Creatine and its benefits

Hayyz, para san ba't merong Creatine? Lagi ko itong nadidinig sa mga newbies na nag-ggym or kahit na sa mga medyo familiar ng mukha sa gym.

Benefits of Creatine

Unang-una, mabuti ang Creatine sa ating katawan! Sino ba naman ang ayaw madagdagan ang kanilang lakas sa pagbubuhat ng weight gym at makarecover kagad ng muscle nang masmabilis kesa sa usual while staying natural (no steroids)?

Ang Creatine is eh isang amino acid na ginagawa ng ating katawan. Sa pagkaka-alam ko eh ang Creatine eh merong mabigat na ginagampanan sa paglalabas ng ating cellular energy sa pag-gagawa ng adenosine triphosphate (ATP) sa ating muscle. Kapag walang ATP, muscle contraction is not possible. Ang pag-inom ng Creatine eh nakaka-increases ng muscle stores and may increase muscle strength and improve exercise performance.

Sa ating pagkain, ang Creatine eh makikita sa karne at sa isda na ating kinakain (although cooking destroys most of it). Creatine claims to increase energy, power output, and enchances muscle size and strenght. I myself experienced this. My bench press increased from 120 lbs to 200 lbs! Medyo nga nakakatawa minsan kase nagkakaron pa ng mga bulto ng tao sa paligid para lang panoorin akong magbuhat ng weights. (Well, xempre sa side ko eh ginagalingan ko talaga para mai-demonstrate ang proper form despite the heavy weight.)

Meron din akong mga nabasang articles about Creatine at meron ngang significant gain in physical performance in high-intensity exercise ang na-obserbahan with creatine doses of 20 to 30 g/day, but more recent research is indicating that similar performance benefits are possible with much lower doses in the range of 2 - 5 grams/day (though benefits may take longer to be noticed).

Dosage of Creatine

Ang usual na paraan sa pagtake ng Creatine eh ang 2-phase cycle.

1. first 5 - 10 days eat Creatine 20 - 25g/day (Loading Phase)

2. incoming days is eat Creatine 2 - 5g/day (Maintenanace Phase)

Ang pag-absorb ng Creatine sa ating katawan eh masmapapaganda kung sasamahan natin ng high-carbohydrate drink such as fruit juice. The best time I take this is after work-out kasama ng whey protein. Yung fruit juice eh para tumaas ang insulin natin at masmapabilis ang pagttransport ng Creatine sa ating mga muscles.

Cycle

Me mga ibang tao na nag-cycycle ng Creatine at isa ako sa mga iyon. Ang ginagawa ko ay.

1. 1 month akong iinom ng Creatine.

2. 1 month na hinde ako iinom ng Creatine. Tapos take ulet ako for 1 month and so on and so forth.

^ I do this to prevent my body from adopting to creatine supplementation and I will still have the potency of its effect. Naniniwala kase ako ng pag nag-adopt na dun ang katawan ko eh hinde na magiging ganun ka-epektib ang Creatine.

What type of Creatine to take?

Maraming mga type ng creatine pero I would suggest that you get a Creatine Monohydrate. Choose yung powdered form. Yung kulay puti na walang amoy o lasa. Para itong sugar pero hinde. On my experience eh I took Dymatize Creatine.

Sa pagtatake ng Creatine, I would suggest as well that you should drink lots of water. Drink every now and then. If you can drink a gallon of water a day then its good! Kailangan mo itong gawin kase humahatak ng tubig ang Creatine papunta sa ating mga muscles kaya dapat nating panatilihing hydrated tayo.

Cheat to have a better body..

Sometimes, it's good to have a cheat meal. Like eat your favorite hamburger or pizza. Anything! You basically cheat for your sanity specially when you've been dieting for quite awhile and you need to have some mental rest.. Anyway, no ones getting fat for eating oily and sweet food for a day only.

When you cheat, you need to take a look at yourself in the mirror...

If you're very fat, your not allowed to cheat. Haha!! Lose more fat first!!

If you can see the first 2 abs on your stomach then you can cheat for one meal only once a week. Hey! One meal only.. not ONE DAY.

If you can see your 6 pack abs then you can cheat for one day or two.

Cheating is good because:

• You can refill your muscle glycogen and have more strength. You can observe that your muscle looks tight and big. Plus you can lift heavy weights! When you cheat, its best to train on that same day. Train your weakest muscle on that day.
• You can rest your mind and release all that stress about how many grams of yams you should eat.. Is your meat lean? Are you sticking on that every 2-hour meal? etc.. etc..

Improve your looks: Add some muscles! (My first time)

Few years ago, my plain body looks just like an ordinary guy you can find on the street. Worse, I don't even got that abs that most bystanders posses. I enjoy being a couch potatoe. I love playing computer games such as PS2 and XBOX (that time, today I have PS3 and XBOX 360 <3). Then on my second work, we got a free gym in there and that's where everything started.

I trained there for the first time and our good "City Service" guy named Joel thought me few exercises. My God! I only trained for 45 minutes and my body ache like hell for 1 whole week! I can't lift a piece of ball pen after and I cannot even straighten my arms and preferred it to be curled only just like a T-rex. 

My body that time is designed to just sleep and eat and was shocked because of the gruesome training. I only use a max of 10 lb. dumbbells and I even need a spot on it. Pathetic huh?

After a week, I didn't became downhearted of what happened. I trained and another "City Service" guy named Bert lectured me some nutrition backed up with science.

So basically, body building is the product of EXERCISE and NUTRITION at its best! You can't have the body you like when you only got one of the factors. Perseverance is the key.

He thought me some points to remember:

• Drink your whey immediately after workout. You only have 1 hour window to drink whey. This is the  time when your body absorbs more nutrients because it was utilized during the workout and requires immediate source of nutrition to repair damaged tissues.
• Eat heavy breakfast to cut your body in a catabolic state. This is a status where in your body will break down your own muscles to be converted to energy because you didn't eat the whole time you are sleeping. You can eat high carbohydrates like rice, protein from eggs or meat, and low on fat.
• As the time goes by, it fewer carbohydrates. Cut the carbohydrates at night because you are more likely less active and the carbs will not be used and the body will store it as a form of body fat.
• You can take a whole day break after a workout. 
• Example:
• Monday - Chest and Biceps
• Tuesday - No Workout
• Wednesday - Back and Triceps
• Thursday - Now Workout
• Friday - Legs and Abs
• Saturday -No Workout (To have time to bond with family and friends)
• Sunday - No Workout (To have time to bond with family and friends)

If you got questions, don't be shy commenting on this blog. I'll respond immediately.

Diet:: How to lean down after you got big!

The body is made to survive and not made to become a model figure. So what I'm trying to say is that you cannot have the benefit of both worlds unless you kept on tricking the body.. When the body is having surplus of calories you can gain muscle but it is inevitable that you will also gain body fat. This also goes the same when losing body fat.. You also lose muscle in the process.

So how can we have a lean body while maintaining the muscles? This is by exercise and cardio. You need to lift heavy weights like you used to when you are building muscles so your body will think that you need to retain those hard-earned muscles because your environment demands it. What I do is this:

• Early in the morning before going to work, I jog for 30 minutes on an empty stomach. Yes, don't eat anything but you can drink water only. This is to burn body fat.
• I eat small meals every 3 hours.
• I eat a meal with carbohydrates 2 hours before the workout.
• I do lift weights at the gym often 6 exercises in 12 reps for 3 sets each.
• I do my cardio after I did some weight lifting to burn body fat.
• I drink my whey protein shake and eat a small banana or any sugary/starchy food.

So what about the meal plan?

Here's what I do..

My weight: 164 lbs

Then I multiply it by 13, so 164 x 13 = 2132 calories, this is my maintenance. But since we need to lean down, we need to lessen it..

So minus 600:

                     2132 - 600 = 1532

Then I do my protein calculations, since we need at least 1.4g of protein per pound, it goes like:

                     1.4 x 164 = 229.6g.

And based on my previous post, there are 4 calories per gram of protein, so it appears to be like:

                     229.6g x 4 = 918 calories

Then for the fat, yes we need to eat fat as well but only the healthy ones like nuts and oily fishes.

So I get my maintenance calories then I need to multiply it by percentage of my body fat. Say, my body fat is 23%, it will go like this:

                     1532 calories x .23 = 352.36 calories

And based on my previous post, there are 9 calories per gram of fat, so it will go like this:

                     352.36 calories  / 9 = 39.151g of Fat

So we need to add the 2 (Protein and Fat) in terms of calories.

                     918 (from Protein) + 352.36 (from Fat) = 1270.36 calories

Then we'll subtract it to our reduced calorie intake:

                     1532 - 1270.36 = 261.64 calories

The remaining calories will fall to our carbohydrate intake. And based on my previous post, there are 4 calories per gram of carb. So let's check it out:

                      261.64 / 4 = 65.41g

So, to lose weight we need to take:

Protein: 229.6g

Fat:: 39.151

Carbohydrates: 65.41g

So how can you apply it to your diet? I would suggest that you should go the fitday website or any website that has details of the food you want to take. Take a look at their protein, fat, and carb measurements. Decide how much food (ounce, kilo, scoop) you want to take per day then sum it all up until it reach the recommended number of nutrients in grams that we calculated above. After that, divide it to the number of times you want to eat per day. More like spread it along the day.

Hint: When it comes to protein, take in more beef since it's much more dense in protein per gram compare to fish and chicken. But you can eat those 2 as well to have variety. As for the carbohydrates, take in fiber rich food such as whole wheat products, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and yams. For fats, take in nuts and oily fishes like Salmon, Tilapia, etc.

What do I eat to have a leaner body?

We cannot have a great physique like Piolo Pascual’s if we aren’t eating the right food at the time. I am making sense right? It’s like the building blocks of constructing the house whereas the workout in the gym acts as our carpenters. We can’t build a house if there’s no materials to be use.

So here’s my thought. We basically divide our nutrition by Protein, Carbs, and Fat sources that you need to build your body.

We need to eat a total of 6 small portions every 2 hours a day.

Note: The calorie content:

a protein has 4 calories,

a carb has 4 calories,

a fat has 9 calories,

an alcohol has 7 calories (so avoid this as much as possible.)

Sources of Protein

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Haddock
• Lean Beaf
• Lean Hamburger
• Crab meat
• Lobster
• Turkey
• Whey protein
• Shrimp
• Cod
• Buffalo
• Deer
• Egg Whites
• Steak
• Chicken
• Lamb
• Whole Eggs
• Casein Protein
• Cottage Cheese
• Milk
• Low Fat Free Cheese
• All other types of fish

Carbohydrates and Veggie Sources

• Oats
• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Yams/Sweet Potatoes
• Beans
• Whole Grain breads
• Waxy Maize Starch
• Whole Grain Pasta
• Sugar Free Oat packets
• Milks
• Fruits
• Brown Rice
• Ezekiel Breads
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Onions

Fat Sources

• Raw Unbleached Almonds
• Almond Butter
• All Natural Peanut Butter
• Macadamia Nut Butter
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salmon
• Whole Eggs
• Fishoil
• Various Other Nuts
• Evening Primrose Oil
• Avocadoes
• Borage oil

Of course, we need protein supplement to build and maintain our muscles. We won't grow big if we're not having enough protein. You can search your favorite whey protein brand in the custom search below. Say.. just type 'whey'.

You can also burn extra fat by taking in fat burners! The burning of fat will be like easy by taking this herbal supplements. How about search your favorite supplements for fat burners? Say.. just type 'fat burners'.

Slimmers World: Great Bodies Competition 2011

Event: Great Bodies 2011 Screening

Location: Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati, Philippines

Nagpunta ako sa screening for the SW GB 2011.. Xempre, mejo nakaka-kaba pero nakapag-pa-screen din ako.. Number 10 ako sa contestant number at naghintay from tanghali hanggang hapon bago matawag ang pangalan ko. Bago pumasok ay kinunan ako ng mug shot nung receptionist tapos tumuloy na ako sa loob ng panel room. Pumasok ako at nagbihis sa likod ng stage at lumabas na naka-bikini lang. Medyo jahe kase merong mga 7 panelists na nakatingen sayo at tanong nang tanong while you are there wearing your skimpy posing trunks and seating in the middle of a mini-stage. After that, nagrequest sila sa akin ng 2 poses and I give them a front double biceps at side chest pose. Tapos nagrequest naman yung isa to see my back and so I did a lat spread at back double biceps.

Kaso at the end eh hinde ako nakapasok which was announced few weeks after. Me mga nakilala akong mga friends dun, si Dominique: isang bikini model; si Ar~something: isang Ukrainian na friend ni Dominique; at si Joan: isang emplayado sa Standard Charter. Si Joan lang ang nakapasok sa amin pero nagback out din sa huli dahil sa kakulangan ng time nya for preparation sa kanyang body. Joan is on her 30s pero mukha pa din siyang nasa 20s. I think yun ung naging edge nya. Plus madameng lalake ang sumali doon at yung iba eh talagang malalaking manong na mamasel. I'm not sure kung nag-ssteroids sila pero who knows.

After that eh pinagbihis na kame at nagpunta sa SW Pasay Road branch which is sa likod lang ng Dusit. Doon eh kinuha ang blood pressure ko, timbang, body fat, at height. Masmaganda siguro kung makakagawa sila ng 8-point caliper body fat test which is more accurate rather than dun sa tancha-meter ng body fat na ipapahawak sa yo. After nun eh pinag-cardio kame, sit ups, push ups, at longest reach. Well, nagsurvive naman ako sa mga iyon. Si Dominique eh medyo nahirapan kase nagworkout siya before going to the screening kaya pagod tuloy yung mga muscles nya. Si Joan naman eh hinde na tinapos yung mga pinagawa sa kanya dahil hinde na kinaya ng kanyang powers. So after all that hardships and sangkatutak na kaba eh we reward ourselves sa Wendy's na malapit lang doon <3. Hahaha!

Hinde ko alam kung anu yung hinde ko nameet.. Ito ung mga suspecha ko

1. Since kakagaling ko lang sa pagbubulk eh mejo me body fats pa ako pero mascular to the max na xempre.. So baka hinde nagets ng judge na 3 months pa nman before ang competition so makakapagpalean pa ako with that duration.. Sabi nga nung ka-gym mate ko eh baka nagkulang daw ako sa buwan ng preparation.

2. Wala akong experience sa modeling. Kasama kase iyong tanong na yun dun sa form eh.. Yung friend kong isa na di ko naman nakita sa mismong screening day eh suprisingly nakapasok (iba talga pag me backer [suspecha]). Well.. payat siya at matangkad kase nagmomodel siya.. For me, hinde siya mukhang powerful.. payat lang talaga at chicken legs pa < term na ginamit nung isang gym friend ko describe him. Hinde siya pinayagan ng modeling agency nya kase pag natalo siya sa competition eh baka maka-apekto ito sa kanyang kredibilidad so nagbackout din siya sa huli.

Anyway, ok na din kase na-experience ko ung magkaron ng "pressure" dahil me mga preparation nga ng body for the competition.

Well, eventhough hinde na ko makakapag-compete this year eh itutuloy ko pa din ang pagpapalean.. Ngayon eh mga around 15% body fat na lang ako at kita na ung 4 abs ko.. Yung lower part na lang. Mejo humina din ako ng konte kase konte lang ang kakainen eh.. pero madameng protein dpat.

So at the end eh siguro I'll try again next time next year kung papalarin akong makapasok.

Overtraining..

Recently I've been workin' out for 5x a week these past 2 months.. Yesterday night.. I felt something.. I suddenly become.. and I got bored working out. This is unusual for me because I love working out so much that I even go to gym even-though I got fever.. So this is a cause of something.. Then the word "Over training" came into my mind.. So I end my work out without finishing my sixth exercise and the cardio.. Probably I'll take 4 days off then I'll work out again.

Today looks cool but I got a bit tired going to the office.. Probably because there's no early morning cardio which usually livin' up my mood. I feel a bit sleepy..

Bicep Workout!

Want those Scott Steiner's Big Poppa Pump biceps? Those peaks and the freaks? Then do this workout! Just take note that all of the bicep workouts should be done with a "squeeze" during the contraction. You can do this by slightly twisting your biceps.

• 2 dumbells
• hanging bicep curls - bicep curls but your arms should be in front of you.. your arms should be straight in front of you then curl.. so in short it's like doing "half bicep curls". do this 12x for 3 sets..
•  2 dumbells
• hammer curls - 12x in 3 sets.. just like bicep curls. the only difference is how you hold it. Dumbells should be hold like you are holding a hammer like Thor! Then twist it a little as your contract your biceps. 
•  1 dumbell
• concentrated curls.. You use one arm at a time to do some dumbell curls.. but rest your elbow on the side of your thigh and not on top of it.. feel the squeeze as you contract them.
•  1 EZ bar
• 7 + 7 + 7. the first 7 reps should be a curl from starting til middle only.. then without resting, do a curl from half til full flex the biceps.. then the last would be do a full bicep curls for 7x.

stretch ur biceps..

If u have equipment then use it like do 1 arm preacher's curls or cable bicep curls..

Wrist Pain and workout.

Wrist pain can be a result of various conditions, including sprains from a fall or a weight lifting injury, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome. Use basic wrist exercises to help restore range of motion in your wrist and get you back to doing the things you were able to do before your injury or condition.

Flexion and Extension Stretches

One of the best ways to relieve your wrist pain is through regular stretching. Start by extending your arm out in front of you. Grab the fingers on your affected hand with your opposite hand. Slowly use your other hand to bend your wrist so your fingers are pointed down at the floor. Hold for five to 10 seconds, then slowly bend the wrist back up so your fingers are pointed at the ceiling. Hold for another five to 10 seconds. Repeat two to three times for each stretch.

Flexion and Extension Strengthening Exercises

Once you've stretched out the muscles in your wrist, move on to strengthening exercises. Hold a light dumbbell or a medium soup or vegetable can in your outstretched hand. Extend your arm so it is straight out in front of you. Slowly bend your wrist while holding the can, lifting your hand up toward the ceiling. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds, then lower your wrist so your hand bends toward the floor. Hold for another 10 to 15 seconds, then relax. Repeat three to four times.

Wrist Rotation Exercise

Using the same dumbbell or can, strengthen the muscles in your wrist in a different direction. Hold the can out in front of you again with your arm fully extended. Position your hand so the backs of your fingers are facing the ceiling. Slowly rotate your wrist so the backs of your fingers are pointing away from your body. Hold this rotation for five to 10 seconds, then rotate your wrist all the way to the opposite side and hold for another five to 10 seconds. Repeat the exercise three to four more times.

Rubber Band Exercise

To help strengthen the muscles and tendons in your forearm that contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome, try the rubber band exercise. Start by placing a small rubber band around all five fingers while they are close together. Slowly open your fingers against the resistance of the rubber band. Open your fingers as wide as you can and hold for 10 to 15 seconds, then relax. Repeat this exercise 10 to 12 times.

I myself experienced wrist pain due to weight lifting. This probably because I have a weak wrist and/or I am lifting in a wrong posture. I decided to wear a wrist guard and after a week, the pain is gone. The wrist guard compacts your wrist area and prevents your wrist to wobble while lifting and prevents injuries. Ever since, I've been wearing wrist guards whenever I lift in the gym.

Please check those items below.

Nutrition for gaining weight.

hmm.. eat 40% carb, 40% protein, 20% fat. The fat should come from nuts like hazelnut, macadamia, almonds, olive oil, etc., Eat 6 times a day having 2 hours interval in between...

Avoid junk foods coz these are empty calorie-products. You can have your junk food on 1 day only as your "cheat day" to help with you psyche. Eat chicken, pork, and beef. You need protein for gaining lean muscle mass. Carbohydrates for the replacement of your muscle glycogen.

OT: Don't buy those products in the store claiming of "healthy" things. Always go for the primitive things like raw meat in the wet market. Avoid canned food as much as possible.

Note:

take in more calories than you should = gain weight

take in just the right calories = maintain weight

take in less calories than you maintenance = lose weight

It is always important to have your protein consumption checked. We need protein to build and repair muscles.

You can find your favorite whey protein by searching below.

Shoulder workout

Hmm, basically our shoulder consists of muscle separations.. like the shoulder is called the trapz whereas the base of the arm is called the deltoid... The deltoid consists of 3 sections which you need to work out to even out there muscle mass.. Below is my workout for the shoulders..

Dumbell press

12 reps in 3 sets

80% of your max strength

30 secs rest in between

These works all the deltoids.

Front Raise

12 reps in 3 sets

60% of your max strength

30 secs rest in between

This work outs the front deltoid.

It's ok to swing the dumbells especially when it feel a little heavy on you.

Keep a rhythm.

Side Raise

12 reps in 3 sets

60% of your max stregth

30 secs rest in between

This work out the middle deltoid.

Reverse Fly

12 reps in 3 sets

60% of your max stregth

30 secs rest in between

This work out the rear deltoid.

Military Barbell Press

12 reps in 3 sets

70% of your max strength

1 min. rest in between

This works the overall mass of the deltoid.

Shrugs

12 reps in 3 sets

100% of your max strength

30 secs rest in between

This works your trapz.. and you'll get your shoulder pads..

Of course, we need protein supplement to build and maintain our muscles. We won't grow big if we're not having enough protein. You can search your favorite whey protein brand in the custom search below.

Benefits of working out

• You'll have denser bone mass and has less risk of having osteoporosis.
• You'll have a better heart.
• You'll rarely get sick.
• You'll have a physique to die for. The curves and the definitions.
• Clothes will look good on you. But you'll look better without it. 
• You'll have better sex performance.
• You'll lose fat since muscle is a living tissue and eats calories even if you are resting.

Of course, we need protein supplement to build and maintain our muscles. We won't grow big if we're not having enough protein. You can search your favorite whey protein brand in the custom search below.