BioJacked #3: Mad Max Aita

Max (“Mad Max”) Aita, young up-and-coming weight-lifting coach who trained under (and lived with!) Ivan Abadjiev, came to the studio this past Tuesday with one simple message: try harder.

Given all of the YouTube videos, magazine articles compelling you to try “killer exercises you aren’t doing yet”, run-away theories repeated until they become dogma, where’s a beginning lifter to turn?

In this conversation, Aita draws from his experiences with Ivan Abadjiev, the mastermind behind the success of the Bulgarian weight-lifters, and extols the virtues of keeping it simple in a world of self-made “experts” and sensationalized exercises. He’s also got a lot more female lifters in his training with him than men at this point, so we were interested to hear his perspective on what differences there are (in any) between the genders when it comes to Olympic coaching.

And as usual, we hold our guest hostage while we answer some questions posted in the DH forums for this episode. We got some great stuff out of Kiefer about alcohol this time, as well as a question I regret airing.

Download Part 1 (59 mins, 54MB)

Download Part 2 (37 mins, 36MB)

Part One: Max Aita Preaches Simplicity (and Qs from the DH Forums)

00:00 Introducing Max Aita… Regrets of the (slightly) older and wiser.
05:15 The value of finding PEOPLE to teach you (rather than learning from videos on the internet).
08:00 The fall of T-Nation…
11:00 Analysis Paralysis.
14:30 Max talks about living with and training under Ivan Abadjiev.

“The most shocking thing about that whole experience [was]… how unsophisticated they really are.” –Max Aita
17:30 Kiefer compares to how he trained Brian Carroll — “simple”.
19:30 Freaks! We talk about our favorite mutant, Ricki LaRocca, a “true freak of nature”.
20:30 Avoiding “Rube Goldberg” training routines. (What truly matters for training?)
22:45 Abadjiev – “Everything comes from your mind.” The importance of mental toughness.
28:00 How has the Internet changed people’s attitudes towards training? Prevalence of “expert” videos, etc
34:15 — TRAINING QUESTIONS FROM THE FORUMS –
34:45 Should people training for aesthetics ever do hang cleans, or just stick to rows and shrugs?
37:30 Periodization for weight-lifting?
41:30 Why do you see so many big and pudgy powerlifters but hardly any “overweight” Olympic lifters?
45:30 What’s the difference between a deadlift movement for a weight-lifter and a deadlift movement for a powerlifter?
49:15 As a beginning weight-lifter, how should you train to work up to full cleans?
52:30 Any drill suggestions for developing a strong second pull?

Part Two

1:15 Max talks about opening his new not-really-a-gym.
5:00 Why doesn’t Max post videos demonstrating lifts? (What makes an “expert”…)
8:30 “It’s the difference between having a recipe and being the cook.” –Kiefer
11:00 Max comments on training female lifters (see MaxAitaTraining.blogspot.com)
17:00 Choosing your clients carefully makes a huge difference in attitude and mental environment.
19:30 As soon as you’re the strongest guy in the gym, you should find a new place to hang out.
21:00 The caricature that is CrossFit (Kiefer insists on flogging an undead horse).
23:00 — NUTRITION QUESTIONS FROM THE FORUMS –
23:15 The Alcohol question (when? how much? should it be hard alcohol or otherwise?) — VERY interesting, complicated answer.

“Alcohol is the single most potent anti-T chemical that we know of.” –Kiefer
30:15 How would one get back on track after a night of binge drinking?
31:00 Please rate the following online experts… (“Whoa, we’ve got a lot of ties for last place there.” –Kiefer) [For the record, I regret airing this question! --Naomi]
33:00 Kiefer announces “The 5-3-1 Challenge”
35:00 Announcements of interview guests for the next 3 weeks…

Mentioned:

Ed Coan, US Powerlifter
Ricki LaRocca, Strongman competitor, trainer, mutant freak (and friend)

Upcoming Episodes:

#4: Mark Bell (with special guest Jesse Burdick)
#5: MAT with Matt Simpson-Weber (Muscle Activation Technique)
#6: Core Rehab with Helene Byrne

You can tune in live every Tuesday at 10am PST via the Mutiny Radio live stream.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=29626282 Russell Yazbeck

Just figured I’d throw this out there in response to Kiefer’s response to alcohol consumption.

Per Martin Berkhan’s findings

“That’s three beers a day for three weeks and a measly 6.8% reduction in testosterone for the men.”

“For alcohol to significantly lower testosterone, you need to do some serious drinking. ~120 g alcohol, the equivalent of 10 beers, will lower testosterone by 23% for up to 16 hours after the drinking binge. If you drink so goddamn much that you are admitted to the hospital, you get a similar effect with a reduction of about -20%.”

I’ve certainly cut back my alcohol consumption as of late, but for nearly an entire year I was drinking 3-5 drinks five nights a week and then 10-15 drinks two nights a week while doing strength training three times a week. I managed to up my strength and go from about 13% bodyfat down to where I am now which is 7.5% bodyfat. I still drink about five nights a week, two of them binging heavily, and my strength is still continuing to rise and my bodyfat has maintained at 7.5% for the past 2 months.

I supposed we are all different, some of us may have a stronger reaction to alcohol consumption, but my goals (200 pounds+ and under 8% bodyfat while increasing strength and continuing to lose bodyfat) so far remain obtainable despite my alcohol consumption. Care to elaborate on this?

Also wanna say thanks for all the information you provide on DH. I started carb backloading recently and I’m doing a 4-day split of shockwave with some additional heavy volume thrown in to get the benefits on CBL. Looking forward to my results over the next few months (in conjunction with less alcohol consumption).
- TexasBill
  
  I’m interested in getting some insight from Keifer here. The link to the primary article (with sources) is here: http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html
  
  Keifer, what do you make of MB’s findings? They appear to be totally conflicting with your opinion. This isn’t a loaded question, and I’m not advocating one opinion over the other. I’m just curious why there appears to be such a large divide between both perspectives.
  
  Like many others, I’m willing to cut out alcohol almost completely. That said, I also like having a handful of drinks on the weekends provided it isn’t going to have a measurable, and pronounced impact on progress in the gym.
  
  Interestingly, this question falls inline with a topic ya’ll discussed: the amount of information (and misinformation) that’s all over the internet. I just want to make sure I have the correct and relevant information so I can make decisions and understand the consequences or impacts of those decisions.
  
  What points do you think MB is missing in his analysis?
  - dhnaomi
    
    Thanks for your awesome query.
    
    Science moves more quickly with each passing year. No one person can keep up with every study, not even every published study. Good and bad science is everywhere, and there’s no shortcut (presently) to figuring out what’s worth relying on and what’s crap — you just have to read it all.
    
    That’s why dialogue about science-based recommendations is really important.
    
    We’re trying to get away from the whole “guru vs guru” or even “expert vs expert” paradigm and find ways to come to understanding of the truth (or at least, some usable version of the truth — “Truth” is a slippery concept…).
    
    Because when it comes down to it, what’s the point of all of this? To sell you on the One True Path to Swole, something that works for 70% of people and we just call the remaining 30% crazy or wrong? No. The point is for as many people as possible to get the results they want/need for their goals and sports.
    
    It doesn’t help YOU guys to have this competitive guru-chief tribalism going on. We have to find a way to get communication and cooperation happening; otherwise science is going to leave everybody in the dust.
    - TexasBill
      
      I appreciate the feedback.
      
      The intent isn’t to create carnage between Martin Berkhan and Kiefer. I’m not necessarily advocating one over the other. I do however enjoy that both take a more scientific approach to things, and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo.
      
      And, that’s where my curiosity is piqued. Both have combed through this data, and come out with two entirely different conclusions.
      
      On one hand (Kiefer): Alcohol’s effect on testosterone is pronounced and long. When you’re going to drink heavily, do it with carbs or on a carb day.
      
      From MB’s perspective: Alcohol’s effect on testosterone is overstated, and more acute in nature. Effects last less than 24 hours. If you’re going to drink, keep carbs low.
      
      Based on those conflicting recommendations, there’s got to be a disconnect somewhere. One of the two is wrong.
      
      I’m just interested in hearing Kiefer’s logic and/or response to MB’s article. Not to pit the two against each other, but to understand Kiefer’s position.
      
      Like you said, “dialogue about science based recommendations is important.” All I’ve heard is just basically a 1 minute recommendation from Kiefer, but I’ve yet to hear a “why”.
      
      Last, I’ll leave you with this. I appreciate the time you and Kiefer put into this site. Don’t think that’s lost on me. I don’t feel I’m entitled to this information, and I’m not demanding any kind of response. Any kind of input you can provide is much appreciated…
      
      *And, my apologies to Kiefer. I misspelled your name, not once but twice in the first post.
      - dhnaomi
        
        Oh — I’m sorry, I didn’t mean my post to be confrontational! I agreed with everything you said in your post, AND in this one.
        
        Like you I’m just waiting for the real dialog to happen!
        
        Sometimes I just get all didactic and decide to run with it. That’s what happened there.
      - TexasBill
        
        Hahaha! I didn’t take it as confrontational.
        
        Thanks for the reply…
        
        BTW, I love your blog (post partum punk). Really great stuff. My pregnant wife finds it all very interesting as well. Keep up the good work!
      - dhnaomi
        
        Oh, thanks! I keep lamenting not having time to work on it. It’s great to hear people find it useful. If she’s curious about anything in particular, tell her to leave a comment anywhere on the blog!
Kristin

Is there a way to download the interview to iTunes so that I can take them with me? When I click on the link, it just takes me to an in browser player.

Sorry for the techno-unsavy-ness.
- DHKiefer
  
  We’re actually setting up iTunes now. They use a human-mediated process to approve new shows so they’re incredibly slow and we didn’t want to make DH users wait, hence providing them here.
  
  If you use a PC, you can right click on the link and select “Save link as” and on a Mac, I believe you hold down the control button (or one of the command keys) and click the link to get the same options, then you can save the file.
  - Kristin
    
    Awesome! Thanks!
11sdds

here’s the video you should have posted of max squatting…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B2UfQrI_Lu4
steve marquette

hi kiefer —is there any benifit in using ketone sticks and can you elaborate on there use
- dhnaomi
  
  I can answer that one: No.
  
  Ketone sticks only display whether you have excess ketones in your urine, which happens to most (but not all) people when they are in ketosis. So that’s part of the problem right there: many people may be producing excess ketones but they’re not getting into the urine.
  
  Then there’s the fact that ketosis usually only applies to people who have just *recently* started operating in a state of ketogenesis. After a little while, the body becomes more efficient, stops producing *excess* ketones, and so you never see them on the ketone sticks. Some people NEVER go into ketosis even though they ARE successfully in ketogenesis.
  
  So, use them for entertainment purposes, perhaps, but those 2 problems make them kinda useless for self-tracking.
dhnaomi

My favorite thing about this episode: he’s “Mad Max” Aita and here’s here to tell you to keep your training nice and boring!
Wash

Good interveiw. Very entertaining. Love how Max forgets to mention he’s doing carb nite until the very end!
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Sumner4

How do we find out about the 5/3/1 challenge and the details?
- Draugluir
  
  There aren’t any details yet. I think we’re waiting for more people to sign up.. If you want to be a part of it you can sign up here: http://dangerouslyhardcore.com/forum/index.php?topic=1444.0
  - dhnaomi
    
    We’re waiting for me to awaken from my head-cold-induced stupor and for Kiefer to come up with the actual details of the challenge.
    
    I’m leaving the collection of interested names in the capable hands of Draugluir here. We’ll formalize the process in a week or two when we actually have our shit together on this.
    
    It’s been decided, by the way, that we’re standardizing on Carb Back-Loading for this challenge. Meaning, we’re looking for people (male or female) who are already doing Carb Back-Loading to take on either 5-3-1 or Kiefer’s protocol.
Mike

In regards to Max’s question at the end about vegetables that you guys weren’t able to get to, I was wondering this as well, how much can you eat during the ULC of CBL, because I absolutely love them and could easily put down pounds of them per day. Thanks!
tarius729

i would definitely like to see something more in depth about the effects of alcohol on the muscle development. ive been searching this blog for any details i can find on it. As it stands, i usually have 2-3 beers 2-3 times a week, usually after training, definitely after a PWO shake. my rationale is that beers have carbs and since im carb backloading…