MindBodyDad

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February 2023

Brian Comly

Hey all,

My wintertime workouts tend to be focused on strength training with my main goal being to get as strong as possible (and since kids, as strong as possible with the least amount of time devoted to the gym).

This year—with less time than any year before—I set PR’s on nearly every one of my lifts and became stronger than any other year. The bulk of my routine was the same (creatine daily, fasted workouts with the occasional amino acids before some hard workouts, and a protein smoothie afterward) but there were a few changes.

  1. Focus on protein. I was more stringent than in years past with getting my .8g/lb of daily protein.

  2. Heavier lunches, lighter dinners. This translated to more deep sleep and better recovery at night.

  3. L-Leucine. I started using L-Leucine the past 2 months (5g/day, ~5 days/week). The research is strong on the benefits of it for muscle protein synthesis so I gave it a shot and I haven’t noticed any side effects. The only downside is the strong taste so I switched up the protein powder flavor for the strongest one: double chocolate.

  4. More core work. In the past, I would spend minimal time on my core since I’d secondarily be working it with most exercises. This winter I used more cables (vs. machines and weights) to engage my core more and I incorporated some core-specific machines into my weekly routine which challenged the muscles above/below the core through isometric contraction. My core, specifically my low back, has always been a weak part of my body so this translated to better stabilization with exercises like deadlifts, squats, and rows.

I’m not sure if one of these changes helped more than another but they’re all low-risk with benefits that extend beyond muscle hypertrophy so I’ll be sticking with them for the time being.


Have a great week.

Brian 

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