Need Advice

markc91

Hi all im a 19 year old male who just joined total fitness and went for my first assesment today. I play football and keep fit and im looking to get fitter and tone up for my holidays in the summer . The trainer had me doing sets on my Shoulders,Biceps,Triceps,Chest and Abs. Im feeling sore after it . I asjed him about Protein shakes as some of my friends that use the gym also take them and he said i should look at a supplement with a high protein , low carb for toning. Im just wondering which 1 to go for and should I start taking them??
Any help appreciated Thanks
Mark

MarkY91

nice username;)

i think most protein is the same just marketing crap, im no expert so i may be wrong, i bought mine in my gym im not really fussy on the brand.


dont forget to try get the protein from your food and dont rely on the supplements too much, i might aswell buy a live chicken the ammount of eggs im going through:rolleyes:

markc91

not a bad username either yea ur man in the gym just said high protein low carb so got home and had a tuna sandwich after i got a protein drink up in the gym earlier

have you noticed any difference? how long you been using them?

MarkY91

im in the gym 4 months real tall and skinny so i had to put on the weight...what height and stone are u?

in that time i went fro 12ish to 14 stone:eek: cant see where the 2 stone went but the scales dont lie lol

markc91

haha im about 5"10 and about 11st the trainer said that if i want to keep lean and tone take the high protein low carb stuff so i tink thats what il do but as 4 which 1 is which and if they work im kinda clueless haha:D

MarkY91

markc91 wrote: »

haha im about 5"10 and about 11st the trainer said that if i want to keep lean and tone take the high protein low carb stuff so i tink thats what il do but as 4 which 1 is which and if they work im kinda clueless haha:D

theres a supplement section on this forum you should ask there, sorry i cant answer what one is best though im a bit clueless on them

markc91

thanks il hav a look there what one do you use?

Mellor

MarkY91 wrote: »

i think most protein is the same just marketing crap, im no expert so i may be wrong, i bought mine in my gym im not really fussy on the brand.

By protein, most peopel mean whey protein.
Yup you're right most whey protein is essentially the same.
And a lot of brand names are over marketed, all those magazines ads, athletes endorsing them, well the consumer pays for that.

But at the same time, the one you are buying at your gym is most likely one of those brands, or some other over hyped stuff pushed by the gym. What's the name, or even price and size etc.

The problem is not all shakes are just protein, some are aim at gaining mass so have higher carb and fats. Even if the one you buy is good value, it might be full of sugars.

Op, in terms of high protein and low carb you can't go far wrong with "Optimum Nutrition" (ON) or myprotien.co.uk

markc91

Grand thanks for the info il look into them

TommyKnocker

IMHO you should take a step back and hold off on the protein supplements.

The reason I have for saying this is it seems you are only starting off in the gym. IMO the most important thing to get sorted is your actual diet. This will play a much bigger part in getting the physique you want and maintaing it through out your life.

Protein powder is a Supplement and should be used IMO to supplement an already good diet, to help you get additional protein into your diet if required.

It is not an magic powder and taking it because your friends do or because some trainer in the gym you just met said so are really poor ideas IMO.

Now I know folks will say that protein powder is just another form of protein, and in a way they are correct. And although I do take protein shakes, a rule I try to live by is getting as much of my protein, fats and carbs from proper foods as possible. My rule of thumb is, if my grandmother (R.I.P) would not recognise it as food, then I need a good reason to be eating it

I am not saying that you should not take it. But I am saying that you should know why you are taking it.

• Do you currently know how many calories you are consuming each day?
• Do you know how much Protein/Fats/Carbs you are currently ingesting?
• Do you actually need the extra protein
• How clean is your current diet, as in how much of what you currently eat would be classed as "Junk food"?
• Is your weight fairly stable, or are you losing or gaining weight?

IMO these are some of the questions you should ask yourself and know the answers to before you start taking supplements.

Just taking Protein will add extra calories on to your daily intake. Now maybe these will be burned off by the extra training, but it's is also possible that they may not be (depending on you current daily calorie intake). This could see you gain weight, possible extra body fat, which could have an adverse effect on your football and your stated goal of getting "Toned" for your holidays later in the year.

TL;DR: Don't just go out and start chugging protein shakes willy nilly because your friends do or some trainier in the gym told you to. Look at your diet and see do you actually need it first.

MarkY91

Mellor wrote: »

By protein, most peopel mean whey protein.
Yup you're right most whey protein is essentially the same.
And a lot of brand names are over marketed, all those magazines ads, athletes endorsing them, well the consumer pays for that.

But at the same time, the one you are buying at your gym is most likely one of those brands, or some other over hyped stuff pushed by the gym. What's the name, or even price and size etc.

The problem is not all shakes are just protein, some are aim at gaining mass so have higher carb and fats. Even if the one you buy is good value, it might be full of sugars.

Op, in terms of high protein and low carb you can't go far wrong with "Optimum Nutrition" (ON) or myprotien.co.uk

yep my gym has 3 types of the same brand one specialy for different goals i went for the middle one cos i wana try get most the protein i need from my diet, is it true that certain ones actualy help you to put on minimum weight and maximum muscle while working out?..cos im litterally a bone but getting a bit of a belly:mad:

Mellor

What's the brand?

Different types don't do different things. Protein is protein.
They aren't all protein shakes.

I imagine one on them is a mostly whey shake,
One of them is a shake with modeate protein and high carbs, bigger scoop for mass etc
The other one is prob a PWO shake or similar

FunkDrummer

It would do you no harm to walk into Holland and Barrett during the day and ask someone there for a bit of advice!! I find they are usually helpful!