Can any of you recommend a decent protein supplement? I am making a concerted effort to get fitter and stronger at the moment. Doing okay too. Gone from 13.7 stone to 12.5 and cut my body fat by 4% in 4 weeks since joining a gym.

Anyhow, being vegetarian my diet lacks protein so looking for a decent one that you have found to be of benefit. I have flirted with eating chicken but just can't get on with it tbh.

Any links really appreciated. Thanks.

One thing I have learnt about Fitness Instructors/ experts etc, is that they all advise different things, and none of them sing from the same song sheet.

One thing I have learnt about Fitness Instructors/ experts etc, is that they all advise different things, and none of them sing from the same song sheet.

 

That is very true. The other factor to consider is the physical activity and environment that you are working in, for example a 6000 calorie high carb and very high fat intake would seem obsurd as the ideal nutritional programme, however when working in sub arctic conditions that is exactly what the body needs. Likewise a 6000 calorie, high complex carb intake is ideal for working a high intensity day in an extremely hot and humid environment. Whereas a lot less calories and certainly a lot less carbs and fat are required for exactly the same activity when undertaken in a temperate environment.

 

Each individual requires different nutrients in differing quantities in order to effectively carry out any given array of activity under a variety of environmental conditions. It is very difficult in certain cases for 'experts' to deviate from their beliefs and advise to the contrary that in certain circumstances a high carb/high fat diet is actually the healthier path to travel.

 

That's not to say that a dietry programme such as above is good for the body over prolonged periods but it is a vital necessity in certain circumstances.

 

For yourself, if you're content that your diet doesn't require a source of additional protein in the form of a whey protein powder, then that is great news but I personally wouldn't dismiss it. I've trained with and without and for me there was a noticeable difference in my recovery time and energy levels post rest day.

 

Now let's go and get some of those buffalo steroids injected into your eyelids and say no more about it :wink:

Right guys, a quick update. Not that I think anyone cares but I'm keeping this as a kind of log to spur me on :biggrin:

 

Had a slight lapse a couple of weeks ago when I went skiing. Don't think I have ever drunk so much in one week, and trust me I've been on some proper sessions!!

 

So got back and had put a couple of pounds on and bodyfat was up to 17.5%.

 

Been putting the hours in since though and watching my diet. Still like a beer fri/sat/sun but that's life.

 

Today 12 Stone 15.7% bodyfat. I am absolutely over the moon with this, shows that the hard work is paying off.

 

Anyhow, for those that are still reading (Hopefully Pez, Bob, Marty etc) I now want any tips or advice on stabilising or even upping my weight slightly whilst still cutting bodyfat. My new goal is 12% (although this might be unrealistic!), and to get stronger/slightly bigger with it. Any tips or recommendations greatly appreciated.

 

Bob, as you are veggie too, how much creatine should I take daily? And that syntha 6 is the mutts, tastes well nice and appears to be working :yinyang:

Ah it is all going in the right direction then :)

 

Im sure any of the other guys can correct me if im not 100% right as fitness is a very technical subject and everyone has there own views on how to get to a goal. Basically you are looking at shifting fat and putting on lean muscle which would keep your weight around the same. To shift the fat aerobic zone is the place to hit whether it be running, cycling or ones of these new fancy zumba type things it all puts the body into work and is a good gentle pace encouraging the body to burn fat. For me i would train CV around 4-5 times a week and have started doing swimming which has never been in my program before. However you can do as much as time/energy permits without burning yourself out.

 

Onto the weights you would be looking for a few times a week targeting the whole body over that period using lower weights with higher reps so say about 10-12 reps on each set. There is loads of programs you can pick off google or out of muscle fitness magazine which is one im on at the moment now. Its all about keeping your body guessing so every week the specific exercise i do to target an area is different and with higher reps training for lean muscle and endurance as opposed to strength or huge size. (You will still gain some size but it will be more dense)

 

Sure the other guys can pitch in on some stuff too and have different views to mine.

 

Keep up the good work a blow out once in a while is always good i had a 12" pizza tonight :D

Fitness regime aside, if you want to achieve what I think you want to achieve then you have to adjust your diet

 

You have to eat clean mate and the Friday, Saturday and Sunday 'odd' beer and pizza has to be canned. If anybody says otherwise then they are talking complete horse shit bud, the old 'I can eat what I want as long as I train hard enough to burn it off' is complete *****cks.

 

Shit in = Shit out, eat clean and eat religiously, this is as much psychological as it is physical and there will be days that really test you.

 

Not that I have ever been a heavy drinker but I haven't touched a drop of alcohol for 4 months now. I have always trained hard and lived an extremely healthy but demanding lifestyle. However I found that after a routine change and an increase in training intensity and tempo I hit the wall 2 weeks ago (a short bout of flu at the time didn't help either).

 

I was advised that (1) I wasn't eating nearly enough and (2) I had to stop pushing and give my body time to recover, and reduce to just a few light bag and weight sessions a week, with the ocassional 1 hr steady paced run and (3) just to be mindful of the age factor

 

at 33 years of age it shouldn't be a problem but it's been a hard paper round and some people live a harder life than others

 

This has helped (especially with regards to energy levels) and I can only put this down to my eating clean, 5 times a day and not pushing my body too hard, too fast. There's a wall there for a reason and if you continuously push through it you can do some long term damage.

 

I still say that you should sit down with your trainer friend and draft a 6-18 month programme (nutrition and training) and don't be in too much of a hurry to get your body looking like a Greek God, if you do push too hard and too fast you'll be too ****ed to benefit from it

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply guys :yinyang: Marty I've never been a swimmer but it is something I'd consider. I bench once a week with a couple of guys who chase big numbers all the time but I'm more inclined to up the reps/sets on a lighter weight like you advise. During the week my mate at the gym encourages me to do circuits and supersets. Doing 10/12 reps and increasing the weight until i can only do 8 reps per set.

Pez, I think you've hit the nail on the head bud. For the past couple of weeks I've been banging on to anyone who will listen that I have to sort my diet/nutrition out. I know I don't eat nearly enough and need to sort it out. I am trying to take complete rest days too as I am more aware of how important these are. Still do 5 days cardio week though, probably 1 hour a time.

I've actually arranged a review for tuesday where we are going to sit down and plan the next stage. Think I'll print this thread off for him to look at. With regards to the beer, it is the one vice I still enjoy, and don't even think about it mon-thur. But it bugs me as the fat round my lower abdomen will always be there as long as I like a pint or two.

Still, I am well pleased with the progress so far and you guys replying adds to my determination so I thank you.

 

Cheers, Daffy.