I've used a number of the BSN family of products over the past couple of years, and despite what many hardcore lifters say (just filler, all marketing no pop), I've found them to be quite good. The original No-Xplode product was replaced a couple years back by one with a 'new' variant of creatine. More recently, BSN has released No-Xplode NT, which changes their proprietary formula a bit, and also comes in 'stick packs' instead of tubs.
I picked up a box of the Grape flavor - a bit thicker than expected, and as usual, a ... vibrant ... color? Very, very purple. Serving size has definitely decreased - from reading around, I had gathered that even 3-scoop folks of the old formula (like myself) should start with just one stick pack and go from there.
I went through two separate workouts, each on 1.5 sticks of the new formula - one chest focused, and one back and biceps. Both workouts were excellent - sustained energy and focus, short rest between sets and excellent recovery, and weights were definitely in the higher end of normal. Lift felt great, and motivation was extremely good. I worked for around 75 minutes both times, and was exhausted afterwards.
The only downside to the NT is that it did not agree with my stomach - had problems eating after both workouts for 3-6 hours and just felt a little weird. I'd recommend at least trying this, as for a pre-workout supplement, it definitely got me moving, just be aware of your serving size, timing, and watch for GI after-effects. Best of luck.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Which comes first: weights or cardio?
Cardio and weightlifting are two important components of effective gym time - the question is, which should you do first?
The answer: weights come first. If you want to walk on the treadmill or jog lightly for a couple minutes to help warm up before your warmup weight sets, that's fine - it's always good to get moving a bit, elevate your heart rate slightly, and signal your body that harder work is coming. Running six miles before you start lifting isn't just a bad idea, it's dangerous. Lifting when you're already tired not only encourages you to cheat and use bad form, it also increases the chance of injury or an accident. Tripping and falling off the treadmill is bad; dropping an 80 pound dumbell on your chest is much, much worse.
Summary: weights first, then run yourself into the ground as long as you like.
The answer: weights come first. If you want to walk on the treadmill or jog lightly for a couple minutes to help warm up before your warmup weight sets, that's fine - it's always good to get moving a bit, elevate your heart rate slightly, and signal your body that harder work is coming. Running six miles before you start lifting isn't just a bad idea, it's dangerous. Lifting when you're already tired not only encourages you to cheat and use bad form, it also increases the chance of injury or an accident. Tripping and falling off the treadmill is bad; dropping an 80 pound dumbell on your chest is much, much worse.
Summary: weights first, then run yourself into the ground as long as you like.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Set plans for strength building
Many people aren't sure exactly how to go about building strength - they come to the gym, lift some weights, and become disappointed as the expected strength gains don't really materialize.
When we're younger and we have 'weight training', we're generally told to perform a set of 10 with as much weight as we can lift 10 times. Do three sets, and you're all set.
To maximize strength gains, three sets of 10 reps isn't really the way to go. I've done quite a bit of research (and then tested things in the gym), and my general preference is for something closer to a 10/6/3/6/3 pyramid. Essentially, this provides a number of plateaus - you do a warmup set of 10 with a somewhat lighter weight, maybe 50% of your max. Then move to a more challenging 'heavy' set - 70% of max. The third set is a super heavy - somewhere around 85-90% of your max, as much as you can lift three times with good form. If you need a spotter's help with that third rep, that's fine - you won't for long. Repeat the heavy and super heavy sets, and then burn out if you have any gas left in the tank.
This set pattern allows for a couple things - the light weight stretches you out a bit, the heavier set preps your muscles for more strain, and then the super heavy sets are where you push your max as hard as you can. The best way to build lean muscle is to lift heavy weights in a controlled fashion - doing sets of 12 or 15 has it's purpose, but it won't help you build muscle.
One more thing to keep in mind - form is always the most important thing, for safety and also for effective training. Poor form may allow you to lift an extra five pounds, but it just isn't worth it. Slow, steady, and using the proper motion is of the utmost importance, even if you have to knock back your weights a bit.
Push hard.
When we're younger and we have 'weight training', we're generally told to perform a set of 10 with as much weight as we can lift 10 times. Do three sets, and you're all set.
To maximize strength gains, three sets of 10 reps isn't really the way to go. I've done quite a bit of research (and then tested things in the gym), and my general preference is for something closer to a 10/6/3/6/3 pyramid. Essentially, this provides a number of plateaus - you do a warmup set of 10 with a somewhat lighter weight, maybe 50% of your max. Then move to a more challenging 'heavy' set - 70% of max. The third set is a super heavy - somewhere around 85-90% of your max, as much as you can lift three times with good form. If you need a spotter's help with that third rep, that's fine - you won't for long. Repeat the heavy and super heavy sets, and then burn out if you have any gas left in the tank.
This set pattern allows for a couple things - the light weight stretches you out a bit, the heavier set preps your muscles for more strain, and then the super heavy sets are where you push your max as hard as you can. The best way to build lean muscle is to lift heavy weights in a controlled fashion - doing sets of 12 or 15 has it's purpose, but it won't help you build muscle.
One more thing to keep in mind - form is always the most important thing, for safety and also for effective training. Poor form may allow you to lift an extra five pounds, but it just isn't worth it. Slow, steady, and using the proper motion is of the utmost importance, even if you have to knock back your weights a bit.
Push hard.
Monday, January 4, 2010
How much protein do I need?
This is a question I get a lot, especially from folks just getting started and looking to build some lean muscle mass. The answer, obviously depends on exactly what your goals are, but there are a couple general guidelines that should be helpful in a general sense.
If you're lifting consistently and working hard, you want to be eating ~1g of protein per pound of body weight per day to give your muscles the building blocks they need to heal. So, if you weigh 150lbs. and are lifting hard 4x a week, you want to eat somewhere around 150g of protein a day.
I would also suggest ingesting 20-30g of protein immediately following each workout, within 30 minutes of completion. This will ensure your body has those aminos to start rebuilding the damage you just caused to your muscles - I've found that quick protein and good stretching are the best things to prevent soreness the following day.
A high protein diet is the easiest way to give your body what it needs - fish, beef, chicken, and turkey are all excellent sources of protein. Less obvious friends include eggs (hard boiled egg whites are my favorite), nuts, seeds, beef jerky, peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, and milk.
Of course, there are supplements, too. Protein shakes and bars are everywhere - GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, your gym - even the grocery store! A bar or shake can be a quick and easy way to meet part of your daily protein needs. I have some personal favorites that I'm happy to share - after 15 years of pushing protein, trust me, I've been through plenty of good and bad.
Purchasing:
The best prices I've found are at DPS Nutrition. It's usually worth checking a couple other places, just in case, so I also look at All Star Health and even Amazon. Sometimes Amazon has free shipping on things, which can be helpful. DPS and AllStar have low or flat shipping rates on most products, which helps keep the costs down, and their prices are well below what you would find at the brick and mortar establishments.
Shakes:
There are two kinds of shakes - ready to drink (RTD) and powders (which you mix with milk or water). For the ready to drink variety, I recommend ABB's Pure Pro shakes - the chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream flavors are all palatable, they provide 35 grams of quick protein, and only cost a skosh over $2 a shake. For powder, I generally use BSN's Syntha6 protein - chocolate, mochachino, strawberry, and vanilla all taste fantastic (I'm not kidding - even my wife likes the mochachino), the only drawback being the cholesterol (a factor in the great taste, I'm sure) - keep in mind the nutritional listing is per scoop, and generally your shake will be 1.5-2 scoops.
Bars:
Generally speaking, I prefer shakes to bars. That said, there are a couple bars I would recommend - Clif Builder Bars are mostly organic and contain 20g of protein while still tasting great. I eat one for breakfast most days. When I need a change of pace, I'll shift to a Zone Perfect bar - it's not quite as healthy, but the chocolate peanut butter is so good it's crazy, and they still have 14g of protein.
Hope this is helpful, and keep working hard.
If you're lifting consistently and working hard, you want to be eating ~1g of protein per pound of body weight per day to give your muscles the building blocks they need to heal. So, if you weigh 150lbs. and are lifting hard 4x a week, you want to eat somewhere around 150g of protein a day.
I would also suggest ingesting 20-30g of protein immediately following each workout, within 30 minutes of completion. This will ensure your body has those aminos to start rebuilding the damage you just caused to your muscles - I've found that quick protein and good stretching are the best things to prevent soreness the following day.
A high protein diet is the easiest way to give your body what it needs - fish, beef, chicken, and turkey are all excellent sources of protein. Less obvious friends include eggs (hard boiled egg whites are my favorite), nuts, seeds, beef jerky, peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, and milk.
Of course, there are supplements, too. Protein shakes and bars are everywhere - GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, your gym - even the grocery store! A bar or shake can be a quick and easy way to meet part of your daily protein needs. I have some personal favorites that I'm happy to share - after 15 years of pushing protein, trust me, I've been through plenty of good and bad.
Purchasing:
The best prices I've found are at DPS Nutrition. It's usually worth checking a couple other places, just in case, so I also look at All Star Health and even Amazon. Sometimes Amazon has free shipping on things, which can be helpful. DPS and AllStar have low or flat shipping rates on most products, which helps keep the costs down, and their prices are well below what you would find at the brick and mortar establishments.
Shakes:
There are two kinds of shakes - ready to drink (RTD) and powders (which you mix with milk or water). For the ready to drink variety, I recommend ABB's Pure Pro shakes - the chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream flavors are all palatable, they provide 35 grams of quick protein, and only cost a skosh over $2 a shake. For powder, I generally use BSN's Syntha6 protein - chocolate, mochachino, strawberry, and vanilla all taste fantastic (I'm not kidding - even my wife likes the mochachino), the only drawback being the cholesterol (a factor in the great taste, I'm sure) - keep in mind the nutritional listing is per scoop, and generally your shake will be 1.5-2 scoops.
Bars:
Generally speaking, I prefer shakes to bars. That said, there are a couple bars I would recommend - Clif Builder Bars are mostly organic and contain 20g of protein while still tasting great. I eat one for breakfast most days. When I need a change of pace, I'll shift to a Zone Perfect bar - it's not quite as healthy, but the chocolate peanut butter is so good it's crazy, and they still have 14g of protein.
Hope this is helpful, and keep working hard.
Just ask for the spot already!
You're getting ready for a heavy set on the bench. Six reps. You can do it. You get under the bar, liftoff, first three reps are easy, fourth feels a bit slow, and as you reach the top, you realize you're a bit tired. Do you really want to drop that weight on your sternum? Probably not. You put the bar up and resolve to get a spot next time. Only you don't.
Why not? Who knows. I see guys on the bench all the time whose last rep before they shelve the bar is far too easy. That last rep should be a close, close thing, which is exactly why you need a spotter - they can take a tiny fraction of that weight and allow you to maximize the value of that set. In this case, specifically, the adage 'No Pain, No Gain' is spot on - if you aren't pushing hard on that last rep, you aren't making any progress.
Now, let's be honest - when you're putting up 100 pounds, asking the guy on the bench next to you (who's lifting triple that) for a spot can be a little intimidating. I know, because I've been on both ends - when I started lifting at a gym, my heavy bench set was with 135 pounds. Ask anyway! I'm the guy on the other bench now, and I am always happy to spot someone, no matter what they're putting up. I love seeing the lighter guys working hard and really enjoy helping them succeed.
Last thing - check your weights, and don't go heavier than you can manage for the sake of appearance - good progress can be made with a 10/6/3/6/3 pyramid (as much as you can lift for that number of reps), so know your limits and push them within the bounds of safety.
Lift hard!
Why not? Who knows. I see guys on the bench all the time whose last rep before they shelve the bar is far too easy. That last rep should be a close, close thing, which is exactly why you need a spotter - they can take a tiny fraction of that weight and allow you to maximize the value of that set. In this case, specifically, the adage 'No Pain, No Gain' is spot on - if you aren't pushing hard on that last rep, you aren't making any progress.
Now, let's be honest - when you're putting up 100 pounds, asking the guy on the bench next to you (who's lifting triple that) for a spot can be a little intimidating. I know, because I've been on both ends - when I started lifting at a gym, my heavy bench set was with 135 pounds. Ask anyway! I'm the guy on the other bench now, and I am always happy to spot someone, no matter what they're putting up. I love seeing the lighter guys working hard and really enjoy helping them succeed.
Last thing - check your weights, and don't go heavier than you can manage for the sake of appearance - good progress can be made with a 10/6/3/6/3 pyramid (as much as you can lift for that number of reps), so know your limits and push them within the bounds of safety.
Lift hard!
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