Protein power-What's what

I have been meaning to do this for awhile now, and now that i have the time i'd like to educate some of you on protein powder. Many times i have witnessed newcomers in the fitness and weight lifting world asking everyone and their mother on what should they be taking, supplementing etc.

Purpose of this post is for you to gain knowledge on the different categories of protein and their use, pros and cons, and be able to pick one right for your needs. So lets get into it!

Whey Proteins

Everyone hears about whey protein. Whey whey whey. But what makes whey so special? Whey proteins have high content of branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs. These specific bcaas are highly valued for stimulating muscle growth. Another important property of whey is the fact that it is a fast-digesting protein. Whey provides amino acids to muscle cells in less than two hours.

These two properties make whey the ideal protein to take immediately before and after your workouts.

->Whey protein Concentrate
High quality whey that is filtered to remove a good portion of the carbs and fat. Most products on the shelves today are about 70-80%

->Whey protein isolate
Purer form of whey than concentrate, because it's processed even further by way of ion-exchange chromatography. This allows for a powder that is greater than 90% protein, which makes it a good choice to use when dieting because of the lower carb and fat content.

-> Whey protein hydrolysate 
Produced when WRC and WRI is taken through a final step known as hydrolysis. Hydrolysis breaks the bonds between amino acids, a job normally reserved for your digestive system. Without the extra workload, your system absorbs is even faster than the other two. This makes WPH a superior postworkout protein choice. 

Casein Proteins
Casein makes up around 75-80% of protein found in milk. It is a complete protein that comes in several forms that are usually from skim milk. Because of its clotting nature, it digests slow and steady (it forms a gel in your stomach). Most casein proteins can deliver amino acids to the muscles over a six hour time period.

 Having a steady amount of amino acids has been shown to prevent muscle protein breakdown, which some suggest is just as important for growth as enhancing muscle protein synthesis.

->Caseinate
Most soluble form of casen, which allows it to mix very easily. If you happen to be limiting your sodium intake, you may want to consider avoiding products with high amounts of sodium caseinate.

->Micellar casein
Made by using micro-filtration to separate the casein portion of milk from the lactose, fat and whey. It digests much more slowly than the other casein proteins, which is its best strength. Before going to bed, if you are taking protein to drink, it should have a good deal of micellar casein, to prevent muscle breakdown while you sleep.

->Hydrolyzed casein protein
Similar to whey protein hydrolysate, is formed by the hydrolysis of casein protein. Unlike the other caseins, micellar casein, HCP is rapidly digested at a similar rate to whey.

Soy Protein
Soy protein is a complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids. It is typically produced using defatted soy flakes that go through an extraction process that removes the carbs and then are ground to produce soy protein powder. Soy protein is rish in glutamine and arginine and is digested and absorbed quickly. It also provides antioxidant effects and a multitude of health benefits.

If you are looking muscle gains but want to avoid animal based products, this is the protein for you.

->Soy protein concentrate
Around 70% protein with relatively low carbs and fat content. Soy concentrate often has a small amount of indigestible carbs that can cause gas in some people.

->Soy protein isolate
Is made from soy concentrate that is further processed to give a product that is at least 90% protein. 

So there is a breakdown of the three main proteins. I hope this helps you out! Later i will post a few protein recipes that are quick and easy to make!

Playing with the camera

Took the camera to the gym a few days ago and finally got the footage up. Quality was shot great but i had to take the quality down due to size and upload problems. Still have to figure some settings out. Decided to piece these random clips together! Just was doing random weight, looking at different angles and such. Enjoy.

Belated Back Day Breakdown-Not for your grandma!

A few days ago was my back day, and let me tell you, it was intense. Like i have posted earlier, we are focusing on heavy high volume sets first so we can tear down our muscles. I know there is a correct form vs sloppy form massive weight. I did enough weight that i would lose some of my form on the last rep. So pretty much giving it all i got to get that last rep in the set.

Lets get into it!

Warm up set: Pull ups
These are the go to for my warm up set. I do 6 sets, increments of 10 reps, and limit my rest to only 45 sec. I don't go all the way down to where my elbows lock. Mainly i stay 75% extended on the way down then power back up. First set should always be for speed and explosiveness. Next set- which would be set number 2- i do these a bit slower, more control, and focus on squeezing my lats on the way up. Next i Throw the belt on and add weight. 25lbs to start and just rep these out. When adding weight though, you still want to maintain control on the way down. Then i went to 35lbs last couple of sets. Took the belt off and did one more set of 10 with no weight. Felt light as a feather!

Heavy Set of T-Bar Rows
T-bar rows are one of those amazing, make shift work outs that i love to do. Hits not only your upper body, but your lower as well, considering you have to hold your weight up when you pull the weight towards you.
For those who have never done or heard of a T-bar row let me explain.

Some gyms have a machine set up already to do rows with free weight plates. Others (like mine) don't. Take a 45lb Olympic bar and brace one end of it up against a wall or a machine. At my gym i braced it up against the leg press machine. Place a 60lb dumbbell on top of the end that is free of weight to keep it on the ground. The other end of the bar place desired weight on the end. Normally i warm up with two 45lb plates. 

In the picture here you see the grip for the Lat row machine. Place that on the end of the bar and grasp the handle. Raise the weight with your legs and find a comfortable foot placement. Maintain a natural arch in your back once you find your footing and begin to pull the weight towards your body. The key here is to stick your chest out and on the pull motion, try and make your shoulder blades touch. This will insure you are engaging your Lats. I started with 2 45lb plates to warm up. Added another plate and did a set of 10. Then i added another plate and did a set of 6. I try to keep my rest between sets to 30 seconds. After my last set i do a drop set.

Bent Over Rows 

After Tbars i moved straight into Bent over rows. These are used with the Olympic bar and plates. I start with 135lbs. Keep your feet shoulder width apart, grasp the bar with an over hand grip and shoulder width apart. The over hand grip takes your biceps out a lot more than a underhand grip. So i did them both. One set overhand, and one underhand. Same form as previous, Arch your back, and raise up a tad, then pull the weight up to your sternum. i did 2 sets of 135, 2 sets of 155 and 2 sets of 195. The heavy set i only did 5 reps. Doing this compound lift can ultimately increase size in your arms as well. Biceps is the secondary muscle used when doing back. Most of the lifts will engage your biceps along with back. Protip: Stuck and can't do anymore? Use them legs! Don't be afraid to use your legs to help get up the weight on those reps you can't complete. Once you get it, focus on a slow release, for hypertrophic effect. 

Romanian Deadlift

This is my go to lift for lower back strength. You really do not need to go heavy with your lower back because its purpose is for stability. You use your lower back for A LOT of lifts. Think of it in sync with your core. Most people think "core" to "abs" but in reality your "core" would be 360 degrees. So say hello to your lower back. Strong back, strong core, strong you. 

The deadlift is set up like any other. Feet apart and hands at a comfortable grip. I use a universal grip (one overhand and one underhand grip), although i want to start using an overhand grip to increase my grip. Lift the weight up with your legs and on the way down, keep your legs locked and bend at your hips to let the weight lower. Stick that butt out too! Now when i say lock your legs i really don't mean lock them. Have a slight bend in your knees to alleviate pressure. Don't let the weight tough the ground. Keep the tension and rise back up. My heavy set was 315lbs for 6 reps. 

Lateral cable row

Normally with these there is some sort of bar attached to this machine. I decided to try something new and hook on there the tricep rope you would use for pulldowns. Let me tell you now that this engaged my lats in a whole new way. It is almost like i can't explain how great it felt, but i can :). With the rope and movement it feels more natural and more of a useful motion.

Notice in the picture above how i start with my back forward. This is your starting position. Grasp the rope tightly and pull into your armpits. When you are doing the lift, it is vital that you keep your chest up, slight bend in the back and shoulder blades trying to touch. You hear me say that a lot but i am telling you it works.

When you do back day again, pay close attention what you do with your chest while you lift. Do you tend to roll your shoulders forward and collapse your chest as if you're trying to enter a fetal position? If so, you are lifting your back completely wrong. Do not fear and take my advice. Try it!

Next blog look forward to an arm day from heck!

AUKTANEFIT. 30 days to Fit.

August 1st, 2014. Today starts the beginning of my 30 day transformation. My hopes is that with a little insight on what I do for the next 30 days, from what I eat, how I train, and the supplements I take, that perhaps it will give even just one person the motivation to change their life. I wont rant too much so lets get to it! As always thank you for showing your support and following us through our journey.

          NUTRITION: 
          To track my calorie intake which for today I set at 1800 calories I will be using the app (Myfitnesspal) which if anyone has not used yet is amazing and makes life much simpler. I highly recommend this app to track your progress for consistency. My Macros will be 45% protein (203g), 35% carbs (158g), and 20% fat (40g) @1800 calories. Note that Fridays are my one day off of running and that throughout the rest of the week I will be going off of a 2,400 calorie diet to make room for the roughly 700-800 calories I burn through running. Below is a breakdown of what today's' meals consisted of.

           SUPPLEMENTS: 
             Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein
             Optimum Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate
             Optimum Nutrition BCAA
             Fish Oil 3 capsules

       TRAINING: 
         Today's training was a light arm session and to be honest I wasn't feeling all to great today. But as always the key is consistency and putting in the most effort you possibly can at that time. Here is a little breakdown of what was done.
              Arnold curls: 90lbs 6 sets 8-10 reps
              Incline single arm curls: 25 lbs 4 sets 6-8 reps
              Standing dumbbell hammer curls: 30 lbs 4 sets 10 reps
              Rope pull downs: 7 sets 8-10 reps 140,160,170,190 working sets.
              Rope pull downs super set with preacher curls: 40lbs 40 reps 3 sets.
              Single arm rope pull downs: 4 sets 30lbs to failure.