How'd that happen

Nick,

What type of training did you do to change from the skinny kid to what you are now.?


Alan

Predominantly weight training. When I was going to work on the door and do black belt I thought I was far too skinny so I began lifting heavy and eating crazy amounts of food. I'd have things like six eggs for breakfast and ten rashers of bacon along with two pints of milk. I'd mix and drink weight gain powder, milk and smoothies with bananas, cream and peanut paste in them etc and cut back a tad on my cardio.

When I went into the Legion, especially Africa, I got skinny again. The "squirts" for the first six months, coupled with crap food, extreme heat and long runs every morning in that temperature ripped me back down to "having to run round in the shower to get wet" On my return to France I bulked back up, hitting the gym, eating double rations and easing up on cardio again.

The biggest gains though, without a doubt, came from one eight week cycle on steroids (legal at the time) while lifting heavy. I couldn't keep the weight I'd gained in France on due to a ridiculous schedule doing EP work i.e. on a gig for a few weeks, off for a day, on another gig for 3 months, in town for 4, out for a day, back for a week etc. Played havoc with any serious routine. Eventually, in a break, and about to go into celebrity protection where such size is a plus, I opted for an eight week cycle. It worked as advertized though the thing that sucked was having to deal with all the fluid retention that came with it. After I stripped that back off I've stayed round the eighteen to 21 stone mark since depending how much time I get to train and training round serious injuries as a result of my motorcycle accident.

The other thing that I've definitely noticed is a slowing down of the metabolism as you get older. When I was sixteen I struggled hard to keep weight on and a gain of a few pounds was reason to celebrate. Once I hit 40 the thing reversed on me and now it's a struggle to keep it off.


Nick

Cheers Nick,

I know what you mean about hitting forty, some days I wake up thinking I've put weight on in my sleep.


Alan

Hi Nick,

How much of an impact did the increased body weight and strength have on improving your fighting ability?

How much do weights make up of your current schedule?

Thanks,

Jon

Well, I was knocking them out when I was skinny and I knocked them out when I was big so at first glance you'd think not much. Having said that any increase in body weight is going to help you hit harder provided you put body weight into what you do.

I guess the analogy I'd use is being hit by a Mini Cooper at 50mph and being hit by a Cement Truck at the same speed. They're both going to kill you right, but which one will do more damage (and experience less damage itself)

I lift on and off occasionally but don't do anything heavy anymore and haven't for years. My problem with weights is that EVERY single person I know personally who lifts heavy is injured as a result with typically torn rotator cuff, screwed up lower back, and/or damaged knees. Kind of defeats the purpose I think...i.e I'll lift and get big and strong so nobody will mess with me and hurt me but in so doing I'll probably trash a knee, a disc and a rotator cuff...yeehaw.

Now, if you're young then that's a different story..your body will handle a lot of that stuff, and it's almost as if a good night's sleep will cure anythign when you're twenty. As you get older though those injuries don't heal as fast (or at all ) and they're far more prevalent.

Nick