Articles Bios & Interviews Getting Fierce With IFBB Pro Seth Feroce: An Exclusive Not To Be Missed Interview
Getting Fierce With IFBB Pro Seth Feroce: An Exclusive Not To Be Missed Interview
Seth Feroce, Rx Muscle’s resident muscle chef, is getting ready to kick his 2013 contest season into high gear. Along with being one of the sport’s great personalities, Seth is also a great student of the sport as well. Recently Seth sat down with me to have an in depth discussion about his diet and training philosophies and to share a few gems that he’s picked up along the way.
Q.) What style of training do you think is the most effective for making quality gains? High Volume? HIT? A mix of both?
A.) I believe that they all do work. FST-7, Volume, HIT, Y3T, etc... I believe that if you put 100% of your TRUE effort into it you will see results. However, we all know that everyone is different. Not one of us reacts EXACTLY the same. So, now this answer becomes vague. And you all say “Well No Shit!”. I believe that you need to prioritize your training just as you would your training split or diet. You have to find a balance or happy medium or whatever the hell you want to call it and move on with it. Do not settle in and get comfortable. The second you are comfortable, you need to get UNcomfortable! I got comfortable, and it was not pretty in the end. We all know about plateaus and sticking points, but we are all always looking for advice about what to do to move past it. So use your friggin head and experiment, take notes, WORK and have fun doing it. It becomes no fun when you’re not making gains or improvements, so enjoy learning and experimenting.
In college I trained very instinctive and had a different philosophy. It was pretty much a mix of both HIT and volume. I would do 2-3 work sets per exercise heavy and intense, I would just go until I couldn’t go anymore. On my last work set of each exercise I would go heavy and until failure (I didn’t understand full meaning of failure at that time) then wait 10 seconds and grab half the weight and perform twice the reps. If I got 8 reps on incline with the 140lbs Dumbbells then I would grab the 70lb DBs and perform 16 reps. The same would go if I got 15 reps on something that meant I’d have to get 30 reps. One of my favorite DVDs was Blood and Guts so I got some ideas from there. Since I began working with Hany he has helped me evolve even more and see the real side of failure training. That guy is friggin brutal!! Now I am able to develop my philosophy even further. Lately, after the year of garbage, I have been spending a lot more time figuring out what works rather than just going with it. I’ve been taking notes, trial and error, researching along with looking over previous notes. Soon I will be posting some new training videos of what I am doing and we will all see this year how it works out.
Q.) The term "learning your body" is something that's often said but rarely explained. If a person is trying to "learn their body" what types of things should they be doing?
A.) Many people think they know their body and they are FAAAAR from it. I thought I knew mine. You will never stop learning in this “sport”. There is so much to learn and you are constantly evolving and becoming better. Each year you want to move forward, but sometimes you take steps back and you need to reevaluate what you did because it didn’t work. Tha
t’s the reason taking NOTES is so important. You are conducting a science experiment on yourself. You are using training styles, food, rest, stress, supplements all of these are the products in your experiment. You need to take them all into consideration at all times. However, do not take this as over thinking everything!! It is just the process. I am saying these are the types of notes you should be keeping, so when you look back at your year in review, you have a better idea of what you did and how it worked out. We are all different, so try new things and keep a journal about it all. I still do it and I made the mistakes SO I DO NOT PLAN ON DOING WHAT I DID IN 2012!!!! Learn your body, do not let anyone else think they know your body better than you do. Coaches are for the guidance and second pair of eyes, they will guide you in the right direction!
Q.) How often can each body part be trained without leading to overtraining?
A.) I train each body part at least once a week. I believe overtraining is very difficult to accomplish. Now under nutrition and under resting is very common! The terms could be interchangeable but it depends on how you look at it I guess. It depends on your schedule and how you run your life. Here’s and easy way to put it, Eat, Train, Rest! They are all so important, if you half ass any of them, you’ll know it. If you push too hard with one and not the others you will fail again. I found out this year how important rest and nutrition are. Prior to the Sarasota show, I didn’t rest enough nor did I eat enough. I stressed my body to the MAX and everything backfired. Figuring out your body is a bitch, let me tell ya!!
Q.) What are your thoughts on doing active recovery days? What’s more useful, an active recovery day or a day of rest?
A.) Rest, Rest, Rest! No active recovery stuff. Your body needs rest meaning no cardio, no training, and no “I am just going to take a light walk to get moving.” No, No, No. I did that for Sarasota and it didn’t work. Some people may be different, but I will never do it again. I need my beauty sleep!
Q.) Do find that certain body parts respond better to higher 
or lower reps?
A.) Yes. I think everyone has stronger parts on their body than some other parts. It could be genetics or it could be from overuse from repetitive motions at work. For me, my legs are genetically larger and very shapely, while my back not so much. I could do volume or HIT for my legs and they will grow. I prefer HIT with some volume here and there. However, for my back it has been much more of a struggle. I need to hit it from all angles with a barrage of training techniques. Lately, I have noticed HIT to be the most effective. Not easy but fun and challenging. This again resorts back to learning your body, but with training styles you need to make sure you put 100% of your efforts into it to see if it works. I don’t like eating fish but it works. In this sport we all do stuff we don’t like. However, when I see results from what I am doing I begin to like it. Even if you don’t like a certain type of training style, if you are getting great results you can’t bitch anymore!
Q,) As the old saying goes "shows are won and lost from the back." What do you think is the most common mistake guys make that keep their back from fully developing?
A.) I am in this category. I need to improve my back. If you are not genetically inclined to have an incredibly developed back, you have A LOT of work ahead of you. Like legs, you have to do the “Fun” stuff! Deadlifts, rack pulls, heavy bent over barbell rows…etc. There is no easy way to develop a great back! BIG WEIGHTS, BIG FOOD, BIG BACK! Another thing in bodybuilding that you have to be is realistic. You have to know your weak points and improve upon them. Don’t say “It will come in when I diet down, that shit doesn’t work! Be realistic and challenge yourself! If you’re adding thickness, well then you better start adding some weight and that barbell is about to get a friggin workout! (Deads, rack pulls, barbell rows) If you lack detail start concentrating on isolation movement, but the only way you are going to see improvements is being realistic, taking weekly pictures, and jot down notes about them. Don’t look at them and say “man I am making progress and looking great!” There is always someone lurking behind waiting for you to become complacent, they will creep up and blow you away! Be realistic, take weekly pics (that doesn’t mean post them EVERY TIME!!) and take notes about your progress.
Q.) Do y
ou think it's necessary to deadlift to develop a good back? If not, what movements do you find work best for adding thickness?
A.) In my case I need to do deads to develop a good back. They work. Some pros don’t deadlift, some do rack pulls and some don’t do either. Genetics play a big role. You can see it amongst everyone in their rear shots of the comparisons. Their insertions are different, frames are different and each trains differently because of that.
Q.) The flat barbell bench has been responsible for many pec tears and shoulder injuries. Do you have to flat bench in order to build a good chest?
A.) No. I believe all bodybuilders should eliminate, if not limit their flat bench barbell presses. I partially tore my right pec doing flat bench barbell presses. I still do flat dumbbell presses, about 2-3 sets a workout, 1-2x a month. I will however do seated hammer strength presses, and flat DB flyes more often than the flat DB presses. Incline is the way you want to go. All types of incline movements, weighted dips, and dumbell pullovers. I have been able to development my chest by staying consistent with those.
Q.) Describe some unconventional movements or techniques that you use in your training that others may find helpful.
A.) Each body part needs to be hit in different ways. Hany was an advocate for shocking the body. I agree 100% with him. To do that sometimes you need to come up with some unconventional ideas. His FST-7 and blood starving sets were some of the unconventional ideas that sparked my thinking. I noticed a change in my shape from this system but I don’t have a training partner all the time and it became very difficult to stay consistent with it. That’s when I went back to what I was doing previously in college and put a new spin on it, which I am still working on now. Simple concepts of staying strong, using heavy weights however, still rounding and filling out the muscle to promote shape all while doing it without a training partner (sometimes). Like I said previously, all training systems work, you just have to put 100% into it!
I have also found that with shoulders you need to hit them from every angle under the sun. The range of motion is key. Your shoulders aren’t a large muscle so you need to be sure you are hitting your shoulders rather than other muscle groups. For example most people hit more of their back when they are doing rear delt movements. Also, with shoulders, it’s how you grip the weight and your body position. There many factors I have found to work differently. The only way to really get a full understanding of what I am talking about is to do a video which I may do. I think we all fall into the category of doing the norm sometimes and we have trouble getting out of it. Either that or we like to do everything and not concentrate on the task at hand and mess up that way. Instead of just learning for ourselves with some guidance we just expect it from someone else. I am guilty of all of them so I am not finger pointing. Working hard is the KEY! If you half ass anything it’s not going to work. If you look for excuses it’s not going to work. DO what works for you and go for it! I remember when I first started on the boards and I was doing shoulders and this guy was killing me about my form saying how stupid I am for doing it that way and just being a putz. He was saying how I am putting too much stress on certain joints and not enough on my muscle, and I should be doing it the other way. Here is the thing, most of us are gym rats and are always looking for new ways to spark growth or improvements. I was dumb enough to argue with him before I realized it was a lost cause. But, it doesn’t matter what people say about you, my shoulders aren’t a weak point so it must work for me. I was just trying to give advice in the video. If something works for you, and you are noticing improvements, and no harm is done then go with it. The only way you are going to know about anything is EXPERIENCE! If you don’t experience it how are you really going to know? Don’t be an asshole just because someone does something different. Now, if it is downright absurd then you can say something.
Q.) Let's talk about offseason diets. Often times it seem like guys have one of two problems in their offseason. Typically they eat too much and gain an excessive amount of fat, or they don't eat enough to facilitate quality gains. What's the best way to determine your offseason needs to that you can have a "productive offseason."
A.) The biggest mistake that everyone makes, including me, is not paying attention. This is one big science experiment. We eat different foods, train different ways, rest differently, and lead stressful lives from different things. We need to evaluate all of that as we are going through an offseason or prep. This is an extremely difficult task and one of the main reasons we hire a coach. They have it all figured out, to an extent. Good coaches are able to monitor and manipulate their cli
ents body without stress on the client. They use their philosophies and tweak them as needed for that client. However, all of that information is pretty useless unless the client understands his body. If you don’t know how are you supposed to explain how you are feeling to your coach? Years of experience helps this problem! To answer this in short, pay attention to YOUR Body. Take notes on your eating habits. Were you bloated after eating “this meal”? How long did it take before you were hungry again? What condiments did you use on your meal? What type of meat did you eat? Carbohydrate? Amounts? Preservatives? What did you train that day? Did you do cardio? IT’S ONE BIG SCIENCE EXPERIMENT. Call me crazy, but this is what goes through a good coach’s mind before you even know it. You must evaluate everything once you get to a top level! We are not all freaks!
Q.) Should fats and carbs be included in the same meal during the offseason? What about during a contest diet?
A.) Yes, I believe so. Amounts play the key role. Steak and sweet potatoes? Salmon and rice? Chicken with EVOO and rice? Chicken, avocado and rice? All are meal essentials in offseason and contest prep. The key is the amounts. It goes back to learning your body. I don’t do well with red meat, I thought I did, until I actually paid attention. It slowed the digestion process way down for me. However, I know a lot of people that eat the heck out of it and are perfectly fine. Go figure. So I’ve changed by incorporating salmon and much more EVOO and Mac Oil rather than two red meat meals a day. My favorite meal is 8oz turkey, 2cups brown rice and 2tbsp mac oil. I eat that 3-4 times a day in the offseason.
Q.) Other than post workout, when is the best time to consume carbs?
A.) Pre-workout, and in the morning, and throughout the day. If you can eat them, eat them! If they make you fat, stay away from them! As of late for me the most vital time I have found to eat carbs is pre-workout. We are bodybuilders, we need to train and the worst thing to do is have a bad training session SO we must stay full and FUEL our workouts!
Q.) Do you think the source of protein is important? Or should athletes get their protein whatever way they can?
A.) Types are very important. Like I’ve said before, you must find out what works best for you! Me, I like a little red meat, but mostly turkey, chicken and eggs with some fish mixed in. I hate fish! I would rather jerk off with sand paper! With red meat I go with 93/7 ground beef, I found a butcher that is all natural, hormone free, grass fed beef. I don’t eat much of it anymore so when I do, I go with a little higher quality. This stuff gets expensive, we all know that. When you’re eating over 100lbs a month going from $3.69 to $5.49 is a frickin KICK in the wallet (balls).
If you are on a budget, always do what is in your means, don’t be an asshole and screw your whole monthly budget up. There is always a way around things. You just have to use your melon! I do a decent job of explaining things like this on www.SethFeroceTraining.com. I go through my grocery shopping, and this year, for this prep I will be holding a daily/bi-daily blog.
Q.) Let's transition to contest dieting. How does an athlete determine how many calories they need to consume during their contest diet?
A.) I have never counted a calorie in my life. Go by the mirror and if you need to make weight, the scale as wel,l but as for counting calories, nope. I never have in the past, Hany and I never counted and I am not going to start now. He taught me to use the mirror and evaluate what you are eating. Simple to think about, red meat has more calories, fish has less. People who 
eat fish more often are usually leaner. Find out what works for you. Potatoes keep me fuller, but rice digests so much better. Now I’m finding that happy medium, how to eat, when to eat what and what not to eat. Keep that daily LOG!!
Q.) Do you think there is an advantage to eating smaller, more frequent meals during contest dieting?
A.) Absolutely, kick that metabolism into high gear! You should be a machine when you’re prepping. I start at every 3 hours, and by 3-4 weeks out I start every 2.5 hours. Pay attention to portions and types of food. But yes your body is like a furnace, you’ve got to keep it burning.If you let the flame go out it’s a pain to get it started again.
Q.) The fear of most athletes during contest prep is that they're going to diet off that hard earned muscle. What's the primary indication that you may not only be losing fat, but muscle as well?
A.) It is incredibly difficult to diet off muscle if you are eating. I am guilty of this as well. I believed that I was bigger than I was. So many of us do! The key is being realistic with yourself, put your ego back in your pants and realize what is going on. If you are only eating fish and veggies, yes you are going to feel like shit and diet away muscle. But, if you are eating the right amounts, (I know that is very vague) you will be fine. Dieting is supposed to be hard but not deathly, intense but not walking zombie. You need to fuel your workouts, we are bodybuilders not long distance treadmill kings! So don’t eat like a friggin bird, eat like a bodybuilder. Don’t be a damn pig though. Learn your body!
Q.) If an athlete does find that they're losing muscle what can they do to get things back on track?
A.) Stay calm and slowly add food in little by little. ALWAYS remember this...Drastic things makes for drastic changes. This goes for good and bad. I have done this so be careful! Trying to get 5% better and you can end up being 20% worse! The key is to change things up slowly, add in some carbs once or twice a day by a small increment (this what I would do but it also depends on how close you are to a show) or add a clean cheat meal in, sushi always does wonders for me. It all depends. If you are 3 weeks out, be careful with the cheat meals. Don’t be an ass and go eating burgers and fries. Choose a bit more wisely (unless you are instructed by a coach). Try sushi, a porterhouse and sweet potatoes, something with HIGH cals, but a bit cleaner than a regular cheat!
Q.) How often should athletes practice posing?
A.) Every single day! Eight weeks out from a show you should be posing everyday at least 20 minutes a day. Five weeks out it should be at least 30-40 minutes a day. Three weeks out you need to at least an hour of mandatories, routines and free posing! Always be prepared. Hold your poses for at least 10 seconds. The average time on stage for a pose is about 8 seconds, so be prepared and hold it for 10!
Q.) Name a few things that you do to cope with the stresses of dieting.
A.) Weed, lots and lots of weed... HAHA, that was a joke! This was something I got away from for Toronto and Sarasota. I stressed myself out so much. Previously I read self motivational books, self help books and listened to many religious cd’s and radio stations. Some people laugh or may poke fun but that’s why I think I was so calm at my previous shows. I was at peace and mentally prepared. Be sure to make time to meditate, listen to things or read. You need to stay confident and sure of yourself while dieting, we all know too well the stress and anxiety we bring upon ourselves.
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
