Snake Plissken Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I've been on creatine monohydrate for about ten days now, I didn't bother with a loading phase and just stared on 5g a day as recommended. I've gained just under a kilo of lean mass which is encouraging but more importantly, I've been managing an extra rep or two where I would have failed before. Not a drastic change but it's helping me break through some plateaus, which is exactly what I was looking for. I focused on strength last month with a lot of very high weight, low rep sets. This month I'm dropping the weight a little and getting more reps. My intention is to cycle between the two for a few months. After legs last night, I'm fairly sure I could qualify for a disabled sticker today. Squats followed by ridiculous weights on the vertical leg press. At the time: Now: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I've been on creatine monohydrate for about ten days now, I didn't bother with a loading phase and just stared on 5g a day as recommended. I've gained just under a kilo of lean mass which is encouraging but more importantly, I've been managing an extra rep or two where I would have failed before. Not a drastic change but it's helping me break through some plateaus, which is exactly what I was looking for. I focused on strength last month with a lot of very high weight, low rep sets. This month I'm dropping the weight a little and getting more reps. My intention is to cycle between the two for a few months. After legs last night, I'm fairly sure I could qualify for a disabled sticker today. Squats followed by ridiculous weights on the vertical leg press. At the time: Now: I could well be wrong but will the kg gain not be water retention rather than mass after 10 days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brow Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Worked on a 3RM back squat. Managed 100kg, which was my 1RM 2 months ago. Pleasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Plissken Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I could well be wrong but will the kg gain not be water retention rather than mass after 10 days? Quite probably but I didn't do a loading phase so I'm deluding myself choosing to believe the gainzzz are mostly legit, but I'm more concerned with increasing my lifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdougg Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 The gym I was using in France had one squat rack. One. Witnessed a guy doing bicep curls in the squat rack the other night. Remarkable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Plissken Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Witnessed a guy doing bicep curls in the squat rack the other night. Remarkable. If I were king, such sins would be punished with death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdougg Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 If I were king, such sins would be punished with death. I'm not the biggest of guys (at the moment, but I'm working on it) & I think it was only(!) 10KG he was curling. All I wanted to do was get leg day done & dusted for this week, but had to watch this idiot, who also had horrific form, curl where he shouldn't have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Plissken Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'm not the biggest of guys (at the moment, but I'm working on it) & I think it was only(!) 10KG he was curling. All I wanted to do was get leg day done & dusted for this week, but had to watch this idiot, who also had horrific form, curl where he shouldn't have been. I feel you pain, brah. My gym is pretty great most of the time but, as with any gym, you'll get the odd idiot misusing the squat rack. Last week I had to hover around the two of them for ages. One guy was doing a legit leg workout so I had no problem with that - the other was doing rows with the bar (no added weight) for ages without changing it. There were 20kg bars next to it he could have used just as easily, so pointless and aggravating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GhostHunter Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'm not the biggest of guys (at the moment, but I'm working on it) & I think it was only(!) 10KG he was curling. All I wanted to do was get leg day done & dusted for this week, but had to watch this idiot, who also had horrific form, curl where he shouldn't have been. I don't think I'd be able to contain my mirth were I to see that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Chimp Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Anyone tried 'the protein works' stuff? I just ordered a few packets of their whey, seems reasonably priced. It's been fairly tricky to manage my diet in terms of macros.Without getting into a pedantic debate about what it means, my diet is pretty healthy, but my bursd was veggie for most her life and isn't a massive fan of meat. Her idea of a heaven is a bowl of pasta of varying degrees of veggie-ness. I'd planned to get enough protein intake through diet but it's proving a bit tricky. Can't be a selfish **** either and insist it's my way for dinner every night because I'm insisting on having 2 chicken breasts with every meal. Also ordered a big sachet of creatine so i can sack the over priced capsules I'd been buying. Like Snake, it definitely helps with the last few reps, and to go with higher weights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOak88 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Anyone tried 'the protein works' stuff? I just ordered a few packets of their whey, seems reasonably priced. It's been fairly tricky to manage my diet in terms of macros.Without getting into a pedantic debate about what it means, my diet is pretty healthy, but my bursd was veggie for most her life and isn't a massive fan of meat. Her idea of a heaven is a bowl of pasta of varying degrees of veggie-ness. I'd planned to get enough protein intake through diet but it's proving a bit tricky. Can't be a selfish **** either and insist it's my way for dinner every night because I'm insisting on having 2 chicken breasts with every meal. Also ordered a big sachet of creatine so i can sack the over priced capsules I'd been buying. Like Snake, it definitely helps with the last few reps, and to go with higher weights. How much protein are you trying to get in per day? I have heard of the Protein Works but not really heard any reviews of it - is it buying in bulk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Chimp Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 It depends on whether I'm training on that day or not, and tbh, I'm trying not to be too anal about it. Shakes are just an easy way to consume a certain amount. I'm looking at about 1.5g per Kg, so around 112g approx. Protein shakes for massive gainz...mmm dat broscience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOak88 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 It depends on whether I'm training on that day or not, and tbh, I'm trying not to be too anal about it. Shakes are just an easy way to consume a certain amount. I'm looking at about 1.5g per Kg, so around 112g approx. Protein shakes for massive gainz...mmm dat broscience. Your only consuming 112g protein per day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sten Guns Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) What's everyone's opinion on squat depth? I've always went just below parallel. However I was watching Flex Lewis training videos on YouTube and if I seen someone going that deep in the gym I would laugh at them and call it a half rep. What's the deal here then? Skip to 5 mins 50 seconds He clearly doesn't have issues with his legs?! Edited June 5, 2013 by Sten Guns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brow Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) Absolutely no idea what thats all about, I'll assume its something to do with either mobility or he trains different? I know power lifters (for instance) train with a low bar position whereas I would only ever train with high bar so it could just be something like that? Creepy Lurker may know. I always go low into my squat until I feel the 'bounce' from my hips, which helps drive the weight back up, but I have really good mobility for a tall yin. p.s he looks ******* horrific. I'll never understand bodybuilding and bleaching yourself teak. ******* weirdos. Edited June 5, 2013 by The Brow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigC Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Just done my fastest 100 lengths in the pool tonight. 45.32 for 2.5km! Not bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent B.A Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Anyone tried 'the protein works' stuff? I just ordered a few packets of their whey, seems reasonably priced. It's been fairly tricky to manage my diet in terms of macros.Without getting into a pedantic debate about what it means, my diet is pretty healthy, but my bursd was veggie for most her life and isn't a massive fan of meat. Her idea of a heaven is a bowl of pasta of varying degrees of veggie-ness. I'd planned to get enough protein intake through diet but it's proving a bit tricky. Can't be a selfish **** either and insist it's my way for dinner every night because I'm insisting on having 2 chicken breasts with every meal. Also ordered a big sachet of creatine so i can sack the over priced capsules I'd been buying. Like Snake, it definitely helps with the last few reps, and to go with higher weights. You could maybe try having a snack in between meals with protein in it? I quite often have sardines on toast which is quick to prepare. How have you found the creatine drink compared to the capsules? I've been taking the capsuals but cant say I've noticed a huge difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Chimp Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Your only consuming 112g protein per day? There seems to be a fair bit of evidence that around 1.5g per kg is sufficient (here) but I'm open to discussion. Having calculated some macro levels last night I wonder if that should be increased to around 160g, but I'm no into the 'you must eat protein to the exclusion of everything else' stuff. What do you think I should be consuming? You could maybe try having a snack in between meals with protein in it? I quite often have sardines on toast which is quick to prepare. How have you found the creatine drink compared to the capsules? I've been taking the capsuals but cant say I've noticed a huge difference. Preparing snacks is a hassle tbh, feel that a shake will be easy, time efficient and allow a bit of flexibility with diet. Sorted. There is no difference between the capsules or powder other than price - only reason I hadn't bought the powder straight off the bat was that I read it tasted howling, but I'd stupidly mixed up what I'd read online about the ethyl ester and the monohydrate. There is some chat about this a page or two back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdougg Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Leg day today.... Back squats - 5 or 6 sets of 90KG for 8 reps Front squats 5 or 6 sets of 70KG for 8 reps (which I only done last week for the 1st time) Deadlifts - 5 sets 80KG for 8 reps Followed up by some leg curls... Saturday WILL NOT be a good day. All about 'dem gainz tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Plissken Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 What's everyone's opinion on squat depth? I've always went just below parallel. However I was watching Flex Lewis training videos on YouTube and if I seen someone going that deep in the gym I would laugh at them and call it a half rep. What's the deal here then? Skip to 5 mins 50 seconds Looks like a case of overloading the muscle, getting a lot of blood rushing into his quads by doing reps with a shorter ROM like you'll often see bodybuilders doing with bench press or shoulder press. Personally, I go a fair bit lower than that for squats but there are some exercises I prefer a shorter ROM with and sometimes you just need to shift that weight. Form is important but I'd sooner be moving 100kg with good form than 70kg with perfect form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konrad von Carstein Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Pure at Gorgie have now got an "endless rope" machine, had a shot last night, will do again, aerobic and upper body workout, I'm a weakling though so I am starting from a low threshold to build on. Any one used this type of machine before and have any comments positive or negative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GhostHunter Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Pure at Gorgie have now got an "endless rope" machine, had a shot last night, will do again, aerobic and upper body workout, I'm a weakling though so I am starting from a low threshold to build on. Any one used this type of machine before and have any comments positive or negative? I mind watching a girl using the one in Glasgow, and whilst I've no doubt dem gainz are massif, you do look a bit of a plum using it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Lurker Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 ...Without getting into a pedantic debate about what it means, my diet is pretty health... Nah, I can't imagine anyone on this thread doing that. No-one would ever be that sad. Looks like a case of overloading the muscle, getting a lot of blood rushing into his quads by doing reps with a shorter ROM like you'll often see bodybuilders doing with bench press or shoulder press. Personally, I go a fair bit lower than that for squats but there are some exercises I prefer a shorter ROM with and sometimes you just need to shift that weight. Form is important but I'd sooner be moving 100kg with good form than 70kg with perfect form. Would tend to agree with this. I think concentrating on strict form is a good thing for the most part but that people can go overboard with it sometimes and like anything else if you get too hung up on it it can hold you back a bit. I'm not saying to disregard form completely obviously, but as long as form's decent you can still make good gains. Having said that this is a one-off example, and the majority of high level bodybuilders and powerlifters squat a lot deeper than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOak88 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 There seems to be a fair bit of evidence that around 1.5g per kg is sufficient (here) but I'm open to discussion. Having calculated some macro levels last night I wonder if that should be increased to around 160g, but I'm no into the 'you must eat protein to the exclusion of everything else' stuff. What do you think I should be consuming? I looked at the link you posted. Some of the studies seemed interesting others seemed flawed. Personally I have never been one for taking these studies very seriously - as it seems there is always another study that will contradict the one you just read etc. In the end I just believe in anecdotal/real life results, talking to mates about their diets and what has yielded results, as well as experimenting with your own diet and seeing what works better or worse. 110g of protein a day sounds very low to me. There is no exact figure to give you as I don't know your weight, daily activity levels, how often you train, if you use supplements, and how much actual muscle mass you carry - all these things have a bearing. As a minimum I would say the traditional 1g/lb of bodyweight, it is tried and tested and does the job. Out of interest when you say you eat 110g of protein a day, do you mean from direct sources? or from all sources?. In other words just for examples sake, looking at my own diet - today I will eat 280g protein. About 230g (roughly) will come from direct sources tuna, milk, whey shake, chicken. And the other 50g will just be the little bits of protein from everything else oats, bread, peanut butter etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Lurker Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I looked at the link you posted. Some of the studies seemed interesting others seemed flawed. Personally I have never been one for taking these studies very seriously - as it seems there is always another study that will contradict the one you just read etc. In the end I just believe in anecdotal/real life results, talking to mates about their diets and what has yielded results, as well as experimenting with your own diet and seeing what works better or worse. 110g of protein a day sounds very low to me. There is no exact figure to give you as I don't know your weight, daily activity levels, how often you train, if you use supplements, and how much actual muscle mass you carry - all these things have a bearing. As a minimum I would say the traditional 1g/lb of bodyweight, it is tried and tested and does the job. Out of interest when you say you eat 110g of protein a day, do you mean from direct sources? or from all sources?. In other words just for examples sake, looking at my own diet - today I will eat 280g protein. About 230g (roughly) will come from direct sources tuna, milk, whey shake, chicken. And the other 50g will just be the little bits of protein from everything else oats, bread, peanut butter etc. Pretty much agree with this. Most of the evidence I've seen seems to indicate that about 0.8g/lb is probably fine, but it's not like 1g/lb is that hard to hit for most people and it has a lot of anecdotal evidence in its favour. Also that way you can be a bit more confident taking into account the BV of different protein sources etc (as you mentioned at the end of your post). If other people want to go lower and see if it works for them it's their business, though. I think it's good to take a stance of doing things somewhere in between what the 'science guys' and the 'bros' will recommend. Both groups have something useful to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GhostHunter Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I think it's good to take a stance of doing things somewhere in between what the 'science guys' and the 'bros' will recommend. Both groups have something useful to add. Nailed it...though with the help of "bro's" on this thread, I've maintained my interest in going to the gym, and tend to look here before going google. Science is good, but experience and real life tend to sway me sometimes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Chimp Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Cheers lads, solid advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Lurker Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Nailed it...though with the help of "bro's" on this thread, I've maintained my interest in going to the gym, and tend to look here before going google. Science is good, but experience and real life tend to sway me sometimes... I tend to have more of a bias towards science, but what I see with a lot of the science guys is that they get so caught up in the details that they forget the most important part of any training programme regardless of goals is getting into the gym and giving it 100%. I'd much rather be working my balls off on a sub-optimal programme than getting analysis paralysis over trying to design the perfect workout and nutrition regime (which isn't to say you shouldn't try to make it as good as you can obviously). Anyone who's ever watched an Ian McCarthy video will know what I mean. He's got some great knowledge, but I seriously hate that ######. Would not tire of kicking his stupid ******* face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Chimp Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Just googled him. Looks like an absolute roaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GhostHunter Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 "With that being said". Ok Ian, you can stop saying that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 cant beat a good 2000 m blast on the rowing machine. think my forearms are going to burst open the now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigC Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 cant beat a good 2000 m blast on the rowing machine. think my forearms are going to burst open the now. What's your time? Did a 7.25 last week. Creeping closer to my PB of a few years ago which is 7.19. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignoranus Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Been trying to take my training seriously the past 8 months or so. Came back from a stint travelling tipping the scale at almost 13 stone. (Heavy for a wee guy like myself haha) With a mixture of watching my diet and hitting the gym i managed to get myself down to my current weight of 10 stone 7. My lifts have increased since i started but not at the rate i was hoping, (given its difficult considering ive been losing weight) Doing the tough mudder in august so aswell as wanting to build up i'm going to have to ramp up the cardio! Looks like im gonna have to start eating like a bitch so that i dont lose anymore weight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Chimp Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 cant beat a good 2000 m blast on the rowing machine. think my forearms are going to burst open the now. I like to hit 2000 in intervals. 40 on/30 off or whatever variant. Having said that, I've not been on the rower for months now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 What's your time? Did a 7.25 last week. Creeping closer to my PB of a few years ago which is 7.19. i managed 7m a few years ago but i was in a dark place after it i find a lot of your time depends on your technique and i've got a bad knee just now so struggle to use my legs as much as i should. gonna keep at it ovrr the next few weeks and see what time i can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brow Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 i managed 7m a few years ago but i was in a dark place after it i find a lot of your time depends on your technique and i've got a bad knee just now so struggle to use my legs as much as i should. gonna keep at it ovrr the next few weeks and see what time i can get. I done a 6m 51 about 5 weeks ago. Bad times afterwards. Had to call for a bucket but thankfully kept my lunch down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigC Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 7min would be the holy grail for me. It helps being 6ft 3! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konrad von Carstein Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Guys, any suggestions to help "loosen" the small of my back and between the shoulders? I've recently managed to increase the distance/time on the treadmill and have added rowing m/c and am going to start using endless rope m/c to my workout. However my back seems tight and well, not painful, but certainly not comfortable. I do stretches at the end of my workout but clearly I'm not doing something right for my back. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Lurker Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Have you tried using a foam roller? Worth buying one if it's giving you trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konrad von Carstein Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I have not, but I have used one for my hamstring before so I'll have a look on Amazon i take it the principles will be the same , roll till you hit a tender spot wait till it eases then move on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Lurker Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Yeah, pretty much. You can target different muscle groups, so you should be able to find tutorials on Youtube or something I imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konrad von Carstein Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Thanks CL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McCaig Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Can anyone recommend a cheap, no-contract gym in Edinburgh within easy walking distance of South Clerk Street. Only going to be back in Edinburgh for a month, so no point in signing up to a lengthy contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrambo Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Thanks CL Might be worth checking if there's one in your gym too, most of the bigger ones have a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigC Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Can anyone recommend a cheap, no-contract gym in Edinburgh within easy walking distance of South Clerk Street. Only going to be back in Edinburgh for a month, so no point in signing up to a lengthy contract. Pleasance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McCaig Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Pleasance. Cheers. Is anyone a member at Pure Gym on Lauriston Place, only ?18.99 a month with no joining fee and no contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Cheers. Is anyone a member at Pure Gym on Lauriston Place, only ?18.99 a month with no joining fee and no contract. The general chat is that you get what you pay for with Pure. Has the equipment, but not much else and it's mobbed to the point you'll never get kn the free weights unless you go at 4am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McCaig Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 The general chat is that you get what you pay for with Pure. Has the equipment, but not much else and it's mobbed to the point you'll never get kn the free weights unless you go at 4am. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generic Username Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Lauriston is the main one I use. If you're going in early morning you're fine to get your hands on a bench/the free weights. Going in after about 8am/after 4pm when the classes are on and the pre/post work crowd are in, it's utterly dire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigman1 Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Can anyone recommend a shake to have after a football game as I am guessing you may need more than just protein? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64,325
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.