Enemy242
Member
Thanks for taking the time to type all that info out, Andrew. You definitely know your stuff and I was hoping you would respond. Since its kinda long I'll reply to just a few things here.
You just made me realise I have probably have been doing biceps curls wrong this whole timeTowards the end of my workout my wrist muscles feel more worked than the biceps. Thanks for pointing this out, even though I didn't ask specifically.
Yeah, I'm going for endurance and overall strength (though I wouldn't lie, it would be nice to go for muscle mass), so I am doing reps of about 16 and towards the end of my set maybe do fewer if I'm feeling spent. I realise if I am going to do repetitive motion over a longer period of time it is important to make sure the technique/form is correct every time. And since I got my info from a certified trainer (you), I'm ready to have good form!
Pro-rated Wellements. Looking at the ingredients I don't recognize half the shit they put in it, but looks like mostly flavoring and sugar to make it taste better. About the acne, I'm convinced it is some ingredient because I sweat and move around most days but never had a problem until recently
And that bit you wrote about protein intake makes sense; you would want to consuming more protein when you body is still active and your metabolism is working its hardest, like after a work out. I guess to bulk up you would want to extend that throughout the day and eat lots of carbs too, but maybe that would be too much on the liver (or maybe I am thinking of the kidneys?).
Thanks again man!
No problem, I'm always down to answer fitness related questions (I don't work at 3 gyms for the money; since i'm in college a lot of my expenses are taken care of so I do it to get experience and build my resume to be totally awesome and have fun) since it challenges me and makes me have to always make sure I'm up on my stuff. Right now I'm NASM certified which seems like the top cert that doesn't require a 4 year degree (I'll get those once I graduate) but I'm also working on getting ACE certified over break, and it's had some pretty cool stuff as well. If you ever have questions feel free to hit me up because I a lot of the time know the info and if I don't I'll straight up tell you I don't know and I won't lie or something haha.
To bulk up you just need to make sure you're getting the right mix of energy. Gaining fat is as simple as too much energy (caloric) intake, fat stored; too much burned (negative energy balance), fat lost. Also obviously you need to be eating the right amount of calories so your body can maintain muscle tissue and not break it down; it can be difficult keeping off excess fat while keeping muscle tissue so just make sure you're lifting a lot, getting a good amount of cardio and balancing your carbohydrates with your protein (what i suggest for people going for a lean, muscular and strong body would be a deck of cards worth of carbs and a deck of protein for breakfast, a power bar 2 and a half hours later, 3/4th deck of carbs and deck of protein for lunch, 2 and a half hours later a protein shake like muscle milk light which isn't good for post workout but can make an ok meal replacement, then for dinner half a deck of carbs and a deck of protein, making sure all carbs are whole wheat and not white; you want roughly six meals a day that are small and descending yet not eliminating carbs like that so your metabolism is at its highest and most efficient and never underfed all day).
You always want to balance protein and carbs, always. there have been studies that have shown people actually gain MORE muscle if they're consuming a correct ratio of protein and carbs after a workout and before, not just protein. carbohydrates, fats, protein; every nutrient is essential for your body to be running correctly (as long as they're the right kinds) so you don't want to neglect them. the only danger of carbs is they're the main energy source so if you eat too much yes they could get turned into fat to be saved; but if you eat whole grain ones you'll be full longer and if you do like i said earlier where you lower the amount throughout the day as you get less active towards the night, then you'll still be keeping them at a good ratio yet not too high and still keeping protein solid so you can keep up that muscle tissue. All protein diets are highly dangerous (like you assumed) for your kidneys for many reasons:
1. protein requires a lottt of water and calcium to be excreted and used to allow the protein to be used correctly thus you need to make sure you're getting a good amount of calcium and water when you're taking in a lot of protein.
2. too much protein is not good because as i've stated, just like any other nutrient it's calories (4 per g of carbs, 4 per g of protein, 9 per g of fat, 7 per g of alcohol) so if you're taking in too much your body will deanimate it and turn it into fat. a lot of people assume more protein = better and unlocks untapped resources in terms of muscle building but that is completely incorrect considering it won't make a huge difference as long as you're not below your protein requirements your body needs for rebuilding tissue.
3. carbs and protein need to be balanced or else yes it will be hard on your kidneys but your body won't be able to function as well without the carbs due to missing nutrients it needs and when you turn protein into energy as the main source (gluconeogenesis i think it's called? something similar) it has a majorrr impact on the kidneys aside from just the water and calcium. to turn protein into useable energy as the main source instead of a side source but with its main thing as tissue repair and building is a bad thing.
4. protein will however make you cut a ton of fat and look absolutely amazing; a lot of body builders for about 2 weeks before the competition just use protein and it allows them to shed a ton of excess fat and have huge muscles and be in perfect shape; however not only is this highly unhealthy in the long run but over time it loses its effectiveness. yes you can use only protein as an energy source and you will build a lot of muscle while staying super lean but at the cost of your body and the effects will start to lessen after a while; better to just eat in the correct amounts and occasionally use only protein to go into the negative energy balance for specific times where you feel you really need to.
tl;dr science fitness nerd alert post.
