Forget what you see in mainstream bodybuilding for a minute. I'm here to tell you straight up that you aren't going to look that way unless you dedicate everything in your life to drugs, drugs, drugs, bodybuilding, and a grocery bill that will leave you broke!
If you have a job, family, or any other responsibilities then let's get our heads on straight and come at this from a realistic approach. Let me help clear the smoke for a minute and give you a clear vision on exactly what you can do to get in your best shape ever by spring.
First off, steroids are overrated. The real secret is the diet. Training you ask? Shit, high volume, low volume, 6 days per week, 3 days per week, doesn't matter much to be honest. As long as you are challenging yourself and keeping things intense and you have the diet to go with it, you can look amazing! And yes, on minimal supplements or steroids.
Do I use steroids? Yes I do. Do I use a lot? Nope. I probably use a small fraction of what most guys use and my physique blows away guys running 2-3 grams of shit a week. I know my body, plain and simple. It has taken me years and years to learn my body, but I know exactly what to do in the gym and how to eat.
I do many different styles of training and dieting, and I am never solely reliant on one particular style all year long. Sometimes I do 300 grams/day of carbs, and sometimes I do under 100 grams/day. It's all about a battle strategy, and knowing what to do at what time. With that being said, part of your success with developing a jaw dropping physique is going to be having an open mind.
Paleo Diet
So let me enlighten you on something that you can do to get in extremely good condition fast. I'm talking about a Paleo diet here. For years I chalked this up as tree-hugger bullshit, but not anymore. My body has gone into warp speed lately and what I thought was about 12 weeks condition turned into 4-6 weeks condition after just 2 short weeks of Paleo.
I'm just sharing with you guys what has worked for me, and I don't consider myself the ultimate source of knowledge here. But this has worked for me, period. I eliminated all of my carb sources with the exception of apples. That's right, I pretty much eat about 3-4 apples every fucking day for my carbs. I eat lean meats, whole eggs, bacon, coconut oil, nuts, green veggies, and just drink water and coffee.
How many meals per day?
I couldn't tell you that. I eat when I'm hungry and I drink when I'm thirsty. It's totally instinctive at this point. What makes this so easy for me is its simplicity! As long as I'm eating from these food choices and eating when I'm hungry there is no way I cannot get lean! Grocery shopping is easy, food prep is nothing, and for the most part I feel pretty damn good.
The exception to this daily routine is about halfway through the week where I carb up just a tad more and maybe have a few yams. I feel like halfway through the week I need something a little heavier, so I eat a few yams. I eat no starches or grains. Apples, apples, and more motherfucking apples! And my body fat is melting off!
Steroids?
I use 400 mg/wk of NPP (fast acting Deca) and 200 mg/wk test, nothing more! And 400 mg/wk on the NPP is even high for me, as I rarely go over 300 mg/wk. The results of this mild cycle combined with Paleo dieting has left me at virtually the same starting body weight, but my jeans are falling off my waist already and my abs are in pretty good. I haven't lost a pound and I've slashed my body fat by at least 3-5% already (if I had to guess).
I really started this whole thing based on what old school bodybuilders did in terms of training, mild dosing, and dieting. I basically decided to mirror what many of those guys did, and really a Paleo diet just made sense here. And as they did in the 70's, one day a week is usually a free day for me where I may eat off the diet a few meals that day. And do you want to know the killer about all of this? I have yet to start back on cardio! I didn't want to lose too quickly so I took time off cardio while adjusting to this.
So there you have it. This is exactly what I've been doing and it's paying off big time! And low and behold, my grocery bill has dropped during this time as well. Every here and there I still do a protein shake for convenience and cost effectiveness, but other than that it's all natural food sources. I believe a Paleo diet leaves a man the way a man was meant to look. Not overly musclebound or blocky looking, but a pleasant physique with good muscle and definition.
What is big?
One more thing I'd like to add here; let's talk about what being big really is. I think a lot of guys just don't understand how large 180-220 lbs can look if it's quality. I have been backstage at bodybuilding events and seen guys who looked amazing, and figured they were in the top of the light heavyweight division or maybe even in my division as a heavyweight. Then when you start talking to the guy, he tells you he's a fucking middleweight! You have to remember that a guy walking onstage at 190 lbs, may have dieted down from an already in-shape 210-220 lbs! A guy who is a heavyweight may have dropped down from 275 lbs!
Yes, these people are very large and their version of “fat” isn't the same as everyone else's. Hell, my version of fat is when I cannot see my obliques and only have traces of my abs, or my veins aren't busting out like I want them to. But just understand something here; you may look a hell of a lot bigger than you think once you diet off the fat and can see what's left under there!
Let's get real here and stop chasing a look that your budget and lifestyle won't allow.
Go for quality! Go for health! Now go kill it!
-John Doe
Good post.
This is spot on. Especially for regular joes who are not into any serious bodybuilding.
If you are eating paleo and working out regularly you will have a body better than 99% of the guys out there.
What’s best is that it can’t go wrong. I haven’t yet seen any chumps who are eating paleo.
Totally agree! I remember doing “Steak & Eggs” modification in the past. Just, it wasn’t only steaks but any kind of meat, eggs obviously, nuts (mainly almonds), lots of olive oil (I took shots of it) and green veggies (mainly spinach). I works wonders if you stick with it for a while.
Though my experience in bodybuilding is much poorer than yours John, I completely don’t agree “steroids are overrated”.
Let me explain what I mean by steroids being overrated. Here is the thing about steroids; they only promote growth of existing muscle cells, they do not make new muscle cells. Steroids do not create hyperplasia, only specific peptides and HGH can do this. With steroids, the first few cycles promote bigger gains. After that, genetics becomes the biggest limiting factor and you can run bottles upon bottles of steroids and maybe only gain 5 lbs off a cycle, or maybe nothing at all since you’re so far beyond your genetic build anyways that all you can do is maintain.
Steroids are not the reason guys weigh 250 lbs at 6% bodyfat, it’s the disciplined eating regimen combined with tons of HGH and usually insulin. This is evident when you look at the pre-HGH era of the late 1980’s and prior. Lee Haney was the biggest competitor to hit the stage at 240 lbs competition weight, which is absolutely gigantic for a guy not using HGH. But most guys during this time frame and prior were topping out at 225 lbs. Considering boatloads of anabolic steroids, and a financial commitment that even back then most people couldn’t afford, for about 20-40 lbs more muscle than could be achieved naturally. When I say overrated I’m speaking in terms of serious $$$ for just a little bit better. I could come off a cycle and still walk around at a lean 220 lbs. If I get on a cycle I may be a slightly leaner 220-225 lbs. But this isn’t a night and day difference.
John, what meats are you mainly eating? You say lean but are you still eating beef or just going with poultry and pork?
Great question and I should have elaborated more on that. Yes, I do eat lean ground beef and occasionally pork chops. The trick to going Paleo is you have to keep your fats a little higher. Just eating predominately apples a few times a day for my carb source would definitely shortchange my energy levels and gym performance if I didn’t get some form of fats in there. I’m probably around 120-150 grams/day of fats when my carbs are 100/day or less.
How do apples compare to grapefruits in this sense John ?
Bro, nothing wrong with a grapefruit here and there but I choose apples usually because they don’t promote as big of an insulin response, or in my case a need to use more insulin. Grapefruit is a little higher up on the sugar chain for me, apples keep me just right. HOWEVER, a grapefruit here and there is a good way to stimulate fat synthesis because it’s so acidic that your body will go into overdrive to process it. I used to eat one at night before bed for that reason, not every night but occasionally.
Great article as usual. I actually get excited when I see an email from saying there is a new post. Great stuff.
What are you having as a post workout meal?
Lately it’s been some form of meat at 8 oz portions and an apple
went paleo for 4 months last year (no gear) and lost a ton of weight, but got smaller everywhere including muscle loss. had to build that back up again but got fat too. this year, going paleo again, but running base of 200 cyp. I guess would be even more dramatic with deca or simply even escalating to 400 per week.
JD are you doing any HIIT at all?
By HIIT I’m assuming you mean high intensity interval training in terms of cardio? Yes, I do but I’ve taken a few weeks off to allow my body to adjust to lower cals and carbs without excessive caloric shortages on top of it. I will rotate cardio back in the mix soon, but it will be my last 10-15 lbs before I’m lean enough to be at competition weight. And at that point I’m pretty damn shredded
Great article, John. Thank you for sharing!
Paleo type eating is a simple way to naturally enjoy health, without being overwhelmed by over-analyzing every single detail. For instance, the standard American diet consumes 10-20x more omega 6 than omega 3 which promotes inflammation; should be 1:1 – 1:4 of O3:O6. Largely a result of too much grains/starchy carbs and seed oils like canola.
What diseases are rooted in inflammation (oxidative stress)? All of them! From autoimmune disorders to cancer and heart disease.
But if your paleo-type diet is steak and eggs with a side of sauteed greens, tomatoes and onions, cooked in pastured butter, those types of problems are easily avoided. You get lots of healthy fats and proteins, plus nutrients&fiber of fruits and veggies, eating in such a way.
After doing a great deal of research, I spent months eating paleo and never felt better. Literally, you can FEEL your bodily systems firing off the way they were meant to! Yes, eating cholesterol-rich eggs and saturated fats, beef, brazil nuts etc everyday help make sure you wake up in the AM with a rock hard erection – one of the best barometers of a man’s health.
Paleo eating makes it effortless to be strong & lean, IMO while maximizing health through nutrition. At 6’4″ ~205lbs I am much leaner, healthier and agile than I was in my carb-heavy past ~230lbs. I consider it to be the most compatible diet to our course of evolution that found us eating such basic foods for thousands of years; opposed to the high grain consumption that began only ~10k years ago.
Hey John,
Enjoyed the post and your pragmatic approach.
“I eliminated all of my carb sources with the exception of apples. That’s right, I pretty much eat about 3-4 apples every fucking day for my carbs. I eat lean meats, whole eggs, bacon, coconut oil, nuts, green veggies, and just drink water and coffee.”
Great line that sums it up well. I have been eating paleo for the past month and have never felt better. I combine it with Intermittent Fasting and only eat between 2pm-10pm. I love the feeling and have been losing fat, feeling great, and the most important part as a previous poster has said that I agree with wholeheartedly,
“Let’s get real here and stop chasing a look that your budget and lifestyle won’t allow.”
Those two are lines that
make sure you wake up in the AM with a rock hard erection – one of the best barometers of a man’s health.
Great post John.
Couldn’t agree more with looking bigger after you’ve cut down.
After shredding down from 205lbs to 180lbs I look far bigger (judging from others comments) then when I was on bulk and still reasonably lean.
PS: unsure if you’ve seen my review of Becoming the Bull:
http://www.ignorelimits.com/reviews/becoming-the-bull-review-john-doe-bodybuilding/
Thanks bro, I went and read it last night
Joe you said that you are only eating when you are hungry. So how many meals are you consuming a day?
it’s usually about 5 meals.day
Great article John. Paleo is the new diet craze out here! I’m a mens physique competitor and I get my Paleo meals sponsored to me every week. They deliver right to my door every Tuesday! Hands down the best sponsor I could’ve asked for! I lost 15lbs in about a little over a week. Dropped down to 5% BF and won the overall NPC Mens Physique title where I live. No gear! Just Paleo! I agree on the apples too! Organic Fuji’s are the best!! I eat 2 a Day. Keep up the great post John!
Congrats to you and all of your success bro!! Men’s physique is definitely taking over lately, it’s a good look and ideal build. I just think the shorts should show more quads
Thank you. I heard theres been a proposal for new shorts in Men’s Physique. Briefs instead of board shorts. I’m for it. No shame in my squat game! Haha I have quads to show! Can’t have a temple without a foundation! Brutha what do you think about this, I’m getting ready to run test Cyp 200 plus Anavar. My show is May 8. Right now I’m at 11%BF 190lb 5’11 and 38yrs young! What’s your take on how I should run this cycle bro? Last time I ran some gear was 2yrs ago. No side effects that I could feel or see. Been clean, diets been clean and I’ve been hittin the gym like an addict!
I would run the test cyp at 200/wk up until 3 wks out, and at that point I would drop it. Test can still hold a little water and most guys drop it out 2-3 weeks before the show. The anavar I would try to get my dosage up around 80-100mg/day, you’ll see a bigger difference if you can get the anavar higher, not to mention a lot of underdosed gear now so what you think is 100mg/day is probably only like 60/day. Stay on anavar up to the show. I’d also use 1/2mg arimadex 3x/wk to help stay dry and keep water off
Ok thanks brutha! I appreciate it. When would I start the Arimadex though? Would I stay on it till show day?
Hey John how many meals are you consuming a day?
Most days lately I think I hit around 5 meals/day.
What are your thoughts on eating 2 meals a day to get ripped and maintain lean muscle mass? Have you ever tried it? Victor pride and matt Marshall swear by it for getting ripped and seeing your abs….
That probably wouldn’t work well for me, I’m carrying too much muscle mass to get by off 2 meals per day. The issue with that would be the huge amounts of food I’d need to eat in one sitting and my body would have trouble digesting it all at once. I have gotten down to 4-5% bodyfat before eating 6 meals per day which included; 24 egg whites, 2 shakes, 32 oz of potatoes, 3 cups of veggies, and 16-24 oz of meat throughout the day. Now, try eating all that within 2 meals. If I still managed to drop to that low of bodyfat while eating that, then why would I eat less to get try and get the same results? I believe in keeping my body like a furnace, constantly burning and working in overdrive throughout the day. There is no reason to eat less frequently than the average person when #1- you’re eating clean #2- your training hard, and #3- your already doing cardio
Listen man, I’m not trying to debunk anything those guys have said on what works for them. I’m just telling you what works for me, and what probably would not work for me. But you need to do what works for you. I am not about achieving results through convenience, I’m about getting results at whatever cost necessary, even when I don’t feel like cooking my food at midnight when I could be asleep
Hey John Doe what do you recommend for joint pain on the elbows and shoulder particularly rotator cuff? I’m experiencing that from heavy compound lifts such as pull-ups, bench pressing and military presses. Also how can some one improve their max on pull-ups? My goal is to do 50 straight perfect pull-ups. Thanks..
What about banana’s? What’s the deal them and insulin? I think I can really get used to eating a few for my carbs. I think I could really stick with that. Just fill in the rest with fat and protein and I would drop weight rather quickly.
Me being 250lb, if I went paleo 90% of the time the fat would just melt off. Lifting weights would hurt either.
Banana’s are pretty much the same as apples, both are good. I would eat them post workout and at dinnertime, so you can fully take advantage of the fat burning effect of the paleo diet.
can you build muscle on paleo?
Yes you can
Hi John, great article thx.
I tried your diet, for breakfast, I take eggs and ground beef with a bit of green salad, chicken and salad for lunch, and for dinner usually beef, or ground beef and eggs. I snack on nuts, greek yoghurt, and apples.
It works like wonder, I have good energy for workouts and a good muscle definition. The only problem is that i find it hard to gain weight on this diet, any hints ? should I eat more potatoes , starches few days a week ?
LH
I would continue on this diet until you can see your abs and are in single digit bodyfat first. Then I’d go back to a traditional bodybuilding diet with other carb sources like rice and potatoes and build up from there. Hell, at least it’ll all be more muscle rather than fat if you start off leaner right?
Thanks for your answer john.
Actually I do see my abs ( pretty well defined :)) .
I’ll switch to a diet similar to the one mentioned in your book, I’ll add oats in the morning, and rice or potatoes in the evening.
I
John, when you say coconut oil. Do you mean to cook with or taking pill form? Thanks
I am talking about real coconut oil in a jar. I eat it with a spoon like peanut butter, and use it to cook with
Thanks John!
Hey John!
I bought your book and I’ve been doing the “kick ass start” diet in the book (low carb)
I feel that I’m lean but I still have belly fat and that bother me. Any tips?
When I contract I can see my abs but when I’m relaxed I can’t.
Thanks!
just follow the layout man, you’ll get there
Thanks!
I saw a post from you as a first in other website talking about fat burner.
Which fat burner do you recommend?
Apples are good for many reasons. But above all for the ursolic acid that they bring into the equation and which actively contributes to melt the fat off. Don’t peel them though as the ursolic acid is in and just underneath the skin.
For even incomparable results, in addition to eating apples, I supplement with large doses of Tulsi -ocimum sanctum – (also called sacred basil. Hindus consider it being one of the few sacred plants) which is a plant containing mega-doses of ursolic acid.
Give it a try at like 3 grams (of ocimum sanctum not the whole ground plant) a day for 3 months combined with a clean diet and you’ll be amazed with the results.. .in addition to all the other great benefits this plant brings to your body. Look it up guys !
Thanks so much for your input!!
soyou use only paleo diet when dieting? all year you eat like 100-300 carbs? how many injections per day?
No, I go back and forth between paleo dieting and moderate carbs/low fat. I usually stay under 300/day carbs all year though, but I do occasionally add back in oats, yams, rice. Not sure what you mean by how many injections per day, I use very little gear actually
For my Carb Day, how do I eat enough rice, potatoes, and oatmeal to get the same amount of carbs from each? I want to rotate options with my carbs (so I can eat WHAT I’m craving :-) )
it’s pretty easy if you’re consuming rice, potatoes and oats. Depending on what your individual needs are, but I’d say most guy’s will require about 300 grams/day of carbs on a re-feed day. 1 cup of oats is about 60 grams of carbs, 1 average size yam or baked potato is about 50 grams, and 1 cooked portion of rice (1 serving) is roughly 37 grams. Yea I’m a total nutrient dork, I memorize this shit. Just figure it up and add it in accordingly. It’s ok to come off a traditional Paleo diet for a carb re-feed, because I don’t know anyone who is 100% Paleo that looks like a bodybuilder. You need to bend the rules a little
Well, I guess tomorrow will start paleo dieting. It seems to me that you’ll not lose weight anyway eating as much as you want. Or eating always when you are hungry. Agree with you. But I want to know from your experience – how much pounds have you managed to gain?
I have never gained weight while paleo dieting. I am at a point where gaining overall size isn’t a concern and I focus more on trying to remain lean. Honestly, if I was having trouble gaining weight then I wouldn’t worry so much as to whether or not the diet was strictly Paleo or whatever else. A bowl of spaghetti here and there or a burger would be fair game. Just shooting you straight -JD