Phase 1 - Nutrition

Proper nutrition is one of, if not, the most important components of a serious strength and conditioning program. If the athlete is not eating in a way that supports their training and daily activities they will find it difficult to accomplish certain goals.
In this phase Mike needs to put on muscle mass, and thus, he will increase the amount of food he eats without compromising the quality of his meals. Mike must eat 5-6 meals per day, with a gap of 3- 31/2 hours between meals. Each meal should consist of a lean protein (egg whites, fish, chicken, turkey, etc), a non-refined starch (whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat rice, etc) and a fibrous carbohydrate (broccoli, spinach, peppers, etc). Mike will also supplement part of his diet with protein shakes. Ideally, Mike should be eating 3000-3300 Calories/day, depending on his level of activity.


The Muscle Builder Shake

I gave the recipe to Mike to assist with the weight gain portion of his training. Currently he is training 2-3/week with me, has soccer games or training 2-3x/week and occasionally plays pickup hockey with some friends. His primary goal at the moment is to put on some muscle mass and to do so he must take in more calories. A good protein shake can be the perfect post workout drink, as well, it makes an excellent meal replacement when Mike is unable to get a real meal.

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, mix and enjoy.

2 scoops high quality Whey protein
1-2 cups skim milk
1 cup yogurt
1 banana
1/2-2/3 cup frozen berries
1 tbsp flax seed oil

Optional:
1 tbsp honey or natural peanut butter

Total Calories: 600-800

Phase 1 - Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy or muscle building is the primary goal of the second part of Phase 1. This section is about three weeks and in this time I expect to see a significant increase in lean body mass. As well, increases in strength and size are expected. The exercises in the hypertrophy portion are similar to those in the conditioning portion. The main differences are in the training volume and intensity. We are now working on 3 sets of 12 reps with about 45 seconds rest between sets. We will eventually move to 4 sets of 8-10 reps with slightly longer rest intervals (about 60s). We will also be using supersets in this portion to reduce downtime and promote muscle growth. A superset consists of alternating between two exercises (usually working opposing muscle groups) with no rest between the exercises. For example, Mike will do a set on the bench press and then go immediately to bent over rows, he rests for 45 s and then returns to the bench press.

Diet is an important factor when trying to build muscle. In this phase many athletes are not getting in enough food. Mike is continuing to increase his caloric intake while still eating supportivly (see Phase 1 - Conditioning).

Phase 1 - Conditioning

Mike has just completed the conditioning phase. generally this phase is a minimum of three weeks; however, given Mike's current level of fitness and quick adaptation I have shortened this phase to only two weeks. Even in the span of two weeks, there have been noticeable improvements in strength and muscular endurance. For the second week of conditioning we were limited to only two workouts because of an extremely busy soccer game schedule. Some modifications were also made to the workouts that week so the training would not interfere with Mike's performance on the field. On both days we limited the leg workouts to light plyometrics and reaches. The upper body exercises remained the same and some overload (gradually increasing the intensity) was applied.

Aside from the actual workouts Mike has begun to alter his nutrition so it supports his training goal for Phase 1, weight gain. He is eating 5-6 meals per day or every 3-4 hours. Each meal consists of a lean protein, starchy carbohydrate and a fibrous carb. In addition, Mike is adding some extra calories to his diet with at least one 'loaded' protein shake per day. The shake contains about 700 - 800 calories per serving and is a combination of whey protein, milk, honey and fruit. Shakes are consumed within one hour of completing a workout or after soccer practice. On non-activity days the shake replaces one of his meals.

The next part of Phase 1 is Hypertrophy (muscle building).