Michael Ashley: Cutting Program in Natural Bodybuilding | PRO7fitness.com - The Honest Website About Nutrition in Sport, Supplements, Muscle Gain, Weight Loss and Health

Michael Ashley – a world-renowned natural bodybuilder who has achieved impressive results in professional bodybuilding without steroids and hormones. Below we provide an example of a body cutting program (diet and training program) from the natural bodybuilding representative Michael Ashley during a two-month preparation phase for competitions.

Main thoughts:

Proud to be a 100% natural bodybuilder and has never resorted to steroids and hormones in his career

Stopped participating in professional competitions after 1990, when steroid athletes began to appear and win, making competition pointless

One of the main principles of nutrition is careful planning and control; he weighs raw foods and keeps a record of all products, nutrients, micronutrients, and supplements

A feature of his diet is an extremely high caloric intake (~5000 kcal) with moderate protein content

According to some studies, the diet of most male bodybuilders consists of 85% protein

A high-calorie sports diet was chosen to maintain muscle mass and reduce body fat levels

A feature of his training regimen is a large volume of aerobic activity (running, stepper)

In professional bodybuilding, the criteria for assessing perfection are not only the size of muscle mass but also aesthetics and muscle definition. The combination of these two factors is important.

The goal of body cutting in bodybuilding is to reveal the details hidden behind layers of subcutaneous fat. The body fat percentage to which athletes usually cut is 3-4%.

To achieve this, one can take different paths. Most representatives of modern professional bodybuilding are heavily reliant on pharmacology, both for gaining mass and for cutting. Here is a confession from an anonymous pro about cutting agents, revealing the behind-the-scenes of the beautiful (for some – ugly) bodybuilding we see on stage today.

Achieving a record low of 3-4% body fat through exclusively natural cutting methods (diet and training) is not easy. But it is possible. This path requires strict discipline and willpower.

To feel what it is like to be a natural, below we provide an example of Michael Ashley’s body cutting program during the preparation phase for competitions.

This is not a program that is regularly used in natural bodybuilding for cutting, but a scientific experiment aimed at testing whether it is possible to cut on an atypical high-calorie diet and a huge amount of cardio.

Natural bodybuilder Michael Ashley: anthropometry

Michael Ashley is a natural professional bodybuilder of world renown who has never, according to him, resorted to the use of anabolic steroids. He ended his professional bodybuilding career after the onset of the steroid and hormone era.

Anthropometric data:

31 years old
height – 171.5 cm
weight – 95 kg (off-season), 88.5-90 kg (competitive).

Achievements:

1986 – first place in the IFBB World Championships in the light heavyweight category;
1987 – first place in the IFBB Detroit Grand Prix;
1990 – first place in the Arnold Classic and second places in the Iron Man Classic and Pittsburg Pro Invitational Classic.

After winning Mr. Universe in 1986, he ended his 9-year amateur career and began his professional one, winning numerous competitions, some of which were tested for steroid use.

Winning one of the most prestigious bodybuilding events in the world, the Arnold Classic in 1990, marked the peak of his career, recognized by authorities for his achievements. The special status of this achievement is underscored by the fact that, according to Mike, he earned this title as a 100% natural bodybuilder, never using banned substances (steroids and hormones).

He takes pride in being a 100% natural bodybuilder and has never resorted to steroids and hormones in his career

His refusal to use steroids in the following years defined the end of his professional career, as it was in the early 90s that the era of rampant use of muscle-building stimulants began, with more and more super-bulked mutants appearing on stage, making competition futile. By 1991 (just a year after his victory), Mike was deemed worthy of only 10th place.

He stopped participating in professional competitions after 1990, when steroid athletes began to appear and win, making competition futile

In the world of bodybuilding, he is known as the “Wonder of Nature” due to his strong stance against the use of anabolic steroids.

Principles of Nutrition for Natural Bodybuilder Michael Ashley During Cutting

One of the main principles in Mike’s nutrition, especially since entering the world of professional bodybuilding, is careful planning and monitoring of his diet for adequate caloric intake and necessary nutrients.

One of the main principles in Michael Ashley’s diet is careful planning and monitoring of his diet for adequate caloric intake and necessary nutrients.

One of the most important devices on his kitchen table is an electronic scale. He weighs and documents everything he uses in his diet with precision down to the gram. This is done in its raw form, before cooking.

He also keeps a record of all vitamins and minerals consumed, as well as dietary supplements.

In the list of sports supplements during cutting: carbohydrate-rich energy drinks, amino acid complexes, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).

The inclusion of triglycerides is explained by scientific research results showing that their use promotes more intense burning of excess calories, leading to weight loss. Their main sources are palm kernel and coconut oils.

Body Cutting Program for Natural Bodybuilder Michael Ashley: DIET

During the body cutting phase for 8 weeks before the competition, the main goal set by the researchers was to consume a high-calorie diet with moderate protein content (1-2 grams per kilogram of body weight) and minimal dietary fats.

Dietary carbohydrates best replenish energy needs during workouts and are less readily stored by the body in fat depots compared to dietary fats.

The choice of such a diet was justified by the fact that a high-energy carbohydrate diet would help maintain muscle mass during training, preventing muscle catabolism (replenishing energy expenditure by breaking down muscle proteins).

To achieve the set goal, Mike consumed the same foods every day at the same time.

His cutting diet consisted of a large amount of:

grains (brown rice and oatmeal);
vegetables (potatoes, yams, beans, corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, green peas, lettuce);
fruits (blueberries);
dietary meat (chicken and fish);
egg whites and a moderate amount of low-fat dairy products.

As for special sports supplements, sports energy drinks with high carbohydrate content (Exceed, Columbus, Ross Laboratories, OH) were consumed 2-3 times a day (700-1000 g/day, in 100 g = 21 g carbohydrates and 85 kcal). They were typically used immediately after workouts or away from home. Additionally, 12.8 g/day of protein was consumed in the form of amino acids, which accounted for 7% of the total daily intake.

Since fat intake was limited in order to prioritize the increase of complex carbohydrates in the diet, the caloric content of the described diet was insufficient to meet energy needs.

Mike often felt full long before he consumed the necessary amount of calories. Therefore, to help maintain energy balance, medium-chain triglycerides were added to the diet (in addition to energy drinks).

Body types: how to eat and train properly for ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorp

As a result:

The caloric content of the daily diet was ~5000 kcal (54 kcal/kg). Of these, 3674 kcal came from natural foods, energy drinks, and amino acids, while the remaining 1278 kcal came from medium-chain triglycerides.
If we consider a diet without triglycerides, then 76% was accounted for by carbohydrates, 19% – proteins, 5% – fats. The total protein intake was 175 g/day (1.9 g/kg body weight); of this, 162 g/day (1.75 g/kg) came from natural food. The share of protein from special sports supplements was only 7%.
As for vitamins and minerals, about 66% of the recommended intake came from natural food, and despite the additional consumption of vitamin-mineral complexes, it is likely that they could have been avoided. However, their consumption guaranteed an adequate amount of calcium and zinc, as dairy products were limited and there was no red meat in the diet.

The peculiarity of his diet – an extremely high caloric intake (~5000 kcal) with moderate protein content

The benefits of a high-calorie carbohydrate diet

The described diet was developed to maintain muscle mass and reduce body fat levels.

Muscle mass was maintained through strength training, while body fat levels were reduced through prolonged aerobic training (running, cycling), rather than a reduced caloric intake (!).

This method is opposite to that used by most bodybuilders during the cutting phase for weight loss: caloric restriction, high protein intake, and minimal (or no) aerobic exercise.

According to some studies, the diet of most male bodybuilders consists of 85% protein. High-carbohydrate diets, if used, are only during the off-season between competitions.

According to some studies, the diet of most male bodybuilders consists of 85% protein

Body Cutting Program by Michael Ashley: Training

The training regimen consisted of 2 hours of aerobic activity per day (1 hour on the stepper, 1 hour on the stationary bike) at a heart rate intensity of 78% of maximum and 3 hours of strength training.

Strength training was conducted 2-3 times a day. To enhance the fat-burning effect, the aerobic training was continuous: 1 hour on a stationary bike or on a stepper. The weekly training cycle was as follows: 4 consecutive training days – 1 rest day; that is, each week consisted of 6 training days and 1 rest day. The training regimen between competitions was the same except that the time was halved (1/2 hour a day on the stepper, 1/2 hour a day on the stationary bike, 1-2 hours a day of strength training).

The feature of the training regimen is a large volume of aerobic activity (running, stepper)

Results of following a high-calorie diet and training program

During the diet, the body fat level decreased from 9% to 6.9%, evidently due to a reduction in its content within the body, as measurements using skinfold thickness showed insignificant changes. This decrease occurred due to increased energy expenditure, not a reduction in dietary calories. The achieved level of body fat was lower than the lower range of average values for professional bodybuilders (7.2-10.8%).

Also, without going into details, the biochemical blood analysis did not reveal deviations from the norm for any significant indicators, but recorded better cholesterol levels and derivative indicators compared to steroid athletes. An increase in the levels of two types of liver enzymes was noted, which is usually a consequence of muscle cell breakdown and typically occurs during intense training.