Jimbo.

After some advice on how often I should be taking protein shakes.

Currently I'm 6ft and just under 13 stone and ideally I want to fill out more and gain some mass.

My weekly workouts go like this:

Monday - Karate (90mins)
Tuesday - Karate (90mins)
Wednesday - Circuit training (60mins)
Friday - Weights session (45mins)
Sunday - Karate (60mins)

I always have a protein shake straight after my training and I eat very well, my question is, would taking another protein shake each day say in the morning help to bulk up some more? When I'm working out with the dumbells, I'm doing bigger weights and less reps to try and build on muscle.

Any advice appreciated.

chaffe

all depends on how much protien you are eating in your meals, first thing in the morning and straight after training is prob best time to have a shake TBH

jdcrst

iTrader: (2)

If you are wanting to bulk up a bit my advice would be to take in as much as you can. Its a bit of a rule that your body can only absorb 30ish grams of protein every 3 hours. Saying that any excess is passed through your body into your urine. I make sure i have an intake of protein every 3 hours or so. I found that having one just before bed helped too. Your body is fasting during the night which is not good if you are wanting to grow, also night time is the time when your body is growing so get it fed!
An intake of creatine will help too.
Jon

chaffe

plus i dont think all the cardio and karatee will help you bulk up, you need to weight train at least three times a week, working no more than two muscle groups at a time and at least a day off in between. IMO

muz

I have one every morning with breakfast, one on morning break about 11am one with lunch about 2pm, one after the gym or boxing (so every night weeknight about 7PM after gym and 9pm after boxing) and then one before bed about 11PM usually with a bowl of Bran Flakes. I also mix 100 grams of instant oats in with every shake for LOW GI Carbohydrate which I finds really helps.

As Jon also said, eat clean foods before bed as well as this is when your body is rebuilding itself after the gym. You wouldn't starve yourself for 8 hours during the day, so why would you at night

Also treat them as a meal supplement, NOT replacement and then 5grams of creatine everyday will also make a massive difference. In a pint of water with breakfast on non training days and straight after your workout or in your water bottle on training days.

muz

One 45 minute weights session a week wont be enough to 'bulk' up as you said, so not sure if this is his goal? He will be building lean muscle from the cardio and circuits so I'm guessing this is what he means when he says get some mass?

If you are looking to be 'bigger', Jimbo, you need to do alot more weights.

capriturbo

Be careful, that isn't strictly true. Any excess that is in your bloodstream gets converted to glucose and fatty acids, so if you have a really high protein intake your body will start to store it as fat.

Jimbo.

Cheers for the replies, think I will try taking one in the morning and before I go to bed in the evening then.

I'm aware I'm not doing enough weights at the moment to really get 'bigger', although we do use weights in the circuit training class as well. Ideally I want my chest and arms to be bigger as I've always thought I've never really filled out there, picture below gives you an idea of my build.

Also, what's the deal with Creatine? Not really clued up on supplements but I've heard you get side effects when taking that?

muz

Although that's true, if he's doing alot of cardio which it seems he is, he's probably using some of his protein as energy anyway and probably wouldn't have much left for his body to turn into fat? Unless he was eating 300 grams a day with no exercise?

muz

Creatine is naturally occurring in the body, but you need to supplement it to get any benefit. It provides energy to the muscles, so gives you more endurance, helps you focus and speeds up recovery. It's probably the most important supplement for any sportsperson.

F99 REV

iTrader: (1)

six pack on show you wont grow! i train 5days a week and do 4 a day every day, the problem you have is theres side affects from everything its wether it affects you and if you do then just stop! i wake up in the night when i take creatine with cramp in my legs but as thay say no pain no gain.. if i was you i would get on the anabolic mass as you do a lot of cardio! KAI GREENE HERE WE COME

Jimbo.

Will be doing more weights from now on, I've got access to dumbells ranging from 5-20kg and a bench.

Some people have said that I don't need to take Creatine seeing as I'm already very active and training alot?

jdcrst

iTrader: (2)

Creatine is endorsed by the international Olympic Comittee and is recognised as a training aid. As with all supplements if it is abused it can cause liver damage. It increases the levels of adenasine triphosphate which combats the effects of lactic acid. Yes ATP is a naturally occuring substance but only in limited supply. As Muz says it prolongs your ability to train and speeds recovery. This I can vouch for as an ex-triathlete and succesful Ironman competitor. Yes protein can cause fat growth and fatty deposits but you'll really have to hammer it to do that and looking at Jimbos CV routine nothing will be clogging his arteries.

Jimbo.

When would you say the best time is to take Creatine then? How long before a workout?

Benni

Basically, you need protein every 2 and a half to 3 hours. Where this comes from isn't really relevant, providing it's a good source of protein. You could have no protein shakes if you got all your protein from good sources of food. However, this isn't practical, so you wouldn't do this.

Shake, meal, shake, meal, shake meal is perfect in my opinion. Starting the day with a shake is good because it's faster absorbing, depending on the type of protein. Whey is good for this. Remember you've been all night without nutrients. Ending the day with a meal is good because it's slower absorbing before bed, as again you'll be going all night without food.

You weigh 180 pound and you need 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, which is 270 grams of protein. Divided into 6 meals is 45 grams of protein per meal every 2 and a half to 3 hours. Your carbs’ then need to be 1.5 to 2 times the protein levels, depending on your metabolism, so you can start off at twice the protein and bring it down slowly if you are putting on too much fat. So you then need 540 grams of carbohydrates a day spread out accordingly. And of course the rest of your calories should be made up of good healthy fats.

So if you have three protein shakes inbetween 3 meals of 45 grams, you're sorted.


Benni.

muz

On training days I'd take it with your water during training or the first 20 minutes after training. On none training days take it with a pint of water with breakfast. I mix in Basic Chain Amino Acids with mine as well.

General rule for protein if weight training is 2g per KG of body weight isn't it?

jdcrst

iTrader: (2)

Buy your creatine and read the label. You should go through a loading cycle then its a daily maintenance dose. Only stay on for a max 3 months then have a month off. then cycle again. You will see and feel the benefits.

Jimbo.

Cheers for the advice guys.

I was reading another thread in here, and quite a few people are mixing in some my protein instant oats to their shakes? That would help with bulking up and give me more energy would it not?

Benni

Yeah, probably the best form of carb' you can have.

Benni.

Jimbo.

They got delivered today so will have to see how I get on!

muz

I made an order last week and somehow managed to order 5KG of unflavoured Whey and didnt relaise untill I opened it up and made a shake

colarado red

Best stuff to buy.You get up to 8% less protein when you buy flavoured,just add a scoop of milk shake powder to a shake.

supersiamsports

As others have no doubt said, something like whey protein isolate is great shortly after you wake up to get your body ready for physical exercise. You've been asleep for a good few hours without any intake of protein, so it's a must really. Straight after working out is also a must. If you've got creatine or other supps you can usually mix those in with your shakes. Personally I only use 5g of creatine in each of my 2 daily protein shakes. Got BCAAs in with my protein, which is pretty cool. I like Dymatize products I can buy over here, but I've got to say I'm even more impressed with 'my protein uk' though it's a bit of a hassle for my folks to send it over (but still cheap overall!). Take a little var from time to time too but that's it.