I'm lost and confused...

[Urkel-Os]

Well, not really. I just didn't want a bland topic title. /forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Name: Rakesh (everyone calls me Rocky though)
Age: 17.5
Weight: 180
Height: 6'3"

I've been lifting on and off for a couple years now. I never wanted to stunt my growth, so I haven't really gotten serious (well, not hardcore, but a little serious) till this past year. I hate cardio, maybe because I run a 8-9 minute mile. I'm starting to work on that because I know that my heart is my most important, strongest muscle. But I'm lifting more often. I've also just started this workout http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/bulking%20to%20the%20next%20levlel.php

I never really max out, but here are my maxes for 5 reps:
Bench: 125
Skull crunchers: 70
Compound row: 180
High row: 230
Low row: 140

I've always thought that my chest is disproportionately small compared to my back because I can lift so much more with my back. I don't know if this is right or not, but I lift opposing muscle groups with equal intesity (like chest and back).

Anyway, my main reason for coming here is to get bigger more efficiently. I want to work on things like active recovery, and using more shocking principles at the right times. Additionally, I have one quesiton. I want to supplement my diet with whey protein as your article says, but I want to know a good brand of whey protein powder to buy. I don't think I need any glutamine, and I sure don't want to take any creatine. As far as maltose goes (it is also important if I'm correct) I drink a lot of milk after workouts anyway because I'm so thirsty (about 3 cups of it) and regularly in my diet.

Well, thanks to the admins for helping maintain these forums where I will hopefully become an active member and student.

[JHI]

Welcome to ABC Rocky! /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

"I never wanted to stunt my growth, so I haven't really gotten serious (well, not hardcore, but a little serious) till this past year."

Pumping Iron will not stunt your growth.

" I hate cardio, maybe because I run a 8-9 minute mile. I'm starting to work on that because I know that my heart is my most important, strongest muscle"

Cardio is definitaley important, especially on a cut. Checkout January's JHR for more information on cardio.

January's JHR (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/jhr2005jan.php)

". I've also just started this workout http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/bulking%20to%20the%20next%20levlel.php "

Sounds good brother. How is your diet? I recommend that you checkout the 24 workout mass diet. It goes hand in hand with the 23 workout mass blitz training routine and is a overall good "bulking" diet.

24 Workout Mass Diet (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/customizable_bulking_diet.php)

"Anyway, my main reason for coming here is to get bigger more efficiently."

Right on. In order to bulk you need to consume more calories in a day than you burn. So, what does your diet look like?

"Additionally, I have one quesiton. I want to supplement my diet with whey protein as your article says, but I want to know a good brand of whey protein powder to buy."

Whey protein is definitaley a great supplement. However, you have to take it for what it is, a supplement. It is meant to supplement your diet. Without a proper diet it will not do anything. As for what brands and major companies will suffice. (Optimum Nutrition, ProLab, EAS, etc) Stay away from MuscleTech products.

" I don't think I need any glutamine."

Why do you say that? Glutamine has many benefits.

Glutamine—The Conditionally Essential Amino Acid (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/glutamine.php)

"I sure don't want to take any creatine."

What is your rationale to this conclusion?

"I drink a lot of milk after workouts anyway because I'm so thirsty (about 3 cups of it) and regularly in my diet."

This is completley wrong and I recommend that you follow ABC's post-workout protocol.

Post-workout you want to be ingesting simple carbohydrates (maltodextrin and dextrose) protein (whey protein) and sodium (salt).

The reason you don't want to consume milk post-workout is becasue it is slow digesting.

Quote from OldSchool (A Scientific Investigation into the Rationality of Post Workout Carbohydrate Consumption)

[ QUOTE ]
Lactose is also an inferior source of carbohydrates post-workout. Milk sugar has a low GI, and furthermore milk contains casein protein and fat, which will act to delay gastric emptying.

Casein is made up of numerous similar proteins, which form a multi-molecular granular structure called a casein micelle. The micellar makeup of milk casein is an important part in the method of milk digestion in the stomach and the basis of many of the milk product industries, such as cheese. In addition to casein molecules, the casein micelles contain water and salts (11).

Lactose (disaccharide composed of D-glucose and D-galactose) is the foremost milk carbohydrate in most species. In addition to lactose, milk contains other carbohydrates in small amounts, including glucose, galactose, and oligosaccharides (11).

It has been demonstrated that milk should not be blended into a post-workout recipe (5, 7).

[/ QUOTE ]

Read these for post-workout nutrition;

The Window of Opportunity (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/windowofopportunity.php)

Dextrose, Maltodextrin, and Sodium an In Depth Analysis (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/dextrose.php)

A Scientific Investigation into the Rationality of Post Workout Carbohydrate Consumption (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/scientific.php)

[**DONOTDELETE**]

[Urkel-Os]

Ah, I see your point in the milk thing. It slipped my mind with the maltose and milk starting the with same letter. But, milk tastes good /forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif. I like it too much to give it up, but I will cut down on it post workout.

As for the glutamine I suppose I could take some in a supplement, in addition to that I already get through my diet. My reasoning on creatine is that I don't lift heavily enough to be taking it. There is no need for it, at least at my current stage. Maybe in a few years once I build up and have plateaued, I'll start. I don't want anything too unnatural in my diet, and I'm not as hardcore as many of you guys are. The possible problems with misuse of it outweigh the great benefits that I could get if I used it correctly.

My diet currently lacks a lot of protein. And it is nowhere near regimented or strict. I eat whatever is on the table or in the pantry. Cereal, fruit or some other form of carbs for breakfast. Usually a sandwich or something of that manner at lunch (some meat, maybe 1/4 pound). Carbs or meat for snack, whatever is there; if there is some protein its gonna be a small amount (1/4 pound). I also eat 2 handfuls of almonds or another nut. For dinner is gonna be 1/2 pound of meat about 5/7 days of the week. The others are just vegetables. Rice is a staple at our dinner table. Before I sleep I sometimes eat a bowl of cereal or some cookies and milk or something like that.

I know there's probably a lot of mistakes I'm making, and thanks for going over my post with such care and replying with so much info. You admins really are good at this forum.

[Paige]

LMAO, Urkel-Os, are you by chance a fan of "Family Matters"? If so, Urkel ROCKS! /forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif And that's NOT just 'cause I snort when I laugh. /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Welcome to ABC! This is a great place to get you on the right track.

[God's_Warrior]

Urkel-Os, when you stated your maxes, you never mentioned squats or deadlifts. Do you not do them or what? [ QUOTE ]
My reasoning on creatine is that I don't lift heavily enough to be taking it. There is no need for it, at least at my current stage. Maybe in a few years once I build up and have plateaued, I'll start. I don't want anything too unnatural in my diet, and I'm not as hardcore as many of you guys are. The possible problems with misuse of it outweigh the great benefits that I could get if I used it correctly

[/ QUOTE ] Also with the creatine thing, what health risks do think there are? Quoting Joe's Creatine: A Meta Analysis (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/CreatineMeta-analysis.php) on the claim of creatine damaging kidneys
[ QUOTE ]
Taes et al. (2003) investigated the claim that creatine damages the kidneys. Taes and colleagues investigated the effect of prolonged creatine ingestion on renal function in animals with normal kidney function or pre-existing kidney failure. Results indicate that no detrimental effects of creatine supplementation on the renal function were observed. No differences were observed in insulin or creatinine clearance rates. Serum creatine and intramuscular total creatine concentrations were higher in creatine-supplemented groups. Creatine supplementation at a dosage of 2% w/w for 4 weeks does not impair kidney function in animals with pre-existing renal failure or in control animals.

These results agreed with Farquhar (2002) who stated, “despite relatively few isolated reports of renal dysfunction in persons taking creatine, the studies completed to date suggest that in normal healthy individuals the kidneys are able to excrete creatine, and its end product creatinine, in a manner that does not adversely alter renal function.”


[/ QUOTE ] also on the other common side affects [ QUOTE ]
It is important to note that the safety of creatine has been constantly skewed by the media who is ignorant of creatine’s effects on the human body. The effectiveness and relative safety of creatine is dependent on water intake. While supplementing with creatine, an athlete should drink water constantly throughout the day to improve its effectiveness and to stave off possible ill-effects such as nausea, stomach cramps and dehydration. With proper water intake, these symptoms will be eliminated

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Brudnak (2004) states that negative reports have been made of possible side effects of creatine supplementation, such as muscle cramping during exercise, and potential impurities. These effects can be minimized or eliminated entirely with proper water intake.


[/ QUOTE ]
also on the long term affects
[ QUOTE ]
Mayhew et al. (2002) investigated creatine’s long-term effects on liver and kidney function. Twenty-three members of an NCAA Division II American football with at least two years of strength training experience were divided into a creatine monohydrate group in which they voluntarily and spontaneously ingested creatine, and a control in which they took no supplements. Individuals in the creatine monohydrate group averaged regular daily consumption of 5 to 20 g for 0.25 to 5.6 years. Venous blood analysis for serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, urea, and creatinine produced no significant differences between groups. Creatinine clearance was estimated from serum creatinine and was not significantly different between groups. Within the creatine monohydrate group, correlations between all blood parameters and either daily dosage or duration of supplementation were nont significant. Therefore, it appears that oral supplementation with creatine monohydrate has no long-term detrimental effects on kidney or liver functions in highly trained college athletes in the absence of other nutritional supplements.


[/ QUOTE ]
Those were the major things that I could find on the safety of creatine. Of course there were a few other studies under the safety of creatine part of the analaysis that I didn't quote. Hopefully those were some of your worries about creatine and I didn't just waste my time trying to solve a problem you didn't have. /forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Also for proper use just check out that article too. Mods, if I quoted the wrong thing or something like that, just tell me.

[mrExtreme]

Good post, God's Warrior!

[littleamazon]

Welcome to ABC!

Amazon

[Urkel-Os]

I normally don't do squats or deadlifts. Over the past year, I've been concentrating on upper body, and while deadlifts do help upper body to some extent, they are mainly a lower body exercise.

However, with my new program (I just started because I'm basically done with high school stuff and I'm gonna have 2 years of college to take it easy and focus on things besides school, then med school) I've begun to work on legs. I'll get some numbers up in a few months when I've completed or am halfway through the program /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

No you haven't wasted your time in that post. But I too must quote no long-term detrimental effects on kidney or liver functions in highly trained college athletes. Highly trained! I am not highly trained, why is why I say that when I get hardcore I'll start taking creatine.