Question:
Dr. Clay, I read an interview with t-nation that you maintain your physique with roughly 2200 calories per day or so. Roughly how many calories did you consume to gain your serious mass for the first time? Did you pull and cut down to your current weight or did you gain slowly over the years?
Best regards, Grant T.
Answer:
Grant, I have to admit that 2200 calories seemed a bit low to me when I read your question. So I referred back to the interview and… that’s about right, although it would probably average out to more like 2300 calories.
Dr Clay Spring 2007
(For the record, I do NOT count calories. I count grams of protein, carbs, and fat.)
But, when I answered that question I was very much in a maintenance mode and was not trying to gain muscle mass at all.
Likewise, keep in mind that most pictures of my physique are taken when I am in tiptop shape, with a tad more muscle and quite a bit less body fat than I typically walk around with. So my more average way of eating is slightly different than how I keep as I’m getting ready for a contest or photo shoot.
For the record, when I’m getting ready for a bodybuilding contest I probably average around 2600 to 2800 calories per day. And when I’m really focused on gaining muscle, that may go up to 3,500 max.
It would seem odd that I eat less at other times, but that’s simply because I don’t have a big appetite. Plus, my body is so used to having this amount of muscle that it is very easy for me to maintain it. Although I do not tend to maintain my strength very well, I do maintain my muscle (and weight in general) quite easily — probably because I’m naturally a ‘fat boy.’
As for my weight progression — for years I did the old-school bodybuilding method of shoveling anything and everything you can into your face during the off-season between getting ready for shows. So yeah, my weight would go up a lot then, but only a few pounds of it would be muscle.
But after trying that for a few years and realizing 1) I wasn’t gaining any more muscle by eating tons of crap calories than I did otherwise and 2) I like being lean – I decided to no longer use the off-season as an excuse to eat whatever the hell I wanted. Since then my weight fluctuations have been far less dramatic, and I like it much better!
My lean muscle mass gains have been steady over the years. Early on gaining muscle was a bit easier for me, because I had not yet approximated my genetic potential. But these days muscle gains are quite a bit harder to come by and require near perfect diligence on my part. In fact, I have competed at just under 200 pounds for the past decade or so.
I am tentatively planning on competing and another bodybuilding show late next spring or summer. I haven’t competed in a couple of years so it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
As I get into my contest preparation, I will let you guys know the specifics of my diet and exactly how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat I’m consuming.
Best,
Dr Clay
What show are you planning to compete in Clay?
Assuming I can take care of a couple of very minor body issues that are keeping me from going quite all out in the gym (and I’m confident I’ll be able to), I’m going to do the Contra Costa which is probably the largest and most pretigious (and toughest) show in NorCal. Then, one week later in May I’ll do the Cal as we call it. The California State Bodybuilding (etc) Championship is the official name.
Since most people then want to know “How do you think you’ll do?” – I’ll go ahead and answer that one…I don’t train for 2nd place. And I’ve already won my class (including a State title) but have never won the overall. So I plan to win the overall at the Contra Costa and the Cal, to be honest. Is that realistic for me? It’s probably not what most people would bet on…but in my head it’s a done deal.
Because bodybuilding is a subjective sport, however, I do NOT hang my hat on placings. My primary goal is to simply look the best I have ever looked and do the best, most entertaining posing routine I’ve ever done. Then the judges can sort it out from there.
I would also like to do a show in Alabama, actually. That way my family (and friends from there) can come watch. (My mom loves cheering me on!
But it will have to work into my schedule. And I will only do a show in which I can have 90 seconds for my posing routine, which is standard, actually. But some shows (like the SE Gold’s Classic) are limiting ALL routines (not just in the Novice division) only 60 seconds. That may sound silly, but a large part of why I compete is the performance aspect. Doing an awesome routine that the crowd loves is one of my favorite aspects of competing. So I simply will not do a show in which my routine has to be 60 seconds or less.
I’ll keep you posted.
Dr Clay
Would that show in AL happen to be the Mr. Alabama coming up in August 2010?