So I started working out again this last week after several years of wallowing in complete laziness. I quickly realized I'm pathetically weak & I need some help. My biggest problem right now is recovery. I'm not pushing very hard right now. Only doing 6-9 sets of exercises on each muscle group, if that. I need some advice on what supplements would help with recovery so I'm not so damn sore. Also, what supplements would be good to take to help me get cut? The last time I worked out I used creatine, and I liked it, but I've heard nothing but bad things about it over the past few years. I'm not looking to kill my liver and kidneys to get in shape. I was thinking about just doing it the old fashioned way with diet and exercise, but if there was a good shake or something I could supplement my diet with I'd like to try it out.
Dude, fuck Creatine. That shit is nasty and not worth the money (well that's a lie, it's worth the money but not the health risk). Get a tub of protein. Simple as that. Look for Whey Protein, it's all over the web and your local nutrition store will definiltey have it in-stock. I recommend Elite Whey Protein, 5 LBS tub. All I do is throw scoop and a half of it in a tall glass with milk, shake and drink before and after every work-out. Before will give your muscles fuel to push yourself throughout the work-out and the after (I usually wait an hour or so after my work-out) will give your muscle nutrients to repair itself. You probably know this but the muscles actually break themselves down after you work-out so they need enough nutrients to rebuild. If you don't like milk or the taste, you can seriously throw protein in anything. Fruit smoothie, juice, even fuckin' water. If you can't stomach a protein shake before and after, you can also have a shake right after dinner or before you got to bed. People say you won't be able to sleep but that's bollocks. I do that every now and then but I'm in the habit of before and after my work-out. Also, make sure you're giving your body enough time to restore itself. Start slow seeing as you're starting to get back into the routine. Your abs and legs generally take 1-2 days to rebuild while your arms and rest of your upper body can take 3-6. Make sure you keep rotating on your work-outs otherwise you'll being to see no change. Low weight high reps for muscle shaping and high weight with low reps for strength and rapid muscle growth. I tend to work out 3-4 times a week. One week I will go for high weight with low reps (maxing out on everything I can) and the next week I will do lower weights with higher amounts or reps. I'm only 19 so I probably consume a lot more protein than you need (not sure how old you are, if you're skinny/fat whatever) so just make sure you don't drink the protein and sit around or you'll lose all your muscle and it will convert to fat. I'll try and think of more to add but this should be good. Just make sure you don't start drinking your protein shakes without doing a work-out or you'll be a chubby chaser.
Oh yeah, 'they' say that you should match your protein intake with your body weight (obviously grams per lbs). I don't think that's true at all. I take about 2/3rd of my body weight which is still a lot more than my friends and I've gained about 10-15 lbs of muscle mass in the past month or so.
Agree with Ronan, there is a Whey Protein Shake, There is a brand at wal mart that tastes really good, I forget what its called though. I'll check when I get home and get you the brand. But its cheap and tastes fine.
oh wow, thats about the same cost as the stuff I get. The main reason I went to Wal Mart was the price lol. Around $16-$17 for a 2 lbs
found the brand I get. "Body Fortress" lol http://www.walmart.com/ip/Body-Fort...colate-Peanut-Butter-Supplement-2-Lb/13274590
No. Protein before a workout will not help provide fuel. Your body can not break down protein fast enough to replenish glucose losses, which is what happens when you are lifting hard. If you want to help your body fuel while working out, use things like glucose, dextrose, sucrose, etc. Do the protein (along with more glucose) after the workout.
having worked at GNC i can tell you that most of that stuff is un-neccessary. take a good protein shake....especially after you work out. i don't always like to take one before i work out because i feel bloated sometimes. a pre-workout drink is ok to take as it will give you energy and a good sweat but not needed. the rest of the stuff is frevilous. it has it's benefits but really a waste of time and money.
Getting cut is all about your body fat %. If you want a 6 pack you gotta get down to around 10%. Keys to good muscle development is giving yourself enough rest after working a body part(probably a week for each muscle group early on), taking a multivitamin, drinking enough water, eating right and enough. I've used ON whey for years. You can get it at amazon.com or GNC. If you have a Cosco membership, they have a 6lb bag of muscle milk whey for $28. That's a great deal if they still have it available. Rule of thumb for protein is consuming the amount of grams of protein in body weight you're aiming for. So if you're aiming for 190lbs, get 190 grams of protein in your body everyday. Even on non lifting days. You're not gonna get fat if you don't work out with it, btw. Some people take it before and after a workout, but I stick with an after workout shake. I never put it in anything but water. Chocolate is always the safe flavor to go with, btw. Most important time of the day to take it (other than post workout) is right when you wake up, because you're body is deprived after 8 hours of sleep. a decent forum to check routines and nutrition info is http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9. a really good energy booster pre-workout is honey. Eat a spoonful and see how it works for ya.
Ronan, thanks! You da man! Why glucose? Don't I want my body to burn off the fat that I have stored instead of taking in more carbs? So I guess I'll just stick with a protein shake.
Yeah, I had a hard time working out at first when I took it before my session. Working the abs were a bitch! I remember I took my friend with me one time. We worked out for a good two hours after both drinking an energy shake. Lets just say the steam room wasn't the best place to be chillin' in.
Remember that a supplement is a SUPPLEMENT. If you don't eat healthy already and you just start taking supplements its pretty useless. Also, I don't know you're eating habits, but you should be eating more smaller meals spread throughout the day. If you eat 3 big meals a day, start eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead. This will help speed up you're metabolism and you'll burn more calories this way. I live with two bodybuilders, so all I hear all day and night is about lifting weights and fitness. I can't get away from it.
Is that even possible though? I really don't think I could eat my body weight in protein without shitting for weeks afterwards. I'm about 155 right now and my protein in-take it around 90-100 grams. Is that not enough? My body fat % is low as shit so I'm definitely seeing results but perhaps I should step it up with more protein? How often should I be working out per week? Wall of text, by the way!
It's a good idea to get protein in your system every two hours. I usually keep a pack of peanuts or an energy bar with me if I can't grab something bigger.
