Drink Your Milk

[Gary Gibson]

I had a really bad training day yesterday. It actually got me a little depressed. Started a new peaking cycle with weights that should have been easy. They were not easy.

I'd been doing a volume cycle prior to this to get from the bottom of my new weight class to the top...and to stop being so comically skinny in my singlet. I drank my gallon of whole milk daily on top of eating good, home-cooked meals.

But at the end of the volume cycle, I took a short break from all the extra calories. I stopped drinking the milk, though I continued to eat very well.

So come the new cycle and weights that really should feel doable nearly crushed me. The next morning, however, I felt charged. Sometimes you need to get the snot knocked out of you to clear your head. I had the option of changing my every-other-day plan to a two-on/one-off/two-on/two-off whole body plan. I knew that if I went back in to the gym, I'd have an incredible session. But I also knew I needed to get some milk into my system. I strongly suspected that the couple days without the milk were why I was feeling so weak.

I'd taken to buying a gallon of milk at the gas station a few steps from the gym just before the session. Then I'd drink half the cold, cold milk during the session and the other half throughout the rest of the evening. A couple of guys were amazed that drinking whole milk between sets of squats, benches and deads didn't make me puke. You get used to it.

Anyway, I started drinking my fucking milk again and had the best session I'd had in recent memory. I even set a very, very easy personal record in the conventional deadlift too (see my log) with oodles to spare.

Obviously today is partly the result of previous training and just hitting a high point in my individual strength cycle...but I really don't think it's a coincidence that I did so well after quaffing the mix of macronutrients in that whole milk. I just do better when I'm consuming vast quantities of whole milk. A gallon or so per day seems to be about right. I'm sure I could get a lot of the same benefits by eating well and in large quantities, but milk is such an easier delivery system for nutrients than food. It's nature's way of making small mammals into big mammals overnight. And I am a small mammal who needs to move up a couple of weight classes.

Wherever I train, work or live, I can be seen drinking from a gallon jug of whole milk. I'm like a black Popeye with a milk jug instead of a can of spinach.

Anyway, drink your milk. You'll get stronger faster.

[davew]

I know some people get runs, but drinking a lot of whole milk makes it feel like I'm shitting out a block of concrete.

That's assuming I can even get the bastard out in the first place. It's that bad. Goes away when I cut the milk out, and comes back if I re-introduce, so I know it's the culprit.

[gordonrumble]

Fiber and lots of oils are your friend. I had a similar issue, but after tweaking my diet it went away.

[scotty022]

I second that. Four tablespoons of olive oil is an easy 480 cals that you can add to each meal. I'm told the fat is good for recovery.

That and psyllium husk fiber should do you right. And they're both cheap as hell.

[Tom Campitelli]

Amen, Gary. I recently tried cutting back on the milk and my lifts went to shit. It was amazing. Milk makes it very easy to take in protein, fat, and calories. It must be difficult to get bigger without it.

[Dastardly]

Ive heard often that all black people are supposed to be lactose intolerant.

Well I guess your ease in chugging it down by the gallon has proved that to be a myth.

[Gary Gibson]

Ive heard often that all black people are supposed to be lactose intolerant.

Well I guess your ease in chugging it down by the gallon has proved that to be a myth.

Lactose intolerance is a matter of heredity. I have nearly as many Northern European ancestors as West African.

The ability to drink milk without problems is also partly a matter of practice. A couple years back, I tried to uptake my milk intake suddenly and got a headache, stomachache, bloating and cramping so bad that I couldn't move because of the pain. Now I can drink a gallon or two of the stuff a day with no ill effect beyond the extra trips to the bathroom all those calories and liquid are bound to cause.

[Mr.City]

You drink 1-2 gallons a day?

[Mr.City]

How do you guys feel about a paleo diet with 2% milk? I like meat, can sacrifice carbs, but I like milk.

[Gary Gibson]

You drink 1-2 gallons a day?

Yeeup. One to one and a half on training days. Only around half a gallon on off days. I drink at least half a gallon between all my sets. On long, high volume days, I'll get a gallon in just with squats and benches.