Anyone into Lifting , Pre work out post work out drinks?

xcapri79 wrote: »

Back in the day, a nice big cold beer was the reward after a good workout.
Guess, the times they are a changin'.

Probably why your ears don't work quite like they used to.

cnh wrote: »

I was in the gym yesterday. Pre-workout? A hearty breakfast, two-three eggs, some sausage, whole wheat toast, potatoes and a couple of cups or so of coffee and some juice.

LOL, holy crap, man! I feel a food coma coming on just reading that!
do love a good breakfast like this, though, and a big believer in starting the day with a solid breakfast.

Honestly, a lot of that stuff is crap. You can get most of it from eggs and such. I have buddies who swear by pre-workout stuff (it's usually just a bunch of caffeine with a picture of some hulky guy on it and overpriced).

haha, brother's funny

If he's looking to get buff, I'd say hit the gym HARD, and eat a lot of eggs and peanut butter throughout the day. Eat a lot of protein and lift heavy! (Most of the protein shakes are extremely overpriced, and seriously, 3 eggs can give you basically the same affect.)

So I'd advice him to skip the pre and post-workout stuff honestly, and just lift, lift, lift. And if he's trying to bulk, eat a lot. You have to eat big to get big.

I found I had the best results with real food, too. not to say supplement stuff isn't a big part of my on-the-go diet; better than not eating at all, but food does seem to work best?

I tried a diet years ago called anabolic burst cycling, which is basically two week cycles of feast or famine. for my goals it was supposed to be 5000 calories a day for two weeks, then (iirc) 1200? calories a day for two weeks. I did great on the 5000 part, even though it was actually difficult to get those calories in. But I only lasted 3 days on the 1200 part, because it was low/no carb, and I was still supposed to be working out, albeit lightly and intense cardio. I was in school at the time and found that I just couldn't maintain focus. I'd never felt so spaced out in all my life! and I was starving. literally. just dying for some bread.

BUT, the weight I put on in those two weeks of eating almost twice my regular caloric intake - I couldn't get over it. I'd struggled for years to put on any weight at all. that was close to 20 years ago. still haven't burned it off, hehe so yeah, +1 on eating real food.

I'm a fan of the Muscle Milk product when food's not handy.

My son Zach , worked at GNC before going into the Marines and placed 2nd and 3 rd in a couple of bodybuilding competitions before he left to Parris Island. Boy was cut up like a pro at 17 years old. All natural products are available at that store and he was using a pre work out powder, but now he's mainly just eating right and says that he feels better with a sensible diet and hard focused work outs at the gym. Hope that helps??

When i was lifting i would eat alot of tuna-yogurt-meats.

My nephew is a college student and somewhat of a gym rat. He and his workout pals use a pre-workout supplement, made by "Mr. Hyde", that I wouldn't recommend to anyone. It has about 400mg of caffeine per serving!! That's equivalent to the amount found in over seven cans of Mountain Dew! Talk about jitters, heart palpitations and rhythm irregularities...I can't believe there haven't been multiple reports of sudden death from using/misusing this product.

Dan,
Tell the Labrada people to leave the sugar out of their products, kinda defeats the purpose. Where they don't use sugar, they use a form of Splenda, a sugar substitute that has received some not so stellar studies on health.

I would second the motion of eating healthier whole foods instead of shakes and powders. My nephew spent a week in the hospital from that Muscle Milk garbage.

^^^^
WTG Moose! I use to do a mile evey tuesday & thursady and It keep getting to be a faster mile, as I worked out M-W-F days, but they cancled 3rd shift and I put on30 pounds

When i first started lifting i was 175lbs @ 5'8 in the begining i remember the day i benched 140 & i about died. Worked hard. Withing 2+ years i was 260lbs & benching 475lbs. Keep with a schedule & you will see advancement. If you rip something take a couple weeks off & you will come back & feel much better

boston1450 wrote: »

When i first started lifting i was 175lbs @ 5'8 in the begining i remember the day i benched 140 & i about died. Worked hard. Within 2+ years i was 260lbs & benching 475lbs. Keep with a schedule & you will see advancement. If you rip something take a couple weeks off & you will come back & feel much better

holy crap man, those are pretty insane gains!
I think I found your before/after photos

LOL
I'm trying to get back into it too, but I know I won't get anywhere near where I was before. my goals have changed though. I do it more for the health/fitness/well-being aspects now.

tonyb wrote: »

Moose, isn't that the old Tigers milk recipe ? I sorta remember it.....tasting like horse p o o p. lol

I'm laughing with you on that one! It did take a bit of getting used to. It was the brewer's yeast that gave it that -- well, shall we say -- distinctive taste!

I just reread the recipe. It seems the version that is on-line leaves out acidophilus, which I remember adding in liquid form to each "brew." I don't remember how much.

Cheers! Over the lips and thought the gums, look out tummy, here it comes!

I would stay far away from the stimulant based pre-workouts. You don't need them at all. A small cup of black coffee works all the same. If you want the "pump" effect of the pre-workouts then also supplement with l-arginine. I used to use the pre's all of the time, before every workout, for at least two years. I liked them so much I also began using them on my rest days just for an afternoon pick me up. All was good, until it wasn't, and I wound up in the ER. I was just trying out a sample of a new pre called 1MR vortex, and something in that "proprietary blend" messed me all up. I was dizzy, confused, breaking out in sweats, and then freezing cold. This cycle continued for about 6 hours after being monitored in the ER. I was completely out of it, for a while. Later on after I came back around, the nurse asked me to confirm my family doctors name because they couldn't find him in the directory, turns out I told them his name was Mitchell Shwartz, who was the right tackle of the Cleveland Browns.

Long Story short, the pre-workouts do make you feel great, but they do not really offer anything in the way of gains. The attraction to them becomes more about the high you get, which may lead to a more effective workout, but also maybe not. There is obviously risk with them because, the proprietary blends of stimulants effects everyone different and not all ingredients are listed. You are rolling the dice with them. Don't think for a second that if comes from a nutrition store its good for you or safe to ingest.

I haven't taken a pre in over a year and my gains have still been consistent. Keep in mind there is no shortcut to building muscle, outside of steroids. A natural bodybuilder in his twenties to thirties is only likely to gain 3-6 pounds of muscle a year MAX. It takes time, if you can gain three pounds of lean muscle a year over the course of ten years, or will be a very big guy. It really takes that long. Adding more weight than that will only add fat to your size. Also you need to learn how to cycle your bulking and cutting. You CAN NOT build muscle and lose fat at the same time. To grow you have to eat, and to lose fat you have to cut calories. There are many great bulking and cutting meal plans out there, I would suggest looking at some of those, so that you can maximize gains while not adding a lot of fat and then cut to maximize fat loss while minimizing atrophy. Natural Bodybuilding is a balancing act of being in anabolic and catabolic states. Take your time, don't get injured by trying to do to much. Its a lot harder to make gains when you cant lift due to injury. There are many good videos on you tube that offer some of the best bodybuilding advice there is, check out,

One of my favorites is "Scooby1961" on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1f0z5sGKDM&list=PL662508FFD2BB30CD&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdFhEhglfgE