Refounded from:
http://regpark.net/bb/index.php?topic=9What was Reg's bodybuilding diet like? (Deon Silva, Kriss Kangas, Casey Butt, Robert Forbes and Kaya Park)
I think Reg's diet will come as a real surprise to most! I have asked Reg on many occasions to confirm this.
In the world of modern bodybuildind nutrition (egg whites, low fat diet styles etc.), Reg's diet is something of a contradiction to all of that. Here is what he did...he ate anything he pleased! To bulk up he simply ate more! Back in the late 1940's and early 1950's there were no set or accepted diet rules for the bodybuilder, no books on bodybuilding nutrition. In the modern program "Body for Life" the six meals a day has almost been punted as a new, modern concept, but Reg was doing this way back then. Reg's main source of protein was - Full Cream Milk! He drank pints/litres of it per day (full cream, not the modern low fat variety). Reg has always said that milk is your cheapest source of protein. Reg was a huge eater and he ate anything that was calorie rich! Reg believes in a simple nutrition plan - to bulk up, eat a lot! and workout hard!
Reg has never been a believer in bodybuilding supplements or the "egg white" idea. He believes all the valuable nutrition is in the yolk, not the white. I'm sure i read that Arnold also believed in eating whole eggs compared to just eating egg whites.
Most of the earlier champs believed in consuming the whole egg, not seperating the whites. I think they had a complete different approach. The "low fat" diet revolution had not been introduced yet, which of course has influenced so much of the fitness industry today. I do believe the champs such as Reg and Arnold knew the value of the yolk or whole egg. If I'm not mistaken the great bodybuilding writer/nutritionist Jerry Brainum has also written articles in praise of the egg yolk. Perhaps someone should contact him to hear his opinion and expertise on the subject!
The late Vince Gironda promoted fats along with protein and did Rheo Blair. For years people have been eating powdered protein, no fat, but all kinds of sugars (bad)as carbs for weightgain. Seems they were right all along, you need fat to utilize the protein. Often the guys from Vince's Gym would walk across the street to a local eatery, for steaks no less, then go back for a second workout. Can't gain without fuel.
Eggs, (cooked)pound for pound are still one of the cheapest sources of protein out there.
About consuming egg whites only, I believe Bill Pearl was one of the first proponents of this. When he became a vegetarian (that also eats diary) in the late 1960s, he made egg whites a cornerstone of his diet.
Can we get what Reg's menu would look like for one day? Also, how much cardio would he do on a weekly basis?
Reg Park's Diet.
Breakfast:
A glass of fresh orange juice
Fruit: paw-paw (papaya) & banana
Cooked Oatmeal (Large soup plate full) with full cream/whole milk & fresh cream
A plate of bacon, eggs, tomato and toast
A couple of cups of tea
Lunch:
Large bowl of soup (tomato, pea, minestrone etc.) with rye bread
Cooked vegetables
Beef steak (2 Kg)
Desert
A couple of cups of tea with some chocolate
Also wine or milk stout(like Guiness)
Supper:
Same as lunch.
(Reg would consume Milk stout/Guiness as an aid when he needed to gain weight)
This was dictated to me by Reg Park 05 May 2006
Reg did not do cardio! He believed that the correct hard weights workout, with correct technique, tempo and correct breaks between sets provided efficient cardio.
I realize that today in a cardio mad world with its cardio junkies, this is very controversial! Reg does today give clients a cardio program, so please do not misunderstand me. He does believe in cardio, but he himself did not include cardio as we know cardio to be.
The diet program, I will look up for you. As stated previously milk was a very big part of it, 6 to 8 times a day in large quantities (will let you know exactly how much he consumed later when I find out). This of course would not be good for everyone as many have an intolerance to milk.
In an interview with Reg by Osmo Kiiha, Reg was asked about his diet:
"What type of diet did you follow?
Reg: I liked to eat like a king, but only food that was good for me. I ate prodigious amounts of food during the day, but adhered to a very balanced diet with everything in proper proportions. My favorite food is steak, which I sometimes eat twice a day. I also like salads, orange juice and wine. I have a wine cellar in my home. I also have used protein supplements and take vitamin and mineral tablets.
Earle Liederman once wrote in "Iron Man" about the gastronomical indulgences of bodybuilding starts, "Reg Park of England wins a good second to Mac Batchelor with his speed. Once, when dining with Reg, he gargled three large plates of vegetable soup, then gulped chucks from his extra large and thick steak without his teeth sinking into the meat once, apparently, next stuffed many side dishes of vegetables into his ever open mouth and these include an extra large pair of baked potatoes, a huge bowl of salad, three glasses of milk and the last, the piece de resistance, a big dish of ice cream with cake. And all this, mind you, in about ten minutes. Gee! I've seen hungry bloodhounds gobble down food, but Reg Park wins a can of fried grasshoppers as second place for amount, and first place for speed."
three glasses of milk, his son Kaya, said, The only time I ever really gained any weight was when I started to drink whole milk, I put on 24 lbs in 4 months. I used to drink about 2 liters of full cream milk per day and have about 4-5 full eggs a day. I am aspiring to get back to this stage. Reg according to both himself and my Grandmother had an incredible appetite as has been mentioned before. However Reg could afford not to eat a low fat diet because he trained for 3 hours at a time and trained so hard that he could afford to. hehehe Reg's appetite. He would eat a 2kilo steak in a sitting, thats WOW Smiley
2 Kilos of steak, that's about 72 ounces. Holy cow1 Shocked There are some restaurants in Texas that offer a certificate and the meal is on the house if someone can eat their 72 ounce steak and desert. Most people of course don't even come close to finishing the steak.
Reg mainly drank full cream milk and ate eggs with their yolks etc because he was training very hard and needed to maintain his awesome body weight. His eating was not for everyone as he was going for a specific type of training. I too have gone through stages where I’ve consumed 2l of full cream milk per day! I also eat egg yolks with my whites +- 4 eggs a day. However because I’m young and constantly exercising it doesn’t have a negative effect on me, in fact I once read an article saying that egg yolks are actually very good for you!
What type of training are you aiming for? Are you attempting to lose weight, maintain or just be healthy and unconcerned about weight? Reg told me about two or three weeks ago that raw eggs despite popular consensus are not good for you! So you may want to stay away from those, get a whey protein powder and use it in place of the eggs!
Look casey Butt links about good fats:
http://www.weightrainer.net/nutrition/fats1.htmlhttp://www.weightrainer.net/nutrition/fats2.htmlhttp://www.weightrainer.net/nutrition/fats3.html
