Here’s How I "Dialed In" at Age 51

Now, let’s get right into a typical day during my contest preparation.

7:00am: Arise, take Density, Energy Reserve and mix Glutamine Select in 24 oz of water to sip while I’m on the treadmill. Treadmill: 45 minutes @ 3.5 mph and a 15 degree incline. Burn 600-700 calories.

8:00am: Shower and breakfast. For breakfast I have 12 egg whites and a bowl of oatmeal or cream of rice along with my supplements. I keep a pill box in one of the kitchen drawers. That way the supplements I need for a particular meal are always at hand.

8:30am: I take the long trek to my home office (conveniently located in my basement) and start work.

10:30am: 10 min break. I give the dogs a snack (I have 4 cocker spaniels) and put them outside, and have a Muscle Provider shake for myself. I also drink 24 oz of water between each meal or shake.

12 noon: Lunch with my wife – usually fish, sweet potato and a salad.

12:30pm: Back to work. There are lots of meetings and presentations, so I am on line and on the phone most of the time. 

2:30pm: I have another shake.  

4:30pm: I feed the dogs again, and have another food meal – usually fish, and sweet potato again.  Then back to work. 

6:30pm: Work ends and I eat another meal. Work ends at different times depending on what projects are due or issues have come up. So there is no set schedule, but usually ends between 6pm and 7pm. If there is time, I will throw a ball for the dogs. 

9:00pm: Workout for 60 min, then 30 min of cardio (usually stair stepper). 

10:45pm: I am usually home by 11pm – sometimes I pick up food on the way back from the gym.

Contest Prep: My Stats

I had taken two years off from competition. At the 2006 SNBF Nationals, where I had finished 3^rd in my class, I was told I needed more mass. I took the judges’ advice seriously and bulked up some with a lot of food and progressively heavier training. My contest prep started at 16 weeks out. At 51, I felt pretty good about having gotten stronger and even added a little mass. I did question how much muscle mass a natural trainer could add at my age – even in two years.

My first body comp was 16.5% at 15 weeks out. Uh, oh I needed to get serious immediately. My wife Kathleen was very supportive, and helped by cooking fresh fish meals, and hiding any foods not on my diet in cabinets where I was not allowed to peek. She even delivered meals to me if my schedule was packed with back to back meetings. My trainer, Daniel Stuckart of Titanz Nutrition, also provided valuable insight into bringing up my weak areas, as well as training and nutritional guidance.  

I monitored my body fat % every two weeks as illustrated below. Regular monitoring helps me chart if I’m retaining my lean mass while getting as lean as possible.

Contest Prep: My Diet and Supplement Program

Baseline Diet:

Meal #1 – 2 bowls of oatmeal, 12 egg whites,

Meal #2 – 3 scoops of Muscle Provider with 3-4 strawberries

Meal #3 – 10 oz Tilapia Fish, 6 oz of Sweet potato, and 2 cups of salad

Meal #4 – same as Meal # 2

Meal #5 – same as Meal # 3

Meal #6 - same as Meal # 2

Every two to four weeks, I reduced my carbohydrate intake, and finally dropped all the carbs from meal #5 and #6. I moved from oatmeal to cream of rice to reduce some fat.  I reduced my protein slightly at the end, but always remained in the 240-300 grams of protein range daily.

Supplements: (This was the same for the entire 15 weeks)

3 times daily: 2 Energy Reserve, 5 Density, and 2 scoops of Glutamine Select (with cardio in the morning, before Meal #1 and in the evening before training)

Before/During training: 2-3 scoops Up-Lift

Meal#1:  3-4 EFA Gold, and 1 Super Pak, 3-4 Joint Care, and 1-2 Multiple Enzyme Complex

Every Meal: 6 Mass aminos, 6 Ultra 40, and 2 Lean Out

Before Bed: 5 Density and 3 Bev ZMA

Contest Prep: My Cardio

I started out with 45 mins a day, 3-4 days a week, at 10 degrees for 30 minutes.  Each week I added a couple degrees to the incline and a few minutes of time.  At 12 weeks I was at 45 min, 15 degrees, for 3.5 mph every morning.  At 8 weeks out, I added an evening cardio session of 20-30 minutes at the gym after my workout. Because I was not quite as “dialed in” as I was hoping, I even added another 20-30 minutes at noon a few days a week.

I prefer treadmill in the morning, and have one in my home.  In the evening, I use the stair stepper with my toes sticking out the top of the foot pads, so that I can more easily drive by heels down and work my quads. 

Contest Prep: My Training

I trained 4 days per week from 15 to 4 weeks out as follows:

Day One - Chest: Upper chest - then center - then the outer the edges for shape.

1.)    Incline DB press – pyramid up 45s x 15.65s x 12.90s x 10, 105s x 6-8

2.)    Incline Flyes – 3 sets, 50s x 8, 55s x 8, 60s x 8

3.)    Flat Hammer press – 180x10, 270x8, 360x6   I’d use a narrower grip each set.

4.)    Pec Deck – 2 sets of 10 with 120lbs

5.)    Dips, wide grip leaning forward, 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps with body weight

6.)    Cable crossovers – 2-3 sets, high pulley to cross over low and squeeze in the middle. Usually 25-30 lbs per side.

7.)    Abs – 3 sets of 12-18 leg raises, 3 sets of rope crunches 12 reps with 60 lbs.

8.)    Finish up with rotator cuff exercises - internal and external rotation, 5 lbs, 6-15 reps, 2 sets

Day 2 - Leg Day: I alternated between a ham, inner/outer thigh focus one workout and a quad focus the next.  My quads were weak, so I really needed to concentrate on the classic outer sweep. Here is my quad focused day:

1.)    For upper outer sweep – Front Squats on the Smith Machine – 4x10-15 reps, all the way to the ground (no knee pain, or I would otherwise only go to parallel).

2.)    Leg Press ­- pyramid up focusing on outer sides with feet together for the first 4 sets. 10-15 reps, at 450, 540, 630, 720.  Then, I would move the seat up, and go to shoulder width and do 900 for 8-10.  Then I’d either to do 1000 to failure; or do 1000 for 8 reps, then start dropping 180lbs per set and keep doing 8-10 reps until I reached 360. Once at 360 I kept going with rest pauses until I totaled 20-50 reps.

3.)    3 sets of 21s on the Leg Curl machine – 50-60lbs (21’s = 7 reps 1^st half + 7 reps final half + 7 full reps).

4.)    3x8-10 single Leg Extensions at 50lbs per leg

5.)    6 sets of Donkey Calf Raises, 5 reps then hold for 5 secs, repeat 4 times for each set. Only occasionally did I do seated calf raise.

Day 3 - Back: I usually do traps with back – and in my case, I had to work on my lower to mid outer lats to build the coveted Christmas tree. My lower back was one of my major weak points, so it was very important to bring up.

1.)    Wide Chins to warm up – 5 sets of 8-10 reps: first 2 sets are at body weight, then I’d use 50-80 lbs assistance so I could complete the last 3 sets.

2.)    BB Row - 95lbs-135lbs, 4x8.

3.)    Seated Cable Row, pyramid 12 reps at 120, 10x160, 8x180, 6x200-220

4.)    Traps – Shrug with DBs, 10 reps x 80s, 100s, 115s, and 125s.  Then machine with 270lbs for 8-10 reps and 450lbs with 8-10 reps. Hold at the top for 4-5 sec.

5.)    Erectors – back extensions 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps, then stretch

6.)    Abs as before, and twists – 2 sets of 25 holding a 35 lb db

Day 4 - Arms & Shoulders: My shoulders needed a lot of weight to bring them up, and my triceps were my weakest body part – so I focused on them more then biceps.

a.       Shoulders – 3 sets of DB Presses, 12x40s, 10x65s, 8x75s or 80s

b.      Machine Press – 12x180, 8-10x230 (usually needed help to get the 1^st one up)

c.       Cable Side Laterals, 3x10 (25lbs), Reverse Pec Deck 3x10 at 100lbs

d.      Front Raises 3x8 (20lbs)

e.       Triceps: Dips: 3x10 body weight, then Skull Crushers 3x8 at 80-100lbs, at the end of each set I went right into Close Grip Bench Presses for 10-14 reps. I finish with 3x15 of light Reverse Pressdowns – and get a great pump.

f.       Biceps: 3x6-8 Narrow Grip Curls at 80, 90, and 110 lbs, then 3x8-12 Supinated DB Curls with 35lbs. Last exercise is single arm Standing Cable Concentration Curls; 3-5 sets 30lbs to failure with each arm.  Great pump!

Note - At 4 weeks out I trained my entire upper body one day, and my lower body the next. I reduced my weights by about 25% and worked mainly for a pump. I added walking lunges in as well.  By the final few days, with no carbs, I was using about 65% of my normal workout weights.

Contest Prep: Mental Aspects

My trainer checked my body composition every two weeks. When I made progress, I was happy. When I didn’t make progress it messed with my head. Eventually I recognized a trend – I’d make excellent progress for two weeks, then the next time it looked like there was very little progress. I guess my body wanted to stay at the new level of conditioning a little while before it let more fat go – no matter how hard I worked.  I’m glad I spotted that trend because I no longer would stress out quite as much about my seeming lack of progress.

Mistakes I Made and How to Correct Them:

1.)    Boredom - I went too many weeks eating fish for every food meal. I believe in simplicity. Eat the same thing every day. It’s easier to buy and prepare your food that way. But, I really could have used some variety.  I finally started eating chicken again and relied quite a bit on Muscle Provider and really enjoyed the different flavors.

2.)    Carb Cycling – I took a good thing too far.  I found out the hard way that although some people can go on a no carb diet for weeks or even months, that strategy was not for me. At 4 weeks out I was behind schedule and worried so I tried the following diet – 3 lbs of fish and 25 almonds a day with green vegetables. I also had increased my cardio to 3 sessions per day. In four days I lost 1% body fat.  But, one day later, my body gave out.  I could barely move and tried to carb up.  One carb up did not work – it took 3 days of carbing up to get me back to normal.  When I tried to go without carbs again, within a day my body shut down again.  So I learned that some people (like me) are very carb sensitive and that small adjustments are the way to tune the diet and continue to lose fat. 

3.)    You may not be as young as you feel­ - recovery is critical.  At 51, I noticed that if I did 3 weight training days (with two a day cardio), I definitely needed a recovery day and sometimes two.  I functioned much better with a two on one off routine, especially with as much cardio as I was doing. At 8 weeks out I went from 8 to 9 hrs of sleep per night, and at 4 weeks out I tried to get 10 hrs (especially on weekends and some vacation days I had). 

I researched bodybuilding while experimenting with diets, supplements and workouts for 5 years. I even wrote a book DIALED IN during that time.  My research led me to Beverly International. I researched nearly every supplement out there. Starting with the universal set of all supplements, my research led me to a very small subset – and it WAS all Beverly International supplements. They really know what they are doing. I found Beverly supplements be the best in quality to increase muscle mass, to lose fat, and to stay healthy and fit.  The people at BI are very knowledgeable and willing to help along the way – and they do not hard sell you on anything. They truly share our passion for the sport of natural bodybuilding and for achieving your best levels of health and fitness regardless of what our health and fitness goals are. 

I want to thank my family, especially my wife Kathleen for all her love and support, and thank you to my trainer Daniel Stuckart, who pushed me and encouraged me along the way.

Rick Ryan at a Glance:

Age: 51

Occupation: Executive Project Manager, CIO Office, IBM CHQ.

Education: BS in Mgt, MBA in Finance, PMI & IBM Certified in Project Management.

Family: Wife Kathleen (married 28 yrs); Daniel, 22 yrs old – drummer in a touring band with a new album, 3^rd yr Political Science major in college; Bridget, 25 yrs old, 4^th yr Psychology major in college and ass’t manager of a jewelry store; four cocker spaniels.

Current Residence: Kennesaw GA, moved in to new French country home in late Dec, 2007.

Years Training: 7,  for competition: 5 ½.

Height: 5’ 11”

Off Season Weight: 210lbs (or should I say – 215lbs ugh)

Contest Weight: 190 lbs

Favorite Cheat Meal:  Pepperoni & meatball double stuffed pizza or calzone and cake batter flavored ice cream with Eagle brand sweetened, condensed milk on it for dessert. 

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: I mix 3 scoops of chocolate Muscle Provider with crushed walnuts, along with 20 grams of Glutamine Select with water and microwave it for 45 seconds, so there is some pudding and some brownie.

My Favorite Supplements:

1. Muscle Provider – for quick recovery and as a meal replacement – MP is very important to me because both flavors taste great and it keeps me from cheating while on a strict contest diet.
2. Density – I use pre cardio, pre workout, and pre bed time to keep my hard earned muscle during strict dieting.
3. Up-Lift – before weight training for workout intensity and energy with no added carbs or even stimulants that would keep me up all night (I train at 9:00pm).

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before?

I would recommend starting out with Mass Maker – it is the best all around Meal Replacement Shake – and I use it off season, I have even used it during contest prep as well.  It tastes great and it works even better.   I’d also recommend the Beverly Basics – the Super Pak is a must have for anyone exercising intensely; and at least one of the great BI protein supplements, Muscle Provider or Ultimate Muscle Protein twice a day.  Finally, if you are in your 50s, like me, you will probably get a lot of benefit from BIs Joint Care; and to keep natural hormones in balance, ZMA is great before bed as well.

Most Inspiring Bodybuilder: Frank Zane and Dennis Newman.  Their posing routines on YOUTUBE have taught me a great deal.

In my CD Player: Gigan, Van Halen, Kansas

Most Inspiring Book:  The 7 Habits Of Highly Successful People

Words to live by: “That which does not kill me makes me stronger.”

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