Creatine and Glutamine - Two Muscle Building Supplements to Power Up Your Workout

If you are doing the same workout routines and seem to achieve only mediocre results, why not try my two recommendations to power up your workout? In this article, I recommend two of the best supplements that can give a boost to your body to take your workouts to the next level: glutamine and creatine.

The first recommended supplement is the glutamine. This supplement is a bit expensive compared to other supplements but it is the best for muscle repair and to minimize muscle damage.

The reason for glutamine's effectiveness is due to the fact that glutamine, a certain type of amino acid, is naturally found in muscle tissues. Hence, taking this supplement is like directly pumping the amino acid building blocks into your muscles, promoting its speedy recovery from workouts. It is no surprise then that bodybuilders and athletes take glutamine supplements to minimize muscle damage and quickly recover from intense exercise sessions. When you recover fast from fatigue, you can intensify your workout more and more. The main issue, however, with this supplement is its price.

Another recommended supplement is the creatine, a naturally occurring chemical in the body. Creatine is one of the enzymes vital in the energy production in the cells. It basically gives more access to adenosine tri-phosphate or ATP, the molecule for storing energy.

When you are working out, your muscles use ATP for work. ATP then breaks down into ADP to release energy. When ADP reacts with the phosphate found in creatine, ATP is produced once again. When there is sufficient creatine, there is more ATP for the muscle's consumption. You can then intensify your workout and this will lead to more explosive growth of your muscles.

These two supplements are really effective in producing results through promoting more intense workout routines and minimizing muscle damage. These muscle building supplements are really vital to your success. These two are truly recommended.

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Sets And Reps - The High And Low Weight Workout

Big weights! Wicked pump! I always get caught between two minds whenever I hit my workout at the gym. One side of me says to lift heavy to get big and the other says that form should matter more than my weight poundage. This is an issue that used to cause me to get quite twisted every time I would prep a workout training cycle. I know each technique has its merits, so I used to be swayed back and forth never staying with either method long enough to see the results. With the low weights I get to move some decent poundage's and my ego gets gratified but alas, there is no killer pump. When I stick to the perfect form method with lighter weights I get great pumps but I never feel like I am really working hard enough to get anywhere because my weights are so light. So in my search for the perfect weight workout, I decided to combine the two methods and get the best of both worlds.

Seems obvious when some one else says it doesn't it? I love the pump from drop sets and isolation exercises and I love the feeling of grunting under large loads, so why not do both in a workout?

What I do is put in two exercises of 5x5 with 1 minute to 2 minutes rest between sets and then move on to one or two more exercises for 3 or 4 sets a piece with the odd drop set or super set in order to finish the workout with a great pump. I stay with the same weight on the 5x5's until I get all 5 sets of 5, usually hitting 4 or 3 reps on the last two sets in the beginning. When I finally complete the full 5x5 I up the weight by 5 to 10 pounds and start over. This ensures that I don't get lazy and that I am always getting stronger, so that's the first rule of muscle mass realized.

Once I have trained the muscles with between 85-100% of my one rep max, I've stimulated strength gains through enhanced neural drive and hit my type IIB fibers hard. Now onto the second group of exercises. I squeeze and pump the muscle, trying to fill it with blood while keeping in my mind that weight is a secondary concern. Here is where I hit the type IIA fibers with a slightly higher time under tension developed from the intensity techniques. The weights for this type of training are usually within 70-80% of your one rep max. Whenever I reach the point that the lighter weights no longer fatigue the muscle at around 10-12 reps, I bump it up a notch. Chasing the pump I rest no longer than 30-45 seconds causing me to hit a totally different set of fibers and making sure that all life has been thrashed out of the muscle. The best of both worlds in one workout!

The 5x5 method can also be seen as a lazy mans periodization, as the intensity varies from week to week depending on if I am trying a new weight or if I am still trying to get my "5's" at an already accustomed to weight. The high intensity at the end allows me to get nutrients and blood into the muscle, gives me my time under tension and stretches the fascia while the body part is still stuffed full of the goods.

So in effect this routine develops the type IIB fibers through high tension multiple sets making me stronger by increasing relative strength though enhanced neural drive. Then moves on to hit the type IIA fibers through a slightly higher time under tension given to me by the extended sets. This makes me larger by increased hypertrophy, stimulating increased muscle glycogen, ATP and Krebs cycle activity. The only variable to fill in after this is your nutrition habits, but that's a topic for later discussion. Here is an example of this type of weight workout. None of the set totals include your warm ups:

Monday

Chest

DB Bench press 5x5

Dips 5x5

Incline flyes super set with incline smith presses for 3x failure on both. Anything past twelve reps and you should bump up the weight.

Biceps

Barbell curls 5x5

Incline dumbbell curls 10/8/6

Rope pulley hammer curls drop set - 4 sets

Tuesday

Quads

Squats 5x5

Front squats pyramid up 12,10,8,6

Leg extensions 3-drop sets, each drop being 10 reps (10-10-10)

Hams

DB or barbell, stiff leg deadlifts 5x5

Lying Frankenstein curls (toes down on way up and toes out on way down) 4-drop sets, each drop being 8 reps (8-8-8)

Calves

Standing calf raises 3-drop sets of 10-10-10 per set.

Seated calf raises for 4 sets of 40-50 seconds each

Wednesday

Shoulders

Standing presses 5x5

High pulls from the hips 5x5

Face down incline laterals superseted with reverse cable crossovers for rear delts - 4 sets to failure

Triceps

Close grip bench 5x5

Low pulley behind head extensions off bench (Vince Gironda style) 4x8

Superset of kick backs and close grip pushups with elbows wide 3x 10

Thursday

Back

Deadlifts 5x5

Weighted chins 5x5

Drop set low cable rows with under grip for 4 sets

Abs

4 sets of crunches supersetted with hanging leg raises

Take the next two days off and then restart the cycle.

There are several ways to manipulate this schedule depending on your recovery ability and other stress factors in your life. Some of my clients respond best if they drop the second exercise of 5's or alternate it with a 10/8/6 rep scheme.

For maximum recovery I like to take a day off after every workout, especially if you're hitting the cardio hard. If this is something you may like to try than you can get away with another exercise per muscle group as you won't be hitting it again for a while, just watch for signs of over training.

The other popular way to split this workout, fits nicely into the workweek. Split your workout to fall on Mon-Tues-Thurs-Fri. Take the weekends off to recharge.

Don't worry about wilting away between workouts because as a natural bodybuilder the more rest the better. If you are going the assisted route, then you can add in a set or two extra here and there. It's far more productive to be slightly under trained than over trained. However if you give every workout your all on this routine, you will look forward to the rest!

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Bodybuilding - Pre And Post Workout Nutrition To Gain Weight

If you are starting a bodybuilding program, it is going to be essential that you get on a smart pre and post workout meal plan. If you do not feed your body during these two crucial times, you are basically limiting the amount of muscle gains you see since this is the time when your body needs food the most.

Below is a description of exactly what you need to be doing in order to gain weight optimally.

What A Pre And Post Workout Meal Does

The meal beforehand is what is going to help provide your muscles with the fuel they need to perform vigorous exercise, as well as help offset any muscle losses that may occur during the workout (since weight lifting is a catabolic (breakdown process) in itself.

The meal after the workout is then going to supply your body with new energy; energy that it will use to either refill its muscle glycogen stores or else energy it needs in order to repair the damaged muscle tissues. If you skip out on this important meal you are drastically going to jeopardize the results you could be seeing from your workout otherwise.

What These Meals Should Be Composed Of

So, what should you be eating at each of these times? For both cases, you'll want to be including plenty of carbs and protein while limiting fat intake.

The problem with consuming a high quantity of fat in these meals is that fat takes a lot longer to digest by the body than either protein or carbohydrates. When you are preparing yourself for exercise, the last thing you want is a stomach full of food therefore high fat meals are definitely not ideal.

A big part of the meal is going to come from carbohydrate sources (more on types and quantities below), as this macronutrient is what fuels your body most efficiently during activity. It supplies your muscles with a by product called ATP, which is the primary energy molecule. Once ATP stores run out or are not being produced fast enough by the body to meet the demand, that's when you start seeing issues with fatigue and are forced to stop exercising.

Protein on the other hand, is going to give your muscles building blocks called amino acids. Without having these in your blood stream, your muscles will not be able to maintain their integrity and thus will be broken down by your workouts. This will result in you simply losing muscle rather than gaining it. It is definitely not the ideal circumstance you want to be creating.

The Preworkout Meal

The main purpose of the preworkout meal is to fuel the muscles for the upcoming activity. What you choose to consume during this meal is largely going to depend on the time of the day that you workout. For those who are working out first thing in the morning, it's likely that they are going to want to have a liquid meal as they aren't going to have a lot of time to digest the food before they hit the gym. Others may simply have a hard time tolerating solid food first thing in the morning, thus they do better with a meal replacement shake.

If this is the situation you are in, you will want to have a liquid shake that is finished 15-30 minutes before you begin working out. This will provide you with just enough time to get the glucose into your blood stream and energy delivered.

For this shake, aim to include about 0.15-0.2 grams/lb of bodyweight in protein. So if you are a 150 pound person, this would equate to be 22-30 grams of protein total. On the carbohydrate side of things, you will want to try to consume 0.33 grams per pound of body weight, so using our same 150 pound person, this would equate out to 49.5 grams.

An example of such a meal would be one scoop of whey protein powder blended with 1 banana and one cup of orange juice. You could also choose a slightly slower burning form of carbohydrates that are eaten along with the whey protein shake if you don't have too big of issues with a small amount of food beforehand.

For individuals who have slightly more time between their pre-workout meal and the start of their exercise session, they should likely choose a solid food source meal as this will slow digestion slightly to ensure they have a lasting source of energy.

In this situation, the meal should be taken in about 60-90 minutes before exercise should begin and should again consist of carbohydrates and protein, in the form of 0.2-0.22 grams of protein per pound and 0.33 grams of carbohydrates per pound. The small amount of extra protein will help to provide the amino acids to your muscles until the end of your workout since the duration from meal time until end will be longer.

For this type of meal you likely want to try for a low to moderate GI starchy carbohydrate such as a sweet potato or oatmeal. You can also supplement this with a moderate amount of vegetables, just try and keep the volume controlled so that the additional fibre does not cause stomach distress later on.

By following the above guidelines you will help to maximize the effort level you can put into your workouts, therefore seeing the best possible results.

The Post Workout Meal

As you learned above, the post-workout meal is going to serve to replenish muscular glycogen stores as well as help provide the amino acids your muscles need to repair and rebuild themselves after being broken down through strength training activities.

It is always best for you to try and consume this meal as soon as possible after your workout as there is a critical window of opportunity when the muscles are more receptive to taking in the nutrients.

Many people choose to also consume a shake for this meal as it is easily transported to the gym so you can have it on your way out. Solid meals can work too, however it is really going to be a matter of personal preference. Some studies suggest that whey protein powder may be taken in by the muscles slightly quicker, therefore providing an advantage, but on the whole it is much more important that you just get some food into your body than the particular type of protein.

Your protein intake here will be slightly higher, at around 0.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight and then 0.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. Notice the higher carbohydrate recommendation. This is to not only replace the energy you just expended but also to provide your body with the energy required to synthesize new muscle tissue. Shorting yourself at this point will be very detrimental to your results so it is of utmost importance that you don't skimp on carbohydrates during this meal.

So to sum up, you should consume a lean protein source, from meat or from protein powder depending on your needs and preferences and then a simple carbohydrate source. Options here would be dextrose (purchased at any health food store), thinly rolled oatmeal, fruit, sugary cereals, bagels or white rice.

So before your next workout, make sure you have your pre and post workout meals in line. They are just about as critical as the actual work you do in the gym in terms of the progress you are going to see, so looking after this is not something to take lightly.

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12 Workout Routines

Get those bulky muscles on your arms, legs, chest, back, and abs in just 90 days. Here's a complete workout routine that you can do right at the comfort of your own home. You don't have to enroll on a month long program that only focuses on a certain muscle group.

A DVD player and 12 DVD videos are all you need to start burning those fats and let your muscles grow. These 12 DVD video workouts are the newest compilation of the P90X Plus Workout Routines by Tony Horton. Each video contains approximately an hour of rigid exercise routines and rests in between that must be taken seriously to achieve desirable results. The following are the videos that you can use each day for your 90-day workout plan.

1. Chest and Back. This video contains a set of push-ups and pull-ups on bars or other resistance gadgets that work on the muscles of your upper torso, chest, and back areas.

2. Plyometrics. "The Beast," as this video is often called, involves more than 30 jumping exercises for your leg muscles and full body coordination.

3. Shoulders and Arms. This volume combines presses, flys, and curls for toning your biceps, triceps, and deltoid muscles.

4. Yoga X. This yoga is not the relaxing type of yoga. You'll surely sweat out as you stretch or twist with these extreme yoga routines.

5. Core Synergistics. This video covers resistance, cardio, and stretching activities that you can use to strengthen your core muscles.

6. Kenpo X. This extreme "Law of the Fist" or Kenpo video involves throwing punches or kicks for a complete cardio workout.

7. Legs and Back. This includes lunges, pulls, and squats that you can do to develop your quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings. This workout covers both the upper and lower parts of the body.

8. Ab Ripper X. This is the shortest video compilation that only lasts for 16 minutes of pilates and sit-ups for your abs.

9. Back and Biceps. You can build those muscles on your back and the biceps with the pull-ups and curls included in this video.

10. Cardio X. This video contains full-body cardio workouts that will surely make you sweat all those fats out.

11. X Stretch. The stretch routines in this video can be used as warm up activities before doing any workout or activities. These routines are good for conditioning and preventing possible injuries.

12. Chest, Triceps and Shoulders. This video contains exercises like flys, dips, and push-ups for the development of your upper body muscles.

You can do any or combinations of these workout videos everyday depending on your workout requirements and physical condition. You can do it everyday for 6 days with one rest day in a week.

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