BODYBUILDING'S NEW A-TEAM - DALLAS MCCARVER & MATT

JANSEN

Bodybuilding's New A-Team?

How Dallas McCarver & Coach Matt Jansen are Bound for Glory

Its not often that I feel compelled to direct your attention to a thread on MDs No Bull
Forum, but in this case its one you should not miss out on. Grow Time! McCarvers
off-season shifts into high gear! began with a different title in July 2015, as Dallas
McCarver had just begun prep for his first Mr. Olympia contest. Both Dallas and his
coach Matt Jansen posted daily, including detailed breakdowns of daily workouts and
meal schedules, as well as regular training and lifestyle videos. No other pro and his
coach have ever been so generous with information before.

At the 2015 Olympia, Dallas placed 13th, at 272 highly conditioned pounds with great
shape, a placing many fans felt could have, and probably should have, been a few slots
higher. Luckily for fans of Dallas, he and Matt did not close their thread down once the
Mr. Olympia was over. Instead, they kept it going as McCarver transitioned into his off-
season and proceeded to make steady gains all the while giving MDs forum
members a front-row seat to the entire process.

A picture emerged of the two young Southerners (Dallas is 24, Matt is 26):
hardworking, analytical and dedicated to giving their best every day. Dallas is
determined to be one of the best pro bodybuilders in the world, and Matt is equally
passionate about helping him get there. Dallass next contest is the Wings Of Strength
Chicago Pro on July 1st and 2nd. I took the opportunity to speak to this dynamic duo as
they zoned in on the Windy City.
First of all, how did you meet Matt, and how did you end up working together?

DALLAS: I met Matt through social media, and Justin Compton. Me and Justin turned
pro around the same time, so there was always a mutual respect. We always kept in
touch and would text. I knew Matt was friends with Justin and had been training with
him. I had a few questions, and I had heard that Matt knew his stuff. So I reached out to
him, and asked for some advice. Every piece of advice he gave me was helpful. Then,
we just kind of developed a friendship. At the time, I was living in Memphis and he was
in Lexington, Kentucky, about six hours apart. He moved to Knoxville, and I moved to
Chattanooga, both in eastern Tennessee, so were about 45 minutes apart now.
What did you two have in common that made you realize it would be a very
productive partnership?

Work ethic, and I saw that from the first time we trained together. Most people, when
they try to motivate me in the gym, I just wanna punch em in the face. If someone
were to yell at me the way some of these YouTube workout guys do in their videos with
people, Id slap the teeth out of their head. Matt has a way of motivating me without
being a complete douchebag or an obnoxious asshole. Hes the hardest-working man
Ive ever met in my life, and Ive met a lot of hardworking dudes. When I reached out to
him, the information he gave me was all accurate and reliable. Then, from the first time
we trained together, I was like yeah, thats whats up. We just clicked as people, and
our philosophies are a lot alike. A lot of it even goes down to core moral values. Hes a
good person, and I try to surround myself with good people. As you know, there are not
a lot of them in this industry.

What are some of the unique or favorite training techniques that Matt likes to use
in workouts? How does the way you train now differ from what you were doing
before?

When I started working with Matt, I threw everything I knew about how to lift out the
window. It was a very humbling experience. I had to learn how to train with heavy
weights, and I had to do it in the manner that he wanted me to do it. It was such a
challenge for me to take two or three plates off and learn how to do the exercise the
way he wanted it done. So if he says he wants a four-second eccentric, he means a
fucking four-second eccentric dont cheat it, ya know? Control the weight. Overall,
its just attention to detail and very strict form on everything. Eventually the weights all
went back up, but now Im getting so much more out of them.
How about nutrition what are some ideas and techniques Matt was able to
share that made a big difference in results?

That was the biggest change. Before I worked with Matt, I was eating 12, 14,
sometimes even 16 ounces of meat protein per meal. He opened my eyes to the
theory, or Id say its a fact, that your body can only utilize so much protein at one time
from direct sources. After that, your body tries to convert it to carbs or use it for
energy, rather than breaking it down into amino acids and building muscle tissue like it
should. I went from eating 12-14 ounces of protein per meal to six to seven ounces. It
seems like its working all right. I fluctuate between 295 and 305. We calculate all my
indirect protein into it, too. So if you eat oats, a lot of people dont realize that a cup
and a half of oatmeal has about 10 grams of protein in it. Another thing is, Matt
calculates your protein needs from your lean body mass. So if youre a 300-pound
individual with 10 percent body fat, thats 30 pounds of your body that does not need
to be fed with protein. Im healthier than Ive ever been. My blood work since Ive been
working with Matt has been perfect. My energy is way up, and my strength is still very
high. Hes put me on a whole list of health supplements (see sidebar, Daily Health
Supplements) and I feel so much better in general now.

Generally speaking, what do you think bodybuilders put far too much importance
on, and what do you think they dont pay enough attention to?

They dont put enough importance on their health. They put too much emphasis on
this hardcore more is better mentality. You gotta lift more, eat more and take more
stuff. In reality, more isnt better. Smarter is better. Healthier is better. Thats the
biggest difference since I started working with him. Im just healthier. And when youre
healthier, your body performs better. When I train, Im not sore and stiff all the time like
I used to be. Hes got me stretching, and doing all kinds of tissue work. I dont think
people put enough importance on their health because theyve never really stepped
back and looked at how unhealthy they really are.
Lets talk about how different Matt is as a coach. First off, many coaches only
handle training, or nutrition and supplements. Jansen does both. Why is that
important?

You wouldnt want your head football coach to just coach the defensive line. It all goes
together. Realistically, how can somebodys dietary needs be addressed if you dont
even know what kind of intensity theyre training with, or what kind of volume theyre
using? How can you know how much somebody needs to eat if you dont know what
kind of energy and calories theyre expending?
Matt is also your training partner. So he isnt just texting or emailing you
workouts to follow. Hes in the gym with you putting you through the workouts.
Why is that so much more effective?

I dont think some of these coaches really understand the demands that some of these
workouts take that theyre putting down on paper. It might look good on paper, but I
dont think they understand what it takes to get through some of the stuff they type
up. With Matt, its very easy to follow what he says, because hes right there beside me
doing the same exact sets and reps. It might not be the same exact weight, but hes
pushing me. Pound for pound, he is one strong SOB. Having someone go through it
with you, they know what it takes. They know what it feels like. Its far more productive
this way. Sometimes, well finish a workout and go, Man, we overdid it. Or other times,
well say, We still got four more sets left of this lets do it. I dont have to tell him how
it feels, because he knows.

Heres something that I have had to deal with, not being 300 pounds ripped
myself. Many in our industry seem to associate more credibility with bigger,
freakier physiques. They assume that the biggest guys know the most. Matt is
not a small man, but hes not the size of you or a Big Ramy. Do you ever have to
deal with people who dont think he can provide valuable advice simply because
hes not the size of a Mr. Olympia finalist?
Thats a great point. Lets use a body part as an example. Say you want to grow your
arms. If youre smart, and most people arent smart enough to think this way, you dont
go straight to the guy with the biggest arms and ask him how he got em that way.
Chances are, he has some tremendous genetic gifts when it comes to biceps and
triceps. You go to the guy whose arms looked like toothpicks three years ago, and now
hes built a reputable set of bis and tris. Thats Matt. Hell tell you hes not the most
genetically superior individual. But look at his pictures from two or three years ago, and
look at him now. Hes up to 230 pounds and hes not fat at all. Hes growing just as fast
as I am. I look at him and his progress, and Ill be honest. The biggest motivator for me
is to not get out-gained by my coach. Hes progressing just as fast as I am. Hes not
300 pounds, but its all relative. Matt didnt start out anywhere near as big as me.

What improvements have you made since you started working with Matt in late
June/early July of 2015? What improvements are you still looking to make?

The improvements speak for themselves with the progress pics I post. The biggest
thing weve improved on are my legs, especially from the back. My quad sweep has
come up, my hams, my glutes my whole lower body has exploded since working with
him. And just overall size and thickness. I am in the same lean condition now at 300
pounds as I was at 275 before I started working with Matt. So thats 25 pounds of pure
lean tissue gained.When I won the California Pro, I was 260. Three months later at the
Mr. Olympia, I was 272, and those were improvements made while prepping!

Training Split

Day 1
Back focus with heavy compound movements.
Biceps Blood Work

Day 2
Chest
Front and Side Delts
Triceps Blood Work

Day 3
Hamstrings/Glutes
Calves

Day 4
Back machine work and pulldown movements.
Rear Delts

Day 5
Arms, abs

Day 6
Quads

Day 7

Off

Off-season Gaining Diet

Training Day Meal Layout January 25, 2016

Meal 1
5 whole eggs
150 grams of raw oats
100 grams of blueberries
32 grams of almond butter
3 grams of omega-3s
1TB of flaxseed

On Back and Leg-training Days

6 whole eggs
3 muffins (any kind, large size)

Meal 2 Pre-workout Meal

500 grams of any cooked potato
6 oz of 90/10 grass-fed beef, cooked
14 grams of coconut oil
75 grams of cooked greens
Meal 3 Post-workout Meal
350 grams of jasmine rice, cooked
6 oz of chicken, cooked
70 grams of avocado

Meal 4
450 grams of sweet potato, cooked
6 oz of ground turkey, cooked (93/7 or close)

Meal 5
6 oz of 90/10 grass-fed beef, cooked
3 whole eggs
210 grams of jasmine rice, cooked
1TB Flax Seed

Meal 6
350 grams of egg whites
4 slices of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin or 5 slices of regular Food for Life bread
32 grams of almond butter
1 TB of flaxseed
(you could make French toast here if desired)

Intra-workout Layout

(Sip on this pre-, during and post-workout, and start to sip on the way to the
gym)
30 grams of aminos/BCAAs
5 grams of glycerol
5 grams of citrulline malate
4 grams of taurine
5 grams of creatine
10 grams of glutamine
2 grams of beta-alanine
75 grams of carbs from dextrins 1 liter of water and75 grams of carbs on leg- and
back-training days (if you can stomach this, you can bump this to 100 grams)
Daily Health Supplements

Tudca 250 milligrams (1 capsule) taken at meals 1, 3 and 5

NAC 600 milligrams (1 capsule) upon waking/mid-day/prior to bed
Maximum Milk Thistle 1 capsule, a.m./p.m.
Ubiquinol 1 capsule, a.m./p.m.
Curcumin 1 capsule with breakfast
Pantethine 600 milligrams, meals 1 and 4
Plant Sterols 2 grams, meal 1
Resveratrol 200 milligrams, meal 1
Vitamin K2 100 micrograms (mcg), meals 1 and 4
Omega 6 grams daily
Jansen Speaks: The Man Behind Dallas Latest Gains

Youre not a pro, and youre not 300 pounds ripped with 23-inch arms. Do you
ever have to deal with people who question your credibility as a coach, and think
its ridiculous for someone who isnt a huge freak to be giving advice and
coaching guys like Dallas?

I have had to deal with it, and it used to bother me a lot more than it does now. The
more success I have as a coach, the less it registers. I look up to other coaches not
only in this industry, but in all pro sports. I try to take things from them and apply them
myself. If you look at a Bill Belichick or anyone else of his caliber, there are a lot of great
coaches who were not great athletes. Thats where I found my niche. These guys need
a coach. Dallas will be the first one to tell you he needs direction; he needs someone to
be hands-on with him. He has gifts that I dont possess, and vice versa. He looks to me
for a leadership role, and I provide that for him. So I dont really get caught up in the
fact that Im not 300 pounds, because realistically its not in the cards for me. I could
do everything Dallas does and not look like him, and in many ways I do. Were in the
gym together every day, and clearly I dont have the same response that he does. I
could either dwell on that and be a lesser coach, or realize that we all have different
gifts that we need to maximize for the betterment of others and ourselves as well.

Another great example is Chris Aceto, someone I look up to a lot. Yes, he had a very
good physique, but the physiques he has helped build over the years have been much
better. That takes nothing away from him, in fact I think it speaks more highly to his
skills and the fact that he recognized what he was truly good at.
What improvements has Dallas made since he started working with you? What
improvements are you still looking to make?

One of the things I am proudest of with Dallas is the evolution and development Ive
seen in him mentally since we started working together. Hes on a different level now.
He believes in himself more than ever, and I think thats crucial. I say this to everyone I
work with. When the right mental aspects are in place, the physical results will follow. If
youre always down on yourself and doubting yourself, if you dont believe in what
youre setting out to do, your progress will reflect that. If you do believe in yourself and
that you have a gift you are going to make the most out of by working as hard as you
can, your results will also reflect that mindset.

As far as physical improvements, one of the main things I said right off the bat with
Dallas is, we have to hammer your legs hard. They just werent on the same level as his
upper body. We focused on them for six months, training them twice a week. Dallas
was really lacking in his adductors, so we hit those with both direct work as well as
wide-stance movements. He was also known for having tremendous shoulder
development, but lacking in the chest. Now his chest matches his shoulders, which Im
really proud of.

As far as what needs to be improved, his back is not yet at the level of a Mr. Olympia
finalist. Now we are cutting leg training down to once a week, and hitting back twice a
week with different workouts. Thats one area I want to bring up to complete his look
as we move toward the Mr. Olympia this year.

To contact Matt Jansen for coaching services, please email him at

mattjansen8@yahoo.com.

Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked
in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPNs American Muscle Magazine show in
the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and
fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has
been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989, and
maintains the popular website www.ronharrismuscle.com, most notable for its blog
The Daily Pump. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area.

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