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The Mutation Series

Weeks 1-3 of a new 12-week transformation plan!

by Christian Thibaudeau

"Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It has allowed us to evolve from a single-celled

organism to the dominant species on this planet. This process is slow, normally takingthousands of years. But every few hundred millenia, evolution leaps forward."

Professor Xavier,X-Men

The Next Level

About a year ago I wrote a chronicle of my body transformation called The Beast

Evolves. This article proved to be very popular and many think it's the most influential

piece I've ever written.

However, there were some things I just didnt like about the article. For one, I was too

vague in my nutrition and training guidelines. Also, I've made some pretty significant

improvements since that article was published. I've learned a lot since then and I'veapplied that knowledge to my own physique goals.

So I've decided to write a new article series detailing the training, nutrition, and

supplement strategy I employed to make drastic improvements to the quality of my

physique. Hopefully it'll give you some motivation to better yourself, as well as a fewtools to help you reach your goals.

First, let's take a look at my own "mutation":

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Note: The first photos in each series were taken as part of a class in Biomechanics. I tookthem for a postural analysis lesson and, as you may have guessed, those pics really woke

me up and inspired me to begin my own personal evolution!

In the Beginning

Im of the opinion that a strength coach must be able to do what he asks of his athletes,not necessarily to the level at which they perform, but a good coach should be able to go

through the process. With my Olympic lifting background, I have the strength and power

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portions covered pretty well as far as credibility goes. And with my first body

transformation, I think I've established myself as someone who can drastically change the

physical appearance of a client.

Having played football, hockey, soccer, baseball, rugby and golf for several years, I

believe when it comes to training athletes I know what Im talking about! The only aspectof the strength game that was left unexplored for me was bodybuilding.

Considering that at least 50% of the people training with weights do so strictly foraesthetic reasons, I felt I was leaving out half of you! How could I become more

rounded? Enter a bodybuilding competition, that's how!

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I prepared for 12 weeks, bought a pair of posing trucks, and went up on stage. Many felt

this was a bad move because if I did poorly it would hurt my reputation as a strengthcoach. However, I believe that the whole experience is more important than the actual

results.

Now, let's get some stuff out of the way right up front: I prepared for the show naturally.

I didnt use any anabolic steroids, growth hormone, insulin or any other bodybuildingdrugs. Those who've competed naturally know how hard it is to lose virtually all their

body fat without losing too much muscle in the process. I felt I accomplished that. I

started out at 220 pounds and ended up at 204, which is approximately the same weight Icarried after my first transformation but with a few less pounds of fat.

In the process I actually kept gaining strength up until the last two weeks. During those

two weeks I wasn't doing much strength training, only enough to maintain my muscle

mass. I cant say I gained a huge amount of strength, but I did improve on most exercisesI used.

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Obviously Im no danger to Mr. Olympia, but I feel that the second transformation waspretty impressive for someone who was already in good shape and who didnt use any

prohormones or illegal drugs.

In this article series, I'll detail everything from my training program to my nutritionalregimen and supplement intake. You dont have to follow the exact same plan, but thosewho do will get amazing results!

Phase 1: Weeks 1-3

Objectives:

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To increase muscle mass while maintaining the same amount of body fat.

To gradually change my dietary habits.

Frequency:

Strength Training: 4 times per week

Energy System Work ("Cardio"): once per week

Training Program for Phase 1

Monday: Upper Back (Horizontal), Rear Deltoids, Brachialis, Forearms

Tuesday: Pectorals (Pressing Motion), Triceps, Anterior and Lateral Delts

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves

Friday: OFF

Saturday: Upper Back (Vertical), Traps, Pectorals (Flying Motion), Lower Back

Sunday: Energy System Session, Abs

Monday

A1. Bent over barbell row

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo (3 seconds lowering, no pause, 1 second lifting)

No rest. Move to the A2 exercise immediately.

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A2. Decline cable pullover

3 sets of 10 reps

502 tempo

120 seconds rest before going back to A2. Repeat for 3 sets before moving to the "B"

exercises below.

B1. Seated row to the neck

3 sets of 8 reps

301 tempo

No rest

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B2. Rear delt raise (bent over lateral)

3 sets of 12

401 tempo

120 seconds of rest

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C1. Reverse grip preacher curl (with straight bar preferably)

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo

No rest

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C2. Forearm roller

3 sets of 4 up and down

60 seconds of rest

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Tuesday

A1. Bench press

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo

No rest

A2. Dips (no added weight)

3 sets of max reps

301 tempo

120 seconds of rest

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B1. Close-grip bench press

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo

No rest

B2. Decline dumbbell triceps extension

3 sets of 10 reps

501 tempo

120 seconds of rest

C1. Seated dumbbell shoulder press

3 sets of 5 reps

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301 tempo

No rest

C2. Lean away lateral raise

3 sets of 12 reps

402 tempo

120 seconds of rest

Thursday

A1. Front squat

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo

No rest

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A2. Leg extension

3 sets of 10 reps

402 tempo

120 seconds of rest

B1. Romanian deadlift

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo

No rest

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B2. Lying leg curl

3 sets of 10 reps

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402 tempo

120 seconds of rest

C. Back squat

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo

120 seconds of rest

D. Seated calf raise

3 sets of 15 reps

301 tempo

90 seconds of rest

Saturday

A1. Weighted chin-up

3 sets of 5 reps

301 tempo

No rest

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A2. Close-grip lat pulldown

3 sets of 10 reps

402 tempo

120 seconds of rest

B1. Barbell power shrug

3 sets of 5 reps

201 tempo

No rest

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Note: A power shrug is just like a regular shrug except you go super heavy and "kick

start" the bar with your legs.

B2. Hise shrugs on standing calf machine

3 sets of 10 reps

202 tempo

120 seconds of rest

C1. Cable crossover

3 sets of 10 reps

402 tempo

No rest

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C2. Flat dumbbell flies

3 sets of 10 reps

402 tempo

120 seconds of rest

D. Back extension

3 sets of max reps

501 tempo

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90 seconds of rest

Sunday

A. 15 minutes of slow pace energy system work. (Example: treadmill 3.4 mph, 8 degrees

incline)

B1. Cable crunches

3 sets of 10 reps

402 tempo

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No rest

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B2. Crunches on Swiss ball

3 sets max reps

402 tempo

120 seconds of rest

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C. 12 minutes HIIT energy system work: 30 seconds of high intensity, 60 seconds of low

intensity. (For more info, see my Running Man article.)

D1. Incline Russian twist

3 sets of 10 reps

402 tempo

No rest

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D2. V crunch

3 sets max reps

402 tempo

120 seconds of rest

Note: A V crunch is simply where you perform a crunch and a reverse crunch at the sametime, forming a "V" with your body.

Nutrition Program for Phase 1

In this first phase, I started by reducing my caloric intake slightly as well as reducing theamount of carbs I consumed. I got rid of all "crappy" food. My caloric intake was set at

16 kcals per pound of bodyweight (220 x 16 = 3500 kcals) on average.

I say "on average" because on any given day the amount would fluctuate by 250 kcals up

or down. However, the average was still at 3500 kcals per day. I made sure I consumedaround 450 grams of protein per day, half of it from regular food and the other half from

Low Carb GROW!.

I consumed 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, all of them after my daily workout (100

grams in my post-workout meal, 50 grams two hours later). I also consumed around 100grams of fat, half of it from good oils such as fish oils, flax seed oil and CLA, and the

other half coming from my regular food.

I ate seven times per day:

1) 6:30 AM: Regular food: 60-65g of protein, 20g of fat, 0 carbs, 10g of BCAA

2) 10:30 AM: 3 scoops Low Carb Grow!: 60g of protein, 9g of carbs, 6g of fat, plus 12gof fish oil

3) 12:30 PM: Regular food: 60-65g of protein, 20g of fat, 0 carbs

4) 2:30 PM: 4 scoops Low Carb Grow!: 80g protein, 12g carbs, 6g fat, 12g of fish oil

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5) 6:30 PM: Post-workout drink: 100g simple carbs, 4 scoops Carb Grow!: 80g protein,

12g carbs, 8g fat, 10g BCAA, 10g of creatine

6) 8:30 PM: Regular food: 80-100g protein, 50g of carbs from veggies, 0g fat, 10g ofcreatine

7) Before bed: 3 scoops Low Carb Grow!: 60g of protein, 9g of carbs, 6g of fat, 12g of

CLA

Supplement Program for Phase 1

I used several supplements during this phase, mostly those that would help me gain

muscle mass while reducing body fat. I obviously used a lot of Low Carb Grow!, fish

oils, and CLA. On top of that I also used daily:

TRIBEX: three capsules, three times per day

M: three capsules in the morning

RED KAT: two capsules twice per day (morning and evening)

Creatine: 10g in each of the two meals following my training session

Vitamin A: 10,000 IU per day

BCAA: 10g three times per day (morning, during workout, post-workout)

Although I used HOT-ROX in this 12-week transformation, I didn't start with it right

away. I preferred to save it for when I really needed that extra boost to increase fat loss.

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During this first phase I went from 220 down to 217 pounds but lost quite a bit of fat. My

strength continued to increase during the whole phase and my mood was pretty decent

(that would change later on!)

The TRIBEX, M and RED KAT trio provided me with a natural anabolic boost. TRIBEX

increased Testosterone production by stimulating the pituitary to release LH. M improvedthe Testosterone to estrogen/progesterone ratio, and RED KATalong with coaxing the

testes to produce more Testosteronedrastically lowered SHBG, which meant that moreof the added Testosterone produced would be in free form, which is the active form of the

hormone. For people wanting to really increase their anabolic drive without touching

legal or illegal androgens, I feel that this is by far the most effective stack to use.

End of Phase I

This first phase of training really helped with my body composition since I was able to

add muscle while shedding some fat. As I mentioned in the original "Beast Evolves"article, I have just about the worst genetics in the world when it comes to getting lean. So

if I can do it, so can you!

Try the first phase of this program and let me know what you think. Summer is just

around the corner; isnt it time you started getting in shape?