Well tomorrow is the big day. I start my new routine. I'm both nervous and excited. Excited because I've been out of the gym for a little while to let my body reset and nervous because I've never done a routine that involved high rep squats. I'm just about geared up for it. I went grocery shopping today and purchased food for the week. I usually take one or two nights during the week and prep my meals. This way I can just grab and go in the mornings and its super easy. So food is bought, I just need to cook it. Which i'm not looking forward to in this heat... Now I'd like to go over some of the useful tools and supplements I'll be using over the next six weeks to help me on my journey:The Tools:
Good Measures - (www.goodmeasures.com) Probably the single most important tool in the toolbox at the moment. Good measures is essentially a mini personal nutritionist that can be setup specifically for my goals. I simply log my food and it calculates for me all my macro nutrtient percentages that I need to hit. It also tells me if I'm over or under any of my micronutrients for the day. If I'm under any particular nutrient it will actually recommend a meal or snack that i've either eaten in the past or it will recommend a new food to eat that will help me fill that void. It calculates an "index" based out of 100 for me and spits out a score for the day. The higher my score the better I've hit my nutrient and caloric goal for the day. It works wonders for anyone who is as deep into the numbers as I am or for people who could care less about their macro percentages and just want to eat healthier. It's a win win for anyone trying to improve their nutrition.
Fitocracy - (www.fitocracy.com) A great tool to log workouts with. Especially if you're a nerd. Level up. Earn badges, complete quests.. All in the name of fitness! I always have trouble remembering my weights from past workouts, this helps a ton.
This Blog / Facebook - I know a lot of you are probably sick of my status updates about food, calories and the such. Too bad. Keeping a blog and updating my status with goals and various progress reports keeps me accountable. If I post something related to my goals I am much more likely to back it up. Deal with it.
The Supplements:
A disclaimer: The definition of a supplement is as follows: Something that completes or enhances something else when added to it. Note that last part. Please for all that is good in this land be sure that your diet and exercise routine is in order before you start adding supplements and wonder drugs that the fitness magazines are trying to sell you. I've wasted a lot of money on stupid stuff. Don't do that.
Whey Protein - I used to think having a protein shake a couple of times a day would make me JACKED. Thank you muscletech and Iron man magazine for your slick marketing campaigns. Now I use it as properly intended; a supplement. I use a scoop or two of whey every day to help me hit my daily protein intake that I don't get from real food. When you are consuming 4300 calories every day and you need 165g of protein sometimes taking a scoop of whey is a lot easier than cooking some chicken or steak.
Fish Oil - If there is one "magic pill" you want to take to help you in pretty much everything; this is it. The benefits of supplementing fish oil are simply too good to skip out on. Studies have shown fish oil has anti cancer effects, can help prevent alzheimer's disease, helps with weight management, helps mental health, fights depression, helps build muscle, helps cardiovascular health.. etc.. etc. why aren't you taking this already? Shoot for 1-3g daily
Creatine - Creatine is probably the most studied supplement out on the market today. Why? Because it works. Creatine works by volumizing the cells and increasing ATP stores. ATP in a nutshell is a molecule that helps with muscle contraction. To put it really simply by increasing your stores of ATP you are increasing the amount of reps you will be able to do during a workout. More reps = more muscle! Buy regular old creatine monohydrate. No need to get fancy and buy creatine mixed with other stuff or creatine from some big supplement company. Creatine is creatine. 5 g daily. There is no need to cycle it or to have a "loading phase" as some companies would like you to think.
Pre Workout - I've wasted a lot of money on this stuff. In reality; you don't need it. Most of the ingredients in the pre workouts are just stimulants mixed with other things that give you a nice "pump". A "pump" doesn't build muscle...It looks and feels good; but essentially it goes away. I'll prefer to take a little caffeine to give me that extra boost.
Beta Alanine - I've just recently been introduced to the benefits of this supplement and have been researching and reading up on the studies.. It seems legit and I've decided to give it a try for the first time. The following is taken from Livestrong.com;
As a precursor of carnosine, beta alanine is essential for muscle production and repair. Scientific studies have established that beta alanine supplementation increases muscle strength and output as well as increasing muscle mass. Other benefits to derive from beta alanine include increased muscular anaerobic endurance as well as aerobic endurance. Lastly, and more importantly for bodybuilders, beta alanine supplementation increases exercise capacity and allows you to train harder and for longer.
To increase muscle performance and capacity, beta alanine mops up the hydrogen ions and lactic acids produced from the breakdown of ATP in the muscles. This buffering action is due to carnosine and it prevents the muscles from tiring easily by preventing their pH from dropping. Beta alanine through carnosine has also been shown to have strong antioxidant properties. Therefore, its benefits includes faster recovery and boosting the immune system.
That's about it for my supplements. I take 1/3 of the recommended dosage of a multi vitamin. I really don't need 200-300% of anything that I'm probably getting plenty of from the amounts of fruits and veggies I eat. As Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory once said essentially I'd be paying for expensive urine. That's it for now. Stay tuned for the status on my first lifting session on Mass Made Simple
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