HOW TO
GET BIG
Following on from the article in the
previous edition called How To Get Big
Naturally, where we covered various aspects
of training and nutrition for natural athletes, I
would like to offer some practical solutions to
achieving a great physique without the use of
“enhancement aids” such as anabolic steroids.
For this article I consulted an old friend and
someone who I’m in contact with on a daily basis
(SSN’s Product Development Manager / R&D), Brett
Bruce. For those of you who don’t know who Brett
is, he has forgotten more about diet, nutrition and
training than I will probably ever know, and has
technical expertise equal to Mario Van Biljon – both
are fantastic guys and amazing assets to have in a
supplement company! Brett is also co-owner of Pro-
Nutrition.
One of the first questions we’re asked, almost on a daily
basis, by aspiring athletes is: “What can I take to get big
like you?” Really guys? Do you think that taking anabolic
steroids is going to get you to where the top South African
athletes are in terms of muscular development, proportion,
symmetry and conditioning? I wish it were that easy.
REALITY CHECK
Let’s be real and put this into context for readers. I competed
for many years in my bodybuilding career as a drug-
free athlete, and won my division at the KwaZulu-Natal
Championships a number of times, and was also crowned the
KwaZulu-Natal Overall champion in 2006 completely drug-
free. So too has Mario Van Biljon, who also won the KwaZulu-Natal
Overall title a number of times. He also competed drug-free in
the Classic World Championships, placing fourth at that show.
Justin Thacker is another example of an international athlete
who has competed drug-free, and has won the KwaZulu-Natal
Championships and South African Championships as a
natural athlete
Why is this relevant you may ask? Well, it shows that it is possible
to build an amazing physique and win at a provincial championship
level as a natural athlete. Accordingly anabolic steroids should
NOT be the first thing you consider. In fact, it should be the LAST
thing you consider when trying to build a world-class physique and
compete as a bodybuilder in South Africa.
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I have put together a daily diet and supplement plan
that can be used as a blueprint for aspiring athletes as
a reference guide. This is divided into a “normal day”
and a “high carb day” diet protocol. You can choose the
high carb day to fuel your lagging body parts or your
major workouts. If you train early in the morning, then
have the high carb day the day before the workout. If
you train in the evenings then your high carb day falls
on the day of the workout.
DAILY DIET High Intensity Programme
NORMAL DAY
Meal plan and macronutrients
UPON WAKING 5-10g BCAA + 5g glutamine + 5g creatine monohydrate
(e.g.: SSN Cytoguard or SSN Amino Gain)
BREAKFAST • Oats - 50-70g with 40-60g (2-3 scoops) 100% whey protein
• Optional: 1 x large banana (if you’re a real hard gainer)
SUPPLEMENTS 1 x high potency multivitamin + 1 x multi-mineral
(e.g. SSN Muscle Vitamin Pack) / 1000mg vitamin C /
3 x 1000mg CLA
SNACK
MID-MORNING 1 serving MRP or 2 x scoops of 100% casein /
3-4 rice cakes or a piece of fruit
SUPPLEMENTS 5-10g of BCAA 30 mins before meal (e.g. SSN BCAA 3:1:1
- high in leucine)
MEAL • Fillet steak or chicken fillet - approx 200g
• Brown or basmati rice (1 cup / approx. 180g cooked weight)
• Green veg or salad (optional)
SNACK MID-
AFTERNOON 150g tuna or ostrich mince with 1/2 cup of cooked
basmati rice (approx. 90-100g)
PRE-WORKOUT
MEAL 50g of oats with 40g of 100% whey protein (2 scoops)
+ 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter (off-season
mass-gain treat!)
SUPPLEMENTS • Pre-workout drink: (optional) + 5g BCAA + 5g
glutamine + 5g creatine monohydrate / 1000mg
• Vitamin C + 2000mg ZMA
• Intra-workout: 10g BCAA + 5g glutamine + 30-40g
carbohydrate (e.g. waxy maize, vitargo, dextrose) -
a good example of this type of intra-workout is SSN
Cytomaize or SSN Vitargo Aftershock
• Post-workout: 5g BCAA (higher leucine content) +
40g 100% whey protein + 5g glutamine (I use SSN
Cytoguard as my intra-post amino product)
• Note: Hard-gainers must rather use a mass builder,
which delivers approximately 20g protein and 40-60g
carbohydrates + 5g glutamine in this post-workout shake
MEAL • White fish or chicken fillet - approximately 200g
• Sweet potato (approximately 300g) or basmati rice
(approximately 250g)
• Green veg or salad (optional)
OPTIONAL
BED TIME MEAL
OR SNACK Casein x 2 scoops (50-60g) + tablespoon natural
peanut butter
SUPPLEMENTS 2000mg ZMA
www.muscleevolution.co.za
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