Ask me any questions about physical fitness, exercise, supplements etc. and I will answer you or research and answer your question. I'll be certified in a few months so any questions can only help me to prepare for the exam.
Hey man. I go to the gym regularly a weight train, looking to build my muscle mass (I do a lot of drop-setting, I don't know if that means anything to you). Basically, I have been on a high protein diet for a long time, as I prefer to get my post-workout dose of protein naturally. However, I have started to try these protein shakes, and my question is: Simply, how effective are they, and are they artificial shite or are they relatively natural?
Well Matt, first I'd like to address the benefits of drop-sets. Bodybuilders (unlike other athletes) are concerned purely with cosmetic improvements and not athletic performance. Bodybuilders use drop sets because they're geared towards increasing muscle size (hypertrophy). If you play a sport and are trying to gain strength, then I wouldn't recommend using drop-sets. Drop sets are not conducive to strength, power or speed gains. In other words, you'll pump up like crazy, but your strength will be in the gutter as compared to others your size that did not use drop-sets.
Now on to your question :P
I would have to ask you, what kind of protein shake are you taking? I would recommend getting one that contains Whey isolate as it is quickly absorbed by the body. Also, always wait a while before consuming your protein shake. Why? While this isn't an exact science, most recent studies show that you should do the following:
Eat a good high energy snack (such as an energy drink or an NO2 supplement containing caffeine... but these need to be cycled... let me know if I should go more in depth with this) 30-45 mins before your workout and then take your protein shake within 20-30 mins after your workout. If you drink your protein before you work out your body will be focused on digestion and not on the muscles you are training.
To answer your question, eating a high protein meal after a workout is definitely not as effective as a protein shake. As far as whether or not Whey protein is all natural, I found this: Whey protein is the name for a collection of globular proteins that can be isolated from whey, a by-product of cheese manufactured from cow's milk.
Let me know if you have anything else you need to know.
Excellent, that told me everything I needed to know, thanks man!
In which case, I have another one for you: What do you recommend as the middle ground between muscle gain and strength/athletic progress? I don't want to just gain muscle mass, I want to gain strength as well, so what are my options here?
Well, I've lost pretty much like 80% of my body fat and have become slim, yet i still have a bit of "trim" per se on my arms, stomach, chest, legs, etc. I have a chest condition that prohibits me from running, but I manage to do between 50-150 crunches a day and eat healthy foods in small amounts, rather than set meals. I also do weight exercises with my arms (curls) with 10 lb weights. My goal is to loose all the excess fat by the end of the winter. (I am now 6'2" and 165, used to weigh 220.)
Is this good enough or is there more that I should be doing?
Everyone's body is different. That being said, there is no "holy grail" of routines that is going to guarantee what you want. The answer is experimentation. Find what you need to make the progress you want by changing up your routine every month. What I would start with would be focusing your workouts on 2 muscle groups a day and performing 3 exercises on each (5 sets, 12 reps). I have found this to absolutely work for me and it was the method that Arnold used back in his time. This does not mean it will work for you nor will you become obscenely huge just by following this (that takes hormone supplementation...). Let me know if you need further advice on other types of routines and I can direct you to a few others.
Sorry this took so long...
INFERNAL HAILZ Forest King... lol
To be honest, I can't safely give you advice on weight loss without giving you a fitness evaluation. However, I would ask you this: Are you absolutely sure that the "trim" is not merely a bit of loose skin. It is common in people who achieve rapid weight loss to have a bit of loose skin and it is a problem that will eventually all but resolve itself as elasticity returns. However, if this isn't the case then I would say that proper diet is the best thing you can do and it appears that you already knew that.
I would also say, cut down on the crunches. There is no way that you (or anyone) should be doing that many of the same exercise every day. Break it up by adding some other exercises into your routine such as bridges for your deltoids and maybe even consider a few leg routines and definitely start working out your triceps as they make up about 80% of the mass of your arm when in a relaxed position. Hope I helped.
Its definately not loose skin, its just the remainder of what I had. I've been doing leg lift exercises and I'll start a bit more of a variety in my exercise. Ill also do some reps with the weights for my tricepts. Thanks a ton! haha
Hey man, I'm sure this is a pretty common question, but here goes.
I've got a beer gut, but i'm working on that (running and eating smaller healthier meals more regularly). My main question is whether i should work on losing the fat and becoming more toned before hitting the weights and bulking up (thinking of supplementing with whey after a while aswell? any tips with that?) or can i start building muscle while ive got the barrel lol.
I've been going to a gym for the last five months and i've got a gud,even build party cause i don't drink or eat unhealthy food often and also because i can push myself harder than my friends when i go. I wanted to know if there is harmful side-effects to using protein shakes and muscle supplements?(long term or short term),what should i use(i'm a noob when it comes to muscle supplement brands) and also if you have any websites or exercise routines,booklets that you can mail me or recommend.My e-mail is Psawdon132@gmail.com
King, this is a pretty cool idea you have. I'm not here to ask anything, just commending you, you obviously know what you're talking about and I hope you do well in your exam.
By the way I don't think Seth Shadows is entirely serious
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