Hey there
I was wondering if you could give me some advice on these supplements.
I am 17 years old and I am going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week for medium/heavy workouts, doing a 15-30 minute run and then weights for an hour or so.
After going to the gym it takes me about 3 days to recover.
I have just bought a tub of whey protein (2lbs). It is called MetrX supreme whey.
Here are the main ingredients:

Whey protein isolate
• Whey protein concentrate
• Branched chain amino acids(BCAAs)
• 39g per 2 servings

I also have nutrisport creatine bombs.
I am quite worried about the creatine as many people have warned me of kidney problems so I am quite apprehensive about taking these.
The serving size for the whey is supposed to be 10g (2tsp) is this correct, and how often should I be taking it?
Also, for the gym, what type of workout should I be doing to gain muscle quickly, keeping in mind that I want to become leaner as well?
Please could you give me some advice on the safety of these supplements, and what dosage I should use, and how I should use them in conjunction with my workouts.

Thanks a lot for your time.

TrueFaith

I take Creatine a lot from M.Tech and its great. powder form is probable better as you can take it after your done with your work out it just gets into you system better.

With the creatine. it should be a two week loading stage, where by you take it 2 times a day 1 as soon as you get up and 1 right after the gym

Why Protien as well is a very good thing to take. although it tastes awful i like the bars better.

You are 17 and you are still growing, lots of people say its unsafe and dont do it. but i have been taking that stuff for years and im perfectly fine. plus i have a great body to show for it.

With creatine you gotta work out really really hard. so your muscles can eat all that good stuff up come repair time. it say stack up your days to 5 times a week.

2 to 3 isnt that much and you shouldnt be taking that stuff on shuch a low training system.

You wanan do 15 mins of cardio to start off with. then jump onto the weights do chest and guns 1 day.. 4 sets of 10 starting off low and getting high on the wieghts by the end of the sets you wanna feel like your chest and arms are falling off. that will ripe your muscles and let the creatine and whey do its thing. very important that is. because if your not working out hard enough your just gonna get fat of the stuff.

then the next day do legs give your upper body a reset it only takes muscles 24 hours to repair. then the day after do Lats and lumbo. your back
then the day after do sholders tries and bies again

all the time do be doing abbs as well.

and to end up each gym season do 30mins cardio or 40 depending on how you feel

your looking at spending at least 2 hours in the gym.
working out really hard. you will bulk up with in 2 weeks

Hope this helps

terrysiau

Hi Truefaith
Thanks for the quick and eloquent reply.
I have spoken to various people from the gym and they all say creatine has some side effects as I am still growing, so I assume that it's best to use whey then, as I have bought a 3 month supply of it. I assume whey will not affect your growth?
Anyway, I am going to the gym 2-3 times a week for a hard workout, as you said I do heavy weights until my arms feel like they are about to come off! I don't think I need to go any more than that as I only go to the gym to do heavy workout. At home, I have a chin-up bar, push up bars, a chest expander and a chest compressor(power bow)
I recieved a lot of these at christmas, and I have been going to the gym 1-2 times a week for about a year and I feel great improvement in both strength and fitness.
I am only thinking of using the protein shakes to boost recovery as I feel I am doing enough in the gym etc already. Is this advisable?
Also I have been told by various people that it is better, for building muscle, to do sets of 5reps rather than 10? What do you think?
I am looking for significant improvements within 3 months, which is how long I have the shakes for, to see how effective they are. Primarily I would like advice on his to maximise my improvements in this time.
Thanks very much for your time

TrueFaith

Hey Terry

The Recovery part is very important as you well know. and the Protein put onto that is very helpful. you want to take it 3 to 4 times a day thats a good loading stage for it. and while you work out it will all feed into your muscles.

Now with building

Ok there are many many different ways to do this. it depends on the person really. if you do 5 sets and totaly kill ya self. you may not be getting enough blood or movement and your heart will race up way to fast. and some blood flow might be lost in your muscles.

the thing i like about a 10 set is. you can pack up the pounds but 10 each stage. this really puts a lot of pounds on your muscles and you work them for longer. plus it makes you much stronger

you can do this.

Say chest ok

Set 1 -- 10 reps --- at 140 pounds
set2 --- 8 reps --- at 150 pounds
Set 3 -- 6 reps -- at 160 pounds.... by this time you should be really feeling it
set 4 -- 5- reps - at 170 pounds

Then this is the part i like after your done with that your chest will be really saw.. so what you do now is what they call the dead zone.. put some light weight ons
and do this

1-- set Until complete burn out -- 30 pounds

that way you will get tons of blood into your pecks. or any body part your working on. and you wont hurt your self if you burn out. you can put it back on the rack and rest for a few mins

do this with all your mueslis groups for a 2 weeks. then mix it up again. because you know the body loves to get use to work outs.

and on some days do Dead lifts.. that is pretty much the best way of building muscle because you are working out everything in your body. if you go crazy at that. it will make you so much stronger to lift even more pounds
Remember to pound the shakes.

Id take the creatine as well. its not going to stunt your growth. the thing that would is if you use to much weights and the cartilage between the bones, get to much strain
but as i say your 17 and most mem stop at 18 to 20 anyway.

creatine is vital for muscle repair and growth.

If you follow this plan for a month remember to change your work out days a bit every 2 weeks. you will be stronger and probable add an inch all over to your muscles

MassNutrition

I'm sorry, but the majority of this answer is false. Let's get a few facts straight first:

1. DO NOT load your creatine. It is a complete waste of time and money. This was an old theory YEARS ago when creatine first came out, to help saturate the muscles quicker. Your muscles are a sponge. They will be totally saturated with creatine in approx 28 days, whether you load up or not.

2. Creatine does absolutely nothing to your kidneys or liver, in a negative way. Creatine is NATURALLY produced by the body EVERYDAY... approx 2g worth. You also get it naturally from red meats, dairy products, etc. So how can it be harmful to your body when it produces it naturally? Creatine is used for muscle CONTRACTION. Your body NEEDS it to function. Along with sodium and potassium, creatine helps you lift harder and heavier.

3. Whey protein is a "food". Biologically, it is VERY good for your muscles during the repair stages. Your body will absorb more protein through shakes than it will with chicken breasts, fish, red meat, etc. Powder, naturally, is a better form than bars... it isn't processed as much. Stick with your shakes as an alternate source for protein, along with solid foods as already mentioned.

4. Just because you are taking creatine, it doesnt mean you have to workout out "really really hard". DO NOT put your body into a catabolic state. Damage your muscles too much, and it means less time in the gym for you. Overtraining will also kill your motivation, make you feel tired, and kills your appetite... 3 workouts per week is fine. I would even push for 4. Cut out your cardio. Cardio BURNS calories... you WANT calories to help you add weight, NOT lose them.

5. I will say it again, DON'T do cardio! Only do 15min prior to your weight training to get your heart going and your blood pumping. Calories are precious...

6. Spending 2 hours in the gym is a huge no-no. ONE hour tops! Get in and GET out! You do not GROW in the gym... you grow OUTSIDE of it. Put in your workout, and go home and eat eat eat. Thats where your body repairs, adapts, and grows.

7. DIET! Diet is more important than workouts or any supplement you will take, ESPECIALLY protein! You protein intake should be higher than normal. You need calories to grow, and as long as you eat clean, you WON'T get fat.

Here are some basic rules to follow:

a) Consume calories at 14 times your body weight. So if you weigh 180lbs, you need ATLEAST 2520 calories per day to grow. As your body weight goes up, modify this number. Remember, the magic number is "14". You are 17 yrs old, and your metabolism is probably through the roof. It's hard to gain weight right? You need to fight your metabolism with good calories.

b) Comsume protein 1.5 times your body weight. So again, if you weigh 180lbs, you need ATLEAST 270g of protein per day. You need protein to repair muscle tissue. Carbs and fats won't do it alone. Protein and amino acids are the building blocks of muscle tissue.

I have been bodybuilding for 13 years now. I went from a skinny 147lb 17 yr old, to the 265lbs I am today. Trust me!

I hope this helps.

terrysiau

Hey
Thanks a lot for the reply.
Anyway, something I havent added is that I am not skinny. I have a little bit of fat, and I want to tone up as well as gain muscle mass.
My goal is to lose 5kgs fat and gain 5kgs muscle mass in a period of a couple months.
Do you think this is possible?
Terry

MassNutrition

Is it possible? At the same time? That's a little sketchy. You can accomplish either one or the other in a 2 month period. The reason why I say this is because of diet, and what your meals and timing consist of. Also, to help lean you up faster, you would need to do more cardio, which I said NOT to do in my previous post.

Simply put, if you want to add the mass, eat more carbs and cut out your cardio. If you want to cut up and lean out, then eat less carbs, more protein, and do more cardio. I have only see this happen to a select few because they either had GREAT genetics, or were using a (or a few) performance enhancing drugs.

I would focus on one or the other. Good luck.

terrysiau

Hey
thanks again, do you think if I lose the pounds first it will be easier to gain muscle, or do you think that if I gain more muscle my metabolism will increase accordingly and it will just be easier to lose weight? I am not fat or overweight, just could do with some trimming. I mean if I go to the gym and do my weights I should become leaner anyway right?

TrueFaith

with me i love lifting heavy wieghts. cardio isnt fun for me. but yeah if you do want to trim down cardio is the best way.

bulking up like mass said is a very good way of gaining mass and its more fun you find you eat more and have more engery. than people on a high cardio low carb faze.

at the end of the day my friend as i said there are soo many options you have to find whats best for you and what your body works with


Regards

MassNutrition

Absolutely! Gain the muscle first, then lose the fat. It will be SO much easier to burn off any stored fat when your metabolism is high. By increasing muscle mass first, you will be inceasing the muscle to fat ratio, given that you DON'T gain fat while bulking up. This is easily accomplished with a clean diet (complex carbs, good sources of protein, and essential fats).

Don't neglect your fats! Your omega 3-6-9 fats are very good for you, and believe it or not, they will help you lean up as well. Flaxseed oil and fish oil are my top choices, or you can buy a blend such as Udo's Oil that has the entire complex of 3-6-9.

Also, you will find that your strength will be much higher if you decide to gain the muscle first. Its called "cellular-leverage". With the added weight behind you with the few extra pounds you have, you will be able to push more, push heavier. It's a double whammy... you gain muscle FAST, and burn some fat at the same time... Good luck!