Featured Articles Rising Star-Layne Norton
Q: Basically, I’m a normal everyday guy who really loves everything to do with bodybuilding and the bodybuilding lifestyle. I was picked on quite a bit in school (I’m 26 now) and got very little attention from girls so I decided one day that it was time to stop complaining about it and do something about it. I started lifting sand weights in my basement and that’s how I got started in weight training. I loved it so much that after high school I started competing and even changed my major in college to biochemistry so I could learn more about metabolism. In fact, bodybuilding sort of led me to where I am today. I am pursuing my PhD in Nutritional Science at the University of Illinois with my thesis research emphasizing skeletal muscle protein metabolism. I also attained Natural Pro status in 2006. I have yet to compete in my first Pro show as I took a few years off to make improvements and focus on my PhD and then this past year I had surgery to re-attach my right pectoral that I tore during training. My long break will likely be extended until that is fully healed.
Q: I actually remember following your young career on forums like bodybuilding.com and others for a bit now. That is very impressive Layne. Let me ask, do you find people overwhelming your e-mail box now with requests?
A: Yeah, I probably get around 100-150 e-mails per day. At times it can be overwhelming especially in graduate school, but I try to keep it in perspective. It gives me a chance to have a positive impact in people’s lives and help them and that is a great privilege so I try my best not to complain about it and just be grateful.
Q: I have to ask, what is the stupidest question you have ever received?
A: “Can I have a pair of your used posing trunks?” That was pretty stupid I thought… or just gross for that matter.
Q: I have seen that you have an awesome website, can people hire you for prep and what else do you offer?
A: I offer contest prep coaching as well as non-competition/off-season coaching and phone consultations. Basically whatever an individual is looking for, we can work something out for them. I try to be flexible, the only requirement I have is that people work hard and don’t make excuses. I am only interested in working with people who take pride in what they do and are willing to work hard with no excuses. Other than being onstage, my biggest rush is seeing someone I have helped achieve their goals… whatever those may be.
Q: I see you’re in DVD’s and training films now on Bodybuilding. com. What new adventures do you have coming out that we can look forward to?
A: Where do I start? My first DVD, “Layne Norton Unleashed” was just released for pre-order last month and the response has been pretty awesome. It hasn’t even hit stores yet and we’ve already sold many copies so I’m really pleased with it. The feedback has also been very good. Most people have said that it is not anything like the normal bodybuilding DVD. It is fast paced and full of information and that makes me happy because that was exactly my goal with it when we started producing it. The DVD will be available on my website www.biolayne.com as well as www.abcbodybuilding.com and most likely www.bodybuilding.com. It will also be available to order through me directly by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . My show, “Inside the Life of a Natural Pro Bodybuilder” is also back up on bodybuilding.com now and we are going to have our 20th episode coming out soon. I am happy to have the show back up. There is plenty of stuff out there for untested bodybuilding but I know when I was a kid as a natural bodybuilder sometimes I felt like there was nothing for me out there at all. I really feel like this show gives natural competitors something they can relate to and be proud of.
Q: There are many issues I would like to cover with you in this article, but lets start with your Pro bodybuilding career. All in all, what is the number one highlight you remember most?
A: Well, I haven’t competed as a professional yet, so no highlights there. In my competitive career, it’s probably a toss up between earning my Pro card in front of my family and friends and winning the teenage class in my first show. I know that seems odd, but my first show is something I’ll never forget. It meant everything to me. It was my superbowl and I remember it like it was yesterday. That win really gave me the confidence to make me believe that I could do most anything I set my mind to.
Q: Do you find now that earning a PhD in Nutritional Science (specializing in skeletal muscle protein metabolism) gives you a certain advantage over everyone else as a Pro?
A: Well, I certainly feel like I understand how to manipulate many dietary variables to optimize my nutritional strategy so yes, I guess it does give me a bit of an advantage, but I’m always willing to share information, so I guess it doesn’t help me that much because I tell everyone else my “secrets.”
Q: Who are some of the other natural Pros whom you admire?
A: Man, I am going to miss a ton of people that I should name but I will give it a whirl: Dr. Joe Klemczewski, Dave Goodin, Jim Cordova, Kurt Weidner, Tommy Jeffers, Ben Goins, Alberto Nunez, Raphael Calzadilla, Kera Harle, Doug and Steph Miller, Kareem Petteway, Jon Harris, Rob Hope, Nancy Andrews, Sean Sullivan, Brian Whitacre, yourself for the obstacles you’ve overcome and then a ton of other people who I should name but just can’t remember them all.
Q: I wanted to talk about your strength, as a natural athlete it is amazing. Do you think that everyone can do what you do or are you more of a testament to who you have become mentally and physically?
A: Well, I think that I do have a pretty good bone structure for lifting heavy and that probably hurts me in bodybuilding in that I have thicker joints and a bigger waist. I’m not sure if everyone could ever deadlift 600+ lbs. raw or front squat 405 lbs. for reps BUT what I do know is that everyone has the potential to make really big improvements from where they start, that is for sure. Even 4 or 5 years ago, I couldn’t even touch a 350 lb. squat or a 400 lb. deadlift. It’s all about hard work and being consistent. If you write down goals for yourself and you are tenacious and do not waiver, you had better believe that you can make many of them happen.
Q: I showed Author your scientific publications and he is highly impressed. Would you care to elaborate more on the research that you presented at the ISSN symposium?
A: Sure. Basically I re-examined the way we think about protein recommendations for athletes. Typically, we think of them as a certain amount of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Our lab proposes however, that the way you distribute your protein throughout the day and the types of protein you eat are just as important as an overall number. We know that the amino acid leucine is the key amino acid regulating protein synthesis. The available research shows that approximately 0.05g leucine/ kg bodyweight will maximize protein synthesis in response to a meal. Thus, we suggest that protein sources with different leucine contents will require different total amounts in order to achieve this leucine threshold. For example, for a 200 lb. bodybuilder about 40g of whey protein would reach the level of leucine to maximize protein synthesis. It would take approximately 55g of protein from chicken to achieve the same stimulation in protein synthesis from leucine.
Furthermore, we examined the issue of meal frequency in regards to protein intake. We actually have data from our lab that suggests constant elevations in amino acids are a BAD thing. In fact, it appears that keeping amino acids constantly elevated causes protein synthesis to become refractory to the anabolic effects of amino acids. Our research showed that the time course of protein synthesis in response to a meal only lasted 3 hours, despite amino acids being elevated for 5 hours! So protein synthesis returned to baseline in the face of elevated amino acids. This suggests that consuming 8-10 small meals per day in an attempt to keep amino acids constantly elevated may actually be a bad thing and that it may be better to consume larger protein doses spread further throughout the day that allow amino acid levels to peak and fall, rather than remain constantly elevated. Additionally, we presented evidence that consuming a free amino acid supplement between meals may augment the anabolic response to a meal, though the mechanism is largely unknown. We plan to investigate the ‘refractory’ nature of protein synthesis in response to constant elevations in amino acids to see if there is a way to overcome it, but in the meantime, we really know very little about optimal meal frequency for maximum gains. My suggestion is to consume large 35-50g doses of protein rich in leucine content and space those meals out by 4-6 hours. Consuming a BCAA supplement like Xtend in between meals may augment the anabolic response to the meal and having carbohydrates with your meal has also been shown to have a synergistic effect with dietary protein on protein synthesis.
Q: Very interesting, how much BCAA’s would you recommend taking in between meals to be most beneficial and should they be taken between all meals?
A: Good question. The amino acid drink the researchers used contained 2.8g of leucine, which is the amino acid responsible for stimulating protein synthesis. So I believe consuming 5-6g of BCAA (containing about 2.5-3g leucine) would be optimal to consume between each meal.
Q: When you say that carbohydrates have a synergistic effect with dietary protein on protein synthesis, does this hold true during contest prep? If so, what are your thoughts on a ketogenic diet?
A: Yes, it certainly holds true. Furthermore, insulin has also shown to be a powerful inhibitor of protein degradation. Protein synthesis is only one aspect of muscle growth. In order to have a net growth, the rate of synthesis must exceed the rate of protein degradation. So carbohydrates will not only work synergistically with amino acids to increase protein synthesis, they will also decrease protein breakdown, this should help spare muscle while contest dieting. As for ketogenic diets… many people think of me as a “carb guy” or an “antiketo” guy when I’m really neither. I do not believe there is a single diet that will work for every person. Every person responds differently to various manipulations in macronutrient intake. The job of a contest prep coach should be to try to figure out what is optimal for the individual. Not give them the same meal plan that they gave to 50 other people before them. In most cases I simply don’t think a ketogenic diet is necessary to get someone shredded. I have prepped people who were able to get completely shredded on over 250g of carbs per day! I’m talking glute striations so deep you could see them through their clothes!
With that said, I’ve also prepped individuals who had metabolisms who just didn’t dispose carbohydrates well and we had to take them down to 50g and under to get them lean enough. And we are talking about clients who are the same weight and approximately same height! Again, every person’s metabolism is different and a nutritional strategy should be formulated to maximize the individual’s response to the diet. If they can handle 250g of carb per day and get shredded, why in the world would you ever have them do a zero carb diet? It just doesn’t make sense. At the same time, if you have an individual with a slow metabolism, you need to be willing to get aggressive with their prep or they will never be lean enough. Again, it’s all about figuring the individual out. If I have 100 clients at any given time, then they are using 100 different nutritional strategies. Some aspects of each plan is similar to the others, but they all differ in composition, at least subtly from each person to the other and in many cases they can be very different.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this interview. If people would like to hire you for your nutritional or contest prep services, what is the best way to contact you? Is there any one that you would like to thank?
There are so many people that I should thank and so many people that I will forget but I’ll do my best:
 |
All Rights Reserved © 2010. ALR Industries |
