The last update on training was the Christmas rest period (the gym was closed) and this was a perfect time to change my routine, a change is a good as a rest they say. There is a lot of information online with each one claiming that this is the routine of choice, instead of this, I just did my own thing. To remind everybody, I started training in March 2011, so we are approaching the one-year marker.
It is said that when you are training, you have to let your body rest up, week after week of ripping the muscle and letting it grow back will take it’s toll if you do not allow the body time to fully recover. I had spoken to the gym owner and he told me that it closed 23rd Dec and re-opens 3rd Jan. As the gym closed lunch time on the 23rd Dec, that week I did a 4 day straight training session and this was hard work let me tell you. While it seems like a long time off the gym, the reality is at most you have one week off but as I am not at work also, my physical activity is lower than normal.
My last batch of Weight gain did not last that long at all, I got it on the 25th Oct and already I was in need of something else. The main reason for the 5.45KG bag of Weight gain going so quick was the amount of stuff you add the the container and also the fact I took it three times a day. I did manage to put on half a stone which is not bad, so yes it does work. I thought this time I would go for some “All in one” and looking around, Garnell All in one seemed to do the trick. I found in my experience so far that the all-in-one products seem to suit me better.
As my last stock of Protein powder had ran out, I had a change of plan, it was time to try and put some mass on my puny body and for this we choose Optimum Nutrition – Serious Mass. Unlike the advert though, I did not receive my free creatine powder but I can live without that due to having loads left anyhow. I went for strawberry this time and was shocked by the sheer size of the bag when it arrived – 5.45KG bag in fact. I took some tonight mixed with my last scoop of Protein powder (Banana flavor) and it tasted just fine. The powder is fine and white and looks a lot like sugar in fact but once mixed it does turn red.
Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass is the ULTIMATE in weight gain formulas. Each serving of Serious Mass contains 1250 serious calories derived primarily from protein sparing complex carbohydrates and a high quality protein blend consisting of Whey Protein Concentrate, Calcium Caseinate, and Egg albumen. Creating Monohydrate, Glutamine, Choline and Inositol have been added to optimize each strength training workout while a complete vitamin and mineral profile insures your body gets the balanced nutrition it needs
As part of my training schedule, I was advised by enough people that I should take a week out of training for one week, to give my body time to repair some of the damage that I had been inflicting over the last 6 months. The reason why I was so against this, even though it was good advice, my body never felt like it needed a rest and I felt like I was making good gains. I did my last session on a Friday and never did any training until the following Sunday, that’s 8 days without any physical exercise. Did the week help? Will the first day back been like day one in the gym?
I have been training since March 2011 and I started on a 5 day schedule and finally moved onto a 4 day routine. I have never missed a day or a week since I began, my rest days been Wednesday and the weekend and even then I would sometimes do some light training on a Sunday with the punch bag. Everyone I spoke to said I should be taking ‘rest weeks’ to allow my body to recover, in my goal to get bigger – I carried on regardless, the theory was my body will tell me when I need a rest.
My 3rd and final purchase from Discount Supplements was in the Big Sale they got on, this MRI Black Powder is a Pre Workout energy boost which normally cost £39.80 for 20 Sachets but it was listed for £19.99, I see now it has gone down again to £14.99. The reason for the cheaper price I assume was due to the fact it is dated as End of September 2011, thus they are trying to get rid of it quickly. I was a bit annoyed that they had dropped the price by £5 the day after I bought it but there on-line chat assured me that prices can change any-time. Did it work? Was it worth the money? Does it live up to the hype?
This is another product I bought from Discount Supplements and I shall be honest in that that thing that attracted me to this was the price and the size of the bag. The reviews on the site said:
Having had a bad batch of protein from a different supplier I thought I’d opt for this. It has a ‘polyfilla’ type powder, very powdery if that makes sense but it does mix ok. I do half water / half ss milk and chuck an ice cube in if I’m at home. Great for meal replacement so helps keep weight down with lean gains too.
I went for the Banana flavour as in theory this is least one they can mess up. I tastes very nice indeed and can even be mixed in a normal bottle without the use of a mixer. At £24.99 for 75 Serving , you cannot really go to wrong.
It has come to that time again when I need to get back on the Creatine and this time instead of waiting for Holland & Barrett, I headed off to Discount Supplements which features much cheaper prices then the stores but also has reviews. The previous stuff I had came from Holland and Barrett and at £20.99 was a touch expensive. It had a fruity flavour though and required a large scoop (43g) . This new stuff tastes of nothing – it even looks like polyfilla (Stuff you fill cracks with). You take 1 rounded teaspoon with juice or water. Creatine in my understanding holds in the water (which is why you drink more) which makes you bigger and thus makes you lift heavier weights. It does not work for everybody though. I need to say hats off to Discount Supplement though, I ordered one batch Sunday, One Batch Monday and it arrived by 10am Tuesday – cannot say fairer then that for Free Delivery.
As we enter August 2011, a journey which I started in March and is still going strong and I am starting to see some changes as I try and fool my body into getting bigger. I started this training as a means to get stronger and did not think I could get that big but with the right routine and dedication, anything is possible. I took some pictures of the gym I train at and as you will see later, it is not the biggest gym in the world, it gets very hot in there (no aircon) and at peak times it can be difficult to get on the correct equipment you need at that time.
