Adelfo Cerame - R2WC: My Pre-Contest Supplement & Diet Regimen. Plus: Dr. Andro @ Quantum Physiques Radio

Image 1: That's what I call a Quantum Physique ;-)

I want to use Adelfo's blogpost today for a brief announcement, which is not exactly related to our common friend and soon to be pro wheelchair bodybuilder. Some of you will probably already have seen the link on the SuppVersity facebook page, the rest of you can just click here if you are not already fed up reading my stuff and believe you can handle another dose of "Dr. Andro" in podcast format ;-) I have been on Brian Cunningham's Quantum Physiques Radio show and despite the fact that this is no typo (the name of the show is Quantum Physiques), we have actually covered everything from Adam and Eve (=Paleo) to Einstein and his unwillingness to accept the strange behavior of quantum objects... I had a lot of fun and I guess at least some of you will enjoy listening to the show, as well!

Ah... I almost forgot: Don't take all the flattering things Brian says too literally. If anyone here deserves praise it's Adelfo, who is - judged by the latest pics I saw - right on his way to his pro-card; and with that I successfully got myself out of the limelight and pass the bar to someone who has his "Quantum Physique", already ;-)

My dear friends and followers, here at the SuppVersity!

It’s less than 10 days left, until your (hopefully) favorite wheelchair bodybuilder *lol* will be off to another competition! Time for me to look back and time for you to get some valuable insights into my diet and supplement regimen. I will try to make it as concise as possible and provide you with a brief rundown of what I have been doing for the past six weeks, which, as you will soon see was not much different from what I have found works best for me in the course of the past months already. And other than minor tweaks and adjustments, which can oftentimes really make a huge difference, you certainly won't start fixing something that ain't broken in the first place. Right? So let's see what we've got then:

Shameless plug! Just in case anyone of you is interested in joining me as a Myotropics Physique Nutrition sponsored athlete and/or fitness model, I suggest you head over to our Facebook site, like us and join the Myotropics Physique Nutrition Photo Contest.

The grand prize (male & female winners!) is a trip to Vegas + professional photo shoot and of course the opportunity to represent the company in the future. For the unlikely case that you don't have enough friends and family to vote for you, there are a lot of other things that make it well worth to participate in the contest!

Contest prep supplement staples:

1. Thermogenic/ fat burner:
   
   Dosing: 1 serving upon waking during my fasting hours
   
   Notes: I don’t use fat burners all throughout my prep; I incorporate them, when I’m about 4-6 weeks out to help pick things up. Don't expect them to actively burn fat, though. It is more a means to keep your overall energy levels and metabolism up, as well as to shift your metabolism further into the "fat burning" zone in order to preserve precious muscle and liver glycogen.
    
2. DAA/ D-aspartic acid
   
   Dosing: Mid-morning during my fasting hours - 1 serving 3g
   
   Notes: Those of you who have been following my posts here at the SuppVersity from the very beginning will remember that I did a test run for Purus Labs’ D-Pol in the course of my last prep, and really liked this supp; I am not sure if it's just in my head, but I felt that it did help me to maintain and slightly increase my strength even while dieting, so I figured "why not use it again" - and until now I did not regret that decision.
    
3. VPX Friction + baking soda + taurine
   
   Dosing: I take these pre-workout - 1 serving of Friction, 1tsp. baking soda and 5g of taurine
   
   Notes: I usually don’t take pre-workout supplements during the off-season, because I feel like I get enough energy from my foods, when I am dieting, though, I enjoy the little extra boost they give me and the taurine and baking soda help me endure and recover from longer workouts
    
4. BCAA’s + Creatine monohydrate
   
   Dosing: Intra-workout - 25g BCAA (bulk powder), 5g creatine monohydrate (bulk powder)
   
   Notes: This is a supplement combination that I do year round, and sometimes I’ll add baking soda to it if I feel like or have the taste for it. The reason I take the creatine intra-workout at the moment is that my current preworkout already contains creatine, by spacing it out somewhat I try to maximize absorption (if the idea of not taking all your creatine at once is news to you, check out Adel's post "The Pharmacology of Creatine")
    
5. Melatonin (regular, not time released)
   
   Dosing: 30mg before bed, when I notice that my sleep gets worse or I am having trouble falling asleep
    
6. Protein shake
   
   Dosing: 40g = 1 serving of Physique 2.0
   
   Notes: Before being sponsored by Myotropics, I used just supplement with a regular fast digesting whey, in view of the more sustained protein influx from the total milk proteins, I did yet switch to a full serving of Physique 2.0, which has the added bonus of  having 15g of ThermiCarb (a patented form of WM HDP) per serving (I also have a prototype of our new product, which is just the carbohydrate fraction of Physique 2.0, I use post-workout, see detailed plan below). I  add in another tbsp. of raw honey for some faster carbs and am good to go.

I guess, some of you may now be disappointed, as I suppose you expected to see a much longer list full of exotic items you could waste your money on, but let's be honest, we all know that supplements ain't game changers and if you revise my plan you will see that sticking to the tried and proven trio of creatine, protein and some free form amino acids, complemented by one or two things you personally like (in my case these were a pre-workout product and the DAA), is all it really takes, when you got your exercise and nutrition regimen dialed in to the T.

Bodybuilding nutrition made simple: A Food-based meal planning template

This takes us right to the next and - at least in my humble opinion - way more important part of contest dieting: The diet itself! Or rather the foods and macronutrient ratios you are aiming for. I obviously eat other foods, as well, but the following selection represents the cornerstones of my contest prep diet, you can pick an puzzle them together as you like or introduce your own favorite foods; having a "stock" of items to turn to does make planning your diet much easier and less stressful - keep that in mind before you discard the notion of having "standard foods" you combine in different ways for whatever reason

• Protein sources:
  
  

  

  Image 2: This is what a typical rest day protein and fat meal would look like ;-)

  Pork loin: center cut/ tenderloin/ sirloin I’ve ditched the chicken breast and switched over to lean pork cuts. If you choose the right cuts and quality of pork, the macronutrient profile of a lean cut of pork is just the same as a piece of chicken breast. Lean pork cuts are also a lot tastier in my  opinion and less pricy.
  
  Game Meats: Elk/ antelope/ dear/ bison/ wild boar At my local farmers market they sell frozen packaged game meats – I like wild gamey meats, because they have a distinctive taste to them that I enjoy, plus they’re grass- fed, and the fat content is a lot lower, and, again, almost as close to chicken breast in macronutrient content.
  
  Whole cage free eggs: Whole eggs are one of my favorite protein sources to choose from for my non-training day/rest day meals; on these days my fat intake is a bit higher, conversely the carbohydrate intake is reduced and the yolks provide me with all the healthy fats and fat soluble nutrients I need.
  
  Tilapia/ canned tuna These are foods I incorporate into my regimen towards the end of my prep; for some reason I’ve always done it this way. I just find these two foods convenient and efficient for me to prepare and they fit nicely into the macronutrient ratios I am aiming for in the final 2-3 weeks of my prep.

• Carbohydrate sources:
  
  

  

  Image 3: Yeah, folks! That's Pineapple on the plate in the background ! And no, I am not afraid that there is fructose in it!

  Starches - Tubers such as, sweet potatoes/ yams/ organic russets/ colored potatoes
  I like tubers as my main source for starchy carbs because I can eat more of it and it fills and satisfies me; basically I can have larger servings from tubers with my given macronutrient numbers for carbohydrates compared to other carbohydrate sources, such as rice, which I do yet eat on occasion
  
  Vegetables - cucumbers/ zucchini/ carrots/ kale/ sweet mini peppers Not only do they taste good raw and by themselves, but they’re cheap, and you can buy a weeks worth for around $10
  
  Fruits: Pineapples/ papayas / bananas (earlier in the prep) Other than their awesome health benefits, these fruits satisfy my sweet tooth. 
  
  Honey (raw)  Another carbohydrate dense food that I like to use after my workouts to speed up glycogen replenishment

• Fat sources:
  
  Virgin coconut oil I take a tbsp. with almost every meal
  
  Sour cream/ heavy whipping cream/ real cheeses I use these 3 fat sources to add to or if I have any more room for my fat macros.

Putting it all together - no blueprint, just an example

To finally give you a general idea of what all that looks like in practice, I have compiled the following overview of my nutrition and supplementation regimen on an exemplary day in my life during contest prep:  

5-6am: I wake and take my fat burner  - I’m trying OxyElite Pro this prep, and it’s just as good as meltdown, the product I used during my last prep 7-8am: Cardio - 15-20 minute HIIT cardio/ 20 minute swim, or  45-60 minute of low intensity cardio (walking the dog) 9 or 10am: D-aspartic acid one serving (3g) 3pm: Breaking fast w/  pre-workout meal - 2 tilapia fillets/ or 2 cans of tuna - cucumbers & carrots - 1 tbsp.  RAW coconut oil 3:45pm: Pre-workout supplements - VPX Friction - 1 tsp baking soda - 5g taurine

4:30-6:30pm: Training + Intra-workout  - 25g BCAA’s - 5g creatine monohydrate Immediately post-workout:   - Physique 2.0 - 1 serving - ThermiCarb - 1 serving - 1 tbsp. RAW honey 7:30-8:00pm: PWO meal - 2 tilapia fillets - sweet potato - fruits & veggies 10:30pm: Last meal  - Pork tenderloin - veggies - 1 tbsp. coconut oil 11pm: 30mg melatonin (if I feel, I need it)

Modifications on non-training days: On my non-training days, I’m not on any supplements other than my fat burner; my meals on my rest days consists of whole eggs, wild game meats, fruits and vegetables and 1 tbsp. of coconut oil with every meal.Meal#1 ground antelope + fruits + veggies + coconut oil… I guess you get the notion ;-)