Creatine + Mass Gainer = Works
14 stone 4 pounds, all solid muscle!
I was thinking that most of the weight put on was excess water (thats what creatine does; increases water in the muscles) however I haven't taken creatine now for 2 weeks and the scales are still telling me 14 stone 4 pounds =)
It wasn't until today really, when one of my mates said they didn't realise how big I was did I actually noticed my increae in size.
About a month ago I thought my biceps and triceps were lagging a bit, so to speak so I began to increase the weights I was using and added alot of dumbbell exercises to my routine. It's only now I see all the hard work has paid off. I'm starting to appreciate guys who are like massively muscular in physique due to all the hard work they must have put in, I sometimes find myself staring at powerlifters who are around 25 stone lifting like 300+ bench press.
This month (March) I'm looking to start taking pure whey protein again, as I want a dietry supplement with no carbs in for at night. I'm sick of my bed time snack of 190gms of cottage cheese, 15 ml flax seed oil and 800ml of milk....its killing me!!!
The only problem i'm having now is finding a whey that i like, thats cost effective and doesnt have lots of artificial sweetners in such as sucrolose and aspartame (both linked to heart-attacks....check your food and drink to see if it contains aspartame, i guarantee, if it tastes sweet it has one or both in it, be aware).
BCAA Pills are my next supplement on the menu also, due to there advanced protein molecular structure. Each pill contains 1900mg of Branched Chain Aminio Acids, which you are expected to take 6 per day - i'll give them a shot and report back!
Wednesday 27 February 2008
Sunday 23 December 2007
I'm Back
'Last post August' Yes unfortunately I've neglected my blogging, blame a busy schedule and lots of training!
To pick up, I was on a cutting diet - let me tell you now, it went to pot mainly due to doing so much, and needing the carbs i was cutting down on. Howeverrrrrr, I was 13 stone and im now 13.7, meaning a gain of 7 lbs of muscle! No, I didn't use loads of supplements and no I didn't spend hours upon hours at the gym, it's all down to my dieting. When I was 'cutting' I realised, it is all about what you eat and when you eat it that counts. So I sat down for hours and hours and worked out a meal plan with set times. I was eating good before but not seeing big gains as soften as I should. My diet is clean as anything, I do have the occasional chocolate and I do like my take away foods every so often but as stated.........'every so often'. My diet looks something like this:
MORNING
I don't reccomend anyone eat like this unless they are training a minimum of 5 times weekly, you will put on so much weight, by the end of the month, doors will become a nightmare!
Now your probably thinking, why arn't you putting on weight and how do you know its not fat your putting on - simple...5000 calories daily gives me 35000 calories weekly - therefore in theory, if I wasnt training i'd be putting on about 10lbs weekly of fat, however in the space of 4 months, I have lost 3% bodyfat and put on 7lbs of pure, lean muscle just proves, diet is the key to success.
The New Year is approaching fast and I can't wait till it arrives. Creatine will become my new best friend as of January the 2nd and I'm hoping to see some massive gains within the first month - the biggest gains are reported to be 13lbs in one month - lets hope so!!!
Keep Posted...Next blog entry February 1st 2008!
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year
"Embrace the Pain"
To pick up, I was on a cutting diet - let me tell you now, it went to pot mainly due to doing so much, and needing the carbs i was cutting down on. Howeverrrrrr, I was 13 stone and im now 13.7, meaning a gain of 7 lbs of muscle! No, I didn't use loads of supplements and no I didn't spend hours upon hours at the gym, it's all down to my dieting. When I was 'cutting' I realised, it is all about what you eat and when you eat it that counts. So I sat down for hours and hours and worked out a meal plan with set times. I was eating good before but not seeing big gains as soften as I should. My diet is clean as anything, I do have the occasional chocolate and I do like my take away foods every so often but as stated.........'every so often'. My diet looks something like this:
MORNING
- 8 raw eggs (1 whole - rest are whites)
- 1/8 of a melon
- 15ml Flax seed oil
- Oats with milk and mixed fruit
- 2 scoops of Mass Gainer with milk
- 1 cup of brown/white rice
- Chicken Fillet
- Steam Vegetables
- Omega-3 Mayonnaise (very sparingly)
- Lucozade Orange
- Apple
- 2 Scoops of Mass Gainer with water
- Same as LUNCH 1 but adding an actimel and nut-mix
- Chicken Fillet, steamed vegetables and a jacket potato with Omega-3 butter and gravy
- 2 Pints of semi-skimmed milk (1% fat)
I don't reccomend anyone eat like this unless they are training a minimum of 5 times weekly, you will put on so much weight, by the end of the month, doors will become a nightmare!
Now your probably thinking, why arn't you putting on weight and how do you know its not fat your putting on - simple...5000 calories daily gives me 35000 calories weekly - therefore in theory, if I wasnt training i'd be putting on about 10lbs weekly of fat, however in the space of 4 months, I have lost 3% bodyfat and put on 7lbs of pure, lean muscle just proves, diet is the key to success.
The New Year is approaching fast and I can't wait till it arrives. Creatine will become my new best friend as of January the 2nd and I'm hoping to see some massive gains within the first month - the biggest gains are reported to be 13lbs in one month - lets hope so!!!
Keep Posted...Next blog entry February 1st 2008!
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year
"Embrace the Pain"
Monday 27 August 2007
Cutting Diet.........
Current Stats:
182 Pounds/13 Stone/82 Kilo's
I'd like to know ACCURATELY my body fat percentage but I think it's currently around (but not over) 20%. It was 15 before I started killing all foods - this is what happens when you cane the pasta! I realisticly am aiming to get to 10% within the next couple of months.
It's going to take some good old fashioned determination and sweat, but hey, i've lost 5 stone before!
The difference between cutting and full-blown dieting is that, rather than trying to lose as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time, when you are cutting your looking to do just that. You want to cut as much fat away as possible from your body, the less fat, the more defined your muscles! This is particulary important when for 6-7 months all i've been doing is pumping weights, I want to really see them now!
So, how exactly am I going to do this? Well I shall tell you....
I first worked out how many calories my body needs daily (this is vital as without knowing this you cannot accurately put a defecit into your diet) my personal daily allowance is 2987 calories.
I'm taking in around 316g of protein which is 1.75 (1.5-2.0 is generally what a person needs when lifting weights and wants to gain muscles) * 182 (which is my weight in lb's).
This equals about 1264.6 calories.
about 161g of carbohydrates which is just under 2g of carbohydrates * 82(weight in kilo's). By the way here your probably thinking 82 * 2 is 164, however the food i eat went over that so I had to take out a few grams of certain foods so it went down by 3g.
This equals 645 calories.
...and finally 55g of fat (this should be higher but this does include saturated fats aswell - under 10g) This should be also a big equation but i'll be honest, i cant remember it! This does however equal 498 calories.
So...in total all of this equals 2408 calories making a defecit of 579.
Over a total of 7 days this makes 4053 calorie defecit. A pound of fat is around 3500 so in theory i should lose about 1 pound and a bit of fat a week.
I will be exercising and weitlifting aswell. After every workout I shall do 30mins of stationary cycling, burning off about an extra 300 calories, equating to about 2lb's of fat weekly.
Wish me luck, i'll keep you posted!
182 Pounds/13 Stone/82 Kilo's
I'd like to know ACCURATELY my body fat percentage but I think it's currently around (but not over) 20%. It was 15 before I started killing all foods - this is what happens when you cane the pasta! I realisticly am aiming to get to 10% within the next couple of months.
It's going to take some good old fashioned determination and sweat, but hey, i've lost 5 stone before!
The difference between cutting and full-blown dieting is that, rather than trying to lose as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time, when you are cutting your looking to do just that. You want to cut as much fat away as possible from your body, the less fat, the more defined your muscles! This is particulary important when for 6-7 months all i've been doing is pumping weights, I want to really see them now!
So, how exactly am I going to do this? Well I shall tell you....
I first worked out how many calories my body needs daily (this is vital as without knowing this you cannot accurately put a defecit into your diet) my personal daily allowance is 2987 calories.
I'm taking in around 316g of protein which is 1.75 (1.5-2.0 is generally what a person needs when lifting weights and wants to gain muscles) * 182 (which is my weight in lb's).
This equals about 1264.6 calories.
about 161g of carbohydrates which is just under 2g of carbohydrates * 82(weight in kilo's). By the way here your probably thinking 82 * 2 is 164, however the food i eat went over that so I had to take out a few grams of certain foods so it went down by 3g.
This equals 645 calories.
...and finally 55g of fat (this should be higher but this does include saturated fats aswell - under 10g) This should be also a big equation but i'll be honest, i cant remember it! This does however equal 498 calories.
So...in total all of this equals 2408 calories making a defecit of 579.
Over a total of 7 days this makes 4053 calorie defecit. A pound of fat is around 3500 so in theory i should lose about 1 pound and a bit of fat a week.
I will be exercising and weitlifting aswell. After every workout I shall do 30mins of stationary cycling, burning off about an extra 300 calories, equating to about 2lb's of fat weekly.
Wish me luck, i'll keep you posted!
Saturday 25 August 2007
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Bodybuilding For Men
Price: £12.99(RRP) I paid £8.50 (Amazon)
Overall Rating: 8/10
Usefulness: 9/10
Illustrations: 10/10
Superb book!
Exactly what you expect, a book dedicated to bodybuilding for men (and teenagers). Although this book is set 10-20 years ago, it still works on the fundamental exercises that every bodybuilder must use in order to achieve goals. I personally use it for great exercises to work certain bodyparts....i.e. Arnold is seen doing a whole two pages of Bicep exercises, which has helped me put together a great Bicep routine t the gym.
Although I've only had the book 2 weeks, i've referred back to it countless times, just for that extra advice. Overall a great book and again, the illustrations of Arnold posing are incredible!!!
Defffffo a good read!
Friday 10 August 2007
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Education Of A Bodybuilder
Price: £16.99 (Waterstones)
Overall Rating: 8/10
Usefulness: 8/10
Illustrations: 10/10
I thought this book was very useful. I was torn between getting a 1000 page bodybuilding book created and developed for and by Weider or this one, and as soon as I opened the Weider book, straight away it was reffering to Arnie....Straight back on the shelf! Cut out the middle-man and go straight to the source thats my opinion!!!!
The book is not just an exercise guide or a break down of the famous Supersetting routines, it is also an autobiography of Schwarzeneggers life and his philosophy on bodybuilding. It tells you the age in which Arnie decided he wanted to devote his life to bodybuilding and the advice he picked up on his way. A disturbing part is described when he was 19 and went to Munich to live with a gym owner (can't say the name, but pick up the book and have a read) he stayed there for 4 days on a couch, then was invited to sleep with this gym owner, in which Arnie obviously refused. He promised him all the things Arnie wanted at the time...Success!
Besides being an autobiography, the book is also an excellent guide to the beginner aswell as the professional, telling you how to introduce shock tactics to make your body grow and also my favourite bit, the exercise routines and guides which are all brilliantly illustrated.
There is a tiny bit on nutrition but not alot, but deffo the bare bones to get you on your way!
There are some amazing shots of Arnie posing that are simply breathtaking! His physique is just......amazing?
Arnie had some of the best arms in the bodybuilding world, reaching a dramatic 22inches, he explains in not so many words how to get the most from your arm workouts, and what worked well for him (defo a good read in these sections will get you on your way)
In conclusion, a very good book. Took me literally 2 days to read the entire book ( all 256 pages ) would reccomend to everyone!
My next read will be: Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding......... keep posted
Friday 3 August 2007
Warrior Shoulders...
Probably my favourite workout, really see gains within a day or so.
I always start off with machine shoulder press. For a quick warm up and to make sure my shoulders dont cause any problems I tend to do 40Kg - 10 reps.
Then I begin...
I always start off with machine shoulder press. For a quick warm up and to make sure my shoulders dont cause any problems I tend to do 40Kg - 10 reps.
Then I begin...
- 95Kg - 10 reps
- 95Kg - 10 reps
- 95Kg - 10 reps
Swiftly followed by Arnold Shoulder Press (again a quick warm up 15Kg - 10)
- 25Kg - 10 reps
- 25Kg - 10 reps
- 25Kg - 10 reps
I then move on to standing shoulder press...I start with the barbell on the floor, lift it till my chest, then press it like a shoulder press movement, then return to the floor.
- 45Kg - 10 reps
- 50Kg - 8-10
Military press, front and back...
- Front: 50Kg - 6-8
- 50Kg - 6-8
- Back: 50Kg - 6-8
- 50Kg - 6-8
Shrugs, I tend to clench for 3-5 seconds on these, really makes you pump! (barbell)
- 100Kg - 10
- 120Kg - 10
- 150Kg - 8
- 160Kg - 4
Dumbell Shrugs, again with the pause!
- 25Kg - 10
- 25Kg - 10
- 25Kg - 10
After I work my shoulders I tend to do a bit of HIT Cardio. 10 Minutes, 18-21kmh.
keep posted....
Thursday 26 July 2007
Back Workout (monday)
Had a brilliant back workout monday.
Pre-workout....2 apples and an actimel (if im feeling fatigued I usually have a serving of Soy Protein as it contains around 17% glutamine)
Started off with incline bench pull (barbell) managed to do
Pre-workout....2 apples and an actimel (if im feeling fatigued I usually have a serving of Soy Protein as it contains around 17% glutamine)
Started off with incline bench pull (barbell) managed to do
- 40Kg - 10
- 90Kg - 6
- 70Kg - 8
Followed by my favourite back exercise DEADLIFTS!!!!
- 80Kg - 10
- 130Kg - 8
- 160Kg - 4 - 130Kg - 6
Followed by T-Bar Rows - some people prefer to hold the same bar the weight is on with this, however I believe a wide-grip (achieve this by adding another bar horizintally pushed between weights) develops a much better back concentrating on the middle and upper back!
- 40Kg - 10
- 80Kg - 10
- 95Kg - 8
Followed by middle back shrugs - im forced at the moment to only use 25kg dumb-bells as my gym only supplies up to 25Kg dumb-bells (thats why i'm changing gym at the end of this month!!!!!!)
- 25Kg - 10
- 25Kg - 10
- 25Kg - 10
At the end of my workout I always enjoy doing weighted Hyper-extensions (dont ask how I manage them after lifting 160Kg Deadlifts - but somehow I do?)
- 30Kg - 10 - then 10 with no weights
- 30Kg - 8 - 10 no weight
- 30Kg - 8 - 10 no weight
Post - Workout......60g Whey Protein.......60g Soy Protein.........Apple ( I deserve it )
Usually by the time I get home its like an hour later and then I whip up 3 chicken fillets either with extremely low-fat curry sauce, basmati rice OR wholegrain pasta, pasta sauce, mushrooms, onions etc. I have 3 fillets of chicken every night without fail, giving me an intake of around 120g of protein (my daily intake is 229gms so this helps alot!) I always try and replace my carbs on workout days, but I do carb-cycle - no training = no carbs - training = carbs!
Watch this space......
Tuesday 24 July 2007
Me...
Ok well before I start blogging I should give you a bit of background about the writer...
I'm Greg (far right of the pic), I'm 19, I live in Solihull (Birmingham UK). I'm a student at present studying Public Services with the aim of becoming a Police Officer. On top of being a student I am also in the Royal Military Police (part-time/T.A). My main hobbies are Bodybuilding, Running and being a professional alcoholic (certain weekends). I suppose i am a typical teenager in the sense i enjoy going out, getting wrecked and having the odd dabble with the ladies (no offence intended if you are of the female variety) however, i would say im alot more disciplined than most because of the profession im looking on going in/I am in.
I'm a big, big, big fitness fan and I would go as far as saying fitness rules my life. I will read the back of every packet before I eat the produce, if I have a day where I purposely lapse i.e. if I go out drinking, the very next morning I will drink 3 litres of water, followed by a pint of whole milk, then do a 6 mile run - I admit a bit extreme but have you seen how much sugar is in beer! As mentioned above i am very much into bodybuilding, although im not Mr Universe YET, I still have that vision. One of my personal bests in the gym so far is I deadlifted 160kg and managed to get a full 10 reps out of it!!
I will be blogging more about my achievements in the gym and also giving my own personal tips - probably once every month. If you have any comments about any of my blogs, give me a shout on subseven604@hotmail.com - and yes, i am on msn messenger, feel free to add me. Look forward to hearing from you...Greg
I'm Greg (far right of the pic), I'm 19, I live in Solihull (Birmingham UK). I'm a student at present studying Public Services with the aim of becoming a Police Officer. On top of being a student I am also in the Royal Military Police (part-time/T.A). My main hobbies are Bodybuilding, Running and being a professional alcoholic (certain weekends). I suppose i am a typical teenager in the sense i enjoy going out, getting wrecked and having the odd dabble with the ladies (no offence intended if you are of the female variety) however, i would say im alot more disciplined than most because of the profession im looking on going in/I am in.
I'm a big, big, big fitness fan and I would go as far as saying fitness rules my life. I will read the back of every packet before I eat the produce, if I have a day where I purposely lapse i.e. if I go out drinking, the very next morning I will drink 3 litres of water, followed by a pint of whole milk, then do a 6 mile run - I admit a bit extreme but have you seen how much sugar is in beer! As mentioned above i am very much into bodybuilding, although im not Mr Universe YET, I still have that vision. One of my personal bests in the gym so far is I deadlifted 160kg and managed to get a full 10 reps out of it!!
I will be blogging more about my achievements in the gym and also giving my own personal tips - probably once every month. If you have any comments about any of my blogs, give me a shout on subseven604@hotmail.com - and yes, i am on msn messenger, feel free to add me. Look forward to hearing from you...Greg
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