Picking the Right Protein Supplement for Bodybuilding

If you are considering taking supplements to enhance your bodybuilding goals, the first step is to select the appropriate protein supplement . Protein is the single most important supplement since proteins are the actual building blocks of muscle. Without getting the proper amount of protein, no other supplements or exercises are going to help you build muscle.

The larger you are, the more protein you are going to need in a given day. The formula for grams of protein needed in a day is typically your body weight in pounds times 1.5. So, if you weigh 100 pounds and you are trying to gain muscle, you should have at least 150 grams of protein. If you are 200 pounds, you should be consuming 300 grams of protein every day to support your muscle growth.

You can’t just roll out of bed and pound 10 protein shakes though. Most of that protein won’t be absorbed. You need to diversify your protein sources and give yourself a constant stream of protein throughout the day and night. You can do this by eating several (5-6) high-protein meals throughout the day and supplementing with protein shakes.

Not all protein supplements are created equal. The main difference is the absorption rates that different protein sources have. Absorption rate is important, because sometimes you want a quickly absorbed protein, and other times, you want a much slower absorbing protein. Immediately after your workout, your body needs protein, so a fast-absorbing protein is best at this time. The most popular fast-absorbing protein is Whey Protein. At night, you are going to want protein that absorbs much more slowly since you typically don’t eat throughout the night. A casein protein is most appropriate for this use. Casein protein is usually a little more expensive, but is key for staying anabolic throughout the night.

Once you have your protein supplementation worked out, you can move on to more advanced supplements, such as creatine, nitric oxide, and other muscle builders.

Many thanks to Tom Noonan of  TheSupplementRating.com for submitting this informative article.

How To Avoid Training Injuries

Here are some very important tips on how to avoid injuries.  Adhere to them and you should be able to train for a long time without suffering anything more that perhaps occasional minor injuries.

• Ensure you use immaculate exercise technique, never cheat, take shortcuts or use loose form.

• Ensure you stick to a smooth and controlled rep speed.

• Even if you feel your body can tolerate singles and very low-rep work, avoid using such high-force training for long periods, and use maximum-effort singles only very cautiously. If your body is not accustomed to singles and very low reps, stick to medium and high reps and use a rep counter for a given exercise that suits your body.

• It is true that no exercise is good for you if it hurts you.  Therefore only use exercises which are appropriate for you, and where any modifications are required that you make them safe for you.

• Stay well clear of any risky movements, e.g. behind-neck movements.

• Ensure that you use only exercise poundages that are correct for you, and only use a weight which lets you just about squeeze out your target reps in good form.

• Avoid any excessive range of motion.

• Show consideration for your physical limitations.

• Personalize your training – you are the only one who knows what works best for you, who knows your weaknesses, strengths, and limitations.  What works well for someone else, including a training partner, does not necessarily work for you, and could in effect ruin you.

• Avoid “rushes of blood” that often lead to reckless training.

• Always be 100% focused on your training, and be attentive whilst training.

• Ensure you do not over train, e.g. if you squat hard twice a week, you may get sore knees, but squat once a week and you may feel no soreness.  It is well known that excessive training frequently causes injuries.

• Always ensure you warm up properly and keep yourself supple.

• If you use spotters, make sure they are alert and competent.

• Ensure equipment is robust and secure.

• Perform inversion therapy on a regular basis.

• Stay away from medium and high impact aerobic work.

• In case of injury, and to avoid it, use a skilled, and preferably sports minded, chiropractor to sound out whether or not a specific injury needs some related adjustment to hasten its recovery, and it is advisable to have periodic checkups with a chiropractor.

• Watch your diet and eat healthily.

• Do not cut corners when it comes to your rest and sleep schedule.

• Avoid extreme muscular soreness by gradually introducing changes to your exercises and training formats.

Cumulative Fatigue Training

Here are some guidelines on how to make cumulative fatigue training work for you.

• Experiment first with just one single-joint exercise, e.g. the curl, or calf raise.  Take an accurate measurement of the muscular girth, and then once a week, or three times every two weeks, train the exercise exactly as described as before. After two months measure the muscular girth again, and if it has grown, even by just a little, then you have a technique that works for you. If it didn’t grow, and assuming that you trained as directed, along with all the recovery factors, then just put the experiment down to a learning process.

• If you were happy with the test, then apply cumulative fatigue training to no more than two exercises for each routine, but remembering to rotate which two exercises you select.  As your gains diminish in any given exercise, revert to another format for that exercise, and if you like select another exercise for cumulative fatigue training. The reason for only selecting two exercises per routine is that the six sets per exercise of this type of training exert a severe demand on your recovery system,  and that is why you should be conservative and use only one or two exercises per routine in this format.  If you do use cumulative fatigue training on two exercises, make sure only one of them is a major core movement, because if you apply it to two core movements you are likely to be over training.

• To minimize the chance of over training, use no more that 6-8 exercises total per routine, and ensure that only one or two of them are done in the cumulative fatigue format.

• Persist with cumulative fatigue training for any exercise for as long as you are making gains.  As long as you can add a little extra weight every week or so, while holding consistently good form, keep at it.

• Be sure to use cumulative fatigue training on exercises that you regularly incorporate into your training program, to minimize post workout soreness. You may even still get sore if you are used to performing no more than 3 work sets per exercise.

• If you would rather not drop your regular style of exercising, which uses maximum weights, it is best to alternate both formats in the same cycle. On one day train with your maximum weight for 2-3 work sets, and on the following day train that exercise using the cumulative fatigue method.

• The need to religiously satisfy all the factors of recovery is just as important as technique in any exercise routine.

Bodybuilding.com Offers

Here is an updated list of current Bodybuilding.com offers, deals and coupons:

• For a limited time, get a FREE AST T-Shirt w/ purchase of Pre-Workout Drink: Anabolic Rush!

• For a limited time, get a free Champion T-Shirt w/ purchase of NO Supp: GlyPro XTS Complete Stack!

• For a limited time, receive a FREE Diabolic Labs Green Devil T-Shirt w/ purchase of any Diabolic Labs products!

• For a limited time, receive a FREE MMA Muscle Bandana with purchase of any MMA Muscle product!

• For a limited time, receive a free MRI Shaker Bottle with purchase of NO product: Black Powder, 3 Lbs.

• Receive a FREE Bodybuilding.com Stainless Steel Water Bottle w/ purchase of Premier Nutrition Pro2O!

• For a limited time, receive a FREE Twinlab T-Shirt with the purchase of 100% Whey Protein Fuel!

• Get an extra $3.00 off the already discounted Optimum Nitro Core 24, 3 Lbs. Coupon code: 3offNitroCore24.

• For a limited time, buy 1 bottle of MuscleTech Aplodan get a 2nd bottle FREE!

As stated clearly, these Bodybuilding.com offers are available for a limited time only so don’t miss out.

How To Perform The Perfect Rep

Here are some pointers to help you achieve the perfect rep:

• You should aim to take about 3 seconds for the positive stroke and at least another 3 for the negative stroke, and performing every stroke of every rep smoothly. If you do move quicker than about 3/3 you will not be able to exercise the correct control. When it comes to the positive phase of the very final rep of a set, when you feel you have almost ground to a halt, you may find that you need 5 seconds. It may be necessary to have an assistant count the seconds as you perform each rep, and let you know how you are doing in the process. This will ensure that you are not moving faster than the 3/3 speed. Once you have succeeded in getting the feel for a smooth speed you will be able to exercise it without feeling the need to count the seconds. If you have any doubts, go slower rather than faster. You will find that some exercises have a longer stroke than others to show a comparable control. For example, the pull down and overhead press need more time per rep than do the calf raise and the bench press.

• Don’t try to count the seconds and the reps at the same time. It is possible to count or the other, but not both at the same time. If you feel that you do need to count both, get a helper to count the reps while you count the seconds, or the other way round it that feels better. While a 3/3 or so speed is recommended, do not become a slave to time. The emphasis should be on control, form and progression.

• Try to perform each rep as an individual unit which ends with a short pause prior to performing the next rep. It is important that you are ready to perform the next rep so take the time to prepare yourself to do it. As you continue with the set of reps, your pauses will tend to become longer, but try not to overdo the pause or this will cause you to fail the set prematurely. The more of these exercises that you perform taking pauses between the reps, the more experience will teach you what is an excessive pause for you in each exercise.

• When you are performing exercises which involve a sustained contraction in the flexed position, i.e. the calf raise, pull down, curl, and supported row, try to hold the resistance for a second or two in the position of full contraction. This will help to tighten your form and intensify the contraction. In summary, briefly squeeze in the contracted position.

• Where it is possible for you to carry out this squeezing in a single-joint exercise, it is not possible for you to do it in all multi-joint exercises. For example, in the calf raise, which is a single-joint exercise, there is no easing of stress on the muscle when you are in the extended position. However, in the squat, which is a multi-joint exercise, the stress is taken off the muscles in the extended position – where the knees are straight.

Next Page »