This is part two of a two-part series.

Dr Serrano,

I have a tough time bouncing back after making weight for MMA fights and powerlifting events. I have to work hard to get my weight down, but then I feel depleted by the time I need to compete. What is the best way to drop 5 lbs leading up to a weigh in?

I advise trying to reduce your body fat levels further in advance of a weigh in, but in this case, you can safely drop 5 lbs without zapping performance. There isn’t any way around lowering food intake for a few days, and I would use a low carb plan with medium protein and dietary fat intake. A dietary fat loading schedule four weeks out from competition is very effective for fat loss per the recent article about dietary fat loading. Use two primary meals for most of your food intake. I assume you won’t be doing much training in the few days leading up to the competition, but if you decide to train the 100% MR and Muscle Synthesis must be used around workouts to protect against catabolism associated with lower food intake than usual.

Use two scoops of 100% MR and ten Muscle Synthesis caps 3–4 times daily between meals and this will help to prevent a catabolic hormonal status that zaps performance. Following the weigh in, eat a couple meals that are easily digestible to ensure that you don’t have any stomach upset. One hour before the lift or fight, mix three tablespoons of raw honey with four scoops of 100% MR and 20 Muscle Synthesis caps. This will dramatically increase your performance. The same can be done after the event. You will need to experiment with the amount of honey in advance to make sure your stomach can tolerate this combination.

Scott,

Unfortunately, a distant relative died a couple weeks ago. But on the bright side, I was left a large sum of money! What would be your most kick ass supplement protocol for improving body comp (now I am 16 percent and would like to get to 10 percent) and max strength so I can rule the 242-lb class!

I believe the best results can be achieved using a few potent items at the right frequency and at a high dosage. The positive impact on recovery allows for more aggressive training and better results, assuming the routine is well designed. Nutrition is always a crucial part of the success equation. Remember to get in the right fats! Minimize cheeses and other saturated fat content.

Load up on the 100% MR and Muscle Synthesis around workouts and between meals. Try four scoops of 100% MR and 20 Muscle Synthesis caps before and after training along with two scoops of MR and ten Muscle Synthesis caps between meals 2–3 times daily. This will have a dramatic impact on strength, body composition, and your capacity to recover. Imagine how much stronger you will be by dropping body fat levels to 10 percent while replacing the lost fat with muscle. The larger the muscle engine, the greater the output.

Accelerating recovery not only helps the muscles, but it also helps the nervous system, which is essential to improving strength. Muscles need to recover fully before the nervous system can properly prepare for the next bout of training. A high dosage of Alpha Omega such as 9–12 per day has proven to be a highly effective fat loss catalyst for a man your size. The mix of essential fats help cells kick out stored energy and optimize several other fat burning pathways.

Now that you have more money to support your goals, do whatever you can to reduce stress in your life. Many of the most successful professional athletes that I have worked with never have a care in the world by deflecting problems onto business managers, agents, and assistants. These guys can focus on competition and are more consistent than their stressed counterparts in my experience.

Dr. Serrano,

If I eat within a couple hours before training, my stomach gets extremely upset. I’ve tried whey protein powder before and it has caused me to nearly explode. If I don’t eating anything at all, my energy is very low, making it hard to be intense. What can I eat to sustain myself through training without making me nauseated that also supports muscle growth?

I was running into cases frequently where dairy based protein powders were causing problems for patients. This can show up as digestive troubles, stomach discomfort, gas, rashes, and bloating. Initially, some foods or protein powders may not cause a problem, but over time, an allergy can be built toward many ingredient elements within protein powders. I suggest you avoid any dairy based proteins and try the Get Lean Protein. The Get Lean was designed for people in your situation. The ingredients are hypoallergenic and have been very well tolerated by patients who have extreme sensitivities to other protein combinations.

The base is pea and rice protein, not soy! Soy protein isn’t a good idea for any male because it increases estrogen. I also included inulin, which is a special fiber to support sustained release. Colostrum and glycine help with body composition and performance improvements.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people eating the same foods continuously. Foods must be rotated to optimize progress.

Scott,

Each week I do six, 1.5-hour weight training sessions, three sessions of sprints, and another day of heavy sled work. I’m still not making strength or size gains even though I started the dietary fat loading plan you outlined last month. What is wrong?

Over training, over training, and over training!

This is a classic case! You need to place just as much emphasis on recovery with proper diet, supplementation, and rest if you’re going to benefit from all of these sessions. However, as a natural athlete, this seems to be a very high volume of training. Remember that a lack of balance between your training stimulus and your capacity to recover is a recipe for disaster. The first signs will be a stagnation of progress, excessive soreness, and possibly an increased incidence of injury.

More is not always better. Aim to increase your intensity and cut down the length of time, especially for the weight training sessions. Over time, the body will aim to protect itself against injury by lowering strength levels when long workouts are used for an extended period of time.  In my opinion, following the warm up, training sessions shouldn’t exceed 50 minutes for a large majority of people. In many cases, new clients will come to me after years of high volume training and are shocked by how much productive work they can pack into a single hour with the right plan. This renewed focus on intensity defined by the average load used per repetition yields great results by stimulating the fast twitch muscle fibers with the greatest potential for growth while helping to optimize the hormonal environment.