Protein supplements?

paddymayoman

Right lads I've been hitting the gym around 3 times a week from September to December and I'm finding it hard to put on any muscle gains, I've a clean enough diet but it's not doing much. I was wondering are protein supplements all they're hyped up to be and if theres any side effects? Cheers in advance!

immigant

Can you tell us what exactly you mean by a clean enough diet? What would you eat on an average day? How many calories, how much protein, what type of training you do?

There's a good chance that improvements in diet and exercise will yield far greater results than taking a protein supplement.

That being said protein might be exactly what's needed in your case and most of the common brands are largely the same. Don't go in for the cool marketing, super secret double mega xl blast lark. Just get one with a high protein content and few carbs.

Justin1982

If your not making gains muscle wise then your almost definitely not eating enough calories or enough protein (most likely both).

There is no side effects from taking protein supplements unless your on some sort of protein restricted diet due to some ailment.

You dont need to use protein supplements. You can get all the protein from normal food. Supplements are generally used as they are an efficient way of getting protein into you without having to eat so much food that you get fat.

Takes time to put on muscle mass as well. If your body is young and uber fit then you'll probably put on muscle pretty quick. If your old and unfit then it might not be so easy.

derkav

paddymayoman wrote: »

Right lads I've been hitting the gym around 3 times a week from September to December and I'm finding it hard to put on any muscle gains, I've a clean enough diet but it's not doing much. I was wondering are protein supplements all they're hyped up to be and if theres any side effects? Cheers in advance!

Hi,

I Started really going to the gym about two years ago with the Idea of getting fit and building muscle. I have gone through several different routines diets and supplements to gain weight in the form of muscle and not fat. This is not a fast road by any stretch. I started off at 78 Kgs and nearly 20% bf. Now I have got to 91kgs and 15% bf. You will need to try out different routines to see what will suit your goals best. I found that when trying to gain weight in a hurry you will put on fat with that. The foods / supplements you take will have to be calorie dense in order to get a quick result for the weight gain but will come with fat gain. During the last gain that I was on I was taking in nearly 5500 calories a day (from multiple sources) That is a hard thing to do with out eating crap. Diet is a major part of your training regime and should net be neglected. Get a calorie counter / meal recording app if you have a smart phone to keep track. I have used daily burn in the past and found it helpfull.

Now I train in the Gym 3 days a week (on a gain again) I also box twice a week too to help with the fat. I am currently doing a 6 rep 8 set routine with heavy weight. I will use this type of routine for the next two months then change again in order to keep my body guessing. You will find any number of routine guides online from 5x5 to fst 7. In my experience you will probably go through a few different ones before you are happy. Then you'll change again to shock the body into growth. I use a training app called JEfit on my android to track my workouts and my lifts too. You can download different routiens from the app too which is very helpful and It has a great guide for all the exercises on it. Plus the free version is great if you dint mind people thinking your listing to Olly mours or little mix on your phone ( from ads onscreen during rest periods)

On the supplement side of things I take two shakes a day. These consist of 1 1/2 scoops of mp max protein 1 scoop of instant oats 1/2 scoop of dextrose for straight after session and 2g of creatine mono. I also take a Creatine ethyl ester supplement on a daily basis and I will cycle off this when I change my routine for a week or two. I purchase all of my supplements from a UK based site called http://ie.myprotein.com I haven't found a cheaper place to get my supplements here. If you use this code MP555897 you will get a discount on your first order. I'm not sure if its 10 or 20%.

Bottom line is you really have to stick at this gym thing if you want to see results and they will not happen overnight (unless your juicing) Hope this can help.

BTW I'm 34 with three kids and work about 1 hr 40 from my home. So my time is limited.