Another hit piece on Atkins

http://www.rense.com/general41/off.htm

I am no longer on the Atkins diet. However, I do believe that it is the
only rational way to lose weight. The reason why the Atkins diet is so
effective is because when you eat less carbohydrates it suppresses hunger.
I lost 38 lbs in 4 months, but in retrospect, I think I lost too much
weight.

I'm concerned about the hit pieces like the article in the link above. It
doesn't surpise me because commercial interests such as "Weight Watchers"
and other "high carb, low fat" propagandists are starting to lose money. A
"high carb, low fat" diet is virtually guaranteed to make 99% of people
fail, and make them slaves to to the diet industry. A diet that actually
works is not very profitable. Even the Atkins diet probably doesn't make as
much money as it would like to by the fact that a lot of low-carbers
probably have never bought an Atkins book and just got their information
from the internet.

The reason why I'm no longer on this diet is because I started an intensive
weightlifting exercise regimen. I've regained all of my weight back, but
this time it was mostly muscle. Staying on the Atkins diet would not have
provided me with enough calories to make my body grow muscle. But for
people who are not physically active, the low-carb diet is a godsend.
However, from time to time I will restrict my carbohydrate intake for 2
weeks to lose fat.

I think that because the corporate media is going full throttle in their
anti-Atkins bias is evidence of the success of Atkins. The world used to
believe that the world was flat and that the sun revolved around the earth.
It just goes to show how insane humanity can be. When I started researching
the best way to build muscle, I read the principles of Arthur Jones and Mike
Mentzer--true radicals of the bodybuilding world. I only do 6 sets per
workout 3 times a week, and yet I've built more muscle than gym rats who
take steroids.

COBLGP wrote:
:: When I started researching the best way to build muscle, I
:: read the principles of Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer--true radicals
:: of the bodybuilding world. I only do 6 sets per workout 3 times a
:: week, and yet I've built more muscle than gym rats who take steroids.

Would you expand on the "6 sets per workout 3 times a week," please?

"Roger Zoul" wrote in message
...
COBLGP wrote:
:: When I started researching the best way to build muscle, I
:: read the principles of Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer--true radicals
:: of the bodybuilding world. I only do 6 sets per workout 3 times a
:: week, and yet I've built more muscle than gym rats who take steroids.

Would you expand on the "6 sets per workout 3 times a week," please?

1 set of bench press
1 set of seated military press
1 set of barbell curls
1 set of bent-over rows
1 set of deadlifts
1 set of situps

I lift the bar for as many reps as I can until I reach failure. Once I can
do 12 successful repetitions, I increase the weight on the barbell by 5 lbs
for the next workout. Extensive record keeping is recommended to examine
your progress and to know when you can progress to the next weight level.

I was trying to use the analogy of high intensity training to Atkins to show
that there is a lot of misinformation out there. The weightlifting
magazines would have you believe that you need to do 20-30 sets per workout
and take expensive protein and nutritional supplements in order to build
muscle. Most people who start lifting weights will spend endless hours at
the gym and then get sick and tired of it. If one follows what the
mainstream muscle rags recommend, most people will actually overtrain and
lose muscle mass.

COBLGP wrote:
"Roger Zoul" wrote in message
...
COBLGP wrote:
When I started researching the best way to build muscle, I
read the principles of Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer--true
radicals
of the bodybuilding world. I only do 6 sets per workout 3
times a week, and yet I've built more muscle than gym rats
who take steroids.

Would you expand on the "6 sets per workout 3 times a week,"
please?

1 set of bench press
1 set of seated military press
1 set of barbell curls
1 set of bent-over rows
1 set of deadlifts
1 set of situps

I lift the bar for as many reps as I can until I reach
failure. Once I can do 12 successful repetitions, I increase
the weight on the barbell by 5 lbs for the next workout.
Extensive record keeping is recommended to examine your
progress and to know when you can progress to the next weight
level.

I was trying to use the analogy of high intensity training to
Atkins to show that there is a lot of misinformation out
there. The weightlifting magazines would have you believe
that you need to do 20-30 sets per workout and take expensive
protein and nutritional supplements in order to build muscle.
Most people who start lifting weights will spend endless
hours at the gym and then get sick and tired of it. If one
follows what the mainstream muscle rags recommend, most
people will actually overtrain and lose muscle mass.

It seems that popular thinking was/is the more reps the better. I recently
read an article about a method the author referred to as the pyramid method.
The just of it was that you would do reps with a weight that you could do
10-15 repes with. When you failed at that wieght you would go to the next
lower wieght and continue doing reps. The objective was to tire or break
down the muscle tissue as much as possible. The reps were not to be done any
more frequently than every 48 hours.

BJ

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 12:54:04 GMT, BJ in Texas wrote:

COBLGP wrote:
"Roger Zoul" wrote in message
...
COBLGP wrote:
When I started researching the best way to build muscle, I
read the principles of Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer--true
radicals
of the bodybuilding world. I only do 6 sets per workout 3
times a week, and yet I've built more muscle than gym rats
who take steroids.

Would you expand on the "6 sets per workout 3 times a week,"
please?

1 set of bench press
1 set of seated military press
1 set of barbell curls
1 set of bent-over rows
1 set of deadlifts
1 set of situps

I lift the bar for as many reps as I can until I reach
failure. Once I can do 12 successful repetitions, I increase
the weight on the barbell by 5 lbs for the next workout.
Extensive record keeping is recommended to examine your
progress and to know when you can progress to the next weight
level.

I was trying to use the analogy of high intensity training to
Atkins to show that there is a lot of misinformation out
there. The weightlifting magazines would have you believe
that you need to do 20-30 sets per workout and take expensive
protein and nutritional supplements in order to build muscle.
Most people who start lifting weights will spend endless
hours at the gym and then get sick and tired of it. If one
follows what the mainstream muscle rags recommend, most
people will actually overtrain and lose muscle mass.

It seems that popular thinking was/is the more reps the better. I
recently
read an article about a method the author referred to as the pyramid
method.
The just of it was that you would do reps with a weight that you could do
10-15 repes with. When you failed at that wieght you would go to the next
lower wieght and continue doing reps. The objective was to tire or break
down the muscle tissue as much as possible. The reps were not to be done
any
more frequently than every 48 hours.

BJ




You really have to warm up before doing a Mentzer-style workout. I tend to
the Mentzer-style workouts, but I think you need more sets than 6. For
instance, what about rear deltoids? Upper chest area, traps (both my weak
points), calves, etc.

--
Bob M in CT
Remove 'x.' to reply

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 12:54:04 GMT, "BJ in Texas"
wrote:


1 set of bench press
1 set of seated military press
1 set of barbell curls
1 set of bent-over rows
1 set of deadlifts
1 set of situps

And a partridge in a Pear Tree. :-)

Ms.Jaime
(who quit smoking 10 years ago today...Sept 22)

"BJ in Texas" wrote in message
...


It seems that popular thinking was/is the more reps the better. I recently
read an article about a method the author referred to as the pyramid
method.
The just of it was that you would do reps with a weight that you could do
10-15 repes with. When you failed at that wieght you would go to the next
lower wieght and continue doing reps. The objective was to tire or break
down the muscle tissue as much as possible. The reps were not to be done
any
more frequently than every 48 hours.

The number of reps per set you do (which corresponds with your weight load)
should depend on what your goal is. 18-20 reps/set at maximum intensity
will increase endurance more than strength. 6-8 reps/set at maximum
intensity will do the reverse. I started weight training in 2000 (had a
year off during grad school, though) and have used the same instructor the
entire time. During a 6-week circuit (she changes the circuit every six
weeks, to change the muscle groups worked or to change the way muscle groups
are worked) she'll change the way we do sets every week. The first week
we'll do sets of 12 to get used to the circuit and to find our ideal
weight-loads. Then she might do a week or two for endurance, then a week or
two for strength, then the final week will either be pyramiding, 3-rep max,
or she'll modify the circuit to do super-setting. Or sometimes she'll
change the count of each rep--standard is 2 pause 2 but sometimes we'll so 2
pause-2 8, or 4 pause 8 or 2 2 pause 2 or some other combination depending
on whether she wants to emphasize the eccentric or concentric part of the
rep.

According to her, variety is important in order to train your muscles in
different ways.

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

COBLGP wrote:

The reason why I'm no longer on this diet is because I started an intensive
weightlifting exercise regimen ... Staying on the Atkins diet would not have
provided me with enough calories to make my body grow muscle.

Not true. Folks on Atkins eat plenty of protein (usually too much for
best loss rates) so there is plenty of material to build muscles.

But there is a separate factor that is true. Intense workouts like
yours burn almost all carbs, and that drains the supply of carbs
stored within the body. You'd "hit the wall" in many or all of your
intense workouts. And that would limit the body's impulse to grow
new muscle tissue.

The end result is the same, but the reason is not the one you stated.

Sounds like you found something that works great for you. Excellent.

On 22 Sep 2003 12:22:58 -0700, Doug Freyburger wrote:

COBLGP wrote:

The reason why I'm no longer on this diet is because I started an
intensive
weightlifting exercise regimen ... Staying on the Atkins diet would not
have
provided me with enough calories to make my body grow muscle.

Not true. Folks on Atkins eat plenty of protein (usually too much for
best loss rates) so there is plenty of material to build muscles.

But there is a separate factor that is true. Intense workouts like
yours burn almost all carbs, and that drains the supply of carbs
stored within the body. You'd "hit the wall" in many or all of your
intense workouts. And that would limit the body's impulse to grow
new muscle tissue.

The end result is the same, but the reason is not the one you stated.

Sounds like you found something that works great for you. Excellent.


I have to say that I disagree. When I was lifting weights, I lifted very,
very hard. I superset everything, and I do more sets in one hour than most
people do in several hours. In 15 minutes, I can do 4-5 sets of quads, 4-5
sets of leg biceps, 4-5 sets of calves and perhaps even more. I keep a
workout log, and I can find it (I injured my biceps tendons and haven't
lifted in 6 months or so). I never had a problem with hitting the wall.
Now, I do take plenty of rest between workout days, but on some of my
"rest" days I'm doing aerobics.

--
Bob M in CT
Remove 'x.' to reply

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 10:39:14 -0600, "COBLGP"
wrote:

I am no longer on the Atkins diet. However, I do believe that it is the
only rational way to lose weight.

You live in a very small world then.