Friday, August 31, 2012

My Weight Loss Story. The whey I did it.

I was in bad shape. I had no energy, no drive and I was constantly coughing. I was sleepy, my mind seemed foggy, my back ached and my arms and legs would swell to the point where I couldn't bend my fingers or knees.




When I got laid off, I thought who would hire me. I look like I would die on the job.






I decided to do whey shakes and low carb and it worked. I first combined the approach with walking then went to Kmart and put a weight bench in layaway. I really started making some gains in muscle, fatloss and confidence.

RxBar Real Food Protein Bars Variety Pack, 5 Flavor, 1.83 Ounce Bars (Pack of 10)
Thanks to craigslist I stepped up to olympic weights and a squat rack. I haven't looked back.

I had lots of protein shakes but primarily used:

Vitaminshoppe BodyTech
Body Fortress Whey
Syntrax
Iron-Tek Essential
Dymatize Elite Iso
Dymatize Elite XT
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard
Isopure Zero Carb

My typical day:
6 a.m. - shake (pre-workout)
8 a.m. - shake (post-workout)
10 a.m. - shake
12 p.m. - shake
solid food the rest of the day



Here's some of numbers from my journey.


6/22/2009 – weight 247lbs

                                    Short of breath, sleep, low sex drive, hip pain, muscle spasms, feet, ankles and sometimes legs swelling, hands swelling, coughing, right shoulder and arm pain.

                                    Cannot do push-ups.  Painful shoulder.

                                    Cannot do pull-ups.

                                    Started walking on treadmill.

10/1/2009 -            Started weight training.

                                    Cannot do push-ups.

11/30/2009 –         MAX:                        bench press            175lbs

                                                            Curl                91.5lbs

12/7/2009 -            MAX:             bench press 195lbs x 2

1/1/2010 - weight 229lbs

1/17/2010 – measurement – abdomen 48

1/17/2010 – past carbohydrate history (weight loss per week)

                                    22 grams per day lost 6lbs

                                    95/day lost 5lbs

                                    110/day lost 1lb

                                    115/day lost 3.5lbs (with exercise)

                                    150/day lost 1lb

2/22/2010 - measurements

                        Chest              46

                        Abdomen     46

                        Left Bicep      14.5

                        Right Bicep   15.5

                        Right Thigh   22

                        Left Thigh     21

2/23/2010 – started working out left bicep and tricep on a second day to even out the size with the right arm.

3/8/2010 – started Muscle and Fitness 4-week Strength Band Workout

                        Surprisingly, I was extremely sore after these workouts.

3/22/2010 – measurements

                        Chest              41

                        Abdomen     46

                        Left Bicep      17

                        Right Bicep   17

                        Neck               17

4/1/2010 – started TABATA HIIT workouts (4 minutes)

4/2/2010 – Able to do push-ups again!

5/17/2010 -  First time using chains with ez-bar curls

5/18/2010 -            MAX:             chins  2

                                    Note:  negative-accentuated technique [one second up/six seconds down]

                                    Note:  "After [a series of full-range reps] you'll find it impossible to do a complete repetition. But that does not mean the biceps muscle is completely exhausted. You'll find with some effort that you are still able to get a few half repetitions...and when you can no longer do the half movements, you'll find you can do a couple of quarter repetitions."

                                   

5/26/2010 -            MAX:             bench press 225lbs

6/1/2010 – Adopted new workout philosophy.   From books Muscle Logic and Get Huge in a Hurry.  Morning cardio on empty stomach.

                                    Example:  15 minutes circuit

                                                            Pull-ups/Bench Press/Squat-Press

                                                            Treadmill wearing weighted vest.
                                  

7/12/2010 – weight 213 lbs.

7/16/2010 – Did 20 push-ups and 5 pull-ups straight.

8/5/2010 – Did 7 pull-ups straight.

8/8/2010 – Did 25 push-ups straight.

8/15/2010 – measurements

                        Chest              46

                        Abdomen     41

                        Left Bicep      16

                        Right Bicep   16

                        Right Thigh   24

                        Left Thigh     24

9/20/2010 – weight 205 lbs.

                                    I am able to button my USAF BDU pants again.

11/13/2010 – measurements

                        Chest              40

                        Abdomen     42

                        Left Bicep      17.5

                        Right Bicep   17

11/13/2010 – weight 195 lbs.


12/19/2010 -          MAX:             Curl 123 lbs x 1

12/25/2010 – Did 30 push-ups straight.

6/14/2011 – able to fit size 34 waist pants, down from 46 inch pants size.
Some of the numbers and dates don't seem to jive for me but I put them in here as logged them in my journal.
I stopped typing in my journal here. I need to update it so I can update you.


















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Monday, August 27, 2012

Product Review: Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy



Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy with Green Tea and Green Coffee Extract, Flavor: Watermelon, 30 Servings


Want a clean energy preworkout that gives you a kick start on muscle building? ON Amino Energy is for you. The taste of the fruit punch was great. The energy supplied was great without jitters and the subsequent crash. It's a simple formula of amino acids and energy components.



The science behind the formulation is solid as usual. Here are a few of the benefits of each amino acid. This list is no where near complete.

Taurine - pulls fluid in the muscle expanding the tissue creating greater potential for growth.
L-Glutamine - recovery and anti-catabolic.
L-Arginine - nitric oxide production
L-Leucine - the king of protein synthesis.
Beta-Alanine - leads to greater muscle carnosine levels which increases muscle endurance.
Citrulline - nitric oxide production and reduces lactic acid and ammonia
L-Isoleucine - prevents muscle protein deterioration during exercise
L-Valine - fuel for muscle building reactions and used in muscle protein synthesis
L-Tyrosine -converted into dopamine and norepinephrine resulting in increased energy and focus
L-Histidine - converts to histamine, a powerful blood vessel dilator
L-Lysine - precursor for L-Citrulline and L-Carnitine and is crucial for the formation of collagen
L-Phenylalanine - raises insulin secretion which can help with muscle growth following workouts
L-Threonine - supports cardiovascular, liver, central nervous, and immune system
L-Methionine - Creatine precursor and supports joint heal


Optimum Nutrition recommends:
2 - 4 scoops upon waking
2 - 6+ scoops pre-workout
2 - 4 scoops post-workout
2 - 4 for an afternoon pick me up

Unless you're made of money I would stick with pre-workout and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey.









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ATP Good for Me: More Energy, More Endurance and More Muscle Gains with Peak ATP

ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE (ATP)

Adenosine triphosphate is a major energy source for every cell in the body. Taking the supplemental form increases blood levels of ATP, which in turn increases blood flow to muscles. ATP also has been reported to reduce fat storage, burn stored fat and increase one-rep max after just 14 days.

The recommended dosage is typically 125-250mg twice daily on an empty stomach.

Follow the directions on the product you select.

It's called Swanson Ultra Peak ATP.



The Swanson Ultra Peak ATP delivers 125mg per capsule.


I found another interesting product on Amazon.com by I found is a powder called BioEnergy Ribose with Peak ATP 309 gms by Progressive Labs. This product contains another "old man" favorite of mine D-Ribose (more on this later). It's expensive but speaking from experience the combo of D-Ribose and Peak ATP is a energy bomb! I weight trained and did cardio all on the same morning only stopping to go to work.

The D-Ribose products I've tried in the past were by Now Foods and Jarrow.



Power Up! 

Source:
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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Leucine is King: (Part 3) How Do You Get the Amount You Need? Whey Plus Leucine

Focus on getting 2.5 to 5 grams of leucine with breakfast, pre-workout and post-workout meals. If you are under 40 years of age shoot for 7.5 grams per day and over 40 shoot for 15 grams per day.

That's alot of leucine. You will get some in your normal diet but we want to be sure you the exact amount required.

Under 40 years old = 7.5 grams or 7500 mg

Over 40 years old = 15 grams or 15,000 mg

If you are drinking Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey (like you should be) it would require some considerable money.

Under 40
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey 7.5 grams = 3 scoops
5 lb container would last 26 days.

Breakfast 1 scoop
Pre-Workout 1 scoop
Post-Workout 2 scoops

Over 40
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey  15 grams = 6 scoops
5 lb container would last 13 days.

Breakfast 2 scoops
Pre-Workout 2 scoops
Post-Workout 2 scoops

or

Breakfast 1 scoop
Pre-Workout 1 scoop
Post-Workout 2 scoops
2 more anytime of day

Another option is Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey and added leucine.
I like the Nutrabio Leucine currently selling for $26.88 for 166 3 gram servings.


Under 40
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey 8 grams = 2 scoops + 1 scoop Nutrabio Leucine
5 lb container ON would last 40 days. Nutrabio would last 166 days.

Pre-Workout 1 scoop ON
Post-Workout 1 scoop ON + 1 Nutrabio

Over 40
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey 15 grams = 3 scoops + 3 scoops Nutrabio Leucine


Pre-Workout 1 scoop ON + 1 Nutrabio
Post-Workout 2 scoop ON + 2 Nutrabio



Leucine is King (Part 1) For Muscle Building and ... - WHEY2MUSCLE

Leucine is King. Part 2 This is the Whey. - WHEY2MUSCLE - Blogger

Leucine is King: (Part 3) How Do You Get the ... - WHEY2MUSCLE

Leucine is King (Part 4): Headlines from ergo-log ... - WHEY2MUSCLE

Leucine is King (Part 5): Leucine metabolites - WHEY2MUSCLE

Leucine is King (Part 6) - WHEY2MUSCLE - Blogger









 


References:
7.12 g leucine daily stops muscle loss in elderly 06.06.2016
Leucine stimulates muscle growth without training 17.11.2015
Leucine: a myostatin inhibitor available from your supplements supplier 01.12.2014
Vitamin D3 boosts anabolic effect of leucine19.09.2013
Leucine supplement helps casein build muscles 14.09.2013
Maybe it's possible to stack leucine with HMB24.08.2013
Resveratrol-leucine combo boosts fat burning13.03.2013
Added leucine makes wheat protein as anabolic as whey 29.12.2012
Twelve grams a day of leucine boosts muscle mass 01.04.2012
Not so young any more? Leucine still works – with extra antioxidants 29.01.2012
Amino acid mix with added leucine makes muscles grow faster 10.10.2011
Leucine makes rowers faster 16.02.2011
Leucine supplement boosts fat burning07.02.2011
Most effective leucine dose may be as high as 20 g 05.10.2010
Leucine retains muscle mass when you're not training 30.08.2010
Leucine increases anabolic effect of post-training meal by 16 percent 16.08.2010
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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Body Fortress Muscle Building Stack at Walmart $59.94 U.S.


Here's a complete stack I found today at Walmart.

Pre-Workout Body Fortress Super NOS Blast                                      $29.98
Post-Workout Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Powder $14.98
Post-Workout Body Fortress Super Advanced Creatine                       $14.98
                                                                                                     Total: $59.94






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Leucine is King. (Part 2): This is the Whey.

Whey protein is the champ if you want to get the highest amount of anabolic protein synthesis in a serving. Below is the leucine content of various proteins by serving. Some of the proteins listed are protein blends. All are for a 1 scoop serving size.

Focus on getting 2.5 to 5 grams of leucine with breakfast, pre-workout and post-workout meals. If you are under 40 years of age shoot for 7.5 grams per day and over 40 shoot for 15 grams per day.


Click the image to see the amount of leucine in some popular brands.
All amounts are per 1 scoop of protein.







References:
7.12 g leucine daily stops muscle loss in elderly 06.06.2016
Leucine stimulates muscle growth without training 17.11.2015
Leucine: a myostatin inhibitor available from your supplements supplier 01.12.2014
Vitamin D3 boosts anabolic effect of leucine19.09.2013
Leucine supplement helps casein build muscles 14.09.2013
Maybe it's possible to stack leucine with HMB24.08.2013
Resveratrol-leucine combo boosts fat burning13.03.2013
Added leucine makes wheat protein as anabolic as whey 29.12.2012
Twelve grams a day of leucine boosts muscle mass 01.04.2012
Not so young any more? Leucine still works – with extra antioxidants 29.01.2012
Amino acid mix with added leucine makes muscles grow faster 10.10.2011
Leucine makes rowers faster 16.02.2011
Leucine supplement boosts fat burning07.02.2011
Most effective leucine dose may be as high as 20 g 05.10.2010
Leucine retains muscle mass when you're not training 30.08.2010
Leucine increases anabolic effect of post-training meal by 16 percent 16.08.2010
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Monday, August 13, 2012

Product Review: The New Jack3d Micro (Part 1) Nitric Oxide














I am going to first cover my own experience with this product and will then share what I found out about the ingredients.

I took this pre-workout today. I did one scoop yesterday and while it felt good, the intesity wasn't close to the old formula. I do think I will be able to take this and sleep. I could only take the old formula for morning and afternoon workouts.

Today I did 2 scoops and not much more energy. I did get a serious pump. I'm going to finish the container and will get a follow up then.

I don't miss the beta-alanine itch. We'll see if the gains keep coming on this.

Now on to the details of the Jack3d ingredients.

USPLabs has taken a big departure from the Jack3d formula. With the imminent banning of DMAA (methylhexanamine or 1,3-dimethylamylamine or Geranamine). A new formula was needed.

The old formulation consisted of :

Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Creatine Monohydrate
Beta Alanine
Caffeine
1,3-Dimethylamylamine HC1(Geranium [Stem])
Shizandrol A

Only Arginine and Caffeine remain in the new formulation.  The new formula seems to be focused on nitric oxide production and energy.

Here's the breakdown of the ingredients.

eNOS Super Performance System™ 2799 mg


L-Citrulline
Precursor to Arginine the nitric oxide amino acid. It has been suggested that citrulline does this more efficiently.

Arginine Nitrate
Sometimes called NO3. The theory is that attaching a nitrate to Arginine increases nitric oxide production.
         
Agmatine Sulfate
Agmatine is naturally produced in the body when arginine is processed. Bro science reports say that agmatine produces superior pumps and greater uses of nutrients taken in.  That is nutrient partitioning aka more calories are shuttled towards muscle tissue and less are stored as fat. Also increased production of luteinizing hormone (testosterone) and growth hormone.

Grape Seed (95% Proanthocyanidins) Extract
Researchers at the Temple University School of Medicine discovered that grape polyphenols enhance the production of nitric oxide. These findings were reported in the November 2000 issue of the journal "Biochemical Pharmacology."         

CNS Stimulant System™ 190 mg

Caffeine
According to Flex Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Supplements, Caffeine is “a stimulant and effective fat burner due to its ability to increase the release of fat from fat cells, caffeine has been shown to boost strength and power output when taken one hour before workouts.”

Norcoclaurine HCl (Norcoline™)
USPLabs always has an ingredient that is ahead of the game and this appears to be one of them. As far as I can tell by trying to decipher a study I found on the net. This substance appears to enhance the production of dopamine. Resulting in the other two lifters want to increase focus and intensity. Those being norepinephrine and epinephrine.

**** UPDATE 10/1/12 - Hat Tip to this link for breaking the ingredient down.

http://examine.com/supplements/Higenamine/#howtotake

3,4-Dihydroxycinnamic Acid
I couldn’t find any information in this one myself but found the below on the nutraplanet.com website.

“This particular compound is an antioxidative polyphenol found in a variety of foods (coffee, citrus foods, etc) and has multiple benefits. For one, it may enhance the bioavailability of the norcoclaurine in the formula, allowing for greater efficacy. It does this by inhibiting catecholamine o-methyltransferase (COMT), the enzyme that degrades the catecholamines and other related compounds responsible for the stimulant effects seen with stimulant type compounds. This can translate not only to a greater stimulant effect, but a longer lasting effect as well...
Secondly, it has also been shown to increase eNOS activity while also enhancing the formation of NO from nitrite by acting as a reducing agent. Thus, it can increase NO formation through the two main mechanisms through which NO is formed!”
If this weren’t enough, it also has a CNS stimulant effect on its own. Yet, when combined with caffeine, it may actually increase the stimulant effects of caffeine as well!"

**** UPDATE 10/1/12 - Pubmed study on this ingredient.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22738980
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2012;76(5):1025-7. Epub 2012 May 7.



3,4-Dihydroxycinnamic acid attenuates the fatigue and improves exercise tolerance in rats.
Novaes RD, Gonçalves RV, Peluzio Mdo C, Natali AJ, Maldonado IR.
Source
Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, MG, Brazil. romuonovaes@yahoo.com.br
Abstract
3,4-Dihydroxycinnamic acid (3,4-DA) is a natural compound with high antioxidant potential found in various foods. This study found that animals administered with 3,4-DA had higher exercise tolerance, reduced blood lactate, and markers of hepatic oxidation. Blood glucose and antioxidant enzymes were not affected by this treatment. 3,4-DA may have applicability in reducing the fatigue associated with exercise.
PMID:22738980
[PubMed - in process]


Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) 100 mg 167%
         
The below was taken from Flex Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Supplements issue.

“In addition to the health benefits of vitamin C, it can actually increase muscle endurance and reduce fatigue via its antioxidant properties. Vitamin C destroys free radicals created from training and other stresses, which break down NO. Having higher NO levels has been shown in numerous clinical studies to boost muscle endurance, stave off fatigue, and increase muscle strength. Research even suggests that vitamin C can also enhance fat loss.”

This product is selling for about $35 online. I would say it's definitely worth trying.


Aggressive Strength Natural Testosterone Booster

 
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