Mountain Dog Diet - Lean Gain Case Study

Lean Gain Case Study with P.T. Yager by P.T. Yager

Lean Gain Case Study with P.T. Yager Goal – to gain muscle and strength with minimal fat accumulation. Background: P.T.’s journey with the iron began as a high school freshman where he started using weight training as a way to get stronger for volleyball. Early on is his high school athletic career, P.T. showed signs of greatness in his chosen sport eventually leading to two Texas state titles, 8 Division 1 scholarship offers and a ranking in the top 15 players in the country, all by the time he finished his junior season. Like many of us former high-school athletes, P.T. found that his love of preparation for his sport was becoming just as strong as the love he had to compete in his sport. After excelling through the training programs that his high school offered which provided him with a base of strength and knowledge, P.T. started to research training on his own, coming up with a hybrid powerlifting/bodybuilding type split that allowed him continue to get stronger and put on new mass. In his senior season, when his volleyball career was cut short due to multiple MCL tears, P.T. took the news pretty well knowing that now he could devote more time into training. With the knee injuries keeping him from going to school to play volleyball, P.T. choose to devote himself to learning everything he could about training which prompted him to attend Ohio State University and choose exercise science as his major. This past spring, wanting to learn more about nutrition- specifically how to get cut for spring break- P.T. came across some articles by John Meadows and join Mountaindogdiet.com. He found that John was more than approachable through email and was happy to answer questions to point him in the right direction. P.T. began to use his Reactive Pump template, reaped the benefits and was sold on Mountain Dog Training. With that, he hired John to do his programming. April 2014 Weight: 166 Cardio: None Training: John usually starts people on 4 days a week, but we had discussed beforehand how I was used to his training volume from my Spring Break prep (where I got up to 7 days a week with some hard cardio at the very end) and from the Reactive Pump program, so we started at 5 days a week with the base Mountain Dog Program with an additional leg day to bring them up. Cheat Meals: Once a week up to 2x the calories of the meal its replacing. Nutrition: the meal plan was split between training and non-training days. Days without weight training (2 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1 cup pasteurized egg whites, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 40 grams Vanilla whey isolate, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato. 5 grams of creatine, All this was blended into a tasty shake. Meal 3- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. As a country boy, I loved how John was able to keep BBQ in my life and make me feel very sane while adhering to a diet. Meal 4- 6 oz. cooked shrimp or shellfish, 1 cup (cooked) Trader Joe’s brown rice penne pasta, 1 cup of basil Meal 5- 8 oz. chicken thighs, 1 cup sliced onion, 1 cup brown rice (cooked) Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, Supplements: Indigo 3G 30 minute prior to meal, Animal Pack Vitamins with meal.

Totals: 300 grams protein, 202 grams of carbs, and 79 grams of fat for a total of 2,719 calories. 44% of calories from protein, 30% of calories from carbs and 26% calories from fats. Days with weight training (5 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1/2 oats (dry measure), ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, 2 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon and vanilla in oats to flavor. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 2 scoops Mag-10 (35 grams), creatine added in. Meal 3- PRE-WORKOUT- 40 grams whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Supplements: Micro PA 1 hr before training, Indigo 3G 30 minutes before training. INTRA– 65 grams Plazma in .5 L water Meal 4- POST-WORKOUT- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup (cooked) white rice, 1.5 oz. raisins Meal 5– 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, Supplements: Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 274 grams protein, 252 grams of carbs, and 100 grams of fat for a total of 2,719 calories. 44% of calories from protein, 30% of calories from carbs and 26% calories from fats. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ May 2014 Weight: 169 Cardio: None Training: 5 days a week. Base Mountain Dog Program with an additional leg day to bring them up. Not too much crazy here. Great intensity the whole month; I was very motivated to impress John. One of the things I was most proud of was a 500 pound rack pull that I got for 3 reps. The deadlift is my favorite lift, so I was ecstatic to be able to improve it in any variation. Cheat Meals: Once a week up to 2x the calories of the meal its replacing. Nutrition: the meal plan was split between training and non-training days. Days without weight training (2 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1 cup pasteurized egg whites, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 40 grams Vanilla whey isolate, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato. 5 grams of creatine, All this was blended into a tasty shake. Meal 3- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 4- 6 oz. cooked shrimp or shellfish, 1 cup (cooked) Trader Joe’s brown rice penne pasta, 1 cup of basil Meal 5- 8 oz. chicken thighs, 1 cup sliced onion, 1 cup brown rice (cooked) Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, Supplements: Indigo 3G 30 minute prior to meal, Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 300 grams protein, 202 grams of carbs, and 79 grams of fat for a total of 2,719 calories. 44% of calories from protein, 30% of calories from carbs and 26% calories from fats.

Days with weight training (5 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1 cup of oats (dry measure), ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, 2 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon and vanilla in oats to flavor. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 2 scoops Mag-10 (35 grams), creatine added in. Meal 3- PRE-WORKOUT- 40 grams whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Supplements: Micro PA 1 hr before training, Indigo 3G 30 minutes before training. INTRA– 2 scoops Plazma in .5 L water Meal 4- POST-WORKOUT- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups (cooked) white rice, 1.5 oz. raisins Meal 5– 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 cup (170 grams) Kiwi, Supplements: Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 285 grams protein, 367 grams of carbs, and 104 grams of fat for a total of 3544 calories. 32% of calories from protein, 41% of calories from carbs and 27% calories from fats. Nutrition Adjustments in May: Training Days Meal 1:Went from ½ cup of oats to a full cup. Meal 4: added 1 cup of white rice for a total of 2 cups postworkout as well as a cup of natural apple sauce. Meal 6: Added in a cup of kiwi. John and I were both content with how I was gaining, so we continued to see how much we could push and still keep fat loss at bay. During this month, I made some very good gains, but had some trouble keeping them as I got pretty sick at the beginning of June for about a week which kept me from eating any solid food. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ June 2014 Weight: 166 Cardio: None Training: 6 days a week. Base Mountain Dog Program with an additional pump days to bring lagging body parts up. Cheat Meals: Once a week up to 2x the calories of the meal its replacing. Nutrition: the meal plan was split between training and non-training days. Days without weight training (2 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1 cup pasteurized egg whites, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 40 grams Vanilla whey isolate, 5 grams of creatine, All this was blended into a tasty shake. Meal 3- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup green beans, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 4- 6 oz. cooked shrimp or shellfish, 1 cup (cooked) Trader Joe’s brown rice penne pasta, 1 cup of basil Meal 5- 8 oz. chicken thighs, 1 cup sliced onion, 1 cup brown rice (cooked)

Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, Supplements: Indigo 3G 30 minute prior to meal, Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 292 grams protein, 120 grams of carbs, and 79 grams of fat for a total of 2,359 calories. 50% of calories from protein, 20% of calories from carbs and 30% calories from fats. Days with weight training (5 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, 2 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon and vanilla in oats to flavor. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 2 scoops Mag-10 (35 grams), creatine added in. Meal 3- PRE-WORKOUT- 40 grams whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Supplements: Micro PA 1 hr before training, Indigo 3G 30 minutes before training. INTRA– 65 grams Plazma in .5 L water Meal 4- POST-WORKOUT- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups (cooked) white rice, 1.5 oz. raisins Meal 5– 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 cup (170 grams) Kiwi, Supplements: Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 271 grams protein, 272 grams of carbs, and 98 grams of fat for a total of 3054 calories. 35% of calories from protein, 36% of calories from carbs and 29% calories from fats. Nutrition Adjustments in June: Non Training Days Meal 2: dropped 1 cup of sweet potato Meal 3: dropped 1 cup of sweet potato Training Days Meal 1:Dropped 1 cup of oats Meal 5: dropped 1 cup of sweet potato After we got my weight back to something more standard, we decided to go ahead and get a little bit leaner, as I thought it would be an effective maneuver to trick my body to get up over the 170 barrier I’ve faced my whole life while still staying lean. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2014 Weight: 166 Cardio: None Training: Training was still at 6 days for the first half of the month. At this point, I knew that I really wanted to start getting into a more powerlifting type split again because I just loved the heavy weight and knew that at such a young age, I could both gain muscle and strength very quickly with someone like John watching over me. Therefore, we started with Program X. After completing the Executioner (aptly named), I maxed out my three lifts. I got a 315 squat, a 225 bench press, and a 425 deadlift. Cheat Meals: Once a week up to 2x the calories of the meal its replacing.

Nutrition: the meal plan was split between training and non-training days. Days without weight training (2 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1 cup pasteurized egg whites, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, ½ cup gluten free oatmeal (dry measure). Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 40 grams Vanilla whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 5 grams of creatine, All this was blended into a tasty shake. Meal 3- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup green beans, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 4- 6 oz. cooked shrimp or shellfish, 1 cup (cooked) Trader Joe’s brown rice penne pasta, 1 cup of basil Meal 5- 8 oz. chicken thighs, 1 cup sliced onion, 1 cup brown rice (cooked) Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, Supplements: Indigo 3G 30 minute prior to meal, Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 302 grams protein, 174 grams of carbs, and 85 grams of fat for a total of 2,669 calories. 45% of calories from protein, 26% of calories from carbs and 29% calories from fats. Days with weight training (5 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 2 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon and vanilla in oats to flavor. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 2 scoops Mag-10 (35 grams), ¼ cup of any nut such as pecan, almond, pistachio, creatine added in. Meal 3- PRE-WORKOUT- 40 grams whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Supplements: Micro PA 1 hr before training, Indigo 3G 30 minutes before training. INTRA– 65 grams Plazma in .5 L water Meal 4- POST-WORKOUT- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups (cooked) white rice, 1.5 oz. raisins Meal 5– 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups cooked white rice, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 cup (170 grams) Kiwi, Supplements: Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 290 grams protein, 379 grams of carbs, and 115 grams of fat for a total of 3711 calories. 31% of calories from protein, 41% of calories from carbs and 28% calories from fats. Nutrition Adjustments in July: Non Training Days Meal 1: add in ½ cup oats Meal 2: add in ½ cup oats Training Days Meal 1: add in ½ cup oats Meal 2: add in ¼ cup of nuts At this point, we decided to up the calories more to try to rebound and get back over 170 pounds, which I was able to do successfully. _______________________________________________________________________________________________

August 2014 Weight: 170 Cardio: None Training: 5 days a week. Base Mountain Dog Program with an additional leg day to bring them up. Cheat Meals: Once a week up to 2x the calories of the meal its replacing. Nutrition: the meal plan was split between training and non-training days. Days without weight training (2 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1 cup pasteurized egg whites, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, ½ cup gluten free oatmeal (dry measure). Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 40 grams Vanilla whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 5 grams of creatine, All this was blended into a tasty shake. Meal 3- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup green beans, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 4- 6 oz. cooked shrimp or shellfish, 1 cup (cooked) Trader Joe’s brown rice penne pasta, 1 cup of basil Meal 5- 8 oz. chicken thighs, 1 cup sliced onion, 1 cup brown rice (cooked) Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato. Supplements: Indigo 3G 30 minute prior to meal, Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 306 grams protein, 215 grams of carbs, and 85 grams of fat for a total of 2,849 calories. 43% of calories from protein, 30% of calories from carbs and 27% calories from fats. Days with weight training (5 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 2 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon and vanilla in oats to flavor. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 2 scoops Mag-10 (35 grams), ¼ cup of any nut such as pecan, almond, pistachio, creatine added in. Meal 3- PRE-WORKOUT- 40 grams whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Supplements: Micro PA 1 hr before training, Indigo 3G 30 minutes before training. INTRA– 2 scoops Plazma in .5 L water Meal 4- POST-WORKOUT- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups (cooked) white rice, 1.5 oz. raisins Meal 5– 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups cooked white rice, 2 bagels, 2 tbsp. raw honey Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 cup sweet potato (200 grams), 1 cup (170 grams) Kiwi, Supplements: Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 294 grams protein, 420 grams of carbs, and 115 grams of fat for a total of 3891 calories. 30% of calories from protein, 43% of calories from carbs and 27% calories from fats. Nutrition Adjustments in August: Non Training Days Meal 6: add in 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato

Training Days Meal 5: add in 2 bagels and 2 tbsp. raw honey, remove raisins and applesauce Meal 6: add in 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato Moving into college: This month went very well overall. Obviously, there was a decent deal of stress in getting adjusted to college and leaving Texas behind, but John was incredibly understanding. It was in moments like these and those where I had to explain some family issues to John that he felt most like a friend instead of a coach. John did an amazing job of supporting me and being in my corner as I went through a tough adjustment period. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ September 2014 Weight: 175 Cardio: None Training: 5 days a week. Base Mountaindog Program with an additional leg day to bring them up. Cheat Meals: Once a week up to 2x the calories of the meal its replacing. Nutrition: the meal plan was split between training and non-training days. Days without weight training (2 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, 1 cup pasteurized egg whites, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, 1 cup gluten free oatmeal (dry measure). Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 40 grams Vanilla whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 5 grams of creatine, All this was blended into a tasty shake. Meal 3- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 1 cup green beans, 2 tbsp. Trader Joe’s natural BBQ sauce. Meal 4- 6 oz. cooked shrimp or shellfish, 1 cup (cooked) Trader Joe’s brown rice penne pasta, 1 cup of basil Meal 5- 8 oz. chicken thighs, 1 cup sliced onion, 2 cups brown rice (cooked) Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 cup (200 grams) sweet potato. Supplements: Indigo 3G 30 minute prior to meal, Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 326 grams protein, 341grams of carbs, and 96 grams of fat for a total of 3532 calories. 37% of calories from protein, 39% of calories from carbs and 24% calories from fats. Days with weight training (5 days) Meal 1– 4 organic free range eggs, ½ tbsp. organic coconut oil, 1 cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 2 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon and vanilla in oats to flavor. Supplements: Micro PA, 4-5 g Fish Oil. Meal 2- 2 scoops Mag-10 (35 grams), ¼ cup of any nut such as pecan, almond, pistachio, creatine added in. Meal 3- PRE-WORKOUT- 40 grams whey isolate, ½ cup gluten free oats (dry measure), 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Supplements: Micro PA 1 hr before training, Indigo 3G 30 minutes before training. INTRA– 3 scoops Plazma in .5 L water Meal 4- POST-WORKOUT- 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups (cooked) white rice, 1.5 oz. raisins Meal 5– 6 oz. 96/4% organic grass fed beef ground beef, 2 cups cooked white rice, 2 bagels, 2 tbsp. raw honey

Meal 6- 40 grams whey isolate, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 cup sweet potato (200 grams), 1 cup (170 grams) Kiwi, 1 cup of gluten fee oats. Supplements: Animal Pack Vitamins with meal. Totals: 328 grams protein, 539 grams of carbs, and 125 grams of fat for a total of 4593 calories. 29% of calories from protein, 47% of calories from carbs and 24% calories from fats. Nutrition Adjustments in September: Non Training Days Meal 1: add in an additional ½ cup of oatmeal Meal 5: add in an additional cup of brown rice Training Days Meal 1: add in an additional ½ cup of oats Intra: add in an additional scoop of MAG 10 Meal 6: add in 1 cup of oats At this point, I was well adjusted to college life and had resolved the majority of the issues that were still plaguing me at home. John added food here in response to my greater cardio activity level that came from me having to walk to class, which is something I did not do much of back home this summer. Final Weight: 179 _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Overall, P.T. started working with John on May 3rd at a bodyweight of 166 pounds and a lower back skinfold measurement of 22 mm. 24 weeks later, P.T. finished his program with the same back skinfold measurement at a ridiculous improvement weight of 179. That’s a solid 13 pounds of muscle! Along the way P.T.’s squat went from 315 to 355 (40 pound increase), bench went from 225 to 255 (30 pound increase) and deadlift went from 425 to 435. (10 pound increase) to reach a total of 1,045 which is 80 pounds above his previous best. “As far as what I have to say about John, the most important thing I can say, other than his obvious talent and professionalism, is how much he truly feels like a friend and not just a coach. Despite not having met him yet, I know that I would feel very comfortable approaching him, introducing myself, and striking up a conversation. He is highly supportive while also being honest, and I consider any advice from him golden in my journey to my greatest physique, as well as my future as a strength and conditioning coach. The past 6 months have been the best of my training career, and I couldn’t have made nearly as much progress as I did without John’s tremendous knowledge and help. I appreciate your email and the interest from both you and John in my training experiences. I’ll get to work on getting you those higher quality pictures.” Sincerely, P.T.