Hi Angel

Creatine should not cause bloating in my experience and has never messed up my condition. I use creatine right through the contest and have never noticed any of this so called ” bloating” To be honest I think the so called “bloating” or “holding water” is more often than not actually fat that some competitors still need to lose. And just sounds like a convenient excuse to me or competitors just being paranoid at the last minute and getting trapped in focusing on minor details that make no difference at all. I’d keep it in (don’t change anything drastically in your prep)…just focus on your diet and training.

That being said… Creatine is good for the girls too!

A study followed similar dosage protocols as the men; a loading phase of 20gms per day for the first week then 2gms per day there after. This study only went for 5 weeks, however this did not prevent the girls that used creatine to make some significant improvements in their upper body strength (bench press 1rep max) and body fat levels (skin fold tests). The girls using the creatine improved their strength and lost more body fat than the girls taking the placebo.

The major finding of this study is that creatine supplementation, using dosage protocols prescribed in literature for men works equally well in women that are training with weights. Significant results were seen in upper body strength and a decrease in body fat in only 5 weeks.

“The effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training in women. J.Strength & Cond. Res. 14(2):207-213, 2000.”

I don’t think it’s something women really need to specialize and focus on and get too over developed. The reason being is that the chest get a lot of indirect work from any shoulder, triceps pressing movement, even when you train biceps. I would focus on improving bodyweight Pushups before heavy bench presses. Most women should focus more of their energy on training shoulders, legs and glutes, focus on plymetric excercises and all the big compound excercises (Deadlifts,squats,bent over rows, lunges etc.). As these will have more impact on the most common “Problem areas”  Unless you’ve had surgery there or have a bad injury I however don’t see how it could hurt a women to train chest directly though.

And ladies don’t be afraid of using challenging weight.

Hope this helps

Justin

I prefer something fast absorbing directly after training (Like Cytomaize and Whey) but then I normally consume a solid meal an hour later. If it will be a few hours before you eat your next meal a post workout a serving or two of SSN MRP and an apple can be used, no problem and will sustain you for longer (Due to its slower absorption) So yes that could work well.

You don’t really say waht your goal is. But First off gaining a whole lot of weight if it’s just bodyfat is not progress IMO. A “proper” or “a Healthy” diet” is very vague and really does not tell me much. Bear in mind eating too much protein and fat even from healthy sources can make you gain excess fat…in fact any food will, if you eat too much! (except maybe lettuce leaves!  that pretty hard to do though.  If you are not losing fat (Which by the sound of it you need to start doing asap) you are not in a calorie deficit….if fat loss is your goal bear this in mind. By the sounds of it you have gained too much body fat, and need to look at modifying your eating habits. The workouts at the gym are most definitely worth it and sound fine…but It’s is very difficult to out train a diet that has too many excess calories. It’s not your genetics or thyroid.. The problem is thinking that the extra calories/Food/energy is not there. Dig a little deeper (and be honest) you’ll find them.

If fat loss is your goal now, I’d stick with the Whey and possibly consider adding a fat burner (like SSN Ignite) As well as get on a calorie reduced diet ASAP (look back at my previous post for some ideas) and maybe add in some extra fast walking each day around the neighborhood ontop of that too.

All the best, and hope this advice helps you.

Justin

If you’re a month into prep and you really want some Chocolate. Go pick up a small chocolate protein bar BUT! work it into your macros, satisfy the craving and get over it.

However! if you’re five months into prep and approaching stage condition, you’re going to want Chocolate every minute of every day. A small serving of Chocolate  is only going to fan the flames of the cravings. At this point I recommend eating like a machine with bland food and less variety because you WON’T be able to satisfy your cravings. They simply won’t go away, and attempting to satisfy them will just leave you hungrier. In this case the best thing you can do is make your food for function and not for pleasure so you don’t focus on the ravenous hunger all the time.

Or you could just do what I do and get some awesome Chocolate flavoured SSN Whey or MRP!

Hi Johnny

I would add Some SSN Crea pump or a serving of Ignite capsules as a pre workout energy Boost. As far as exercise goes. I’d first recommend you start training intensely with weights 4x a week. Something like this:

Mon: Lower (Quad focused)

Squat: 4 x 6-8 reps with full rests

SLDL: 3 x 6-8 reps with full rests

Leg press: 2 x 15-20 reps with full rests

Leg curl: 3 x 5-8 reps with short rests

Calf press: 4 x 5 reps (5 seconds down, 5 seconds pause at bottom)

Tue: Upper (Chest and back focused)

Flat bench: 4  x 6-8 reps with full rests

Row: 4  x 6-8 reps with full rests

Pec Deck- 2 x 12-15 reps

Lateral DB raise- 2 x 10-12 reps with full rests

Pulldown/chin: 3 x 5-8 reps  with short rests

Triceps (your choice - preferably something compound like lying decline ez bar extensions): 2 x 8-10 reps with full rests

Biceps (your choice): 2 x 8-10 repswith full rests

Thurs: Lower (glute/ham focused)

Deadlift- 4  x 6 reps

Front Squat- 3 x 8 reps

leg curl - 3  x 6-12 reps with short rests

leg ext- 2 x 15 reps

seated Calfs - 3 x 10-10-10 reps (triple drop)

Friday or Saturday: Upper (Shoulder and arm focused)

Incline Dumbbell press 3  x 6-8 reps

wide grip chin 3  x 6-8 reps

Lateral raise- 3  x 8-12 reps with short rests

One arm DB Row- 2 x 12-15 reps

Triceps (your choice): 2 x 10-12 with full rests 3 x 8-12 rep with short rests

Biceps (your choice): 2 x 10-12 with full rests 3 x 8-12 reps with short rests

See how that goes and then maybe add in some cardio (2 times a week) when you reach a fat loss sticking point.

Summer is approaching fast..So get to work!

Nothing Wrong with that at all! Just remember to factor honey’s calorie content into your eating plan. A table spoon of honey provides 64 calories.

Honey is just about 100% carbohydrate and a natural mix of glucose and fructose and therefore it is digested a little differently to other carbohydrates.

Nutritional science has shown that honey may provide bodybuilders and other athletes with a number of benefits aside from being a natural sweetener. According to research completed by food chemist Nicki Engeseth at the University of Illinois, honey offers an array of antioxidants like those found in fruits, vegetables and tea. The darker the honey, the richer it is in antioxidants. A person can boost the antioxidant content of their diet simply by using dark honey where sugar would be normally used (such as coffee, tea or oatmeal).

As far as insulin management and blood sugar management goes, When compared to sugar, honey has less of an impact on blood glucose but is better at maintaining steady insulin levels in the blood ( Diabetics still need to be wary though) The results of another study showed that adding honey to a protein shake refilled and maintained blood glucose (and insulin) in the hours after a bodybuilding workout. Restoring and maintaining blood glucose/insulin levels after training helps with quicker recovery and better gains. And off season to adjust up your carbs up it definitely wouldn’t hurt to add a spoon or two of honey to your post workout SSN Whey protein and Cytomaize shake either!

Hi Steve

I use Cytomaize all year regardless of whether I’m in my off season (trying to pack on mass) or dieting (trying to maintain the muscle I built and lose body fat) Every time I workout I need those liquid carbs and protein (contained in Cytomaize) post workout to help recover and build/maintain my muscle regardless of what stage I’m in.

So to me it’s a staple in my diet and something I never cut out (even right up to the last week before a contest.) I use cardio and a steady reduction in calories from my other meals during the day to help create a calorie deficit and burn fat.

Hope this helps

Justin

Mmmmm Tough Choice! Both are great post workout options IMO (A combo of fast absorbing liquid carbs, protein and low in fat) to help with those lean muscle building goals of yours.

I personally use Cytomaize and Whey pre contest and during my offseason will use anabolic muscle builder from time to time to help increase my calories and carbs and pack on mass. So I would say with your goal being lean gains, give the Cytomaize/Whey combo immediately post workout a go. And once you hit a plateau and need more calories, add a second anabolic muscle builder shake and hour later. Then follow that up with a solid meal 2 hours later (e.g. Chicken breast & backed potato)

Training hard & intense!

Cheers

Justin  

227G of raw chicken breast has about the same nutrients as 170 of cooked chicken breast.

The weight changes because a lot of the water in the meat cooks off,  it doesn’t lose any protein, it had just become more “concentrated”
Most calorie tables list calories for foods raw and cooked - just use the right value.

Maybe best to measure the cooked weight (As raw chicken/fish vary in their water content.)

Eg. Once I’ve measured a food cooked I use that as a standard. (eg. 150g cooked chicken) And if dieting and need to reduce my calories… just use less (100g cooked chicken)

Keep it simple!