sebastianmaclean

What if any kind of cardio should I include to the growth phase?

Hello Adam,

There is no suggested cardio in the Growth Phase, as the objective in that phase is to allow blood sugar and intracellular fluid levels to rise.

However, if you are starting thos program with a few extra pounds of bad weight around the middle, I would suggest you focus more heavily on the Primer phase style of training for a while. If you are still wanting the cardio in some form during the Growth Phase, then I would do no more than 30 minutes of mild to moderate cardio twice a week. This means no intense runs as they burn a lot of blood sugar off and draw off a lot of fluid. That is not what you want in the Growth Phase

i wasnt big before i started but have gained a few pounds around my mid section. I understand by eating more carbs on the growth phase i will gaine some weight, is this normal?

Hi Adam,

The whole idea of the Growth Phase is aimed at increasing your body weight and overall mauscle mass. I do caution people that if they feel they are stating with more excess weight on their frame than they should have, they should hold off on the Growth Phase until they have leaned out a bit.

I tend to shoot for a six to eight pund gain on the Growth Phase. Much of this is water weight and an increased supply of food in the digestive system. When switching back to the Primer Phase I tend to see my body drop most of this weight in the first week. By the end of the second week I am down six or four to six pounds.

Ideally this means you are left with a net gain in muscle tissue of a couple pounds, but you need to keep an eye on your body fat levels over the year and be certain there isn't too uch of a gradual increase in body fat. If that is happening you can extend you time on the Primer Phase and tighten up a little more without harming muscle gains.