Since we're all trying to get healthier (supplements thread)

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by missdpuck

I did Crossfit for a month but they moved it to another gym which is a bit too far....plus it's $$$$. It's the best= you feel like you are going to die. BTW has anyone heard of DNA customized vitamins? Then there's this stuff that you put on the roof of your mouth like those breath freshening strips...it supposedly has HGH and some kind of amino acid .I believe it begins with a Z. Anyone ever try it?

Well if it has HGH in it, then it's probably illegal in North America.

If anyone is looking for a legal way to boost your own HGH, instead of formulating it as a synthetic, try 6g(6000mg) of L-Arginine right before you go to bed.

[missdpuck]

I thought it was probably a marketing scam. I'm thinking of getting testosterone shots so I can grow a playoff beard

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by missdpuck

I did Crossfit for a month but they moved it to another gym which is a bit too far....plus it's $$$$. It's the best= you feel like you are going to die. BTW has anyone heard of DNA customized vitamins? Then there's this stuff that you put on the roof of your mouth like those breath freshening strips...it supposedly has HGH and some kind of amino acid .I believe it begins with a Z. Anyone ever try it?

Yeah, going to a CrossFit gym is very expensive. You can do most things on your own though. I bought a bench with an olympic bar, I have a pull-up bar, I use stools for dips, and I bought a kettlebell. You can get by with very little equipment.

[missdpuck]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Yeah, going to a CrossFit gym is very expensive. You can do most things on your own though. I bought a bench with an olympic bar, I have a pull-up bar, I use stools for dips, and I bought a kettlebell. You can get by with very little equipment.

My trainer and I were thinking of doing a modified version using the equipment you mentioned plus some stuff outside on the Heart Trail. We managed to find a trail that has huge tires for plyo. Hopefully we'll find some people to join us becuase the competition is a great motivator. I swear by the time that month was over I felt and looked like I had a new body.

[henriksedin33]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

It depends, I was drinking a protien shake as part of my afternoon meal along with an apple and almonds. I think I want to start taking protien right after I lift (I workout at 5:30am), if by chance I do work out on an afternoon or evening I will take protien before and after. Currently I am taking protien when I get out of bed. Then after my workout I eat a huge breakfast with protien coming from eggs, egg whites, and skim milk.

How often do you do this? (5:30 workout)

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by HOOT

It really depends on your goals.

For myself I drink a protein shake before, during and after a workout and then one right before I go to bed.

I do the same, except that I only drink water during a workout. You definitely want to drink a shake 30-45mins before your workout too, along with a banana (slow sugars).

As for the shake you drink before bed, make sure it is with Casein, slow-digesting protein to compat catabolic process during your sleep (found in milk, but of course you want bigger doses).

If you want to lose fat Captain, I suggest to take L-Carnitine before/during your workout.

[CaptainCrunch]

Thanks

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

How often do you do this? (5:30 workout)

Four times a week.

[mykalberta]

Here is my routine - not for everyone since i walk past my gym to and from work.

M-F am: [5 * 50 crunch + 30 Pushup (15 narrow/15wide) ] + 24 min Cardo, depending on what machine is open, light jog, bike, elip, stairs + 5 * 20 lunge+squat with 30Lb weight (sometimes I double the reps with no weight - depending on how joints feel). - that takes about an hour. After I have 1 egg + 4 egg whites with salsa and orange juice

M-F pm: 3 days (varies depending on schedule date, eating out, work etc) 16 min stretching + 24min jog + either chest+back / Bicep+tricep / Leg+core exercises. Heavy weight, low reps 5 * 10 - After I have a gatorade with 46g whey protien, 1 banana + 4 ice cube fat free yogurt cubes.

Before bed I have 1/2 pre prepared fat Free Jello pack with approx 46g gram whey protien mixed in.

S/S: really depends on what happened the night before. I always like to get my gym workout in the morning before 10am (so no parking tix downtown on Saturday. Normally consists of 16min stretching + 24min Jog, Abs/pushup routine from above + intense focussed Leg/Core + Chest/Back workout on rotated days. On days where I was out late eating/drinking etc I will also do an early evening punching bag+abs+pushup routine for 30 minutes. By far and away the best workout - I am completely spent after the punching bag.

For supplements I have 2 GNC multivitamin and I rotate Creatine 1 month on, 1 off. 1 because its expensive, and 2 I get mood swings late in a Creatine month.

So far after starting in July the results are as follows (I also have a blog about it, not for public consumption, more to keep me honest with tracking, pictures, etc) If you are serious, I would be taking weekly body shot pictures as well as getting a tape measure and caliper to mark gains.

Weight loss: 24Lbs
Calf measurements + 2 inches
Thigh Measurements + 2 1/2 inches
Chest Measurements + 4 inches
Waist measurements - 4 inces
Bicep measurements + 3 inches * this might be skewed because of how I initially measured, size has been gained but not positive the exact numbers
Forearm measurements + 1 1/2 inches

Measurements are a great way to know firm plateaus. Just because you dont lose weight doesnt mean you arent changing your body. For me, I get past plateaus by changing up pm and weekend routines to more body weight/punching bag and less lifting (in other words more cardio).

My goal is another 50 Lbs by May - going to Brazil baby - w00t w00t.

Not for everyone but so far it has worked great for me. Apart from what is stated, I eat normally - no counting calories but I know not to get 3 Triples from Peters + milkshake.

[worth]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Crossfit.com guys! A guy from Calgary won the world crossfit games last year.

Can someone please explain to me how to start with crossfit? i've seen it mentioned a ton of times, and i've been on their website, but it's confusing to me for some reason. I see a ton of workouts and videos on there, but i'm not sure if there is a balanced schedule to follow or exactly how it works.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

M-F am: [5 * 50 crunch + 30 Pushup (15 narrow/15wide) ] + 24 min Cardo, depending on what machine is open, light jog, bike, elip, stairs + 5 * 20 lunge+squat with 30Lb weight (sometimes I double the reps with no weight - depending on how joints feel). - that takes about an hour. After I have 1 egg + 4 egg whites with salsa and orange juice

Did someone set this program up for you? The 5 sets of 50 crunches seems a little odd. I do three sets of 12 and my abs are on fire. Do you think your doing a proper crunch?

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Did someone set this program up for you? The 5 sets of 50 crunches seems a little odd. I do three sets of 12 and my abs are on fire. Do you think your doing a proper crunch?

No one set that routine up for me per say. My ex is a personal trainer now in Red Deer, when we worked out she did everything in sets of 5 with breaks in between. I have continued that and added reps as I could.

Are you contracting and holding before each situp? I am not at that level yet where I am trying to get stomach definition and pop the abs - once I get so I can see more than 2 abs, then I will upguage in difficulty and do more focussed crunches.

I use the standared US Army exercise wall charts. I modified the abs because I dont work out with partner so I put my legs up against the wall at 90 degrees, crunch so that your elbows touch your knees and hold for a 2 one thousand count - it does burn after the 4th and 5th set, but you add in the pushups and 45s rest in between plus ridiculously loud music on my Ipod and I can push through it.

For me hanging ab crunches with weights from a pullup bar are what kill me.

[Azure]

You won't get more visible abs by doing more crunches, or ab-related exercises.

Ab definition is based on your body fat percentage. The lower it is, the more visible your abs are.

[worth]

yeah, you can do 10 million sit ups a day, but if you have body fat, you're not going to see your abs because the first place your body puts excess fat is around your waist because that is the most easily accessed place on your body. It's central to everything.

You're defining the muscle underneath the fat. But if the fat is still over top, you won't see anything.

That's why people get fat around the waist, and not their fingers. Eventually if the body can't store any more fat in your mid section, it will store fat in other less accessible places, but that fat is the first burnt off. The fat around your waist is the last fat reserves that are burnt off.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Flame Of Liberty

I do the same, except that I only drink water during a workout. You definitely want to drink a shake 30-45mins before your workout too, along with a banana (slow sugars).

As for the shake you drink before bed, make sure it is with Casein, slow-digesting protein to compat catabolic process during your sleep (found in milk, but of course you want bigger doses).

If you want to lose fat Captain, I suggest to take L-Carnitine before/during your workout.

I guess it is not a "protein shake" that I take during my work out. I actually drink something called Accelerade with is like Gatorade but has protein and no crap in it.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Are you contracting and holding before each situp? I am not at that level yet where I am trying to get stomach definition and pop the abs - once I get so I can see more than 2 abs, then I will upguage in difficulty and do more focussed crunches.

I go up slowly, hold for a slow 2 count and then go back down slowly.

[HOOT]

I would also recommend that when you wake up grab a big glass of water and slam it. Get yourself hydrated right out of the gate. You have gone 6-10 hours without any water and your body is dying! But seriously...its a good habit to get into.

I actually pour a glass of water and have it beside my bed so when I turn off my alarm I just slam it back. It actually helps me wake up and get going.

[COGENT]

Originally Posted by worth

Can someone please explain to me how to start with crossfit? i've seen it mentioned a ton of times, and i've been on their website, but it's confusing to me for some reason. I see a ton of workouts and videos on there, but i'm not sure if there is a balanced schedule to follow or exactly how it works.

Yah, that website sucks. I did more research and it seems that it is a class that a few gyms in calgary offer. I go to the YMCA in Eau CLaire and they offer it for $25 a course. It also seems there a is gym set just for crossfit but it was something like $250/month.

I just googled "crossfit Calgary" if you want to do some more reading.

[rubecube]

Is all of this stuff really necessary? I think this kind of stuff is what discourages me the most from working out. Can't I just go to the gym, hit the bike, do some weights and area-specific workouts, and eat a healthy diet? Will my body not respond to this, whither and perish if I'm not drinking 3 protein shakes and taking 80 different vitamin supplements?

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by worth

Can someone please explain to me how to start with crossfit? i've seen it mentioned a ton of times, and i've been on their website, but it's confusing to me for some reason. I see a ton of workouts and videos on there, but i'm not sure if there is a balanced schedule to follow or exactly how it works.

The best advice I can give, and I'm no expert, is to just follow the workout they post everyday. It will often describe what you are to do, but if you are unfamiliar with the workouts, you can go to their FAQ section or exercise video section and view the movements before trying it out.

If you are doing the workouts from home and don't have allbthe equipment, they also offer alternatives and substitutions to make it easier. Further, it is recomended that you scale the workouts to suit your needs. If it says do 135 pound clean and jerks for example, that is the amount of weigh that an in shape male who weighs 170 pounds could be using. So what I do is take 170, and divide it by 135 which gives you the percentage that you then multiply by your own body weight. You can then use that amount of weight, or scale it even lower in order to be able to complete he workout. I hope that came across clearly.

The way they post some workouts can me confusing. For example when they say 1-1-1-1-1, they want you to do 5 sets of 1 rep, with the weight increasing each time until on he last set, you should be at your max. Same goes for 5-5-5-5-5, but 5 rep sets instead of 1.

If you have over questions I can try to answer them.