Protein Bars...Training Supplements
- Thread starter Dskize
- Start date
The fact that he kept mentioning that he's in school, yet spells like that is what worries me. Anyways....
Pretty much everything has been covered here that I was going to mention, and I'm going to agree with Robbo et al that I have always been told/have always read (eg. Men's Health, websites, protein shake instructions, my doctor brother) that you should ingest a portion of protein within an hour of exercising.
However, what I have noticed recently is that although you may feel safest doing weights you're comfortable with, if you want to bulk up you're best off increasing the weight you're lifting every other week. Also, don't worry about doing less reps, you'll soon catch up. Say you can do 12reps on 17.5kg, bump up to 20kg and do 8 instead, or even 6 if you struggle. (Based on 3-4 sets)
For months I wasn't seeing much improvement, but that's because I was lifting relatively the same weight every time, predominantly because I was worried as I didn't have a mate to spot me. As a result I stopped gaining muscle. Now that I have started upping the weight, I have began putting muscle on much quicker than before. So to those of you like Dskize who are relatively new to weight training and want to gain some muscle mass, like I was about a year ago, either get a buddy who will spot you and encourage you to lift more or don't be afraid to ask another gym goer to spot you.
As for my diet, I currently drink 1 protein shake in the morning, as my body has been repairing my 'damaged' muscle tissues over night, one after my work out, and one a couple hours before bed. That adds up to approx 70grams of protein, and the other 80g I gain from eating small meals throughout the day. (I have been told to base this on 1 gram of protein for every pound, and I weigh approx 145-150lbs).
Also, in terms of paintballing, and general fitness/health, make sure you work your core muscles. Don't just do sit ups and crunches, but get on the gym ball. You may look a little silly at first, but you'll feel the results straight away. Building up your core muscles promotes injury prevention and also helps you lift more if you're using free-weights. It also means you'll be able to snap shoot faster
Pretty much everything has been covered here that I was going to mention, and I'm going to agree with Robbo et al that I have always been told/have always read (eg. Men's Health, websites, protein shake instructions, my doctor brother) that you should ingest a portion of protein within an hour of exercising.
However, what I have noticed recently is that although you may feel safest doing weights you're comfortable with, if you want to bulk up you're best off increasing the weight you're lifting every other week. Also, don't worry about doing less reps, you'll soon catch up. Say you can do 12reps on 17.5kg, bump up to 20kg and do 8 instead, or even 6 if you struggle. (Based on 3-4 sets)
For months I wasn't seeing much improvement, but that's because I was lifting relatively the same weight every time, predominantly because I was worried as I didn't have a mate to spot me. As a result I stopped gaining muscle. Now that I have started upping the weight, I have began putting muscle on much quicker than before. So to those of you like Dskize who are relatively new to weight training and want to gain some muscle mass, like I was about a year ago, either get a buddy who will spot you and encourage you to lift more or don't be afraid to ask another gym goer to spot you.
As for my diet, I currently drink 1 protein shake in the morning, as my body has been repairing my 'damaged' muscle tissues over night, one after my work out, and one a couple hours before bed. That adds up to approx 70grams of protein, and the other 80g I gain from eating small meals throughout the day. (I have been told to base this on 1 gram of protein for every pound, and I weigh approx 145-150lbs).
Also, in terms of paintballing, and general fitness/health, make sure you work your core muscles. Don't just do sit ups and crunches, but get on the gym ball. You may look a little silly at first, but you'll feel the results straight away. Building up your core muscles promotes injury prevention and also helps you lift more if you're using free-weights. It also means you'll be able to snap shoot faster
Webby's post is pretty much spot on !
One thing I have noticed up my gym tho, is an amazing number of kids (well, 18 to 24 year olds) now on the gear (steroids) and the problem is, some of these kids are idiots and have not done any research and just end up listening to gym rats for their 'informed' source of data.
My opinion, and this is only my opinion and I am neither advocating or discouraging use of roids, is...steroid usage is very much like alcohol usage, a glass of wine a day is beneficial but if you take the piss and down a bottle of vodka a day, then you are gonna have problems and it is the same situation for steroid usage.
There is sooo much bullsh!t regarding roids it slightly annoys me because people speak about them and for the most part they are ignorant and just knee jerk respond.
If you look at the pro rate data of alcohol abuse effects as against roid usage then the position is quite clear.
I restate, I am not in any way advocating the use of roids but I will say, in my opinion, if used responsibly, at the very worst, it will do you no more harm than alcohol and how many of you guys are gonna go pissing it up this weekend?
Just a thought !
One thing I have noticed up my gym tho, is an amazing number of kids (well, 18 to 24 year olds) now on the gear (steroids) and the problem is, some of these kids are idiots and have not done any research and just end up listening to gym rats for their 'informed' source of data.
My opinion, and this is only my opinion and I am neither advocating or discouraging use of roids, is...steroid usage is very much like alcohol usage, a glass of wine a day is beneficial but if you take the piss and down a bottle of vodka a day, then you are gonna have problems and it is the same situation for steroid usage.
There is sooo much bullsh!t regarding roids it slightly annoys me because people speak about them and for the most part they are ignorant and just knee jerk respond.
If you look at the pro rate data of alcohol abuse effects as against roid usage then the position is quite clear.
I restate, I am not in any way advocating the use of roids but I will say, in my opinion, if used responsibly, at the very worst, it will do you no more harm than alcohol and how many of you guys are gonna go pissing it up this weekend?
Just a thought !
I forgot to mention one of the most significant mistakes that I see a lot of new guys, and even some regulars make down at the gym. It has nothing to do with supplements but more to do with your general work out, so it may not be of interest to Dskize but may be to others who are reading this. The mistake is not balancing out your workout and therefore your muscles.
Muscles act in antagonistic groups, ie one group does the opposite to the other. Think of your arms and how your biceps bend your elbow, while you're triceps cause it to straighten. Or think of your quads and hamstrings/glutes. Therefore it is key to balance both sets, so for every bicep exercise you do, do one for your triceps, and so on. Also, balance both sides of your body. If you are stronger on your right hand side, there is no point working your right to a level which your left cannot reach. Therefore, for every exercise that involves doing each side separately (ie curls), start with your weak side and do as many as possible, and then do the same number for your stronger side. You will therefore develop both sides until they become equal.
Back on topic though, to do with supplements and diet, the most important thing you can do is drink plenty of water. It is recommended that you drink 2 liters of water a day, so on workout days bump this up to 3. Four gulps (pretty much a mouthful) of water between sets during exercise is ideal. Having enough water in your system keeps you hydrated, flushes out toxins and promotes the all important transfer of amino acids etc into, and lactic acid (what makes you ache) out of your muscle cells. Without enough water, no matter the amount of protein supplements you take, you will see little result. Remember, if you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
Muscles act in antagonistic groups, ie one group does the opposite to the other. Think of your arms and how your biceps bend your elbow, while you're triceps cause it to straighten. Or think of your quads and hamstrings/glutes. Therefore it is key to balance both sets, so for every bicep exercise you do, do one for your triceps, and so on. Also, balance both sides of your body. If you are stronger on your right hand side, there is no point working your right to a level which your left cannot reach. Therefore, for every exercise that involves doing each side separately (ie curls), start with your weak side and do as many as possible, and then do the same number for your stronger side. You will therefore develop both sides until they become equal.
Back on topic though, to do with supplements and diet, the most important thing you can do is drink plenty of water. It is recommended that you drink 2 liters of water a day, so on workout days bump this up to 3. Four gulps (pretty much a mouthful) of water between sets during exercise is ideal. Having enough water in your system keeps you hydrated, flushes out toxins and promotes the all important transfer of amino acids etc into, and lactic acid (what makes you ache) out of your muscle cells. Without enough water, no matter the amount of protein supplements you take, you will see little result. Remember, if you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
I'm not saying your wrong here about use and effect because I haven't researched this at all and I bow to your experience ,but...that's pretty weak justification ,everybody that smokes dope to snorts coke uses that reasoning and it certainly doesn't strengthen the case 'for' to anybody, least of all your average (ignorant) member of the public or News of the World reader.
or was I reading between the lines...
I hadn't realised I was trying to justify anything Dsk....as far as I was aware, I was making an observation.I'm not saying your wrong here about use and effect because I haven't researched this at all and I bow to your experience ,but...that's pretty weak justification ,everybody that smokes dope to snorts coke uses that reasoning and it certainly doesn't strengthen the case 'for' to anybody, least of all your average (ignorant) member of the public or News of the World reader.
or was I reading between the lines...
AFAIK there hasnt been a single scientific study to prove that the use of a steroid cycle with the currect pct has any negative effects of the human body. There are plenty of other legal, TAXABLE product that have proven to be harmful and cause death.
i dont have any equalifications, but i have spent the last 8-12 months researching all aspect of steroid use for my own personal reasons.
i dont have any equalifications, but i have spent the last 8-12 months researching all aspect of steroid use for my own personal reasons.
OK ,my mistake ..I obviously was reading between the lines (incorrectly).I have heard the 'alcohol's worse' argument before from a few people , and they were definitely justifying things..
OK ,my mistake ..I obviously was reading between the lines (incorrectly).I have heard the 'alcohol's worse' argument before from a few people , and they were definitely justifying things..
Actually, not to sound too predictable but in my humble opinion, as I mentioned previously, if you look at alcohol abuse and steroid abuse on a pro rate basis, there is a lot of evidence to suggest the former is worse.
I know a lot of guys will use this information to justify their roid intake and will have little idea how to back it up but the data is still there, regardless.
As one clinician put it to me, 'in women they call it HRT; in men, they call it steroid abuse'.
I realise it's not as simple as that but her words do have a ring of ironic truth about them..well, they did for me anyway.
She also added, that she would actively advocate the sensible and appropriate use of steroids (deca, in this case) in men over 40.
Once again, I am not advocating anything here, I am merely trying to shine another, perhaps less ignorant light on the whole roid debate.
Apologises for the delay in my reply, however the recent weather has made it impossible for me to have internet at home. I have even written out a few long winded answers to the things covered above from memory.
But having read where this thread has lead now I do not think any of them are needed.
The fact of the matter is that the human body is hugely complicated, there are a huge number of factors that can cause different things to happen to different people.
Now perhaps I was a little harsh in "noobing" everyone who starts drinking protein shakes after workouts. I think it is probably because I get a huge amount of exposure to this culture, everything from HUGE knowledge bases of university studies etc, pre release editions of books and discussions with high level international trainers and I can sometimes become frustrated with those who think that they know what is best. And that is why I have stayed out of some of the other threads like this that have popped up.
An example: Robbo, with some of the earlier things you mentioned with regard to the effect of energy usage being wasted on digesting food rather than on your workout. Had you considered the effect that varying levels of blood flow and arterial dilation pre, during and post workout could have on the bodies ability to deliver what is best to different parts of the body? Had you considered the effect of certain hormone levels changing after eating, which could also effect this? I don't want an answer, I just wondered if you had considered just some of these other factors that could change the bodies ability to, in this case process protein.
This is just such a MASSIVE subject and there are lots of points of view on different aspects. And unless you have a solid background of knowledge then you can easily be confused. I do not just mean scientific knowledge, I am also including things like certain companies "sponsoring" studies, or certain labs being owned by certain companies, etc.
Now finally this "roid debate"! The whole thing is totally pointless because no respected approval board would ever allow a study with steroids being used at "real life" doses. The few studies that there have been have used tiny doses, to such an extent some some have "proved" that steroids do not work. There have been ZERO long term high dosage tests done on steroid users so it is impossible to say what will happen to people who continue to use steroids for prolonged periods. So no one can say without a shadow of doubt that long term steroid use at "real life" doses is safe.
Robbo if you would like to discuss any of this then I am happy enough to speak to you at one of the Millennium events later in the year.
Some of you have PMed and I will happily work my way through them.
But having read where this thread has lead now I do not think any of them are needed.
The fact of the matter is that the human body is hugely complicated, there are a huge number of factors that can cause different things to happen to different people.
Now perhaps I was a little harsh in "noobing" everyone who starts drinking protein shakes after workouts. I think it is probably because I get a huge amount of exposure to this culture, everything from HUGE knowledge bases of university studies etc, pre release editions of books and discussions with high level international trainers and I can sometimes become frustrated with those who think that they know what is best. And that is why I have stayed out of some of the other threads like this that have popped up.
An example: Robbo, with some of the earlier things you mentioned with regard to the effect of energy usage being wasted on digesting food rather than on your workout. Had you considered the effect that varying levels of blood flow and arterial dilation pre, during and post workout could have on the bodies ability to deliver what is best to different parts of the body? Had you considered the effect of certain hormone levels changing after eating, which could also effect this? I don't want an answer, I just wondered if you had considered just some of these other factors that could change the bodies ability to, in this case process protein.
This is just such a MASSIVE subject and there are lots of points of view on different aspects. And unless you have a solid background of knowledge then you can easily be confused. I do not just mean scientific knowledge, I am also including things like certain companies "sponsoring" studies, or certain labs being owned by certain companies, etc.
Now finally this "roid debate"! The whole thing is totally pointless because no respected approval board would ever allow a study with steroids being used at "real life" doses. The few studies that there have been have used tiny doses, to such an extent some some have "proved" that steroids do not work. There have been ZERO long term high dosage tests done on steroid users so it is impossible to say what will happen to people who continue to use steroids for prolonged periods. So no one can say without a shadow of doubt that long term steroid use at "real life" doses is safe.
Robbo if you would like to discuss any of this then I am happy enough to speak to you at one of the Millennium events later in the year.
Some of you have PMed and I will happily work my way through them.