fitness help?

Question

i work out at the gym 3/4 times a week,and although im seeing a change in muscle ect,im far off what id like to achieve.what supplements should i start using?is creatine any good?also weight gain ect?

Answer 1

Unless you are a mega serious body builder, you need absolutely no supplementation. There have been several university tests on people taking protein supplements for muscle building. It is really easy to see how much protein you use because protein contains nitrogen (unlike fat and sugar). Any nitrogen in the urine is a sign of excess protein consumption and is known as positive nitrogen balance. As a general rule you should try and maintain a positive balance, but you do not need to have too much protein. Around 1.5g per kg of your body weight is sufficient under any circumstances. Excess protein is excreted with difficulty by the kidneys and it is done at a limited rate. Whilst the body is catching up with getting rid of the excess protein, it is flowing around the body as ammonia which is toxic especially to brain cells.
Creatine Phosphate is present in all muscle cells. It is responsible for the dominant energy system we use when first contracting the muscles (for the first 30 seconds or so). It is therefore only really useful for sprinters and top flight competition body builders which I take it you are not.
Don't waste your money on protein, creatine etc. Just eat enough and eat healthy and work smart (I'll come to that now)
In order to build muscle effectively you need to be follwoing the following rules: -
#1 Train within the hypertrophy (muscle building) zone as a target
#2 Progress your programme correctly
#3 Reach volitional overload on the last repitition of every set. This means that if you are doing 10 reps, you should not be able to do 11. If you could do 11 you need to put the weight up.
#4 Eat sufficient calories to sustain the weight gain. 50-60% carbs, 20-30% fat, 10-15% protein.

To progress your programme, you need to start lifting around 15 reps for a few weeks, then around 12 (which is in the Hypertrophy zone) for four week, then around 8 reps for four weeks. Then have a weeks of active rest (do some light sets or some other training) before going back to the start again.

Answer 2

Jogging/running and pilates! Umm hate to break it to you but sit ups do squat for your stomach when you have a bit of fat there. The person above me is right. What you are doing is actually building up muscles underneath that belly fat making it harder to lose that fat. You should do some cardio- running is the best i think; its cheap, effective and you lose weight from all over. Jog or run for at least 20 mins, thats how long it takes you body to warm up. Id say 25mins-40mins. And do this 5x a week. If you get bored, make a running playlist. Also you could buy one of those pilates dvds, they're really good and saves you a trip to the gym. Eat healthy but you can still eat bread and stuff, but just try to drink more water and dont eat after 8pm. Some say 6pm but really i think thats too early! Coz i normally have dinner at 7... good luck! (seriously- running + healthy eating is the way to go)

Answer 3

first you need to eat smaller meals more often throughout the day (5-6 small meals per day) and make sure you are gettng plenty of natural protein though chicken breast, fish, egg whites, lean steak, turkey breast, etc. Make sure you're getting an equal amount of healthy carbs at your meals too like rice, potatoes, whole grain bread, etc. Good protein shakes are always a big help too. Try EAS Myoplex or Ultramet. They're convenient and taste good also.

Answer 4

It takes time and suppliments dont work (other than creatine)

If you are seeing results then keep doing what your doing. Unfortunately, it cant happen overnight.

Maybe you can go 4/5 times a week?

Answer 5

if you want to gain weight and work out more of your muscle
you can drink protein shake and stuff
eat lots of meat and vegetables too
just wait patiently, in time you'll be able to lift heavier weights and your muscles will grow more as well

Answer 6

its all down to what you eat. just eat lots of good healthy food spread out over six meals a day. but the bad news is it takes a long time to look like arnie. there is no quick fix. eat well work hard. good luck

Answer 7

the honest truth is supplements are overrated, if you want an improvement, change your diet, a high protein diet should work