The Fitness Guide

[cyanide]

I think you'd be the best person to talk to about that. I've been reading up on that a lot. What I've gathered is this much, a protein shake helps get fluids in to your muslces which enables them to recover faster. Okay, that sounds really nice. But...

I've also heard you put on weight due to protein shakes. Frankly, I'm trying to cut out the fat so that the muscle aspect comes to show. I'm this close to having my veins pop out, I really don't want to put on my KG's again because of a protein shake.

That depends on what you consider a protein shake, because I get the feeling you're thinking of whey protein with juice, bananas, fruits, etc. For me, it's simply flavored whey protein (I love strawberry flavored) with water, shake it up, drink half within 5 minutes, and finish the rest within 25 minutes. It's just about 40 grams of pure protein after a workout, so it's not going to add any fat because your body will need the protein anyway.

What I've read is that your body needs fluids and protein shortly after a workout to quickly replenish the damaged muscle fibers, and to offset any natural body chemicals like, I believe, cortisol. I think that's the reasoning behind it.

[killer_cr0ss0ver]

I know that there are more factors in making your belly smaller, but i just wanna ask
how many cruches a day should i do?

[Jackal]

To Cyanide:

Hmm, yeah, I think I was talking about whey protein shakes, didn't know there was a difference. I think I need to read up on it a bit more, I'll ask the guys at the gym too if it's anything for me...right now. I know eventually I'll use it, but right now I'm looking to really cut out the fat.

To Killer:

I don't know how many crunches you "should" do, but I do around a hundred crunches. I don't do it every day, I do it every other day. Every day and you'll end up not helping your stomach.

I started off doing 3 x 15 though, just like any other set.

[---]

I got a question for anyone that knows about abdominal's.

My upper abs are quite alot bigger than my mid and lower abs, and at about the level that I want them all to be overall. I want my mid and lower abs to catch up to the size of my uppers, but the more a work out, the gap between sizes doesn't shrink at all. Are there any exercises anyone can recommend that focus on the mid/lower abs as much as possible?

[maceo24]

V-ups and jackknives are really good for lower ab work. Twisting leg raises worked best for me, but you need somewhere to suspend yourself from with those. the first to you can do anywhere you have the floor space.

[---]

Thanks for the info Patrick, those V-Ups look like hard work. I'm gonna try them out today and see how I go.

[Hotshot]

Jackal, regardless of whether you're trying to bulk up or cut, a protein shake would be beneficial... as long as you don't add too many other ingredients to the mix. Your body needs the protein. One scoop of protein powder would give you around 25g of protein. Fat content is very minimal. Combine it with either water or milk, throw in some dextrose/fruit and you have a smacking post workout meal with very less calories.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html
Check the nutrition facts in that table and you'd see that one serving comes up to just 130kcal. Ain't nothing better than whey man...

[hammertime23]

Alright guys this is my first time looking in this thread, and I;m looking for some advice. I am 6'2" and 165 lbs. I'm trying to get up to 180 by basketball season, and I eat alot but I don't seem to be gaining any weight. I have some weight gainer stuff that my moms boyfriend bought me but i'm skeptical about it. I don't have a steady diet or workout plan so I think if i start taking this weight gainer stuff I will just gain unnecessary weight, when I want the weight to be muscle weight. I want a toned body while gaining weight, so what do you guys think I should do?

[[Q]]

I've used weight gainer before... what it is is empty calories. it really helps in people like me that don't get enough calories or have an insanely fast metabolism or both. it works as long as you're taking it because you're increasing your caloric intake while doing the same amount of exercise (or even less). if you want muscle weight, you don't need to focus on calories as much, concentrate on your protein intake.

[cyanide]

hammertime: Most of the info you need is on the first post of this thread As for weight gainers, I wouldn't recommend it over natural foods.

[maceo24]

Thanks for the info Patrick, those V-Ups look like hard work. I'm gonna try them out today and see how I go.

hehe, I try.

Check later im making a a sig and ava to rep the new name.

[Jackal]

Thanks for the reply Rohit, tis appreciated.

Okay, so here's the deal, I'm at 175 Lbs, how do I know how much protein I'm supposed to take in in my drinks?

And what do you do exactly? I buy the protein (which one?), come home...mix it with water and dextrose and fruits and just drink it? That's it?

Am I supposed to drink it before workouts or after? How long after..? I'm just really confused about the whole protein thing and a lot of folks over here don't seem to know shit about it. The more I read, the more confused I get too.

[cyanide]

It should say on the container, but generally it's 1 scoop. Buy a good brand, from someplace like GNC (or from online). One brand that I always use is EAS. There's a bunch of flavors you can choose from, like strawberry, chocolate, banana, vanilla, etc.

What I do is just mix one scoop with water, and drink it as soon as possible after a workout. Optionally, you can add fruits, juice, whatever, but if you're concerned about too many calories, then stick to protein and water.

[Jackal]

Are creatine and protein the same thing? I've got a store in town over here that lists creatine on their site but nothing about protein?

[cyanide]

No, no, creatine and protein are completely different. Look up "whey protein." If they sell creatine, then they definitely should have protein. Creatine is basically useless for weight loss, but for someone serious about gaining mass, creatine is an excellent supplement.

[Jackal]

No, no, no mass for me.

I hate having to translate everything to Dutch. God damn it. I can't find "ei wit" on the site, I'll just pass by tomorrow.

[Matt]

in gaining muscle weight.....should i stretch before excercise or not? I've heard a yes and no and reasons for and against....anyone care to enlighten me as to the real answer.

[Jackal]

One brand that I always use is EAS. There's a bunch of flavors you can choose from, like strawberry, chocolate, banana, vanilla, etc.

Given I think you have a clue about what it is you're doing regarding working out, I went out and got EAS Whey Protein, chocolate flavour. I've just come home, I've read the directions and stuff and now I'm about to drink it for the first time.

Oddly I'm kind of excited.

[[Q]]

in gaining muscle weight.....should i stretch before excercise or not? I've heard a yes and no and reasons for and against....anyone care to enlighten me as to the real answer.

i tihnk so. you could hurt yourself if you don't.

[Jackal]

Well I had it, tastes like regular chocolate milk. Just replace milk with water.

Cy, the package says four times a day, is that what you do? I mean 4 times a day seems like a lot to me. Do you just have one glass after every workout or just before it?

[[Q]]

sounds good. you should be getting 50-70 grams of protein from the shake. the rest of your prtein should come from your diet. you definitely want to do it as soon as you can after your workout...the one i'm taking right now make me take 2 scoops at once. i also find it easier to drink with water... it goes down faster. with milk or ice cream, it gets too thick and it take me forever to finish it.

[Jackal]

That's another question I had, what the hell do you guys scoop it with? The package says "one scoop" or 5 table spoons.

Given I don't have a "scooper", I just used the 5 table spoons.

[cyanide]

Jackal: Naw, it's a marketing gimmick. Just make one shake after your workout, anytime you work out. Weird, I usually get a scooper, but it was usually buried in the container, so if you don't see it at first, you might have to dig in Otherwise, I guess stick with 5 tablespoons. Let me know how it works out for you in a couple of weeks

in gaining muscle weight.....should i stretch before excercise or not? I've heard a yes and no and reasons for and against....anyone care to enlighten me as to the real answer.

Studies have shown that stretching before and after prevents injuries, and I've read that one study showed that you can gain up to 30% more muscle mass with stretching. Never really heard of reasons against stretching, but a lot for.

[Jackal]

Ah, well I've kept it to 2 times a day up to now. I have one after I work out and one before heading off to bed. (An hour before.)

Let me go check if my scooper is buried in there, as I said, it's the EAS big ass thing. Going off of your recommendation ofcourse.

Well damn, it was. As far down as it was buried, I'd have finished the damn drink before figuring out it was in there. Thanks for the heads up Cy.

[Jackal]

So, it's 6.30, I slept for 3 hours and now I'm heading to the gym. Let's not fuck this week up and stray from the program, shall we ladies?

Why am I the only one in this thread? Joe, how're you doing? VanK, where the fuck are you? Q, how's the training going? Matt, how fast can you run now? Cy, how's the BF%, in which month are you? CB4, are your triceps working out for you?

Anyone?