Q&A with Mark Richman - National Level Competitor

[MuSuLPhReAk]

Mark is the Heavyweight winner for the 2009 Canadian Nationals. You can know more about him from his profile. Mark Richman Profile (http://www.canadabodybuilding.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14739)

Let's take a moment to welcome him to CBB and get some good Q&A's going.

[Adonis13]

great physique and welcome aboard. what type of diet do you use for contest?

[69challenger]

Welcome Mark!

[gicantor]

Nice build:welc

[kawikaratekid]

Welcome bro...

[gregdoucette]

He had the best overall look at the nationals in my opinion. Has the look that I would like to get in the future.

[Prisoner#22]

I had the pleasure of sitting down to a meal with Mark last year following his tough win at the nationals.
Classy guy!

[SARGE]

Great acomplisments & physique Mark,welcome

[Delt King]

Dude knows his stuff. Good to have you here Mark.

[Mark Richman]

Wow thank you all for the compliments and its nice to be aboard this great forum. Feel free to ask me any questions related to bodybuilding. I don't know everything but I certainly will try my best. Thanks for the support guys!!!!

[natenator]

1) How do you enjoy working with Fouad?
2) What makes Fouad so great to work with?
3) Why Fouad?

[Mark Richman]

Working with Fouad is great. He always makes a point of checking in with me to make sure I am progressing whether it be offseason or precontest. Fouad knows his stuff and is the best in Canada right now, so why wouldn't I want to work with him?

[natenator]

:)

[tiramisu]

Hi Mark,

It might be a little easier for us to ask good questions if we knew a bit more about you personal training, diet and supplementation philosophies.

Are you a carb cycler, keto cutter, metabolic diet bulker?
Do you prefer volume or DC and why?
What do you think of the paleo people?
Lunges, for girls only or should transvestites do them too?

... and most importanly what's the best way to add 10 pounds of real muscle in less than a year :)

Welcome to CBB.

[Mark Richman]

Recently I have cycled my carbs and have found it to be quite effective. I really don't have a big appetite so cycling my carbs has increased my metabolism, which has allowed me to eat more food.

My belief is volume training because it allows for more blood into the muscle. I have found my best results volume training and have less injuries too.

Lunges for sure should be a part of anyone's leg workout. They can be used for mass or shaping the muscle. Walking lunges I feel are more for shaping the muscle while lunges are better for mass because you can use more weight.

If you can put 10lbs of real muscle in a year than you are doing much better than me? A goal of 3-5lbs is more reasonable I feel. To accomplish this there really is no secret other than hard work, a good diet, consistency (meaning never missing workouts or meals), and plenty of rest.

Hope this helps.

[Ron Partlow]

Hey Mark, good to see you on here. Maybe I can get some good advices......(name that movie!)

[Mastagon]

Could you post a typical chest training day, included warmups

[Mark Richman]

Hey Ron thanks for welcoming me on here. I do have some advice for you - Milk is for babies, when you grow up you have to drink beer...lol

[Mark Richman]

A typical chest workout looks something like this.

Warm Up 3-4 sets of cable crossover 15-20 reps
Incline Bench 4 sets 12,6,6,10 reps
Incline Dumbbell 4 sets 8-10 reps
Flat Bench 4 sets 10 reps
Incline Fly 4 sets 10-12 reps

If I feel like I need to add even more blood to my chest I may add a final exercise of
Pec Deck 3-4sets 10-15 reps

I always use the heaviest weights possible for the amount of reps I have set out, but I never sacrifice good form for heavier weight.

Good Luck!

[MuSuLPhReAk]

Hi Mark.
What's your height?
Contest weight, off season weight?

Will you be doing the Nationals again this year?

[Mark Richman]

Hey Musulphreak,

Thanks for having me on here. I am 5'8 and weigh 245lbs right now in my offseason, my heaviest offseason weight so far. Last year I am competed at 206lbs on stage, but I am hoping to add 5-10 more pounds this year when I step on stage again.

Yes I will be competing at this year's Canadian Nationals in Saskatoon.

Take care

[Big D]

hey Mark welcome big guy :)

[gustavo77]

Welcome to the site, great to have you here Mark.

[Mark Richman]

Thank you Big D and Gustavo77 for welcoming me on here.

[Mastagon]

Could you post a typical chest routine

[gustavo77]

Could you post a typical chest routine

Check out post #20 in this thread. ;)

[Mastagon]

Check out post #20 in this thread. ;)

Haha. Which would actually be a post in response to the first time I asked the question... I am awesome.

[Victor85]

:welcWelcome to CBB!

question 1: Do you stretch before and after workouts?

question 2: Whats your opinion on Massage Therapy?

[Mark Richman]

Thanks for welcoming me on here. As for your first question I do stretch mostly after my workouts because my muscles are warm and full of blood. This aids in recovery and also helps to prevent injuries.

For question #2, I am a huge believer in massage therapy. After years of training, my body was starting to fight back and I was informed I had a lot of scar tissue build-up, which ultimately affected my performance in the gym. After about 2 months of deep tissue massage I can honestly say I am almost at 100%. So yes it absolutely works!

Stay healthy and train hard!

[JonnyO]

Hey good to have you here Mark.

How many days a week do you train and do you do offseason cardio?
How many meals per day offseason?

Look fwd to being on stage with you this August!

[ironwill]

Great to have you here Mark......Look forward to hearing more from you...

[Shaun73]

Hey good to have you here Mark.

How many days a week do you train and do you do offseason cardio?
How many meals per day offseason?

Look fwd to being on stage with you this August!

Yes i would also like to know what ur training and diet looks like lol
and what does ur off season stack aswell, that is if you dont mind sharing?

[Mark Richman]

Yes i would also like to know what ur training and diet looks like lol
and what does ur off season stack aswell, that is if you dont mind sharing?
JonnyO - Right now I am training 5 days a week in my offseason. I do some cardio offseason but not to burn fat, actually to boost my metabolism so I can eat more food. Nothing too crazy, usually 30 minutes on a treadmill or stepmill.

Overcrime - Here is a sample of my diet and training that I have been doing the last 6 weeks.
Diet
Meal 1 - 90grams whey protein, 1 cup of oatmeal, and 1 apple
Meal 2 - 12oz lean ground turkey, 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pasta
Meal 3 - 12oz round steak, 10oz potato or yam
Meal 4 - 12oz lean ground turkey, 1 1/2 cups of white rice
Meal 5 - 12oz round steak, 10oz potato or yam
Meal 6 - 90grams whey protein, 3 tbsp of natural peanut butter
Water - 6L a day
I also have pre/postwork supplements on the days I train.

Training
Day 1 - Chest
Day 2 - Back (Width) and Biceps
Day 3 - Quads
Day 4 - Off
Day 5 - Shoulders and Triceps
Day 6 - (AM) Back (Thickness), (PM) Hams and Calves
Day 7 - Off
Repeat

Thanks for the support guys, train hard!

[Shaun73]

kewl! no wonder ur huge. Your grocery bills must be insane lol

[Shaun73]

kewl! no wonder ur huge. Your grocery bills must be insane lol

[L3]

thanks for the diet sample mark!!

[natenator]

thanks for the diet sample mark!!
it won't work for you. He doesn't care about his face getting chubby :P

[JonnyO]

Curious what you do for a living and any children?

Damn tough sport working 15hrs a day and raising a little guy, plus keeping the wife happy, lol.

[Mark Richman]

Curious what you do for a living and any children?

Damn tough sport working 15hrs a day and raising a little guy, plus keeping the wife happy, lol.
It is a very tough sport and a huge sacrifice to do what we do. I wish I could just stay at home and eat, sleep, and train...lol Unfortunately like most people I have to work and do have a family to support too. I am employed as an elementary school teacher in Toronto and have been married for 8 years, but we don't have any kids at the moment? Honestly I don't know how you do it having kids as well to deal with? During the week my mornings start at 5am where I prepare all my food, do my cardio, and then off to work. I usually come home after work around 4pm, eat a meal and head to the gym around 5:30pm. I am usually there for at least 2 hours between travel time and training. I am lucky if I get to bed around 11pm, usually its closer to 11:30-12am! I am sure this is probably the same for you, but I thought I would share it to show people how much we do sacrifice and what it takes to be successful in this sport.

[Mark Richman]

kewl! no wonder ur huge. Your grocery bills must be insane lol
Yes my grocery bills are insane...lol I always check our local newspaper on the weekend looking for deals and only shopping at grocery stores where food is on sale. Even still it can get expensive. Thank God for Costco...lol

[ubcpower]

are your 12oz portions measured pre cooked (i am assuming yes :) )

[natenator]

are your 12oz portions measured pre cooked (i am assuming yes :) )
I'd agree with your assumption as that's how Fouad rolls!

[bluenose]

Good to see you here on CBB! Also, good decision on moving up a weight class into the heavies. I definately think it fits your body type better! You already looked like a HW while competing as a LHW so it's an easy transition!

H

[Mark Richman]

Good to see you here on CBB! Also, good decision on moving up a weight class into the heavies. I definately think it fits your body type better! You already looked like a HW while competing as a LHW so it's an easy transition!

H
Thanks Bluenose, I always felt I should be a heavyweight but was afraid I wouldn't be in condition at that weight. Last year though definitely proved to me I could do it...lol

Train Hard bro!

[JonnyO]

Hey Mark hows training and dieting going? Hope all is well!

[mattarama]

Lucky me, Mark works out at my gym...haha.
I actually noticed him doing drop-sets the other day during chest, and was wondering how frequently he incorporated them.

[blp]

Every contest you had th flawless hard crisp condition and sorry had seem a bit flat , what happen ? because it did happen to me on last , did not mean insult you at all

Was there in crowd when you took mr ont, always admire your devotion toward bbing


Thk u

[Mark Richman]

Hey guys, I know I have been pretty non-existent on here but I thought I would let everyone know I will be sharing my progress with you all as I prepare for the 2012 CBBF Nationals in Edmonton on August 18th. This Saturday I will be 12 weeks out! This was me at 14 weeks out at 255lbs.
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[MuSuLPhReAk]

Hey Mark. Good to see you back.

[TT Eric]

GL to the nationals!!

Eric

[Mark Richman]

Thanks for the warm welcome back guys! 12 weeks out now and ready to rock!!! A friend of mine posted this for me on facebook which I thought it was pretty cool! Even I couldn't believe the transformation in 3 years as we are always the biggest critics of ourselves!!!

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