Muscle Ventures Podcasts

In this podcast recorded April 24, Nancy and I discuss her decision to drop MCTs shortly after recording a podcast describing her experience with them. She was going back to a carb depletion diet "with food". You can download the 17.5 MB Quicktime movie by clicking on Nancy's picture.

Stomach difficulties are a commonly cited side effect of MCTs. Perhaps just as significantly, Nancy had had a sour stomach since the Friday before and had had trouble consuming her 1200 calorie allowance both days prior. Further, right before the stomach problems that precipitated her decision to drop MCTs, she had been working out for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and we were in the process of doing another hour plus of weight training. In other words, her body was under significant, general stress, and it is hard to know to what extent her difficulties were due to MCTs.

In this podcast, recorded April 23, Nancy and I discuss her first day of carb depletion. You can download the 22 MB Quicktime movie of the conversation by clicking on Nancy's picture.

At this stage, Nancy had completely substituted MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides) for carbohydrates per her previously announced plans. That meant she was only eating chicken and taking MCTs which come in the form of an oil. As we discuss, the idea was that the MCTs would help her burn just a little more fat and lose a little bit more water. One thing that comes across very clearly is Nancy's emerging singular focus on the competition.

Nancy was feeling well that day. Immediately after ingestion, the MCTs provided her a lift that slowly faded.

By the time we recorded this podcast, she had already worked out 2 hours and 15 minutes. We had at least an hour more to go.

Additional Links

• We previously discussed Nancy's plans to use MCTs in this podcast.
• This podcast discusses the growing role of the mental game during the final stages of competition.

It's hard to believe, but we are one week from Nancy Arnold's competition on April 29. In this conversation, I talk with Nancy about her final game plan (download the 35 MB Quicktime video by clicking on Nancy's picture). Nancy has decided, in consultation with Kevin her diet consultant, to alter her carb depletion regimen by supplementing with Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT). The theory behind MCTs is that they provide a more easily digested fat that can act as an energy source, raising the metabolic rate, and thus increasing the rate of glycogen reduction. Recall that the goal of carb depletion is to initially reduce glycogen before reloading it back into the muscles so that they look relatively larger.

The press on the effectiveness of MCTs is highly mixed. Even sellers of MCTs, such as bodybuilding.com, note that they may only be effective in certain cases, and even then provide scant evidnce. Other sources are less charitable, flatly stating that MCTs have no athletic benefits, although they may show other therapeutic benefits.

In the podcast, Nancy is in an upbeat mood, typical for a Wednesday during these last two months. Later, as we worked out, the owner of Outback Gym offered to sponsor her entry fees in the contest. We discuss her good fortune as the podcast closes. And, it is good fortune. Female bodybuilding is a dying sport. Most sponsorships are going to more “feminine” aesthetic sports such as figure competitions.