Interview with Bodybuilding Guru and Nutritionist Tim Gardner

[Q] Can you describe your coaching philosophy? For instance, if an athlete were to sign up with you, what can he expect to get from you?
I take all of the thinking out for the athlete. I design a nutritional and training program tailored to the individual’s goals. Typically, a program is set for a 12-week plan where we would discuss progress and adjustments every two weeks.

[Q] That’s a package and a half to get everything included for the athlete with constant adjustments! Let’s talk now about weight training. What sort of principles do you believe in?
Definitely periodization of training is key in order to ensure constant progress. The diet and supplementation program has to be also properly aligned in order to support the specific training phase that the person is in. Repetition-wise, it really depends on the phase that you are in so at some phases you may be training more like a powerlifter while other phases are more hypertrophy oriented, and thus, are faster paced and have higher volume. Exercise-wise, I believe in basic exercises as well as hitting the muscle from different angles. Training session length also needs to be kept in check as too much time in the gym leads to overtraining so typically no more than 1 hour in the weight room.

[Q] As athletes get more advanced, they tend to plateau. What would you recommend to an athlete that has plateaud adding mass?
Basically, we would sit down and analyze their training regiment, assuring that one is not overtraining. Possibly change up the training altogether to shock the system. For instance, if an athlete has been doing a hypertrophy phase for a while, it may be wise to go into a strength phase in order to activate higher threshold fibers, and thus, elicit a muscular growth response. I would also assess the athlete’s caloric intake to make sure he/she is taking in the right amount of calories for them to build muscle. Finally, I would troubleshoot their supplements’ program and rest patterns.

[Q] Nutrition is a subject that confuses most bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. What are the main premises of your nutrition philosophy and what makes your nutrition program so effective?
Each client is unique in his or her metabolic makeup. Some people need more carbs than others to build muscle while others need less carbs. Also, when dieting, some people can diet at a higher carbohydrate base while others need to lower them significantly. It all depends on the individual athlete’s makeup and how sensitive they are to carbs. I also factor everything in my client’s lifestyle, their tendencies, and weaknesses prior to instructing them. I seem to be able to push the right motivational buttons…

[Q] How necessary is cardiovascular exercise during off-season and during pre-season?
It’s not as frequent during the off-season compared to pre-season but it really depends on the person’s body composition and how far out he or she is. For instance, I’ve had people who only need 30 minutes every 2 days during a pre-contest phase while others need significantly more than this. Obviously, the lower the body fat, the easier to get in shape is and typically the less cardio is needed. It’s all about the skin. So my philosophy on cardio, in a nutshell, is to just use what is needed; no more, no less.

[Q] How important are supplements in your bodybuilding program and which supplements do you recommend for use year round?
Supplements are what they are, supplemental. There is nothing better than real food. I am very careful in which supplements that I recommend because they are not FDA regulated. I’ve found through independent laboratory research that Beverly International and Biochem/CountryLife test 100% on their labeling no matter when they are evaluated.

[Q] What supplements do you feel are essential when doing a bodybuilding show?
Depends on what stage of the game we are in, but predominately throughout, the essentials would be a multiple vitamin and mineral pak, amino acids (branched chains and free form), and lipotropics. Whey protein is good too but I advise my athletes to get most of their protein from real food.