I usually drink 3 beers before I go to bed after a night of drinking, there's no water in there?

If you drink water prior to working out or while working out you will get cramps. Never drink water 4 hours prior to a workout and make sure and wait 12 hours after the workout to hydrate yourself.

lol

I'm pretty sure it's almost all water. So, in other words, it can't fail.



30 minutes tonight at a nice, leisurely pace at varying degrees of steepness.

I'm thinking of taking creatine. I am finally getting healthy after the rib injury and doing upper body again. I think the increase in muscle
will help prevent some further injuries or recurence of past problems.

Suggestions on brands, etc?

I just don't feel like going to the gym these days. Maybe because I have no desire / need to go in and see abunch of douchebags trying to see who looks more impressive in the mirrors. Really though I think I have no urgency anymore ... and I am also unsure of where I want to take my workouts. However the weather is great and I did a 2.5 mile run last night and felt great. I think next week I may try and up the distance a little. I want to get to where I can run 5 miles at a nice pace and not feel like I am going to die!

FWIW Randy I hated taking creatine. I swoll up like stuffed pig. It makes you retain a shit load of water (which is how it works) and I personally did not notice a huge difference in muscle gain.

If you start cutting back now, before you know it September will be here and you won't have gone in two months. If the nice weather makes running outside more appealing, stick with that for now.

I've used the MuscleTech brand with decent results. I'm still looking for some supp replacements myself. I might just order a few brands (Gaspari SuperPump 250, doing a MT combo) and see what works best, I'll let you know.



You must go to a big chain like 24 hr or LA Fitness. You live in SD right? Why not join a CrossFit? If you have a decent amount of garage or backyard space, you can build your own workout area for not too much money.

LA Fitness. I have heard good things about CrossFit, I am just not sure if I want to jump to that level yet. Also, I have a condo, so that is a no on the backyard space. A friend of mine just bought a house with a decent back yard and I am trying to talk him into putting in a workout area. If he does that it will be way easier for me to have a hassle free workout.

I am not quitting, I just hate the gym douchebaggeriness. I will definitely keep running and I guess I will start making myself get to the gym at least 3x a week. Generally weekends are nice, So I will probably do a Sun, Tue, Friday thing. I am still trying to work out the details of exactly what I am trying to do for myself...

I go to the Y now, and it's so much nicer from that standpoint.

I thought the other suited was the pedophile?

Also, I just ran through the crossfit website and it is 4x as expensive as the gym and that is w/o any 1 on 1 training.

Although I agree it is an awesome way to stay fit .... I don't want to pay that much. This was also the reason I stopped martial arts training. It's really cool and you get in some good workouts, but I couldn't justify the $135/month I was paying. I might start looking into Yoga. They have classes at the gym so that might be something to consider...

Like I said I am in a state of confusion on where I want to take my fitness direction.

Th 5-14

Squat
5x5x225

Overhead Press
5x5x135

Deadlift
5x5x275

Weighted Chins
5x12
5x24
5x26 (Supposed to be 34)

Jiu-Jitsu @ 6 for 1-1:15

Young men and Young boys are a lil different. I mean, that's just gross.

personally, I wouldn't even recommend taking it. I took it for a few months and it didn't really do anything but make me shit five times a day without any real noticeable muscle gains. now they say that it works for some people and doesn't for others, so it may do something for you, but I would think just eating right, doing enough lifting, and drinking protein shakes would be enough to add all the muscle you wanted. I used bsn cellmass.

Well, in all fairness I did take it about 7 years ago and having never worked out before I don't know how much it helped, but I don't think alot. I thought there might be some new/improved versions and I also know some people it just doesn't effect.

I am willing to give it a shot and was wondering if there is much of a difference between generic Wal-mart and alot of the expensive types that add what seems like vitamins to up the price. I also know that what is included can aide in the delivery system.

I did the brand socal reccomended at bodybuilder.com as the 2nd most popular.

fail

just buy some pure creatine monohydrate and mix it in with your protein shakes. I bought a 1000g container of it lately and it's great. 5 g scoop daily. Works for me.
I used to take Celltech (muscletech product) but it's a huge scoop of powder and just so much extra liquid to drink everyday. cheaper to buy the pure creatine monohydrate and just mix it into any drink. I mix it in with my protein drink to slam after my workouts.




imo, i don't find this to be the case for me. it's somewhat of myth that it just causes water retention, creatine will basically increase the amount of ATP that you have in your muscles to give you more strength. There is some more water uptake into the muscle cells but there's more going on that just that. I find it really helps me but my buddy stopped taking it. So, really, just try it out for yourself and see if you like it. I tried going off it (i was taking celltech and didn't like it too much) and felt like l couldn't lift as much anymore, so i went back on it.



sorry, celltech sucks. and nitrotech. basically any muscletech product is overpriced.




How do you find the time to work out for so long? i admire your workout ethic.

Optimum Micronized Creatine Powder; http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/crea.html


From a prior post I made:

"Creatine is very safe. You of course do not need to take creatine. If you do. Take 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day. I use twin labs creatine monohydrate. I have used German micronized creatine from Optimum Nutrtion. I just always forget to order it. So I end up just buying Twin labs product at my grocery store. The simple creatine rules are. Take it after your workout in your post workout shake I suggest this shake have 50 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbs for best results. I use 3 cups of non fat milk with 5 grams of creatine monohydrate and one scoop of metrx protein plus. you don't need to load creatine nor do you have to cycle it. it will take a few weeks to work though. You must increase your water intake when using creatine many ppl complain of feeling tired and dehydrated when they take it. That is because they are not consuming enough water. You see creatine pulls water into your muscles. so your bodies demand for water goes way up. On your non workout days you can take 5 grams of creatine with water in the morning with breakfast as your body is most prepared for nutrients first thing when you get up.

all this aside. Creatine can bloat you so if you are more concerned with slimming down than performace or size gains I would suggest not taking it."

Maybe you should look into kettlebell trainning: http://www.artofstrength.com/

Yep....that can happen more or less with different ppl. a small group of ppl called non responders will not get the positive effects of creatine , fwiw.

MuscleTech and Gapari Super Pump are garbage. You should use a product that is just creatine monohydrate. Muscletech and Gaspari nutritions products include loads of craP THAt are unproven, useless and quite often usafe and bad for you like l-argine which is proven to decrease your natural hormone levels. These products are made to exploit noobs. Just find a creatine product that is just creatine powder. No pills! Just creatine monohydrate Powder.

I don't see how anyone can trust Rich Gaspari or Muscletech.


Joining a crossfit gym is a awesome idea!

May I suggest finding a more serious gym. Gyms are not all the same.

you took too much. taking too much creatine will give horrible painful sand like Diarrhea. some ppl should take as little as 2-3 grams a day...and cellmass isssss crappppp.

whatever is just 100% creatine monohydrate powder will work. and they don't add enought dextrose to increase uptake so basically the additives are B to the S. They would have to add enough dextrose to make it equal 75 grams of carbs per seving to increase creatine uptake. That is also not as effective at increasing creatine uptake as 50 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbs together. Makes me remember a quote by Joe Weider "By the time they realize i am selling them bunk they are at least working out. so I am increasing their health and fitness by selling them my products." or some thing like that.

I kind of suspected the same thing. What would you recomend I take with the creatine for uptake? Should I take anything (drink) with it?

God my presses this week were just brutally awful, hit my numbers on them 0 times. Also regarding creatine adding water weight being a myth: i dont feel like looking it up but when creatine is in your system doesn't it like attract/pull water to itself which is where the water weight comes from? Or did I make that up

In basic non medical terms, it brings water to muscle which allow them to strain more and do more work, in essence allowing you to get stronger. In people like me (maybe I took too much) I gained 10-20 lbs of water weight within weeks. It was very uncomfortable.

Doubt I have that much weight but I def have some, so I was def skeptical that it was a "myth".

Jiu-Jitsu for 1:15 today. Spent the majority of the time rolling and doing guard pass stuffs. Fun.

I'm not going to pretend that what works for me supplement-wise is going to work for everyone, so basically just do your research, try the product, and if it works for you but doesn't work for 99/100 then it's done its job as far as you're concerned.

Grinder, I said that it's a myth that creatine just bloats you with water, it also ultimately creates more ATP's. No doubt that it does pull water into your muscles, I never said it didn't. In my experience, my weight never went up when I took it and I am still taking it and it's not bloating me at all. It's possible that different individuals react differently to it or perhaps El guapo took more than the recommended 5g/day. If you do some reading about creatine, basically you will find out that "creatine just bloats you" is not true as it obviously does more than that and it might not bloat you at all.

Increasing creatine uptake is a catch 22. To increase the creatine uptake you want to cause a sustained insulin spike. you can do this several ways. You can add simple sugars like corn sugar (aka dextrose) but you will need to add at least 75 grams of dextrose carbs for this to work work. That is at least 300 calories. . You can also consume creatine with 75 grams of protein this will also cause a insulin spike and improves creatine uptake. The must effective way of all is to consume your creatine with 50 grams of protein and 50 grams of simple carbs. That is equal to 400 calories. all these ways can lead to you getting kind of chubby depending on your metabolism. That is why i suggest this; on non workout days consume your creatine first thing in the morning before breakfast. by consuming it first thing in the morning before breakfast you should get a good insulin spike from breakfast. this will cut down on excess calories and unneeded insulin spikes. Insulin spikes can trigger weight gain as well as creatine uptake. So takng it before breakfast is efficent. On workout days consume your creatine in a post workout shake right after your workout with 50 grams of protein and 50 grams of simple carbs. your body will also need the insulin spike post workout since you have depleted you glycogen levels during your workout. So you are restoring your glycogen levels and increasing creatine uptake with your post workout shake which is very smart and efficient...and your body sure needs that protein post workout as well.

may also suggest just taking your creatine in a teaspoon and chasing it with water. it is gritty, but drinking it in water is gritty and takes longer.

If you are plateauing it could be a couple things. first thing to check is your diet. are you consuming enough protein? you should be consuming at least 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. another common culprit ppl miss is as you progress with weight it requires more intensity and places more stress on your body many programs will add and additional rest day as you progress due to increased intensity and stress on the body. Another common lil trick/secret is to take a week off from working out every 6-8 weeks.

it is not a myth it all works via water.

the products you have used work because creatine monohydrate works. the other stuff though is unproven and in many case counter productive to your goals. as far as the 99/100 statement...your better than that statement. ppl here respect and look up to you.

Sat 5-16

Squat
1x5x195
1x5x205
1x5x225
1x5x235
1x5x255

Bench
5x5x165

Power Clean
5x5x155

Turkish Get-Ups
5x12
5x24
5x36

/

?

true dat. socal is prob the strongest guy in this thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbabYc6HZw0

it'd take me a damn week to learn how to do those.


I do want to get some kettlebells though, but those things are freaking expensive. like 50 bucks for one or something.

Well worth it.

Go heavy.

There is a price war going on with Kettlebells. I suggest the Akc standardized size ketttlebells. You can get a 16kg/36lb Akc kettlebell for under $100, here; http://www.americankettlebellclub.com/forum/faq.php That way you will not have to keep relearning the exercises each time you go up in weight. The new U fill it Kettlebell is an excellent way to save money and get multiple weights in one kettlebell, here is the U-fill it Kettlebell; http://www.artofstrength.com/OnlineStore/U...60/Default.aspx

You should Not do this. when first getting into kettlebells it is important to learn proper technique. going heavy will hinder your learning process. The average starting weight for males is the 36lb. 28lb on the low side and 44lb of the high side. That is why the U-fill it is good choice. you spend $60 dollars and you can fill it up to 49lbs. so you get at least 3-4 helpful usefull kettlebell weights (12lb, 24lb. 36.lb and 44lb) in one product.

Go heavy.

Learn quick or injure yourself.

Find me one Rkc or Akc certified person or instructor that would recommend your approach spademan. You won't find one, because that approach is wrong.

"Learn quick or injure yourself."...lmao. Horrible.

Started the wholestronglifts thing last week, was told I have to start posting here. If starting the program from scratch it wants you to start with just the bar for all of the lifts, but since I am what I would consider a stronger-ish individual I just reduced my lowest bench by 30%, but with deadlift, overhead press, and squat I started a little more than just the bar because I haven't done any of these lifts for a long time and want to focus on form since I've had lower back problems. Plus it has you adding weight pretty much every day so I should be back up to my normal levels (and past) in no time.

Squat
5x5 - 80

Overhead Press
5x5 - 55

Deadlift
1x5 - 105

Chin ups
3xFailure

Prone Bridges
3x30 sec

Cardio
10 Minutes - Bike

Is the Jiu Jitsu a work out regimen or just so you can be a bad ass asian and kick a ss? If it is a workout regimen do you have a link? My chiroquacter was
telling me about a Jiu Jitsu workout and I'm wondering if it's the same.



Thanks, this has all been very helpful. I picked up some creatine at a Health Food store over the weekend, regular michronized Creatine. I am going to upload, what the hell right? I started yesterday morning (Sunday) and took it with a protien shake and then water the rest of the day. I didn't workout this
morning (off day) and used water as well. I just use a cup of water, no biggie. I will take the advice on mixing it with shake and I'm on a high fiber diet which I kinda follow so I'm trying to balance it all. I wasn't doing protien shakes and eating foods but I'm going to add it in the morning.

I would also like to mention that I am down from 190 to 169 in about 3 months with alot of added muscle. I wish I had done some body fat percentages but it's alot. I had to pick up some new shorts and tees yesterday since the old summer clothes are getting baggy. I did this once before about 8 years ago and was in great shape but let it all go. It's great to be back and I feel like i've hit the turning point finally having enough muscle and energy to really get in some good workouts. I'm tracking all my progress as well which let's me see how far i've come. My energy is amazing compared to before as well. I can do things like work in the yard all day and instead of being wiped out I still feel great.

I'm looking into getting a bike and hitting some bike trails around my area for some additional exercise as well.

Uncle Randy,

Jiu-Jitsu is pretty multi-faceted. It can be used for core strengthening, improved flexibility, cardio, overall strength, as well as for self-defense and competition. I go to an academy that specializes in Jiu-Jitsu as a lifestyle.

http://graciebarra.com

Don't be apprehensive about trying a class out, you're not going to run into the typical meat head that wants to destroy everyone while wearing a TapOut shirt and drinking a red bull. There's a big emphasis on team and helping everyone be the best Jiu-Jitsu player they can be.

Mon 5-18

Jiu-Jitsu for 1:15 @ 11:30. Probably going to go to 4:45 class.