When it comes to condition, Richard Gannon has it all! Every ounce of this mans physique is conditioned to a point that will make your grandma throw up at first sight!Dropping below 10% body fat is an admirable task for anyone who works out, but th transformation from 10% to lower is something else and takes a special kind of athlete to achieve that level of granite hard muscle. To get to the level of 5 % or under takes an athlete years of working in the trenches of hard balls to the wall training developing an understanding of intensity and a tolerance to pain that is beyond the average man. This is not a level to be aimed for by if you are knew to the gym. A intense knowledge and understanding of the basics must be part and parcel of your daily life. Lets remember every boy is different so what works for one may not work for another, hence there is no 100% method that will guarantee success. There are however several nutritional methods you can employ to ensure you have the best chance of success.
Off-Season Guidelines
It’s pretty counterproductive to hold sub-7 percent body fat year-round so first and foremost you got to live with a little bit of body fat year round until it comes time to really dial it in. Get used to being a little fluffy to ensure you can make the gains needed year round and stay relatively strong in the gym. Time off prep will allow you to come back bigger and stronger. Always count your macros otherwise its gonna be guesswork when it comes time to cut! But remember to enjoy a little of what life has to offer and relax now and agin with family and friends for a good feed.
Richards off-season diet usually begins around a week or two after the show and lasts until it’s time to prep again. Sounds simplistic and obvious but what we are trying to say is nothing is left to chance, each meal is meticulously thought about planned and weighed out even in off season. Taking the guesswork out of the off season helps cut months from a prep. This time allows him to recover from the hard work he’s done, physically and mentally.
Typical offseason can go relatively high in calories in comparison to prep. He still has regular cheat meals, but even these are tracked and results recorded. Using this plan, he still stays big enough to throw around the biggest dumbbells in the gym and keep a visible ab wall throughout his offseason.
Leaning Out
Consistency is the key and during the off season I will have experimented with various carb sources and recorded any influence they have had on my body and how i feel that my body has responded( gut health and digestion )
Fat sources are also changed throughout off season and again results recored until i find what works best for me.
Re feeds are kept in , but only when the team feel it is beneficial to either mind or body. Gone are the days of regular re feeds for the sake of it.
I don’t schedule my re-feeds with absolute certainty because they’re based on how quickly the weight comes off and how my body feels. If you want to introduce carb re-feeds into your cutting program, you’ll have to do a little trial and error. Give yourself the time to figure it out so you can alter your plan if it’s not quite going the way you want it to.
Shredding Tip
Prepare meals in bulk and in advance.
Cardio, think of it this way first when prepping. Small amounts can lead to massive results so try to look at cardio as smaller rest periods between sets to begin with. Cut the chatter in the gym and concentrate on the task at hand.
When cardio does get introduced in the form of stair master etc i record everything and start small maybe 15 minutes once a day to see how it goes. Why use all your tools in the box too early leaving no tools left at the end when you may need to move a little more fat for the show.
I want to emphasize that, with the exception of this added cardiovascular work, there is absolutely no change to my workout routine. My workouts will suffer a bit and I will lose some strength, but that’s usually par for the course. The rep schemes and the duration of my workouts do not change. Hard and heavy workload is always in mind. Use it or lose it!
Body Stabilization
Once I’ve reached my goal for body composition, I move into a period of body stabilization. During the leaning-out phase of my program, I usually lose 20 percent of strength on all my lifts. I don’t want to remain weak, so the goal of body stabilization time is to regain my strength and intensity.
I return my protein intake slowly back up, but keep my carbs around my planned amount to ensure i don’t spill over. This macronutrient profile allows my body to recover from the beating of the diet, but doesn’t give it extra calories to put on much, if any, body fat. Combining this macro plan with lots of water allows me to stay lean for the big day.
The goal of this process should be to constantly strive to achieve progress in muscle composition while staying as lean as possible. Eventually, I regain 100 percent of my strength.
It’s Your Turn
You have the plan; now it’s time to turn your pretty damn good body into an absolutely incredible body. It’s time to kick life up a notch and do a transformation that would make the Incredible Hulk blush with embarrassment!
photo credit Lee Archer photo-flex
richard gannon muscletricks
