I am still not where I want to be, although my “girlfriend” insists that this is not the case.

Just FYI: There’s a reason “girlfriend” is in quotes. It’s…a surprise. : )

Since my “girlfriend” is a nutritionist and fellow fitness freak, I should probably listen. But ladies, you know men. We never listen. Besides, she’s blinded by Cupid’s arrow. That makes all of us clueless at times.

Well, okay…not “clueless”.

May works with a group of doctors as their nutritionist of choice. She was also the nutritionist for the Texas Rangers. In short, she’s one sharp no-sugar cookie.

Actually her name is “Maynon”. Cool name, eh? It’s French. I think it’s French for “little hottie who loves salmon”, but she argues the point. Drop the “y” and it sounds quite French. Add the “y” and it sounds like she’s an alien from the planet Voltaire or something. So, to keep things simple, everyone calls her “May”.

(Oh, the irony…Voltaire was actually a French mathematician…but I digress…)

So, okay: she’s providing a semi-objective opinion from a nutritionist’s and former trainer’s point of view.

Still…what the *%&# does she know? (kidding)

Golly, we bodybuilders are a strange bunch. I heard bodybuilding defined as “reverse anorexia” once.

Sure…I’ll buy that. : )

Back to being lean and not-so-mean for a moment.

Getting stronger at a lighter bodyweight (currently 192) is something that can make even an angry young man into a happy camper. Just yesterday, I completed two sets of 9 reps with 80-lb dumbbells for shoulder presses followed by a set of 85s for 6. Could have done 8. Several months ago, I was using 65-70lbs for the same movement at a bodyweight nearly 20 pounds greater. Similar progress exists in my other movements as well.

Hmmm…what does that tell you folks? More muscle. Less fat.

Here’s why this is working:

First, my metabolism never takes a nosedive on my EODD plan. I use the “Extreme” version of EODD (covered in my book in detail) as I am obviously an advanced trainee, but all three versions (Primer, Lifestyle and Extreme) work to keep the metabolic rate nice and high. The body never adjusts to lower calories in an adverse way.

Normally, diets crash because the body figures out that you’re trying to starve it. It responds by decreasing thyroid output, hence slowing the metabolic rate. EODD circumvents that problem better than anything I’ve tried.

Second, by adding the fasting component into the mix, many interesting things happen biologically-speaking. For starters, catecholamine production skyrockets when you fast and then exercise, especially for as many hours as I am currently doing (about four hours prior to bed and another 4-6 hours in the morning, with only amino acids and a bit of half-n-half in my coffee.) This is like getting a dose of all-natural ephedrine without the nasty heart palpitations. It also forces the body into some flight or fight responses that seem advantageous to burning fat and gaining muscle.

Another factor is growth hormone release. This method of training and eating has allowed me to stop my clinically-prescribed GH injections for the past six weeks. I have been on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) since my pituitary was damaged at the age of 27. I am not on HRT for “youth” reasons, although I realize many people engage in HRT looking for the fountain of youth. I am on HRT because my body no longer produces adequate amounts of pituitary-controlled hormones. GH is one of the big three, along with testosterone and thyroid.

Honestly, I am not sure how long these elevated GH levels will last, but it sure saves me a bundle of cash. GH is very expensive, even when prescribed by my family doctor. And, I personally do not like having to take any drug, even if it is necessary for my health.

At any rate, GH increases when you train fasting, or so the theory goes. Obviously I believe it as I’m living proof.

Another metabolic benefit comes from insulin. Excess insulin causes major problems. However, a nice “spike” after a workout is highly anabolic (muscle-building) in nature — and that my friends is what I suspect is causing the increase in strength and muscle even at a shade over 6% bodyfat.

Most bodybuilders will have some simple sugars after a workout to get that insulin spike — and that works. But it does not work as well as fasting, training, and THEN consuming a bit of simple sugars along with a lot of protein. At least for me. Everyone is different. Give it a shot if you’re in good health, not diabetic, and are willing to experiment. Or, just use my EODD System and forego the fasting. You’ll still get lean.

Not everything is roses here, however. I still have those pockets of stubborn fat lingering about, although they are really coming down, which is exciting. This gives me hope that they can and will vanish as I approach my peak in October. Also, strength on this program is up and down, which can be frustrating. Overall, the strength is up, even on a fasted, depleted state. That is good — but occasionally the body will bonk and strength will decrease about 20% in a given stretch of workouts. It increases after that, which is really more important.

This is also a challenge to manage. While the EODD part of the plan is easy, timing my fast can be difficult. I also developed a small ulcer by consuming too much coffee (along with Advil…NOT smart) on an empty stomach. It’s fine now, but for a few weeks it was quite painful.

Still, overall I could not be happier with the results thus far.

That being said, here is the current dilemma: will getting super-lean actually be worth it? Currently I plan to keep going and achieve the goal of 4% bodyfat by October 14th. However, I may opt to say “enough is enough” if I feel my body starting to suffer needlessly and/or muscle mass begin to decrease. While I’m thrilled I have actually added muscle all the way to this point (last time I lost muscle when I was this lean), I doubt it will keep going as I head into my final month of prep.

Is it worth it? I don’t know. I love a challenge, but it may be sufficient to say, “I look and feel better than ever” and call it a day. I will make that decision in the coming weeks, but right now I am opting to continue and venture into no-man’s land — at least for me. I have never been below 6% bodyfat. Would I feel better, even weighing under 190 pounds? Or should I just learn to live with the small bits of pocket obesity that remain (again, they are reduced from when I started) and just “hang out” for a while at 6%-ish?

Don’t know…but hey, that’s part of the journey.

What I know for sure is that I am pushing hard for the next week. Clark Bartram and I are shooting our CoreAerobics™ DVD next weekend in San Diego. This workout DVD will be like nothing you’ve seen before. We’re very excited about it. I am doing the nutrition segment, so being in top shape is not an option.

After that, I will re-assess and update you all from there. Either way, I will shoot some pics and add them to the gallery soon.

So, why the doubts?

I never doubted my desire to continue on to my goal until this past weekend. My “girlfriend” (are you laughing babe?) and I went to her parent’s lake house for Labor Day Weekend. Surrounded by a very large family gathering, I gained a bit of perspective on things. For starters, I’m pretty damn lean and muscular. Perhaps this refreshed point of view comes from hanging out with “normal folk” for a few days. For another, I was actually okay with boating around sans my shirt. I know, I know…that sounds really strange, but I have never been comfortable shirtless. Go figure.

Finally, there’s the question of health.

No one ever said bodybuilding was ‘healthy’ — meaning, dropping your bodyfat to extreme levels. Bodybuilding without the extremes is one of the healthiest things anyone can do. But it’s like water or oxygen: too much and you die. Just enough and life is grand.

95% of my life is spent in the pursuit of optimum health. Part of me figures, “what’s 5%?” The other part is looking for that hard-to-find middle ground of excellence: achieving the goal and becoming MORE healthy in the process. Can it be done? If it can, I’ll figure it out. If it can’t…well…

We shall see.

Anyway, thanks for reading the long-winded post today. Also, a special thanks to May for her help with my peak. From picking up supplements for me that you think will help to cooking those eggs with plenty of veggies, you are the best, Lova!

More later…[jB]