Questions about protien and suppulements

Question 1 how much Protein is enough? I am currently taking in 120 grams a day. Question 2 I was told by several people at the gym that I belong to that I should start taking Creatine is this safe and will it stop my weight loss? Question 3 about half of the gym rats told me I should try I Nitric Oxide Product the other half recommended against what is it and is it safe? I am looking to build up my arms and chest to take up some of the loose skin and have been working out 5 times a week for the past 3 months with little results. I have recently increased the amount of weight that I am lifting and am now doing more weight lifting and less circuit training. Also what do you know about complex muscle training and compound training and pyrimid rep sets? Any and all help appreciated. Doug

Question 1 how much Protein is enough? I am currently taking in 120 grams a day.

 

 

Hey Doug,

 

 

Just my opinion…120 grams is plenty for the average person. Personally, I think if you’re working out hard you need at least 1 gram per pound minimum, not per kilo like most nutritionist suggest. (that’s lean weight…so if you have about 100 of fat to lose subtract 100) That’s only 200 grams for a 200 pound person or 800 calories from protein. I don’t think that’s excessive if you’re really working hard and tearing down tissue.

 

 

Question 2 I was told by several people at the gym that I belong to that I should start taking Creatine is this safe and will it stop my weight loss?

 

 

Creatine is number 1 on my list of supplements. It works for most people. Some, mostly women, are non responders to it. It will cause weight gain, mostly water weight in the muscle cells, but studies show it helps fat loss, 2 totally separate things. It’s not uncommon for someone to gain 5 or 10 pounds in a few weeks. It allows you lift more weight for more reps…so you get stronger for reps…so you gain more muscle. I would concentrate on getting the protein and diet in place before spending money on supplements. Correct diet can work miracles.

 

Question 3 about half of the gym rats told me I should try I Nitric Oxide Product the other half recommended against what is it and is it safe?

 

 

I use straight L-Arginine which is what most Nitric Oxide products are made of. It’s cheaper and it works. Just gives you more of a pump. I wouldn’t spend my money on it unless you get super serious about your training and just want that little bit extra to help your workouts. There’s a certain cost to benefit ratio on some of these supplements. It’s probably not worth the money for most people. I’m always looking for that little extra something. It’s just another amino acid. I am looking to build up my arms and chest to take up some of the loose skin and have been working out 5 times a week for the past 3 months with little results. I have recently increased the amount of weight that I am lifting and am now doing more weight lifting and less circuit training. Also what do you know about complex muscle training and compound training and pyrimid rep sets? Any and all help appreciated.

 

 

That’s kind of hard to answer, there’s more questions to ask you like “how” are you working out 5 days a week? What exercises, sets, reps, weight? How much fat have you lost after surgery, how far out are you, what’s your goal?

 

 

So generally…if you’ve been doing circuit training for 3 months you probably have a good base. I would find a good basic full body routine 3 days a week. Learn the basic exercises like squats, deadlifts and benching. Nothing will build you up faster. You would be surprised how big your arms can get just doing heavy back and chest work. I like pyramid sets and use them on my 1^st heavy exercise to warm up to the heavy stuff. You don’t want to wear yourself out before you get to your work sets so say you can bench 200 pounds 6 times, start with 50 pounds for 12 reps, 100 pounds for 8 reps, 150 for 6 reps then go for 200 or 205 for 6 reps. Just use the first sets as a warmup and they help you get a feel for the weight. You don’t need to rest much between the first few sets either.

 

 

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

Earl

Doug, Several good questions here. I will tackle the first 3. Question 1 how much Protein is enough? I am currently taking in 120 grams a day. 120 grams a day is sufficient but don't forget that complex carbohydrates are extremely imporant as well. So many times people focus on the aspect of protein needs while resistance training and forget about he bodies prefered source of fuel. But again, 120 grams is just fine.  Question 2 I was told by several people at the gym that I belong to that I should start taking Creatine is this safe and will it stop my weight loss? Since you are resistance training you must start looking at weight loss a little differently. Understand that as you gain muscle tissue you may expereince a drop in the rate of weight loss but this does not mean you are losing less body fat. As you gain muscle tissue fat loss will increase and that is what you are after. Creatine is beyond safe.....it is actually healthy. In addition to helping you build muscle tissue there is also evidence that creatine may do things like lower cholesterol as well. Again, creatine will help you build more muscle and this is good for fat loss. Make sure however that you buy a creatine product that is sugar free. Five grams of creatine a day should do the trick. Question 3 about half of the gym rats told me I should try I Nitric Oxide Product the other half recommended against what is it and is it safe?  Simply put, NO! While Nitric Oxide products mostly arginine based and are safe for consumption, there is no evidence that they increase strength and/or the amount of muscle tissue in healthy individuals. Anyway, there is plenty of arginine in the protein you consume throughout the day. These supplements are expensive more suitable for erectile disfunction than resistance training.