Upper Body Strength Building With Protein Shakes??

Choco2607

Hey guys, I'm looking for some advice from anyone that can help me,

I'm 24 years of age and i'm in the process of joining the army, My next step is to attend a selection process where I hear they are very keen on fitness and upper body strength, and thats expected,

So im starting to attend the gym quite a bit now but i dont seem to be building any upper body strength at all, One of my mates advised me to take protein shakes but another said id gain weight, currently im 6'4" an i weight 93 kilos, I'm already a tall lad an have a slight bit of a gut that im shifting with jogging and spin classes so i dont particularly wanna put more weight on, Can some body advise me if i should start taking protein shakes an the best way to increase upper body strength??

Any help is much appreciated...

Thanks

Hanley

Your mate is wrong.

The best way to increase strength is progressive resistance training. It’s like asking is the best way to get better at football is to drink lucozade. It’s illogical and doesn’t make sense.

What do you currently do in the gym, what are your goals?

Choco2607

Ha, ok...

Erm I'm currently working different muscles on different days, last week on monday i did biceps/triceps, tuesday was jogging, wednesday was shoulders and a bit of back, thursday jogging, then friday was an over all work out, arms, back, shoulders, again,

been doing it for about 3 weeks now, but I dont seem to be adding any muscle at all, I'm off the drink an I try my very best to eat well, Id have a chinese on a sat night but surely thats not making my muscles grow, lol, Thats why I'm asking if protein shakes will help build an grow my muscles...

cheers for the reply too mate..

Choco2607

Sorry to answer the goals part of your question,

all i wanna do is bulk up a bit an work n upper body, I wanna be able to fill a t shirt in the arms department rather than be a skinny whippet an have no muscle what so ever

Like i dont wanna be ripped an have a body like some clowns on jersey shore, I really just wanna bulk up an tone up too...:D

AntiVirus

Hanley wrote: »

It’s like asking is the best way to get better at football is to drink lucozade.

Bollock, back to square one for me then. :mad:

Orando Broom

AntiVirus wrote: »

Bollock, back to square one for me then. :mad:

Switch to milk. Ian Rush says it works.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Just focus on the induction fitness test.

20 Push ups in 1 minute, 20 sit ups in 1 minute and the run, 2.4km in 11 mins 40 secs.

Check your BMI also.

If you make it into the army, they will naturally build your fitness and strength up. Many fit people lose fitness in Recruit training.

Mellor

benwavner wrote: »

20 Push ups in 1 minute, 20 sit ups in 1 minute and the run, 2.4km in 11 mins 40 secs.

I would have expected that it a lot tougher than that.
2.4km in 11 mins 40 secs is tame enough.

Hanley

Mellor wrote: »

I would have expected that it a lot tougher than that.
2.4km in 11 mins 40 secs is tame enough.

You'd do the whole lot in that time with a moderate level of training.

This is one of those situations were tabata style intervals may work for the strength stuff (assuming all rowing and pressing is balanced etc)

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Mellor wrote: »

I would have expected that it a lot tougher than that.
2.4km in 11 mins 40 secs is tame enough.

Lads, that is just an entrance assessment.

Basically, its the minimum level of fitness that you need to have to be eligible to serve in the DF. You would be surprised how many people fail the tests.

It is no reflection to the physical rigours of day to day training.

Mellor

I know it was only an entrance test. I'm just surprised that minimum level is that low. I'd have thoguht people that couldn't achieve that would of never dreamed of trying for the army.

20 press ups is prob the figure I expected tbh. It's more the run and sit-ups that surprised me (I assume sit ups are with feet held)

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Mellor wrote: »

I know it was only an entrance test. I'm just surprised that minimum level is that low. I'd have thoguht people that couldn't achieve that would of never dreamed of trying for the army.

20 press ups is prob the figure I expected tbh. It's more the run and sit-ups that surprised me (I assume sit ups are with feet held)

No man, feet are not held. They used to be but about 6 years ago they changed it.

Mellor

benwavner wrote: »

No man, feet are not held. They used to be but about 6 years ago they changed it.

I was just assuming they were as any military fitness I've seen the feet were held, feet not held doesn't change it much. I had a read of the site there. This is the how far you have to come up. Situp Extended Position. 20 is still pretty easy, 20 press-up is still the harder of the two.

What areas a do people fail on the most. Press-ups or run?

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Mellor wrote: »

I was just assuming they were as any military fitness I've seen the feet were held, feet not held doesn't change it much. I had a read of the site there. This is the how far you have to come up. Situp Extended Position. 20 is still pretty easy, 20 press-up is still the harder of the two.

What areas a do people fail on the most. Press-ups or run?

The sit ups catch a lot of people out, if you havent trained in a while and turn up for the fitness test, its likely you wont pass. I know its all to do with muscle memory etc.

The run and BMI are the main failures recently.