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They're not bad. I'm not trying to say that. I was actually surprised at the test results on the protein purity being lower than what was expected, but we looked at like 2 jugs. However you want to cut it that's too small of a sample size to get an accurate picture. I wasn't ever a fan of how they mixed though - it always tended to clump a lot for me. But like I said, I know an absolute ton of people who take it, love it, and have gotten fantastic results from it. Try it out and see if you like it. I don't take BSN proteins because they break me out, anything muscletech is overpriced as can be, etc. For me it comes down to I just didn't particularly like it. *shrug*

That's cool. It's always mixed really well for me, and I buy Gold Whey and Pro Complex on a regular basis.

As far as brands go, the only ones I buy from are Biotest, Optimum, Labrada, and SAN. I get bulk powders (BCAA, glutamine, leucine, beta alanine, etc.) from Nutraplanet.

I don't have to buy most of my stuff fortunately. Powders every now and then. I have a short list of things I like to take, and get samples of everything else under the sun so I can give my opinion on it. About the only thing I won't take is most anything with creatine in it (i'll try it once and if it upsets my stomach that's the end of it. a few things have creatine and I'm fine with - mostly pre workout drinks). I'm as close to certain that creatine works like it's supposed to as you can be with respect to any supplement - I just can't take it. I haven't even been able to stay on long enough to see whether or not I'm a nonresponder - cramps, bloating, and stomach pain like nobody's business (I have an extremely weak stomach). Anyway I do little writeups and reviews on this stuff and get the rest of the supps as "payment" For reference my "stack" is a whey, casein blend, vitamin, glutamine, and BCAAs. The rest I just buy at the grocery store (fish oil, flax seed, etc.). I switch brands up a lot, though. If there's a new brand of whey to test, for example, I'll have that sent to me instead of whatever is typical.

That's pretty awesome.

I'm pretty sure I'm a creatine nonresponder.

only issue with isopure is taste; i find it kind of unpleasant

^ that's only because it tastes bad

I don't like the RTDs either. The aftertaste is miserable. They're good for in between meals a week out if you're doing sodium manip bc they're sodium free, but god how i hate them...

proto-whey is pretty bitter too. It's an hydrosolate designed by some doctor for his kid who needed extra protein but also something very easily absorbable. Not terrible, but not great (better than isopure imo, but i'm not excited to drink it). They put it in their bars too and I quite like them when I'm in a bind.

Originally Posted by thekunk07

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on a separate note, my refeed (fucked up the last one and i'm feeling depleted) is sunday and i feel funny about eating all those carbs. anybody who's cycled carbs can confirm that all those pancakes and **** won;t ruin me?

Go spend $30 on UD2 which is what you're kind of doing, but ******* up with the fat-based refeed.

Or just start posting over there. You will dig it as much as SF.

lefty

Just got back from the gym & noticed a few things I find a bit interesting. (1) drink a lot of water. Not necessarily enough to start water flushing, but enough so you don't hold a ton. Shoot for ~1 gal/day. I was doing some tricep pushdowns to finish it out and noticed that even though I had been getting a bit leaner (oops! comment on that in (2)), my shoulder striations were much less visible. I have been slacking a LOT on my water intake and I tribute the change to simply holding more than I should. Also water fills you up if you have a tendency to overeat. Throw a full glass of water in between drinks and you'll limit calories from alcohol as well. (2) Even though my caloric intake has stayed roughly the same for the last 3 or so weeks, I've been feeling somewhat energized in the gym and having reasonably good workouts (upped my carbs slightly - been going out & eating a bit of junk food at restauraunts et. al.). I was changing shirts in the bathroom and noticed I was leaning out. whoops! Strength's moving up slowly so I'm not terribly concerned with it, but still it's kind of a shocker. I thought kcals were plenty high. Anyway the moral is cardio isn't essential as long as workout intensity is high and rests are short (I've always kept mine between 30-45s unless I'm doing something I suck at like BB bench), but diet has to be on point. Obviously if fat loss is a major issue though, cardio def. helps So what am I going to do about it? run sprints of course because it's an amazing day and I feel like being outdoors.

You guys are in 50x better shape than I am, but it seems the only things considered in some of these posts are food and results. Aren't there other factors in your life that can cause fatigue/extra energy? The OCD-ness to me comes in trying to track every cause and effect. Sometimes I'm just tired. Some times I just feel like I could run a marathon. <shrug>

^ that's why I eat the way I do and not a ketogenic or CKD. I feel perfectly fine with moderate-high carbs and very ****** without any. But that's energy related to food intake - there are of course days when I just don't feel like doing anything or when life gets in the way or whatever. On those days generally I say "*******" and do nothing or I get up and go workout anyway. Most of the time I just do it anyway.

And I believe you just got married? That explains why you're tired!!

Hi Noir, you have presented alot of information here, still trying to process it all LOL.

Got an issue that I need to pick your brain about. I'm 5'9", currently 160lbs, with about 24-28% body fat depending on which online calculator is used, and a basal metabolic rate of 2100-2400 calories/day depending on which online calculator is used.

6 weeks ago I change my eating habits to eating 5 meals a day, decreased my daily caloric intake to about 1800 calories/day and lowered my carb intake. I also joined a gym and worked out using Bill Starr's 5x5 workout plan 3 days a week. For the first 4 weeks I lost 2 lbs a week and I have visibly lost body fat both in the face and in the gut (tape measured). I went from 166 to 158 lbs. In the past 2 weeks for some reason I've gained weight and now weigh 160 lbs. This really upset me since I've been working so hard to lose my fat and I don't think I've done anything different. Its possible I may be picking up extra calories or my metabolism has slowed down but even so I don't intake anywhere near my BMR's worth of calories.

Can you help me figure out what is going on?

comments in bold.

Originally Posted by PolePosition

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Hi Noir, you have presented alot of information here, still trying to process it all LOL. Got an issue that I need to pick your brain about. I'm 5'9", currently 160lbs, with about 24-28% body fat depending on which online calculator is used, and a basal metabolic rate of 2100-2400 calories/day depending on which online calculator is used. have your bodyfat tested. Water submersion, bod pods, or even skin folds are going to be infinitely more accurate than an online calculatur I'd suspect, especially if it uses BMI or some form of it. I'm having trouble picturing anone your height & weight with that bf%. Most gyms will offer some form of testing for free on occassion. same with many nutrition stores. 6 weeks ago I change my eating habits to eating 5 meals a day, decreased my daily caloric intake to about 1800 calories/day and lowered my carb intake. I also joined a gym and worked out using Bill Starr's 5x5 workout plan 3 days a week. For the first 4 weeks I lost 2 lbs a week and I have visibly lost body fat both in the face and in the gut (tape measured). I went from 166 to 158 lbs. In the past 2 weeks for some reason I've gained weight and now weigh 160 lbs. This really upset me since I've been working so hard to lose my fat and I don't think I've done anything different. Its possible I may be picking up extra calories or my metabolism has slowed down but even so I don't intake anywhere near my BMR's worth of calories. grats on the new lifestyle. How much different do you look? With beginner gains, your body composition can change DRASTICALLY in a very short period of time - You may very well be putting on muscle if you're eating adequate protein & calories. It's counterintuitive but I can see it even happening even with a defecit where your body may be pulling from any excess fat stores. It doesn't stay like that for very long, though - a few months tops. Your body is probably just adapting to the sudden change in energy expenditure and diet. How do you feel? tired? energetic? groggy? To be completely frank, as long as you're eating reasonably well and on a good program, stick with it. Take your picture, give it 6 weeks and if you can't tell a noticeable difference, then re-evaluate. The mirror doesn't lie, but the scale can. Where are you eating your carbs throughout the day? I've mentioned it before but you'll want them in your first meal, PWO meal, and PPWO meal. On non-workout days split the total intake evenly between the first 3 meals. Unless you work out at night, a general guideline can be no starchy carbs after 6 pm (only veggies), and no sugar except in PWO meal. Can you help me figure out what is going on?
Hope that helps. Let me know if there are any more Q's

Sorry I posted this in a seperate thread. I didnt see this one.

Hey guys,

I am 19 years old 6 ft 5 and 220lbs. I have been on and off training for three months now. My short term goal is to lose about 20 lbs and gain some basic strength.

My diet is in check and I workout 4 times a week and use all of these lifts: Deadlift, Bench Press, Squat, Powerclean ( Need help with form), Barbell Row, Dips, Chinups, Military Press,

Problems I am having:

1. Upperbody is much weaker than lower body. I can deadlift 315 and squat 225 but my bench press is stuck at 135lbs. I feel that my chest is weakest muslce group by far. Any input??

2. My right shoulder is considerably stronger than my left. This is making military pressing, and db pressing very dificult. For example, I know that i can db press 55's but my left arm cannot clean the dumbell to shoulder level. What can I do to catch my left shoulder up with my right??

3. Dips and Pullups/Chinups are almost impossible for me. I am not sure if this is because of my weight and/or height (6ft 5) or just because I lack the strength. I know that these movements are essential in gaining strength. I am currently doing negatives but it is not helping much. How can I increase my progress in these movements?

4. How the hell do I perform a safe powerclean? What muscles do i contract during the pull portion of the lift. When I read up on the lift everyone is saying to use your arms simply to hold the barbell. So if I am not contracting my arms, how do I move the weight from mid-shin level to shoulders??

Appreciate all input

Thanks

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Originally Posted by RubberSoul

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Sorry I posted this in a seperate thread. I didnt see this one.

Hey guys,

I am 19 years old 6 ft 5 and 220lbs. I have been on and off training for three months now. My short term goal is to lose about 20 lbs and gain some basic strength.

tall bastards...

My diet is in check and I workout 4 times a week and use all of these lifts: Deadlift, Bench Press, Squat, Powerclean ( Need help with form), Barbell Row, Dips, Chinups, Military Press,

Problems I am having:

1. Upperbody is much weaker than lower body. I can deadlift 315 and squat 225 but my bench press is stuck at 135lbs. I feel that my chest is weakest muslce group by far. Any input??

long stems make bench harder. Try adjusting your grip if you have longer arms - move your arms outward. Most people put their ring finger on the non-rough spot. try moving to your middle or even index finger and see if it's more comfortable.

2. My right shoulder is considerably stronger than my left. This is making military pressing, and db pressing very dificult. For example, I know that i can db press 55's but my left arm cannot clean the dumbell to shoulder level. What can I do to catch my left shoulder up with my right??

work with the lowest common denominator until you catch up. by this I mean do your exercises with the amount of weight your left arm can perform. If you don't you'll likely only exacerbate the imbalance. There's mixed reviews as to whether BB or DB is better for fixing it - my vote goes to DBs heavy relative to the weaker arm. The reason being is if you're using a BB your strong arm can help take up slack for the weaker one. I guess you could argue the bar would be tilted and your weak arm is forced to take up the slack if u lock your other out... but whatever. *shrug* I'm standing by the DBs.

3. Dips and Pullups/Chinups are almost impossible for me. I am not sure if this is because of my weight and/or height (6ft 5) or just because I lack the strength. I know that these movements are essential in gaining strength. I am currently doing negatives but it is not helping much. How can I increase my progress in these movements?

strength/weight ratio usually. Since you're tall you'll have further to go, but you'll just have to get stronger. I had one of those little pull-up bars you put in your door frame and found those helped. I'd load it up and try and do as many as I could. They aren't wide wide like the ones I use at the gym to build lats up, but they work fine if you can't do any. I suggest those because I felt like a tool in the gym before I could knock out a few. If they have the assisted dip/pullup machines, those are your best bets. Negatives are great, and even weighted negatives if you're comfortable with it. Pulldown is a not ideal but acceptable solution. Pull ups work best if you can control your lats and squeeze them - something I couldn't do for a very, very long time.

4. How the hell do I perform a safe powerclean? What muscles do i contract during the pull portion of the lift. When I read up on the lift everyone is saying to use your arms simply to hold the barbell. So if I am not contracting my arms, how do I move the weight from mid-shin level to shoulders??

just be sure not to flail and round your back. It's a power movement. I've stated already that I'm not a huge fan of these (or any real power/explosive movements), but again it's because I suck at them. I'll let someone else comment on this. Youtube should have something decent as well.

Re. the arm thing - it can be like a deadlift, albeit somewhat less severe because of the lighter weight. If you're pulling a heavy weight and jerking up with your arms, it's easy to tear something.

Appreciate all input

Thanks

Hope that helps.

thank you very much noir. I have one more question.

What should I consume post-workout given that I am on a cut?
Right now I just chug a large glass of nonfat milk as soon as I get home. I know this isnt probably the best choice and i probably should get some carbs in. What do you recommed?

Can anyone with experience powercleaning weigh in?

thanks a lot