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DON:
What is your age, weight, height, body fat percentage:
Now, at it's best, at it's worst.... And what were your
last two training sessions like as well as your last
couple days of eating if you wouldn't mind.
NELSON: I'm 45. 5'11" 190 pounds with
8 % BF. I never do the same training session twice.
I tend to eat what I'm in the mood for. As unfashionable
as it may be, I believe in following one's instincts
in that regard. Of course, one must learn to develop
good instincts. But I follow mine.
DON:
This is so true. Let me ask you, what is a good pre
and post workout meal plan?
NELSON: As far as a pre meal, again it depends on what
my body is craving. I don't buy into the
concept of training on an empty stomach to release Growth
Hormone. Even if it's true, the amount would be negligible
and isn't enough to stimulate additional muscle growth
of any consequence. People also say you should eat immediately
after a workout but the body allows for a LOT of leeway.
If you have protein in your system from BEFORE the workout,
it will use that. If you eat 2 hours after a workout
it will use that too. Precision timing is not a very
big factor. I know people who treat every calorie like
it's a quantum physics calculation. And they look
like crap! Your genetics determine how well you process
macro nutrients. Your instinct tells you what, when
and how much.
DON:
And habits I would assume come into play. How long after
a session should you wait to eat then or are you saying
it doesn't matter? And, are you saying carbs are best
here? I agree whole heartedly with eating protein PRIOR
to..... But does this mean you eat... wait a minute.
Well, how long prior to the workout do you eat then?
It's funny because physiologically, exercise on a full
gut (i.e. swimming) isn't sensible. But then a lot of
people workout immediately following their meals and
they are just RIPPED. What EXACTLY do you do? Or is
this another, gauged by feel thing?
NELSON: The bottom line on eating.... never get hungry
- never get full.
DON:
If there was one thing you could change about main stream
fitness, what would it be and what ARE you trying to
'revelate'?
NELSON: The one thing I'm working on changing is to
get people to stop researching things to death and just
do something! Take action! I believe that too
much emphasis is placed on "scientific theory" and not
enough on practical "real life" results.
DON:
Have you ever tried any of the fads? Zone, Atkin's etc.?
What is your take?
NELSON: All of those diets are repackaged versions
of stuff that's been around for decades. My dad was
a pro boxer (ranked 4th in the world) and when he needed
to make the weight class the advice was "lay off the
starches." So it was steak and salad. Now it's
called the "zone, high fat, cyclo ketogenic, ABCD body
opus up your butt diet". What baloney! It's just common
sense. But any "extreme" diet is impractical in the
long run.
DON:
I agree again. How funny. I had an article lambasting
these systems circulating myself. My father followed
the same programming. Steak, salad, coffee. This was
back in the 50's he was doing this. Anything that depletes
you too extreme. Whether that depletion be fat or carbs,
its still a depletion. I would love to hear about your
father and who he fought!
NELSON: My Dad went under the name of Rocco Rossano
(sounds like a fighter, doesn't it?) His record
was 89-4. His most famous fight was his loss to
Kid Gavilan who went on to become the welterweight champion.
It was the only time he was ever knocked out.
That was his last fight.
DON:
May 28, 1948 in NYC. That's when they fought. I am a
boxing fan. Was strength and conditioning coach for
Ring Stars in Vegas for a short while. Tell me, what
do you feel are the most essential supplements? The
best for weight gain w/o getting fat and the ones for
fat loss while preserving muscle?
NELSON: It depends on what you need and what you're
trying to accomplish. A vit/min cap each day is the
simplest thing in the world to take for insurance purposes.
Creatine works depending your weight. Tribulus works.
Some of the more old fashioned (and consequently dismissed)
supplements like desiccated liver are actually very
good. As far as gaining lean body mass, the only thing
to do is to increase calories. That means food.
Any MRP is just food.
DON:
Do you mean eat food instead of meal replacements or
do you mean meal replacements ARE food? Whose do you
use?
NELSON: No but when it comes to MRPs I just go with
what tastes best.
DON:
Good escape. Laughs. I recently tried the ****** or
whatever it is called. Was real let down. The ads and
******, the man behind the stuff all lied. It's so sugary
I bloated like a balloon in moments. And so did everyone
else who I gave the rest of the packets to. Everybody
binges or has one food or meal that does them in EVERY
TIME. There is also a part of their body they hate or
even an exercise they despise and either still do, or
avoid like the plague.
NELSON: Abs are the most unsatisfying to work. That's
why I don't treat them as an afterthought. I work
them like any other body part - on their own day, and
hard!
DON:
Interesting. How do you split your body up then and
what is your idea of rest and recovery session to session.
NELSON: My workout program:
Day One: Back and Bi's
Day Two: Chest and Triceps
Day Three: Off/Rest Day
Day Four: Legs
Day Five: Off/Rest Day
Day Six: Shoulders and Traps/Neck
Day Seven: Abs and Calves
DON:
I find that fascinating. What progress has this split
brought you or are you simply maintaining these days?
NELSON: The workout schedule just makes sense to me.
When you work back, you're working bi's, so I can go
right into my biceps workout without a warm-up. It's
an all "pulling" workout. The same thing with
chest and tri's except that they both "push."
With this method, I keep all the body parts separate
from each other and I don't over train a particular
muscle group. In this way, I wind up working
the entire body once a week. But I'll occasionally skip
a day here and there if I feel I need the rest. And
I do NO AEROBICS
DON:
I limit my aerobics, but "none"? Why? I mean I do 12
minutes after each session with weights to flush my
body of exercise debris, but NONE at all? Then again
I usually skip mine too.
NELSON: Aerobics don't work. They just use up
carbs. As soon as you eat carbs, you're back to
square one. Intense aerobics such as running causes
free radical damage, ankle, knee and back trauma, and
burns muscle tissue. My heart gets plenty of work from
my higher rep days. I limit my aerobics to walks
through Central Park.
DON:
Binge food? I asked about your binge foods.
NELSON: I don't binge. Favorite bad food though?
Italian bread and Coca-Cola!
DON:
Together? Would that be Co-coa Cola Reg-U-LAAR? (Laughs,
it's an inside joke, a friend of mine went to France
and... nevermind).... I grab for those WOW Doritos.
It never digests (coated with plastic) but I love that
taste. Dr Pepper is my thing. Here's a question. What
do you eat the day of a bodybuilding show or a photo
shoot to look pumped and great but not flat and deflated?
How about the pump up backstage? What about that?
NELSON: Again, since the body is always in a state of
flux it's impossible to predict exactly how it will
react. This why after all these years pro bodybuilders
still "miss the mark" the day of the show. Eat a small
meal. Sip water. That's the best advice I can give.
Try and get drastic with crab loading or sodium loading
or using diuretics and there's a good chance it'll backfire.
DON:
Interesting again. There's no magic. Just timing and
practice as an individual. What is the key to your success?
NELSON: Always look for the logic in any given situation
and you'll never be far from the truth. People adopt
concepts based solely on what information they "inherited."
It's like religion. Some people think that whichever
one they were born into is the one that's right for
everyone. It's easier, I suppose, than seeking logic.
But logic is undeniable. (Unless, of course, you're
irrational which includes about 75% of the human race.)
DON:
And Mike Mentzer. Actually I like Mike. I was misread
once discussing him. Oh well, too late. Seriously, that's
a great interpretation. Have you had any professional
consultation with a top level athletes or butted heads
with anyone we would know by name? What was it about?
NELSON: I've butt heads with almost everyone in this
industry. *****, who works for ***** was very cool in
telling me he enjoyed my work even though ***** would
like to see me dead!
DON:
Not the first time I heard this. Why are they like this?
NELSON: You were correct in that the powers that be
don't really want knowledgeable people around. They
want "stars" They don't need the truth. They need to
fill an agenda. It would be unprofessional of me to
name names but I've told some pretty big shot scientists
that I thought they were totally wrong. And they still
are. I will not endorse a product I don't believe in.
That's what I like about working at TESTOSTERONE. They
give me free reign with my work and they make me comfortable.
You just have to know when and where to compromise.
DON:
Is there anything you think we haven't touched upon
here yet? Here's a question. What was the last movie
you saw and last album or compact disc or audio cassette
you bought?
NELSON: It's funny that you ask about movies and CD's.
I've worked most of my life as a musician and I also
work as an actor. I have over a thousand albums
but I don't remember the last time I bought a new one.
(Whatever it was, it was probably something older).
I like all types of music from Sinatra to Iron Maiden
to Ludwig Von Beethoven. My favorite artist is
John Coltrane. My favorite band is the Beatles.
I prefer American films from the 1930's and 1940's but
I do like Woody Allen's work. Saw the movie "Antz"
last night. I liked it! Please forgive any spelling
errors. My proof reader (my wife) isn't home.
DON:
Any children?
NELSON: I'm on my second marriage. The first was
a big mistake. My first marriage produced my son, the
greatest thing in my life.
DON:
I have really enjoyed talking with you. You're bright
and insightful. What is your educational background?
NELSON: For what it's worth I have an IQ of 170.
I think an IQ just tells you how good you are at taking
an IQ test. I could have scored even higher if I understood
basic algebra. But I hated it. I never finished
high school.
DON:
That's amazing really.
NELSON: It seems like you and I are pretty much on the
same wave length but it may not be that big of a coincidence.
Anyone who's been around for awhile and has decent judgment
will come to similar conclusions. The greatest
task is getting past all the rhetoric and misinformation.
DON:
I agree but then again, it's not the position of the
laborer or secretary to know what's best for their bodies.
That is where we come in. So let's continue to inform
these great readers of what is really "The Truth". Thanks
Nelson. I'd like to do this again sometime.
NELSON: Thanks for your time as well.
DON:
All in all, before we close, how are things going for
you?
NELSON: Things are going very well on this end. When
it rains, it pours. I've been busy writing, playing
and even doing more acting. It gets hectic, but I like
it that way. The toughest part is maintaining a clean
diet. It's funny. Since I'm hypoglycemic, I MUST adhere
to your "no two crab meals in a row" concept. Otherwise,
my insulin levels get wacky.
DON:
When will Testosterone become a hard copy, store issue,
magazine?
NELSON: Testosterone has decided to remain a web site
for the time being. We have over 22,000 subscribers
and get over a million hits a month. Do we get attacked?
Constantly! But that goes with the territory.
That's show biz. Can't have it everybody's way I guess.
DON:
Acting. You do soaps. Who is your agent? How often do
you work?
NELSON: As far as soap work out here, well, I don't
have an agent. I just send out a picture and get called
now and then. It's all about the right look anyway.
I believe only a handful of actors can really stretch.
(I can not and will not ever be cast to play a 60 year
old black women) Everybody's a type. I was on Guiding
Light and I do All my Children about once or twice a
month. But like I said, it's just bit stuff. Walk ons
etc. I am supposed to read for a principle part on the
show. We'll see.
DON:
I turned down a soap because of the script. How do you
feel about that stance?
NELSON: I really wouldn't care if the scripts suck,
as long as they pay well. Actors with a lot of clout
take shitty parts to keep working so what's left over
for ME? I try and be more discriminating when it comes
to playing music. I've earned that. But, sometimes you
have to play crap or with lousy players. Whattaya gonna
do? That's reality.
DON:
Well, maybe we will be writing for the same site soon.
Depends on TC's reaction to my submission.
NELSON: I'll mention to TC that you're interested. BTW
Try to be a irreverent as possible. T-mag readers are,
on the whole, knowledgeable and cynical. Nobody reads
T for basic "fitness" info. Be as radical as you want.
The more renegade, the better!