Bodybuilding - Exercises and Supplements

[Raj1008]

I have been working out on and off. I never taken any supplements other increasing my natural protein intake eggs, chicken, tuna, salmon etc. I am very close to my ideal measurements -5%, just need to shed a few more inches on my waist ie 3 inches. I do the usual 600 cals cardio one day, next day body part and third day rest.

I dont understand the need for extra supplements like whey or creatine or even their side effects and long term effects. Can someone throw some light on this? Will they be of any help?

[akshay1234]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

hey guys. need to pick up a new protein supplement now. have been using isopure zero carb for the past few months. though not very often since i havent been able to go to the gym often. i only have the protein shake after my workout, is this right?
one of my friends is picking up something called ultimate mass gainer. what are your thoughts on that?

anyone care to answer this?? please?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Raj1008

I dont understand the need for extra supplements like whey or creatine or even their side effects and long term effects. Can someone throw some light on this? Will they be of any help?

This question has been asked and asnwered before in this thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...tml#post819602

[jaysmokesleaves]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

anyone care to answer this?? please?

If you are not working out regularly. Avoid the mass gainer like plague.
Its got a high percentage of carbs(approx 60%). Simply put, extra carbs convert to fat. Isopure is good whey. Any good brand of whey with a 90% protein content is good. You can also use it to supplement your regular protein requirement while travelling.
Whey also works wonders when you are sick, when your body processes are down and it promotes faster recovery.

@ Navpreet> in your case its best to stick to what your doc recommends. MY personal opinion though> small amounts of glutamine & creatine should not negatively affect your liver since they are nothing but broken down amino acids in their free form. And since these are furthur processed for easy absorption they are all the more safer. However, in your case, its best not to bother about all this since you are not into serious sports/lifting.
cheers:
J

[akshay1234]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

If you are not working out regularly. Avoid the mass gainer like plague.
Its got a high percentage of carbs(approx 60%). Simply put, extra carbs convert to fat. Isopure is good whey. Any good brand of whey with a 90% protein content is good. You can also use it to supplement your regular protein requirement while travelling.
Whey also works wonders when you are sick, when your body processes are down and it promotes faster recovery.

i havent been working out regularly now but i do plan to start going 4-5 times a week. would you still recommend i forget mass gainer? (not that im thin like a stick, lol im 89kgs and 6'4").

i guess ill stick to iso pure. which one would be better, low carb or zero carb?

[aadix]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

anyone care to answer this?? please?

edit: just saw your new post,

would suggest you to stick to a protien suppliment, althought isopure is an overall good suppli, why not something like 100% whey??

[jaysmokesleaves]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

i havent been working out regularly now but i do plan to start going 4-5 times a week. would you still recommend i forget mass gainer? (not that im thin like a stick, lol im 89kgs and 6'4").

i guess ill stick to iso pure. which one would be better, low carb or zero carb?

I still suggest staying away from the weight gainer. The carbs in it can be got from your diet too. you would rather put that money to good use geting a 100%whey. Isopure zero carb is better. Since you are having it post workout, you can havea fruit/s to complement your post workout carb requirement.

[akshay1234]

Originally Posted by aadix

edit: just saw your new post,

would suggest you to stick to a protien suppliment, althought isopure is an overall good suppli, why not something like 100% whey??

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

I still suggest staying away from the weight gainer. The carbs in it can be got from your diet too. you would rather put that money to good use geting a 100%whey. Isopure zero carb is better. Since you are having it post workout, you can havea fruit/s to complement your post workout carb requirement.

thanks guys. is there a particular brand for 100% whey or is it a brand? also does this have more protein than isopure? i remember that whey gold or whatever has 24gms of protein and isopure has 48gms?

[jaysmokesleaves]

About Supplements:
The problem is that most people take supplements as a shortcut. There are no shortcuts. A supplemet is exactly what it stands for - supplementing.
It is essential that before anyone consider taking supplements, one must first start increasing natural intake from natural sources. Increase natural intake of protein sources first. This increases the bodys natural ability to metabolise and process higher amounts of food. Proteins are also harder to digest requiring more calories from the body to digest and process it. Thus, you also burn fat in the process of digestion. It also gives time for your digestive system to catch up and also improves your assimilation of nutirents from the food you eat.
If this is not done and one directly takes supplements then that does nothing to improve the other processes involved in developing your body, regardless of your goal(weight loss/fitness/sports/bodybuilding). Without a strong foundation the building will eventually fall.
Taking supplements also improves your performance. So you can do more cardio , lift more and lift heavier, train longer too. BUT BUT, the muscles, tendons and ligaments take time to adapt to these suddenly increase in stresses both physical & physiological stress. Eventually they never fully recover and adapt resulting injuries in either short or long term inspite of following good posture and training principles.
So friends, whether you are an enthusiast or an ameteur. Its always good to build a strong foundation.

When you stop training, you also stop your supplements. So suddenly the body does not have sufficient calories to maintain all the muscle gains that you have had over time. Unable to find the nutrients enough to maintain this extra muscle, the body begins breaking down all the extra gains that it does not need and cannot support. Therefore those people who take supplements and eventually stop it report weight/muscle loss.

If you have a Ferrari, performance needs more fuel.
If you drive a maruti you can thrive on economy. Both have their own place and are means to an end.
There is nothing wrong with supplements. Even a new born has supplements till they are 2-4 yrs old. (Farex, cerelac etc).
The purpose and need defines the kind of requirement.

Therfore, choose wisely and strike a balance.
cheers:
J

[aadix]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

thanks guys. is there a particular brand for 100% whey or is it a brand? also does this have more protein than isopure? i remember that whey gold or whatever has 24gms of protein and isopure has 48gms?

100% whey is a brand by itself, these days available at all reliance stores,

afaik, isopure has the highest protien content than any regular suppli, but at the same time is equally expensive. i found 100% whey to be an ideal vfm, so i guess it would depend upon your preferences.

[vikram18]

Ok, for newbies and pros alike, here is the Whey Protein Bible

WHAT IS WHEY AND HOW IS IT MADE?

Whey protein is synthesized from regular whole milk. Earlier, it was often thrown away after "casein" was extracted from milk. Approximately 80% of milk protein is casein, with the remaining 20% being whey. After whole milk is pasteurized, casein and milk fat are separated to make cheese and what remains is whey. Now, this whey goes through specialty filters that separate it into whey and lactose. This concentrated liquid whey goes to an "ion exchange" tower that further increases its concentration. Whey is considered "pure" at this point, after which it is dried in a drying tower.

TYPES OF WHEY PROTEIN

There are basically 2 types of Whey protein:

1. Whey Protein Isolate (Cross Flow Microfiltered or CFM / Microfiltered / Ion Exchange): This is the purest form of Whey protein. This type of Whey is approximately 90% protein, with very low fat and lactose. This is the best type of Whey available.

2. Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC): While this is indeed Whey protein, the amount of protein can vary from as high as 90% to as low as 50%, the rest made up of fat, lactose, caseinate etc.

WHO SHOULD USE WHAT?

As mentioned above, Whey Protein Isolate is the best form of Whey available but it has one problem; IT IS EXPENSIVE! This, in my opinion, is the only reason to choose WPC over Isolate. Secondly, in my experience, some people supplementing with Whey have had problems with digestion, flatulence etc. This can be due to the fact that these individuals are lactose intolerant or their discomfort is due to caseinate. Since Isolate has negligible amounts of both, such people should give it a go before giving up on Whey protein altogether.

People on a budget can use WPC, but it is very important to read the nutritional information on the brand, which they choose to buy. Avoid buying ONLY WPC.

Nowadays, most brands contain a blend of WPC and Whey Protein Isolate e.g. 100% whey (which is not a brand, but is manufactured by Optimum Nutrition or ON) has a blend of Microfiltered Whey Protein Isolates, Ion-Exchange Whey Protein Isolates, Ultrafiltered Whey Protein Concentrate and Hydrolyzed Whey Peptides, as opposed to a Venky's, which is ONLY WPC.

Another issue that I'd like to address here is the sweetner/s added to the protein powder. As far as possible, avoid supplements containing Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame K) and choose those with Splenda, Sucralose instead.

Lastly, Brands are only as good as the powder they sell, so ALWAYS look for the quality of protein that you buy and the percentage of protein, with respect to serving size. This is what tells you how much bang you're getting for your buck! So, read the drab, ugly looking nutritional information, instead of being wowed by the bright shiny packaging and the tall claims made by the manufacturer / your friend / your gym instructor ... anyone else.

That's it! if you STILL have queries, feel free to ask anytime. If you want to know which brand is better, GOOGLE IT AND READ THE PRODUCT INFO!

A word of caution: When supplementing with ANY protein, please make sure to up your water intake accordingly; this is VERY important.

Grow in Peace.

[nemo]

How do you guys track your workouts ? I usually use a small pocket notebook to record my workouts. I came across this website Gyminee.com which looked promising to me. Any comments?

[vikram18]

Originally Posted by nemo

How do you guys track your workouts ? I usually use a small pocket notebook to record my workouts. I came across this website Gyminee.com which looked promising to me. Any comments?

There are a lot of websites that offer printable logs, workout as well as diet. For anyone who is serious about tracking progress, I feel both these logs are extremely essential. Nothing fancy required, just two plain notebooks can suffice

[nemo]

thanks vikram, care to share few sites that you have checked?

[SohailPistawala]

I have been taking printable logs from bodybuilding.com i found it very informative. apart from that my gym also provides me something similar!!