Mike Lipowski competing at IDFA 2012
In addition to founding Pure Physique and serving as the president of the International Association of Resistance Trainers (IART), Mike Lipowski is a professional natural bodybuilder, international fitness speaker and author, co-founder of the Drug-Free Athlete’s Coalition (DFAC), and has been voted Westchester’s Best Personal Trainer.
He works with fitness professionals, competitors, and everyday people who are looking to set and reach their health, fitness, and lifestyle goals using an “untraditional but focused” approach, helping clients develop the best version of themselves through applied muscle and strength science.
Giveaway: Corporate Warrior listeners can get a FREE 92-page eBook written by Mike Lipowski, detailing the exercise science principles, concepts, approach, and training methods he uses as a HIT-based bodybuilder. Get your copy here.
Contact Mike:
- Mike’s Official Website
- Pure Physique Official Website
- Mike Lipowski on Facebook
- Pure Physique on Facebook
- Mike Lipowski on Instagram
- Pure Physique on Instagram
- mikel [@] purephysique.com
In this episode we cover:
- How to prepare for bodybuilding competitions 12, 6, and 3 months out
- How to determine your muscle fibre type composition
- How to design workouts based on your muscle fibre types
- … and much more!
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Listen Below:
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.
This episode is brought to you by Hituni.com, providers of the best online courses in high intensity training that come highly recommended by Dr. Doug McGuff and Discover Strength CEO, Luke Carlson. Course contributors include world-class exercise experts like Drew Baye, Ellington Darden and Skyler Tanner. There are courses for both trainers and trainees. So even if you’re not a trainer but someone who practices HIT, this course can help you figure out how to improve your progress and get best results. Check out Hituni.com, add the course you want to your shopping cart and enter the coupon code ‘CW10’ to get 10% off your purchase!
This episode is brought to you by Exercise Science LLC, your one-stop shop for all your exercise needs. Exercise Science, a high intensity strength training studio based out of New Orleans, is owned and run by Exercise Physiologist and Body By Science contributor, Ryan Hall. Ryan has been featured on the podcast twice and both are among my most popular episodes of all time. Exercise Science LLC have the expertise, experience and the tools to maximise physical strength, improve performance and functional capacity in just 12 minutes per session. I’m a big fan of Ryan and if I were living in New Orleans, I would seriously sign up in a heart beat. To book a consultation now – click here.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY: How do you prepare for a bodybuilding competition? Please let me know in the comments at the bottom of this post.
Scroll down for links and show notes…
Show Notes
Click the link below to listen from the exact time stamp on Overcast:
- Mike talks about his history in bodybuilding [5:53]
- How did Mike prepare for bodybuilding competitions early on? [9:00]
- Training using “Blitzing” and non-HIT natural bodybuilding [11:28]
- What training protocols has Mike used in the past? [14:38]
- How would Mike prepare for bodybuilding competitions now? [16:54]
- Mike’s training philosophy [22:24]
- What does Mike’s current training protocol look like? [25:40]
- The pitfalls of rigidly sticking to just one training protocol [27:48]
- Does Mike tweak his training protocol before or after competitions? [30:09]
- Mike’s approach to diet and nutrition [32:51]
- On increasing caloric intake, metabolism, fat loss, and the leptin factor [34:48]
- What does Mike’s typical day look like, in terms of diet and nutrition? [38:12]
- Has Mike learned anything recently that might benefit him in future competitions? [41:06]
- What has Mike learned from bodybuilding that has benefited him personally and professionally? [44:09]
- On testing your muscle fibre type with the Rate of Fatigue test [48:06]
- How does Mike introduce clients to his workout protocols? [53:34]
- Mike goes into detail on training cycles [56:02]
- How important is individualized training? [57:23]
- Has Mike changed his mind about anything regarding training and exercise recently? [58:16]
- Mike’s parting thoughts and advice on bodybuilding [1:03:24]
Selected Links from the Episode
- Natural Bodybuilding
- Nautilus Resistance Equipment
- Super Slow High Intensity Training
- International Association of Resistance Trainers (IART)
- Zone Training (Volume 1): The JReps Method by Brian D. Johnston and Andrew Shortt ( Amazon US / Amazon UK )
- Zone Training (Volume 2): JReps Exploded View by Brian D. Johnston and Andrew Shortt ( Amazon US / Amazon UK )
- Z3: Revelations (Zone Training Volume 3) by Brian Johnston D. and Andrew Shortt ( Amazon US / Amazon UK )
- Reg Park’s 5×5 training program
- High Density Training (HDT)
- Body by Science by Dr. Doug McGuff and John Little (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- The Organic Protein Company – Organic Whey Protein (Amazon UK)
- Leptin
- Glycemic Index
- Muscle Fiber Testing – Mike Lipowski
People Mentioned
- Mike Mentzer
- Ken Hutchins
- Brian Johnston (listen to my interview with Brian here)
- Brad Schoenfeld (listen to the episode with Brad here)
413 – Cardiac Rehab & Cabin Gyms: An Intimate Look at Jon Allen’s Personal Training Business
412 – Dr. James Fisher Unveils Trainee Perceptions on Supervised Resistance Training
411 – Maximizing Profits: Secrets to Boosting High-Intensity Training Prices Without Losing Clients with Luke Carlson (Timeless Throwback)
So, I guess the question I have for Mike Lipowski then is: what does he recommend for people who’ve also tried super slow protocols with poor results? I know he says he then did blitzing for his competition, but I was wondering if he still ever uses super slow cadences, and what his general average cadence and frequency is now days as well as his present results? Is he able to use super slow with satisfying results at all, or does he use zero cadence, or does he stick with more of a 3/3, 4/4, or 5/5 etc.?
Hey Ricky, I haven’t used a super slow (or any slow rep protocol) for myself or clients for the last 14 years except for the rare, rehab client. For the purpose of bodybuilding or optimizing appearance I have not found super slow to be useful at all. I followed the protocol religiously for nearly 2 years and watched my physique (and that of some clients) deteriorate, compared to using a standard 3x/week Nautilus protocol. My recommendation for others who have used SS with poor results is to:
1) Examine your training frequency. Slow reps are not the only limiting factor in these protocols but the exceptionally low frequency. Personally, I train 4x/week about 80% of the time, 2-3x/week 10% of the time, and 0-1x/week the remaining 10%. However, I will adjust the intensity of effort if I feel extra recovery is needed and I add a deloading week once every 8 weeks. I’ve found for most individuals who do not do any other activity outside of resistance training, 3-4 workouts/week is best for maximizing hypertrophy and maintaining one’s best appearance. (Much of this has do with glycogen depletion and loading.)
2) My cadence for most exercises is in the range of a 2/3 or 3/3. Any slower than this feels as though I’m moving intentionally slow for to much of the set. Meaning, after the first 2-3 reps I want my tempo to be within the aforementioned range while attempting to move faster on the positive and still controlling the negative. That said, coming off of SS I used a 4/6 and 5/5 but even that felt artificial compared to my current cadence. Plus, I’ve found no “safety” issues with respect to clients moving at 2/3, 3/3/, 2/4 cadences.
Cheers Mike!
Thank you, Michael! Do you use warmup sets too, or do you generally find one set to failure to be enough?
One or two warm-up sets at the start of the workout and then it’s all “work sets” from that point forward.
Mr Lipowski has been making the claim for some time now that Superslow is not effective for bodybuilding / appearance results and that is a major reason we all work out because we want to look good / better . I’ve seen video footage from years back of Mike doing Superslow ( or slow cadence reps ) and it didn’t appear to me that his body looked deteriorated as he claims . Again i’m not calling Mike a liar or anything of the sort but to say that Superslow ( 10 second up and down cadence ) was responsible for his physique deteriorating whatever that means is a startling claim . He says he now uses 2-4 0r 3-3 and those cadences seem to be more to his liking but those are still very slow cadences especially when you consider the ballistic reps that most people do . Ellington Darden has 20-20 and 30-30-30 protocols that have delivered great results for people and 60 second negative protocols as well that have done the same . I’ve personally done and still do many cadences such as 2-4 , 2-6 , 2-10 , 20-20 , 30-30 , and the like with very good results . Why would doing a 10-10 cadence cause your muscles to shrink ( deteriorate ) ? Luke Carlson conducted a study with multiple cadence types and found no differences ( of significance ) with any of them in terms of results produced . Again with all due respect to Mike i think that when people make these types of claims we should expect some evidence to be shown to back them up . The claims he’s making with regards to a rep protocol just seem absurd to me with all due respect .
I agree Enlite. I have spoken to a few scientists about this and I don’t think there is any difference in cadence. The only claims on the contrary are anecdotal and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence to support that SS or 10/10 etc is inferior.