Road to the 2018 Arnold Classic With the Boston Mass, Jose Raymond

Eating to Build Size, Cardio for Fat Loss

Weighing Food, Counting Macros

Jose, do you weigh your food before or after cooking? I tend to weigh after cooking (after it’s all cooled off and settled) primarily due to convenience. I weigh about 170 at less than 10 percent body fat and I usually eat 6 ounces of cooked meat per meal. Do you feel this is sufficient? I’ve heard this is close to 50 grams of protein, but I’m unsure. Also, how much fat do you generally take in pre-contest and off-season, and do you have protein/carb/fat meals or just protein/carb or protein/fat?

I definitely weigh my food cooked because it tends to shrink through the cooking process. If your goal is to grow, then I would definitely bump up the serving size to about 8 ounces and see how you do for a while. Each protein source is a bit different, so you can’t just say 6 ounces is 50 grams. When I first start my diet, I use peanut butter and almonds and maybe some oils, but not usually more that 50 grams of fat a day. As I get closer, I drastically reduce fats unless I feel I need them, and I try to have one carb or fat source but not both in the same meal.

Boston Mass Training

Being from the Boston area, you are one of the only local guys I look up to in this sport. When you began training when you were younger, what helped you put on the mass? What foods where a staple for you, and did you stick to the basic compound movements?

Thank you, that means a lot to me. When I was younger, I could get away with a lot more mishaps in my diet and still grow and come in shape. I would typically diet all summer and do a show at the end of the summer like USA or Team Universe, and then I would go straight off to football camp and try to beef up as much as possible. Back then I would eat all the typical college foods like pizza, calzones and Chinese food, along with a few healthy breakfasts and lunches in the cafeteria. There were times I would get up to 215 or even 220 and diet all the way back down to the lightweight limit of 154. My workouts consisted mostly of power, compound movements like squats, deadlifts, cleans and bench presses because like I said, this was for football. Back then, that was my main priority for most of the year until summer.

Best Cardio Intensity to Lose Fat

I have a question about cardio intensity. I’m not looking to compete; just bring more out more lines and vascularity in my legs. Currently I don’t do any cardio, and my upper half is quite lean. I think that a half hour of cardio a day, at most, will be sufficient. What do you believe is the best level of intensity on the StepMill to achieve maximum fat loss while maintaining as much muscle as possible?

When I’m on the stairs, I do it at a level that does not allow me to do anything else but focus on the stairs. I can’t text, read or take phone calls. Half the time, I am not even listening to music. I just keep my headphones in to keep people from starting a conversation with me. I keep the speed anywhere between 6 and 10, depending on the particular machine.

Are Shorter Bodybuilders at a Disadvantage?

How tall are you, Jose? Do you think shorter guys like us have an advantage at adding mass? Or does it work against us?

I’m 5’4” on a good day. I’m not sure there is any advantage to being short, other doing a limbo contest or being a horse jockey. I think in bodybuilding it is a disadvantage, because you could have the same muscle quality, shape, symmetry and condition and still lose to a taller competitor. I think this is why the 212 was invented; not because of size but because it is so hard to judge a great short physique against a great tall physique. The eye just naturally moves to the taller guy.

Heavy Training, High Volume for First Show

How old were you when you first competed, what show was it and how did you place? What weight class was it?

My first show was the 1993 NPC New England Championships when I was 18. I won the lightweight and overall teen division and have been addicted to the feeling of winning ever since. I trained and dieted with my older brother Tito, and he kept me from making a lot of the mistakes that teens make early on. I trained heavy with high volume, but did mostly power movements. By the time I was 18, I looked like a bodybuilder anyway, so my brother convinced me to compete. I went on to place second in my class at Teen Nationals the same year Craig Richardson won in ‘94, and the rest is history.

How Many Sets and Reps?

 Can you just touch on what do you do as a foundation for any routine you choose? I’m referring to sets per body part, large and small; rep range, and how many exercises.

I do four sets of four or sometimes five different exercises, and anywhere from eight to 25 reps. It really depends on the body part and how I’m feeling on that particular day. Bigger body parts tend to get more attention as far as exercises. For example, back or legs will almost always get five exercises per workout, where arms only get three exercises or maybe four on a good day. But if I do fewer sets, I tend to do more drop sets or supersets, keeping the total volume high.

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