Reviewing protein supplements

Many of you have asked for me to blog about supplements and specifically protein supplements. So since I listen to the masses here you go! I used both my own thoughts and trials with products as well as other trainers I know thoughts and reviews when putting this together.

BIOPLEX WHEYPLEX

• Terrible taste


• Terrible mixing protein


• Very $$


• No reason to buy this

NEXT DESIGNER WHEY

• Solid choice but nothing great


• Added supplements are nice
  
  

ISS RESEARCH COMPLETE WHEY POWER

• Tastes very well


• Mixes very well


• High quality


• Good flavors


• Little $$

OPTIMUM 100% WHEY PROTEIN

• Decent product


• Don't buy Cookies n cream!


• Low price


• One of most popular

GNC BRAND 100% WHEY PROTEIN

• My personal favorite because of solid price and flavor ( chocolate)


• Not loaded with extra garbage

CYTOSPORT MUSCLE MILK

• Personally not a fan


• Some like the taste, but not me


• Too many ingredients you cant pronounce


• Good nutritional value


• Sometimes doesn't shake and mix well

MET-Rx MEAL REPLACEMENT PROTEIN SHAKE

• Taste is middle of the road, often is pasty


• Newest version has cut down on the fat content


• Full of vitamins

NATURES BEST ZERO CARB ISO PURE WHEY PROTEIN

• For those looking for low carb option


• Artificially sweetened............I am not a fan of this, but most low carb options are


• Lots of vitamins and glutamine


• Mixes well

Shape-Ups- The real truth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71cvCXp8_Tk


" Now you can get into shape without setting foot into a gym"-Sketchers Shape-Ups video

Ok ladies enough with thinking Shape-Ups will make your legs sexy and toned! If shoes can make your legs look damn good then everyone would have great legs. The only reason Shape-Ups might make your legs look better is because your average person starts moving and walking more once they buy them. I mean sure if you go from couch potato to moving on a daily basis then yes of course your legs will look better. However what will really shape your legs is lunges, squats, deadlifts, sprints and all things cardio......not just some flashy shoe.



There has been two recent studies from the American Council of Exercise that concluded there is "simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone." Sure Sketchers claims their product does work and they give numerous testimonials on how satisfied people are with them but don't be fooled. Most of the time these companies do horrible studies and end up with garbage that they try and make seem like real evidence to you.



Overall Shape-Ups to me do nothing for you. They claim to help your posture when in fact they seem to put you into worse posture. They claim they will reduce cellulite which is just hilarious, sorry your not losing cellulite because your sporting these shoes! If you really love how the shoes look and they get you moving and active then good for you, but do not expect true results or miracles from these things.

You should do this! Upper/Lower body super sets

If you are looking to get more out of your workout then you should try this! If you want to cut your body fat and change your body composition then you should try this! If you are limited on the time you have in the gym then should try this!

There are numerous benefits of super setting a lower body exercise with a upper body exercise. One, you can go full blast on your upper body and then allow it to rest while your lower body works. This is an extremely effective method. Another benefit is the ability to burn more calories. You will be working the entire body from head to toe, and the more muscles fibers involved in a workout the more calories burned.

The basic set up is for you to pick one upper body exercise and one lower body exercise. I would choose one exercise to be slightly higher reps 10-15 and the other exercise to be slightly lower 8-10 reps. Make sure you hit every aspect of the upper body by working the chest, back, and arms. I would do 2 back exercises for every 1 chest exercise in the workout to improve your back. As far as your lower body exercises try and hit a quad dominant exercise ( a squat form) and a hamstring dominant ( deadlift ) and also some form of lateral work ( lateral step-up, band walks etc ) and that way you stay balanced. Below are some examples of super sets you can use:

Chest press- 8 reps

SUPER SET

Split squat-12 reps

4 rounds without rest between sets

Lat pulldown-12 reps

SUPER SET

Deadlift-8 reps

4

sets without rest between sets

Close grip press-8reps

SUPER SET

Lateral step-ups-12 reps

3 sets without rest between sets

Row-10 reps

SUPER SET

Glute bridges-15 reps

3 sets without rest between sets

Try changing your routine to this style for 6-8 weeks or so and see what changes occur.

E.O.M-Guillotine Bench Press

October's Exercise of the month is the Guillotine press which is a very unique and rarely used exercise. If you need something new to do on your chest days then give this a try! You perform this press just like a regular barbell bench press but with one change. You will lower the bar to the lower portion of your neck. By lowering the bar this high you will get more activation and muscle recruitment in the sternal head of the pec. The sternal head is the upper portion of the pec and is generally underdeveloped in most guys. This exercise should be done with a spotter since you are lowering the bar around the neck.

CONSISTENCY- You must have it!

Are you stuck in a rut that you cant get out of? Are you seeing limited results in your workout program? Are you not hitting your goals like you thought you could? If the answer to these questions is yes than you are most likely lacking consistency in your program. In my mind consistency is the key to getting results.

First, lets take a look at your workouts. Are you consistently going to the gym day in and day out or do you go for three days and then miss the next two? You will never get what you want if you follow that type of pattern. That's great if Monday you just kill it in your workout and dominate it like no other, but if Tuesday through Thursday you don't get back into the gym then I don't care about your monster Monday workout.......you wont get results! Be consistent in the gym and you will get consistent results...period! No matter what your goals you must be consistent to gain the strength, strip the fat, or gain the muscle.

Second, lets look at your eating habits. How many days would you say you actually eat stellar in a week? If the answer is only a few than you aren't consistent. Your eating should go hand in hand with your workouts. If you eat super clean for two days you better not be spending the next day at the buffet and Dairy Queen. Eat consistent throughout the whole week and the results will follow.

Take away message- Take the idea of consistency and use it in play everyday. If you want to be like everyone else and not get results than that's fine.......but if you do want to get ahead of the game and take your body where you want to go than be CONSISTENT! It starts today! Get excited that you had a great day both eating and in the gym but remember that is day one of seven....don't slide, but stay the course!

Go Dominate people............

Hamstring killer

This workout is going to focus on putting on some mass to your hamstrings. The stiff leg deadlift will be the first exercise you will do and you should make sure you push through the heels to activate the hamstrings. The more bend you put in your knees the less hamstring activity will take place so keep those legs straight and stiff! When you do the lunges make sure you get a long stride and nice and deep to hit more muscle fibers on the stretch. Below is the workout:

A) Stiff leg barbell deadlift ( do a 3 second negative on the way down and then explode on the way up) 2 sets of 8 reps

* Rest 1 minute between sets

After you finish set number 2 take 2 minutes before moving onto the lunges

B) Dumbbell lunges-2 sets of 8reps+ 4 extra pause reps ( simply do 8 reps on one leg then 8 on the other leg. Then go back and do 4 reps on the first leg holding each rep for a 4 second pause at the bottom of the lunge).In total you will end up with 12 reps per leg.

* Rest 90 seconds between sets

Now repeat back with the deadlift for 2 more sets and then follow that with 2 more sets of the lunges. You will end up with 4 sets of both exercises. Once you finish move onto the last exercise

C) Lying leg curls- 3 sets of 8 reps ( do a 8 second negative on the way down on each rep )

* Rest 1 minute between sets

Done!

Old school training philosophies

If you look back at some of the old school training tips from back in the 1920's you will see that most of the same things can be held true today. Here are some things the famous Charles Atlas said back in the day:

1. Set a concrete goal-Figure out your end goal and work backwards from it.

2. Never miss a single training session- Remember the whole consistency thing...this is what he was talking about! Always remind yourself why you are working out and stay on track.

3. Treat your body like its a new car- You would not junk up and dirty a new car would you? The answer is no, and you should feel the same way about your body. Take care of yourself by eating good and getting your rest and results will follow.

4. Totally concentrate on the task at hand- There will always be tons of noise and chatter at the gym, so make sure you focus on you and your responsibility to get the best workout in you can. Also, don't worry about what you will be doing later in the workout or even later than day, simply focus on what is right in front of you.

5. Keep stress to a minimum ( or none if possible )- It has been show that stress and anxiety can inhibit muscle growth. The best stress reliever is exercise so make it happen!

6. Drink your water- duh...obvious of course but rarely ever followed well enough.

H4 fat burning full-body workout

This is a great full body routine that you can use to burn a ton of calories in your workout in minimal time. I would not recommend this workout for any beginner. Here is the workout on paper.

Everything is a super set and do each super set 3-4 rounds without rest. Take your rest between groupings of exercises.

A1) Dumbbell pushup/deadlift/jacknive combo-6 reps

A2) Box Jumps-15 reps

B1) lateral lunge with dumbbell row- 6 reps per side

B2) Ball slams-15 reps

C1) Lateral band chops- 15 reps per side

C2) Lateral plate squat and press-6 reps per side

D1) Band row and reverse lunge ( palms down grip )-15 reps per side

D2) Floor jacks-20 reps

Now get yourself off the floor and rest your done!

Extended faitgue sets

This is a great training technique to use in your workouts that is similar to drop sets. The difference in this method is that you will be changing grips or foot position to accommodate the fatigue.

Example:

EZ bar bicep curl

• First set use a palms up grip and do 5-6 reps. When you start to fail switch to a palms down grip, wait 10 seconds and do more reps to failure. Once you failed again now grab a pair of dumbbells and perform more reps until failure with a hammer grip ( palms face each other)

Here are some more examples of exercises and how to change the grip following the same procedure as above.

Dumbbell row

1. Palms down grip

2. hammer grip ( neutral, or palms facing your body )

3. Palms up grip

Dumbbell chest press

1. Palms down grip/overhand ( traditional grip for pressing )

2. Palms down grip/overhand but with the hands all the way to the right side of the dumbbell

3. Neutral grip ( palms face each other )

Some of my favorite workout songs

1. Green Day-Brain stew



2. Bill Conti-Gonna fly now ( theme from Rocky )



3. Roy Jones-Cant be touched



4. Limp Bizkit- Rollin



5. Fort Minor-Remember the name



6. Manafest-Impossible



7. Jorge Quintero-300 violin orchestra



8. DMX-Party up in here



9. DMX-Intro



10. Overseer-Slayed



11. Papa Roach-Last resort



12. Earshot-Wait

Interview with Bret Contreras

Bret Contreras is a well know strength coach/trainer and currently speaks across the country and is known as the "Glute Guy." He is the man when it comes to training the glutes and the backside of the body. Check out his YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/bretcontreras1 where you can search the exercises he talks about in full. Below is the Q&A from my interview that I did with him recently.

Q- What is your favorite tri-set for the glutes?

Bret-Hip thrusts, followed by band seated abduction, followed by band hip rotations. This tri-set is totally brutal. Check out the videos on how to do these exercises on the above YouTube channel.

Q-What are the 3 best training tips you have heard or have ever learned?

Bret-A)The best workout for you is the one in which you will be the most consistent. B) Never stop experimenting with your routine in order to learn more about your uniqueness. C) Learn the difference between good pain and bad pain and if you experience bad pain, STOP!!!!

Q- What would be a good exercise maybe that nobody has heard of or uses very often?

Bret-Gliding leg curls which are a very effective hamstring/glute exercise. Check his YouTube videos.

Q-What is missing from most peoples workouts?

Bret- Pendulum quadruped hip extensions and hip thrusts. Refer to his YouTube channel for the how to on these.

Pumping the pecs!

This is a routine I read once from Jeff Anderson. AKA "The muscle nerd." Give this a try on your next chest day.

Start out with the barbell bench press

1) Pick a weight you could do for 12 reps to failure. Make sure you stack the bar with 10lb plates and 25lb plates since you will be quickly taking weight off later on.

2) Do 12 reps on the bench press to failure. Once you reach failure, jump up and strip 50% of the weight off.

3) Now with no rest do as many reps as possible with a very wide grip. The wide grip will take the triceps out of it and keep the focus on the pecs.

4) Once you finish that set rack the bar and grab a dumbbell. For most a 30-50lb dumbbell should do fine. You will do a set of dumbbell pullovers keeping your arms very straight and locked out. Do this to failure.

5) Rest up for 2-3 minutes and do this whole giant set again 1-2 more times.

Enjoy!

Would you like to........

Train with me or get workout programs from me? Email me at h4training@gmail.com

Get motivated! Some of my favorite inspirational/motivational videos

I always talk to my clients about attitude and their mindset. Its about giving it your best....your absolute best......nothing less...don't quit......give it you best and keep going! Its that extra that will take you over the top, its doing what you would do and THEN SOME! It is the THEN SOME that will separate you from others. Check out some of my favorite videos below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSM1mvMypWU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPnudujlBZI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tjYoKCBYag