Interview Conducted By Bob Kupniewski
CHECK OUT LAYNE’S REDESIGNED WEBSITE AT WWW.BIOLAYNE.COM
–Editor’s Note: In a previous interview, I wrote about how proud I am of Layne since we first met in our early 20′s at The 2004 Mr. Olympia when he started working with my former company. It was in my Father-In-Law’s Chevrolet Tahoe that we connected. The enthusiasm we both had speaking about bringing ethics back to the supplement industry and his drive to HELP people was amazing. Fast forward, Layne and now wife Isabel have become what I believe to be some of the most influential people in the industry today and the one thing you can always count on Layne for is his Ethics. Layne is ethical, true to himself, and a very trustworthy individual. The man is successful, but this is just the beginning. There will be much greater things in Layne’s future since complacency is not even in his vocabulary. So read on and be thankful that there are people like Layne out there to help you. A true role model and genuinely good guy.
Bob: What is your generic guideline for training? Do you feel there should be a major difference between pre-contest and offseason regarding volume, frequency, and intensity? If So explain?
Layne Has Done Some Lifting In His Day
Layne: My guideline is that training must be periodized and it must have enough volume to stimulate growth. Contrary to what most people believe, volume, intensity, and damage are ALL important for muscle growth, however volume seems to be the most important based on the research. Constantly training to failure, can impair total volume used and thus while failure is a tool that can be helpful, it must be used sparingly to prevent decrements in performance and reductions in training volume. I always periodize training protocols, particular with non-linear or daily undulating periodization as those protocols have been shown to be the most effective means to improve performance, strength, and hypertrophy. Programming does not change much on a diet, volume may decrease slightly near the end but for the most part, what builds muscle best will also maintain it best.
Bob: What is your general stance on nutrition as far as macro composition in any of your clients diets? Do you differ them much between pre-contest and offseason?
What different things do you utilize on your clients as far as refeeds and cheat meals go, and what are your thoughts on utilizing those in both (offseason and pre-contest)?
Layne: Well everyone’s metabolism is different and must be accounted for accordingly. But obviously there will be macronutrient variations from pre-contest to offseason, with carbohydrate intake being the biggest variable. In the offseason I like carbs as high as possible without excessive fat gain and as high precontest as possible while still maintaining proper rate of fat loss. Now what that exact number is for each person is going to vary… a lot.
Bob: Do you believe in Intermittent Fasting and other non-generic meal patterns? Do you have to eat a certain amount of times per day to eat and why? It seems Meal Frequency is thrown around a lot lately with a ton of different research being published on PUBmed? Your stance?
DATA RELATING TO INTERMITTENT FASTING
Layne: Well I don’t believe in generic meal plans. I think that just giving someone a cookie cutter meal plan doesn’t teach them anything and makes them dependent on that meal plan, promotes binging, and an unhealthy relationship with food. I think intermittent fasting has helped a lot of people with a diet they can stick to, however I also see many people use it as an excuse to binge, and that is never healthy. One of the other problems with it is my PhD thesis research demonstrated that if you eat low protein throughout the day, you cannot make up for that lack of anabolic stimulus earlier in the day by eating a huge protein meal later in the day because their is an ‘anabolic cap’ to each meal, so to stimulate muscle protein synthesis maximally it’s wise to consume multiple (probably 4-5) meals rich in high quality protein. You want to make sure you are getting enough protein to hit around 3-4g of leucine at a meal to ensure that you are maxing out anabolism, that is typically around 30-45g of protein for most sources. But as far as meal frequency and it’s impact on fat loss, it does not seem to matter, and if anything eating too frequently actually impedes fat loss. I believe however, that you could get many of the benefits, if not all of the benefits of intermittent fasting by simply intermittently eating carbs but still having multiple protein meals as eating protein with low/no carb would still maintain elevated insulin sensitivity.
Bob: What are your generic guidelines of Pre/Post workout nutrition?
Layne: 1) Get enough protein pre & post workout to maximize anabolism and eat a greater proportion of your total carb intake around your workout since you tend to be more carbohydrate tolerant at those times. However, total carb intake will vary depending upon the individuals insulin sensitivity and total kcal intake.
Bob: What is your stance when in a caloric surplus what do you believe in should be the minimums you should meet regarding protein, carbohydates, and fats and why? Does any macronutrient trump others as far as protein sparing?
Layne: Well I discussed protein intake above, but overall I’d say if you are hitting 1g/lb you are probably maxing out the anabolic properties of protein and if you are hitting around 1.2g/lb you definitely are. Now eating more protein isn’t going to hurt you (though intakes above 1.5g/lb really haven’t been studies) however, it’s also not providing you anymore anabolic benefit. Carbs are going to be very variable depending upon total kcal intake and insulin sensitivity, but they are probably more protein sparing than fat due to their effects on insulin secretion reducing protein degradation.
Bob: What is your general philosophy on food sources regardless if the individuals is in a caloric surplus or deficit, the phrase “Clean Eating” is thrown around a lot. Could you shed some light on research or any information regarding utilizing different sources in the offseason or pre-contest?
Layne: I think you need to hit a certain amount of protein/carb/fat/fiber intake. if you do that, the food sources you choose are quite insignificant. But, I will qualify that by saying that if you are eating typical bodybuilding macros you are going to have to eat a lot of ‘clean’ foods by default, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy ‘dirty’ foods here or there in moderation. Can you tell I think the labels ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ are asinine? Many coaches will try to sell you on the fact that their are ‘magic foods’ but they are basically full of crap and use that as a ploy to rope people in to buying their services.
Bob: What Supplements do you consider “Staples” or those that should be utilized on a daily basis? Also what supplements do you feel have their benefits in the offseason and pre-contest that should be considered or you utilize for a particular reason?
Layne: I don’t think you NEED any supplements, but there are supplements that are helpful depending on your budget:
-a good anti-oxidant like lipoic acid
-multivitamin if someone has a diet lacking in diversity
Bob: What is your motivation and inspiration? What first got you interested in bodybuilding or nutrition?
Layne: My motivation now is different than it was when I started. When I started I wanted people to stop picking on me and girls to notice me. Now I live to inspire people. I never understood why people found me inspiring, I’m just a guy doing what he loves, but for some reason people have gravitated to it and if since I have the opportunity I am going to do everything I can to inspire others to pursue their dreams and never quit.
Bob: What are your future goals? Any specific things you want to accomplish?
Layne: I want to break a 1700 lb total in powerlifting in the 220 lb class, I want to place top 3 at each of my next shows, I want to start a family, and I want to continue to inspire others. I also want to get more invested in research involving exercise & nutrition and am working on a lot of collaborations with Dr. Jacob Wilson’s human performance/sports nutrition lab at the University of Tampa.
Bob: If there was one thing you could go back and change throughout your career what would it be and why? What impact do you think you could re-write in your past to improve on who you are today?
Layne: NOTHING! And I mean that whole heartedly, I would not change a damned thing. Even though I stumbled and made mistakes, I learned from those mistakes and they helped mold me into who I am today, and dammit, I like who I am today =). So I would not change a thing.
Bob: Thank you for your time and effort in this Q&A Session, if there was one last tip you could give to those who are reading/following what would it be and why?
Layne: Find that thing you love, whether it’s a career, a competition, or a person… work for it, fight for it, and never give up. Have patience, nothing worth doing is easy and doing anything amazing in life will require back breaking hard work. There are no paths to lead to towards accomplishing something amazing and different… you will have to blaze your own. Do not fear setbacks or mistakes, learn from them and use them to motivate you and never ever ever quit. NEVER