Protein + supplements

Freshmilk

hi
i work out 2-3 times a week and am after getting quite bulky but i want to be more toned and i was just wondering would any supplements or protein products help me to do this I dont want to put weight on either and dont want to take anything which could be dangerous or upset my system.

Any advice will be greatly recieved.

g'em

you can use whey protein as a meal or snack replacement to keep your protein up (and encourage muscle growth) and you carb/ fat intake low. Post what the rest of your diet is- mroe than likely its your diet that's contributing towards this 'bulkiness'

Other weight loss supplements only really work when your diet is in order first and foremost

Dragan

Well look at that, you got here before me.

g'em

Woohoo!!!! Score one to me - 22,378 to Dragan

SprostonGreen

I'm not gonna start a new thread, but I have a question.

My whey ran out today and I get more tomorrow.

It was my leg day in the gym today, and I dont have enough whey. Is this a big problem, missing a day?

Should I take creatine instead, I usually take 1-2 teapoons on my on days?

peterk19

SprostonGreen wrote:

I'm not gonna start a new thread, but I have a question.

My whey ran out today and I get more tomorrow.

It was my leg day in the gym today, and I dont have enough whey. Is this a big problem, missing a day?

Should I take creatine instead, I usually take 1-2 teapoons on my on days?

You would be better off taking some high protein foods boilled or grilled chicken breat boilled, poached or scrambled eggs or a bit of steak that would be good as its a natural source of protein, just take your normal amount of creatine

Pete

zAbbo

Just a quick hijak, im doing 2-3 gym sessions a week, a mixture of cardio/weights and I'm looking for something more than a banana to take afterwards. So am i looking for whey? if so where's best to get it and what type? and how etc.

Dragan

Yes you are looking for whey.

You can get it in any health shop, though i would recommend www.fitnessireland.ie or www.usnireland.ie

My own brand of choice is Pro - X , but you can check out all the brands on either of these sites.

Easygainer here also sells some.

zAbbo

Read up a bit there, and ordered some ProX on fitnessireland, the 2 for 80euro deal, got choc and strawberry, tasty.

Whats best to mix with it, water or supermilk/lf milk ?

Cravez

zabbo wrote:

Whats best to mix with it, water or supermilk/lf milk ?

I mix mine with water, althought at the start it tastes like pants you get used to the taste and it becomes really really tasty! mmmm

Dragan

Unless your really worried about getting cut, go for supermilk , it's some extra protein , bit of carbs and yeah some fats but if the rest of your diet is clean you'll survive!!!!

t-ha

SprostonGreen wrote:

I'm not gonna start a new thread, but I have a question.

My whey ran out today and I get more tomorrow.

It was my leg day in the gym today, and I dont have enough whey. Is this a big problem, missing a day?

Should I take creatine instead, I usually take 1-2 teapoons on my on days?

No, whey is just another protein source - just like eggs, meat, etc. It is used commonly for post-workout shakes and first thing in the morning primarily because it's quickly and (almost) completely absorbed (takes about 60 mins). This is good as it allows you to take advantage of your post-workout high insulin levels. It can also be more convenient than bringing a grill into the gym. However, I know some guys who are both big & ripped and who do it on nothing but a couple of square meals a day - simply supplying their protein requirements with their regular diets.

Protein powders generally are frequently misunderstood as magical muscle builders - in fact they just help to form part of your total daily intake of protein. If you have no idea how many grams of protein you eat a day then maybe that should be rectified. About 2.2gms per kg lean body mass (LBM) is a typical recommendation for strength athletes.

Creatine is a non-protein amino acid. It is not used for building muscle and is not a protein substitute. It is primarily used as a high speed energy source for your muscles. I'm not getting into it now but you can read further on it here if you want;
http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/cre_0086.shtml

Incidentally, two tsp of it sounds very excessive (unless you're a total beast in which case I humbly, humbly apologise ). I personally notice no added benefit to using more than 5gms post-workout. Even with high insulin levels you're not going to push 2 tsp of creatine into your muscles in one go. Also, remember to take it with plenty of glucose (or some other fancy shmansy insulin raiser if you can afford it). *cough - maltodextrin - cough*

The rest of the time it's best to take your creatine in smaller more frequent doses. Around a gram at a time to a daily total of 4 or 5 grams. I haven't seen anything beyond scaremongering to suggest that more is dangerous, but expensive urine is hardly the point of sports supplementation .

To zabbo: yes the banana is common post exercise choice since it maintains high insulin levels and pack a reasonable punch (calorie wise - for a fruit anyway!). However you want to have high insulin levels for a reason - anabolism! Your body is in storing mode, so there's no better time to get the aminos and simple sugars in there. Whey & glucose is a great addition to your banana if you're looking to build up some muscle, or simply to aid recovery times. In the meantime, a chicken sandwich isn't a bad option either.