Scott Trout NPC National Level Competitor

My Philosophies on Training 

and Nutrition

My Philosophy
Bodybuilding is a lifestyle.  Every aspect of your life is reflected in your body.  It's not just the training that will build the body you want, it's mostly the food you eat, getting enough sleep, and even keeping your stress level down to a minimum. All these factors can make you or break you as a bodybuilder (especially in contest preparation) or in just improving your body.

I do my best to keep all of the above in check, but from time to time, things will get in the way.  I just do what I can to correct the problem as quickly as possible and keep focused on the goal.

Set short term and long term goals and map out what you think it will take to reach them.  Above all be patient.  Being a lifetime natural bodybuilder,  I've learned "Patience Is A Virtue".  There are NO short cuts.

My Nutrition
In the off season  I eat pretty clean with a few bad meals here and there  (I Love Food) and at least 1 gallon of water.  I make sure I keep my protein intake as high as I can get in, mostly from chicken and beef with a smaller portion coming from protein drinks and bars. My biggest carb meals of the day are breakfast and post workout being that those times of the day your body is "on empty" so the carbs you consume at those points are less likely to be stored as fat and more likely to fill the muscles glycogen (carb) stores.

Come show time things get very different.  My protein intake stays about the same but, I drink 2 to 3 gallons of  water, and everything I like to eat - I DON'T!! (NO bread, NO dairy, NO sugar), with a cheat meal every couple of weeks to keep me sane ( they also seem to speed up my fat loss). My protein intake stays around 300 to 400 grams mostly from solid sources (chicken breasts, egg whites, and some fish).  I gradually drop my carbs week by week. I eat broccoli or other greens with most meals (the fiber slows down the absorption of the other carbs).  All this takes place in about 15-20  weeks depending on how fat I let myself get in the off season.

One of the best things you can do on your own is to get Chris Aceto's book Everything You Need to Know About Fat Loss. This book has helped me as well as many of my clients over the years.

Typical Off Season Day (Weight Gain)

1) Weight Gain Shake / Oatmeal / Fish Oil

2) 1/2 lb Lean Beef / Pasta /2 tbsp Peanut butter

3) Weight Gain Shake / 2 tbsp PB

4) 9 oz Chicken Breast / Rice / 2 tbsp PB

5) 1/2 lb Lean Beef / Pasta / 2tbsp PB

6) Pro / Waximaze (post workout)

7) Chicken Breast / Brown Rice / Flax Oil

(Totaling over 5,000 cals per day)
Carbohydrate and Fat amounts change as the weeks progress. Protein amounts stay the same.

Typical Contest Day (Fat Loss)

1) Pro Powder / Oatmeal / Fish Oil

2) 9 oz Chicken Breast / Brown Rice / Green Veggie

3) Pro Shake w/Oatmeal / Flax Oil

4) 9 oz Chicken Breast / Sweet Potato / Green Veggie

5) 9 oz Chicken Breast  / Brown Rice / Green Veggie Fish oil (pre workout)

6) 11 oz White Fish / White Rice (post workout)

7) Pro Shake

* some meals may replace chicken with fish or eggs whites

My Training

My weight training doesn't change much from off season to contest prep, but my cardio does. Contest I do cardio every morning and twice on some off training days. Currently I train on a 5 day split never working out more than 3 days straight. Each body part is trained once every 7 days (to give the muscle time to recuperate) with the exception of abs and calves which are trained twice a week. Form must be kept in check to make sure the muscle your trying to work is actually doing the work, as well as to prevent injury. Although at the end of the set if you have a spotter some cheating can be done under control as well as forced reps. 

Over the years I have tried many different training styles most of which had me training 5 days per week. Unfortunately, I am starting to believe that I have been in a state of overtraining off and on for a long time especially being that I find it hard to back off on the intensity of my workouts. So I'm going with much fewer training days per week while keeping the weights and intensity as high as possible. I'm using a modified H.I.T.style of training. Only 2  working sets per exercise very heavy and sticking with basic movements. Total of less than 8 sets per body part. With my workouts lasting less than an hour. My current split is as follows with abs done on Back and Leg days...

• Sun*    Off
• Mon*   Back & Abs
• Tue*    Chest & Calves
• Wed*   Off
• Thu*    Quads & Abs
• Fri*      Delts & Calves
• Sat*     Bis & Tris
• Then the cycle starts over again.

* I keep my workout VERY intense and heavy, also keeping my form as strict as possible.

My Supplementation

Now this is an important aspect of bodybuilding, though not as much so as the above. There are many things out there that work great for some and not at all for others, so what works for me won't necessarily work the same for you.  Its' all about trial and error.  See if it works and go from there. 

Of course I use the basics -multi-vitamin, extra C, anti-oxidants, digestive enzymes, protein powders and meal replacement drinks... 
As for the more bodybuilding oriented supplements I've been using many products by Geared Up Nutrition. You may have not be familiar with Geared Up yet but you will. At the moment I am using there Hot Wired for extra energy and thermogenic, NOS2 for vassal dilation, Kre-a-Blast ph for my creatin. One of the biggest differences in my supplementation has been adding Torque. Torque is a test boosting product that has help tremendously with my strength and recuperation between workouts. Tho with this product as with any test booster you must take care of your liver as well as prostate. 
Beyond Geared Up's products I also use L-Glutamine. Which (in my opinion) is the most important being that is the most abundant amino acid in the body and critical for muscle recuperation and immune system.  Creatine for muscle power and strength as well as slightly for muscle recuperation (would be second). BCAA are also helpful in muscle recuperation. ZMA (zinc & magnesium aspartate) is helpful for maximizing hormone levels (not elevating). N.O. products like NOS2 help increase nitrogen in the muscle increasing muscle fullness as well as speed muscle recovery. These I use pretty much year round.

Now for contest prep. supplements... first on my list is L- Carnitine this helps the body actually break down fat to be used as fuel (works better for some than others).  Then there is everyone's favorite controversial product - thermogenics (ephedra products) -with this one - follow the directions, the warnings and listen to your body - if you don't like the way you feel don't use them! HMB- I only use when I'm dieting because it aids in preserving muscle while dieting.  I don't think it's entirely necessary if your body isn't in a stressful situation such as dieting and or extreme amounts of cardio.