NATURAL FOR LIFE
NC: What's your name?
G: Graham Doyle.
NC: How old are you?
G: 33.
NC: Where did you grow up?
G: Dublin.
NC: How long have you been training?
G: I've been going to gyms since I was 14 years old, although I hadn't a clue how to stimulate a muscle fibre and eat until many years later. Managing to make every mistake known to a beginner, I think these days I've finally got things half right...
NC: What are your vitals...height weight and main measurements?
G: Height 5'11. Measurements, Well I'm not really bound to the tape. bodybuilding is really just an illusion, meaning, small joints and full muscle bellies. A 15 inch arm can look more impressive than a shapeless 20” arm. But to answer the question I've an 18 inch arm, 26 inch thigh, 31 inch waist, 17.5 calf, all at 8% bodyfat.
My weight has varied over the years, when I was competitive I'd try adding a lot of weight in the hope of gaining some muscle, at one point I was up to 106 kilos, but I was getting tubby! I'd taken a high carb approach and gone with the “eat everything that moves” nutritional philosophy. I got strong alright, but was shapeless and had no aerobic fitness, I learnt the hard way that being heavy doesn't equal having built a lot of muscle.
These days I hang around 90 kg, I hardly ever weigh myself though, I just stick with the body fat callipers and gauge my progress from there.
NC: What got you bitten by the iron bug?
G: Back in school I played a whole host of sports and was very active, from rugby to soccer, having always been quite athletic I was quick and had skill but lacked the physicality's necessary for me to play at a higher level, It wasn't until my best friend suggested we start lifting weights that I began to be able to compete with the bigger lads and hold my own as the standard got higher. Training also gave me great confidence, as soon as I started to put on some mass- the school lunch money rent collectors A.K.A bullies decided not to come mess with me, instead I got that primitive respect, even my teachers in school took an interest in what I was doing, maybe because they were wondering what the hell someone would want to lift weights for- wasn't real training 20 laps of the GAA pitch and 500 sit-ups in the rain.
NC: How long are you training and what age were you when you started weight training?
G: I'm training just over 15 years. I'm not sure if the first few hapless years count, but they were certainly the most memorable. Picture the scene, two 14 year old kids going into the local basement gym for a shoulder-chest-back and triceps “workout” and leaving with the modest aspirations of one day becoming Mr Olympia.
NC: Who were your inspirations to train?
G: Years before I had ever touched a weight I was mesmerised by an uncle of mine. He was a competitive Olympic lifter who was training for the Seoul Olympics. He encouraged me to lift when I got older, he could even squash beer cans with his hands which is the kind of thing that can impress a 13 year old.
When i first started lifting I was greatly inspired by my training partner at the time, he had a brother who was a competitive bodybuilder and he himself went on to be an excellent bodybuilder, winning junior titles and always pushing me and teaching me about nutrition and training techniques. Many years were spent together pushing through gruelling workouts in a stinking basement. The Inspiration came from finally seeing some results from our effort.
As I became more interested in bodybuilding, and began to read magazines I greatly appreciated the work ethic of guys like Dorian, Mentzer and Levrone [in his early days] Proper hard intense training and discipline in and outside of the gym. Of course Arnold was an Icon and I've watched pumping iron so many times I could give a full rendition of the entire documentary. The 90's was one of the best era's for bodybuilding, apart from Yeats domination of the Olympia there where so many other great bodybuilders. These days the level [at pro standard] seems to have dropped somewhat and ironically enough the amateur level has risen to great heights.
NC: What's your philosophy on training?
G: Personally, I just stick to high intensity progressive training, trying to hit each body part twice every 8 days or so, and never straying too far from the basic principles of exercise, I'm all for new and exciting training techniques but for the most part they seem to spin off's of each other, having a good understanding of the basic's means they can be applied to any system of training, and therefore yield results.
NC: Have you ever competed in any bodybuilding competitions?
G: Yes, I've competed a number of times. My first taste of the stage was when I was 18, after a 5 week “diet” I decided to compete in the RIBBF Nationals, it was a great experience even though I finished out of the top 3-[ but I rounded myself up to 4th! My training partner Dave won the show looking great, so the following year I had to redeem myself! I ended up winning the nationals that year and another regional show in Limerick, I also competed in the novice class there, where I took second place [I was still under 21 at the time]
Competing was great fun, the dieting was hell though!! And of course all the effort is worth it when you win!
NC: Will we ever see you back on the stage?
G: Never say never, so I'm saying never! - The standard of Bodybuilding is very high these days and to be competitive you need absolute 100% dedication and determination, now I've no problem with that, but the competitive lifestyle is a little too intense for me at this stage.
NC: What are your personal best lifts in the gym?
G: With long limbs and bordering average fast twitch fibre's I'm not really able to shift massive weight, I've always battled technically at exercises like back squats, at my strongest I've squatted 180kg for 4reps- Bench 140 for 2reps- And dead lifted 190 for 6, I never do 1 rep max, and I haven't flat benched in many years, these days I more so use dumbbells and use the bar for incline. Today my lift's are Front Squat (I no longer back squat) 120kg for sets of 8+ Incline bench 110 for sets of 6-8 and dead lift 140-60 for sets of 6-8 depending.
NC: What's your philosophy on nutrition and diet?
G: I think the biggest mistakes made by people interested in building muscle in underestimating the importance of nutrition, I know as I'm speaking from experience, throughout the years I've been given [without asking] so many different tips and nutrition strategies, when I first began training I was told to eat Everything!! The secret back then was Ambrosia creamed rice- one genetic freak in my gym was eating it and the word spread like wild fire, of course I was eating 3 tins a day and putting on “weight” but I was running out of belt holes as well as pocket money.
Another stage I went through was Tuna, at one point I was eating 4-5 cans a day. This was suggested to me by a fellow gym trainer. It was cheap and cheerful, well apart from the taste, but hey it was 50grams of protein I wasn't going to let smelling like a stinking cat come between me and my growing! - Looking back I'm not sure how I actually ate that, but I think at last the remains of the mercury poison is finally leaving my system.
It wasn't until I decided to ignore the “good advice” of my fellow gym rats and actually take up a nutrition book and read that I began to get an insight into the vast subject of human nutrition and dietetics, learning the role of the macro and micro nutrients and applying them gave my training a new lease of life and I finally began to make solid gains. Having a genuine interest in the role of food and being able to physically see what I'd learnt made studying a lot easier I went on to do some college courses and to this day am still learning.
My diet has changed a lot over the years, from high carb and no fat - to no carb and high fat, I eventually settled on a low carb moderate fat high protein intake.
A typical day would be:
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• 10 egg whites - 10g of omega-3 fish oil - 75g of oats - multi vit [super multi pack]
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• 2 chicken fillet's - mixed veg - 50g of almonds
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• 10 egg whites - mixed veg - peanut butter
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• 2 chicken fillet's - mixed veg - 10g of omega-3 fish oils
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• Salmon fillet - mixed veg
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• Protein Shake - cottage cheese
On training day's I'd also include a TMU pre workout drink and a post workout shake.
Example / workout days:
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• 10 egg whites -10g of omega-3 fish oil - 75g of oats - multi vit - BETA NOX ACCELLORATOR
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• Workout
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• Post workout - bcaa glutamine - whey Isolate - egg - casein TMU Lean Mass Gainer
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• Before bed - TMU - casein mix
NC: Have you always eaten this way?
G: No, before I never really understood the value of essential fats and the vital role they play, I always ate way too many carbohydrates, and I used to wonder why I couldn't remain under 10% body fat and still keep my energy and strength in the gym. These days through slight adjustments I can stay relatively lean and keep getting stronger in the gym, my recovery has improved since I've started supplementing pre and post workout and I can train at 7 am No Problem with good energy levels- knowing when to stop so I'm not over trained is the hard part.
NC: You're the manager of Nutrition Connection Capel St, you have access to an endless supply of supplements. What supplements do you use, what do you like the most?
G: As I previously mentioned I do use some pre and post workout supplements, I'm a purest through and through when it comes to training and food - nothing can or will ever take the place of a good nutritional structure from nutrient dense whole foods. Without a solid food plan, forget about making gains.
I've taken many different lotions and potions over the years and just like training, the basics will always remain the basics. The whole revolution of pre-workout drinks has seemed to have swept the entire industry of late, having never had any trouble motivating myself. Well except for a gruelling 20 rep squat session, I've always looked at these products as a bit of a crutch for the weak willed, so to curb my curiosity I've recently decided to give them a whirl and add them to my arsenal. And no, the fact that I run a supplement store and I can get a good discount has nothing got to do with it. The great thing about the pre workout drinks are, they seem to make you think like you should be in the gym. Now I can't speak for them all but a shot of BETA NOX ACCELLORATOR by TMU before a leg workout and there is no place I would rather be, the effect still continues, a savage pump and intensity. I think these products should only really be used sparingly and on the days when you know it's going to be torture. Other than that, grow some balls and motivate yourself.
I've always taken a good fast digesting carbohydrate and whey isolate post workout. ok maybe it doesn't matter where the nutrients come from as long as they are good quality and you eat within an hour, but when your pushed for time a “meal” is hardly ideal when you're sitting in a changing room, Having a protein carb mix post workout does me for about 90 minutes. Until I can have a solid meal, I usually opt for a 50-50 protein to carb ratio mix, the TMU Lean Mass Gainer gives about this 40g of each is enough.
Before bed i usually mix things. Some evenings I have cottage cheese, because it's a slow releasing protein, not because I like the taste, it just happens to break down slowly and drip feed amino acids preventing a catabolic state during sleep!
If I'm all cheesed out, I usually have casein or casein whey blend. TMU WHEY PROTEIN (TRI-TRACTION BLEND) is excellent.
I never get up and eat during the night, quality sleep is much more important that feeding the machine!
NC: You have always been drug free. Would you ever be tempted to use something stronger?
G: Of course I've been tempted, when you look around and you see guys gaining so much in so little time even with poor diets and no clue about how to recruit a muscle fibre. It makes you go hmmmmm. But really putting things into perspective, I'm not competitive and have no plans to be.
I'm in no way “anti drug” as I know and have heard all of the horror stories but have yet to see anything reflecting what the mass media try put across to people. There are many many substances in society today that cause illness- death-depression-and disease, destroy lives and break up homes- I think steroids are way down on that list. I know the properties and functions of steroids, why they are used, how they are used, the positive effects – the negative effects. I also know the function of nutrients the proper application of training and supplementation- ok I'm not going to gain 20lbs of muscle in a year, but I can keep on progressing gaining strength and knowledge and making small noticeable gains along the way, by putting aside the instant gratification for muscle, it's possible to make exceptional gains- all that's needed is the virtue of patience.
NC: What's your life philosophy if you have one?
G: Three words - "Attitude Conquers Aptitude"
