10 repsresulted in greater GH release (6).Why? Probably the larger volumeof work, done with enough reps toresult in some lactic acid production,combined with short rest intervals, isthe best way to trigger GH release. Itmay prove beneficial to include somehigh intensity aerobics as part ofyour cardiovascular training. Thereseems to be theoretical justificationto include sprinting for better resultsA postscript here: Weight trainingis incredibly intense exercise andwithin seconds of the commencementof a heavy set, energy reservesare depleted and waste productsbegin to accumulate (1-4). Creatinephosphate serves as an energy donorand helps to maintain the supply ofATP, the molecule used by musclesto power contractions. ATP israpidly depleted and strength fadesas a heavy set proceeds, muscularcontractions soon stop altogether.During the rest interval between setsATP and creatine phosphate storesOctober 2008 / Performance Pressare repleted. Supplementation withCreatine Monohydrate can help theentire depletion-regeneration processas it increases intracellular Creatinepools(5-6). Supplement with ourCreatine Monohydrate Formula andyou will get a better training effect.Sleep & Stress IssuesAlways try to get enough sleep,especially since GH is naturallyreleased at night. If you are unable tosleep optimally, your recovery willsuffer and you won’t be able to traineach muscle group as frequently.You can also stimulate the releaseof growth hormone through theingestion of amino acids. ArgininePyroglutamate and Lysine Mono hydrochloride, two potent aminoacids, when isolated and groupedtogether and taken on a regularbasis have been shown to promotethe secretion of growth hormonein the body. Parrillo Performancehas grouped this amino duo in itsEnhanced GH Formula . Thesetwo aminos have been shown tostimulate the release of GH in testsubjects. Growth hormone is themightiest of all hormonal secretionsas it increases mass and decreasesbodyfat simultaneously, and aids injoint repair!This particular amino grouping isbest taken on an empty stomach and1-800-344-3404www.parrillo.comMuscle growth and decreased bodyfat are the ultimate goals of every hard-training bodybuilder andstrength athlete and muscle can’tgrow without growth hormone.Growth hormone increases lean bodymass by stimulating protein synthesis and increasing nitrogen retention.GH is anabolic, meaning that it actsto promote incorporation of nutrients into new body tissues (1,2). Oneway to increase your natural GH levels is through supplementation witha special combination of amino acids (3), combined with adequate restand sleep.Beyond GH: Rest &Recovery NutritionNutrition plays an absolutely centralrole in the rest and recovery process.The foods you eat supply you withthe building blocks the body needsto repair itself. If you are training intensely and getting enough sleep butnot eating right, then your growthpotential will be severely limited.You should be getting one to twograms of protein per pound of bodyweight every day for optimal growthand recovery (7-10). Most bodybuilders use a protein supplement asthe foundation for their nutritionalprogram. We think the best protein on the market is our Hi-ProteinPowder or Optimized Whey Pro-www.parrillo.comtein . Our whey protein is fortifiedwith extra glutamine and branchedchain amino acids. In terms of recovery and growth the two mostimportant supplements are proteinpowder and Creatine Monohydrate.Carbohydrates are required to maintai

bodybuilding. Ideally I would like to add another 15 to 20 pounds of muscle. When I return to bodybuilding I want to compete weighing a ripped 195.” “I would say that the highlight of my bodybuilding career was winning my World Natural Bodybuilding Federation pro card