Protein Supplement Advice

[cheezemonkhai]

I've been looking through various suppliments and had the maximuscle promax extreme recommended to me as I want to tone up and no matter what I eat and how much exercise I do, I never manage to actually gain any muscle.

A few questions came to mind though so if anyone has used this your help would be appreciated.

1) Promax extreme or Cyclone as one seems to be for lean muscle and the other weight gainer. I don't want to put on fat etc or turn into beefcake, but a little more muscle would be appreciated.

2) I have had a few sachets of the promax meal strawberry and to be fair the great tasting claim must only apply if you like drinking vomit. I'm not a fan of chocolate, so I don't suppose anyone knows if the banana or vanilla are less bad.

3) Anyone know of any other supplements that are available in the highstreet shops or gyms that are not as expensive but have the same effect of helping you to quickly build lean muscle when used with an exercise and weights plan?

Ta

[Paul2867]

Mate,

Only thing legal that packs on muscle is train hard, rest trained muscle group at least 48 hours before training again, and eat proper. You need 1 gram of protein per 1 pound of bodyweight per day.

Shoot for 8 hours sleep a night.

Keep your muscles guessing; change your workout every month or so. Try varying between 3 to 5 sets of heavy weight, low reps and long rest periods and 3 sets of low-ish weight, high reps and short reps then the standard 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps getting heavier every set.

Try eating 6 meals a day. Eat low fat cottage cheese before going to bed as it's full of casein protein which is slow release and it'll nourish your body while you sleep without stacking on fat.

Leave off the carbs after 6pm and drink plenty of water.

Maximuscle gear is good but expensive and a little too much sugar. Try Optimum Nutrition protein; I've been using it for years and it tastes fantastic even mixed with water.

Best bars to eat (in my humble opinion) is CNP's Pro-Flapjack bars. Affordable Supplements (01977 554 455 or www.affordablesupplements.co.uk) got them on offer this month at £14.99 for a box of 24 which is an absolute bargain. AS are very competitive for all their stuff but it pays to shop around cos different people have different offers on all the time. Meal replacements are a waste of money; use normal protein with some oatmeal flour chucked in. All oatmeal flour is is oatmeal whizzed into a powder in your blender.

No intention of teaching granny to suck eggs here but I'm a "hard gainer", 41 years old and it all works for me. If you're a fair bit younger the results should be quicker and a lot more noticeable.

I hope this helps.

Good luck

Paul

[*tim*]

Good sensible post by Paul above, but may seem a bit extreme depending upon your goals and your dedication. At the end of the day, get your diet sorted and then add supplements if they're are required afterwards - the majority of the time they're not needed, and your body just ends up getting rid of them without taking the goodness.

I've used myprotein.co.uk - The Leading Online Manufacturer & Supplier of Sports and Nutritional Supplements before, but haven't bothered with protein shakes for 4 ish years. The only 'supplement' I ever have now is isotonic drinks after a long session on the bike - difference goals nowadays.

[cheezemonkhai]

Due to me working a good drive away from home coming home for lunch would take a couple of hours so isn't an option. Add to that there are no facilities for heating or any such like at work it makes it a bit hard to do the 6 meals a day.

I've had a good few years of using gyms and even a number of sessions with personal trainers and diets and yet still I don't put any muscle mass on at all, hence the chat with the PT and them suggesting I might want to give the protein supplements a go to try and get the levels up quite high to help.

Ta for the thoughts though, all are appreciated.

[expostmanpat]

Beer washed down with Vodka and red bull, and you could have a physique like mine in a matter of weeks if you stick at it

[cheezemonkhai]

Beer washed down with Vodka and red bull, and you could have a physique like mine in a matter of weeks if you stick at it

I'll keep that at plan B, but think that would be more suited to european touring thatn touring europe on a bike

[expostmanpat]

I'll keep that at plan B, but think that would be more suited to european touring thatn touring europe on a bike

I will have to bow to your experience on that point , having never got round to trying the latter.

[Paul2867]

Good follow up by Tim; supplements are, by definition, supplements. They add to your diet, they're not supposed to become it.

Don't worry about going home for lunch; take it with you. Tin of tuna between four slices of bread, place in air tight container or cling film, job done. Obviously remove tuna from tin first! (someone would've passed comment on that, I know they would!)

You know those little jars that "Chicken Tonight" comes in? I always have two of those in my car with a scoop of protein in each. They're just the right size. All you need then is your shaker and a bottle of water. It's not that difficult with a little planning and dedication (My mates think I'm obsessed, my wife thinks I'm possessed but I think they're lazy. You choose. It just depends on how serious you are and the effort you're prepared to put in to reach your goals).

John West also do tuna light lunches which don't need to be kept in the fridge. They have a decent portion of protein and some pasta with a variety of flavours (about 5, I think). A plastic fork comes with and you get change out of 2 quid. Healthy, packed with protein, convenient and cheap.

Those pro flap jack bars I wrote about earlier work out at around 60p each and they won't melt in your glove box so there's another cheap and convenient option.

Over to you now mate

[Mr Wobblytickle]

Some good advice.

However, I would definitely recommend that you aim for at least 1.5 grams of protein per 1 pound of bodyweight per day.

As achieving this through traditional protein sources (chicken, tuna etc) is quite a chore, get a good protein shake.

I recommend this. Tastes great, mixes super-easy, good value (though the 6-pounder is being phased out) and it don't make one produce lots of guff gas.

How tall/heavy are you?

And what body type (endo/ecto/meso-morph)?

[heresmo]

I don't understand the logic here. One gains muscle by exercise and loses fat when it's not needed or is used up. There are studies which show how surface fat and deeper fat are used up, but that's different. If you're not "gaining muscle" "after a good few years", then it might be because your body has decided how much it needs for what you do and adjusts itself to suit. If you have a healthy physique and train regularly, what is the point of having more muscle than you have if you don't need more? If it is because you need to be stronger with some muscles, then perhaps a different training programme might be in order?

Mo

[kit]

Im afraid but you really have to try a few and find one that works with your body!....some will rip your insides to bits and any good work it has done will be wasted by you sat on the pan!!

Maximuscle cyclone is a certain gut ripper!!.....i find nutisport better on the guts and tastes a bit like milkshake .....if you have trouble keeping them down then try a tub of cottage cheese instead or wholemeal bread and poached eggs:)

K;)

[cheezemonkhai]

Promax I can keep down and doesn't seem to cut me to shreds, but I'll take the advice for avoiding the cyclone

Looks like I might well be buying some small tubs.

As stated above, I just don't have the time or the taste to eat tuna/cottage cheese etc by the tonne, so the shake is the easy way to get the protein. Hopefully combined with a decent amount of exercise it should get me putting on a bit.

As to why Mo, well I would like to not look like a stick and also be able to have a bit more strength.

[kit]

Have you tried the bars? some are good and some are like eating a brick! also try to avoid any protien shakes that have creatine in them!!.....you really will be on the pan for a while!!

The issue before last of mens health had a very good spread about the best 30 muscle builder foods:) Youl be suprised where you can find lots of protien without going near a shake:)

You can also go the natural way and not bother with supplements and just eat well and exercise!....I gained three stone in four months when i first joined the Royal Marines!!....not a protien shake in sight!!

K:)

[cheezemonkhai]

Think I'll try and pick up a copy of that mens health

[kit]

Or you could log onto their website its a mine of information

k:)

[heresmo]

When my son was doing regular rugby training (aged 18), his muscles firmed up considerably. Apart from sprint running, they did sustained runs and also short runs carrying each other piggy back, so their own weight (I suspect Kit's backpack weight was a similar idea). This was to strengthen legs, upper back and increase stamina. For arms, they did that lifting thing where you lie on your back and push up a weighted bar.

Swimming is very good all round exercise if a bit of effort is put into it, so not just floating about

Their coach basically said that the idea was to keep pushing the boundary gradually but determinedly, as there'd be little increase in strength by staying within one's comfort zone.

Needless to say, school coaches don't recommend supplements, though do recommend salt and mineral replacements drinks after strenuous exercise.

Good luck, cheezemonkhai.

Mo

[Chorlton]

Maximuscle Cyclone tastes disgusting - steer clear. Promax is quite pleasant tasting, I like the vanilla one.

Like others have said, supplements are not a magic bullet, you have to be training hard and consistently to see any gains. Try and stick to quality compound exercises, i.e. those that work a number of muscle groups together (e.g. bench flys, military press).

[150HP&counting]

Think I'll try and pick up a copy of that mens health

You'd be better off joining here : MuscleTalk Bodybuilding Forum

plenty of good people whom after you've posted up what you are doing and eating, will advise you spot on with both training and nutrition

If there is one thing i have learnt though over a number of years (16) is that in proportion you will only gain muscle whilst gaining fat, unless you advocate the use of other substances :eek:

The advice with regards at leat 1g or more of protein per lb of bodyweight is good advice, but on top of that the body requires an excess of calories in order to build muscle, without which, no matter how much protein you consume you wil not grow.

hope that helps a little

[kit]

regarding the above about gaining as much fat as you do muscle when you train!!.....poppycock!!....if that was the case id be at least 2 stone heavier than what i am now......you can gain muscle and loose fat with training!!

k:)

[coursemyhorse]

As said by others I have to tell you about MaxiMuscle cyclone.... it absolutely fecking mings. Don't go near it. It does NOT feel healthy trying to drink that stuff. Just feels wrong in so many ways. ITs revolting.

Did I mention it's rank? Good, glad we cleared that one up. I use Reflex protein because it tastes nice and I don't reach when drinking it. I just take one after each workout and sometimes one on the morning of a workout. My main failure is consistently going to the gym enough and eating enough. Mainly not eating enough. I have a very fast metabolism, skinny and 6ft 2. Im not skeleton skinny, but am quite slim 32 inch waist. I find it VERY hard to gain weight. I've been told if I do properly gain muscle it will show instantly as I have a silly low fat content in my body. Girl at the gym measured it and said it was one of the lowest shes ever seen.

My mates keep telling me "wel wait till ya 30 years old then you'll get a gut" but they don't really understand...I just won't! lol

Only use protein as a supplement. Exactly as it says on the tin. Not a diet. Eat big, regularly. Train 2-3 times a week lifting bigger and bigger when you can. Sleep at least 8 hours a night if possible. (Another thing I find hard...rarely get 8 hours tbh)

EDIT: Cheesemonkhai your first name is not craig is it?

[kit]

Ease into your up take of food as suddenly switching from the typical 3 squares a day to eating masses of protien and carbs six times a day can have disastorous results on the gut!!.....youl just end up being sick and not wanting to eat!!.....always try something first before putting it into your diet....it may sound good because youve read it somewhere and go and buy shed loads of it only to find you cant stand it or it makes you laugh at the ground!!.....the best bit of advice i can give is "listen to your body"!!...it will let you know when its going good or going bad.

K:)

[Mr Wobblytickle]

regarding the above about gaining as much fat as you do muscle when you train!!.....poppycock!!....if that was the case id be at least 2 stone heavier than what i am now......you can gain muscle and loose fat with training!!

k:)

Agreed.

[snownrock]

I really don't understand the whole protein supplement thing, i see guys at the gym using them and it just seems stupidly expensive to me. Whats wrong with gaining muscle and strength slowly and normally by having a good exercise regime (plenty of cardio, not just weights) and eating properly.

[kit]

Muscle just will not grow without protien.....so your diet needs to have lots of it to get bigger, so you can go down the route of eating masses of eggs, steak and chicken breasts etc and forever be chained to the kitchen like a body builder or you can help yourself by taking protien in easy to take and digestible liquid form ......plus if your like me ( a wee bit older ) then you need all the help you can get!!

k:)

[Buster]

I'm using protein powder from www.myprotein.co.uk - no Creatine or owt like that, not needed in my opinion. It's good quality, tasty, mixes well and does what it says on the tin! Cottage cheese, esp just before you go to bed is very good source of slow release protein, perfect for while you are sleeping. I have a protein shake for brekkie, which fills me up nicely and stops me getting hungry mid morning and reaching for the snacks!

If you really want to buy a magazine for advice, I would get Muscle and Fitness any day over Men's Health! A good website for advice is Mansized | News, Sport, Films, Fitness, Gadgets, Games, Girls, Health, Sex, Work

I'm gutted that my gym buddy is laid up in bed for a few weeks after a rugby incident which damaged his back! Kit, shame you're not over here as I need a training buddy to help me with the free weights, cos the gym machines are rubbish!