Fitness And Nutrition General

Yea most EAA premade preworkout/intra workout drinks have other crap in them. I prefer just teh EAA powder or BCAA powder and make my own concoction. I just buy my BCAAs by the kilo. I've pretty much given up on EAAs, but a lot of people swear by them.

Speaking of which do you have any recommendations for plain BCAA powder as far as price/quality. The only two I know of are Optimum Nutrition and NOW as far as price.

ON via amazon is the best. At like $.67 a scoop, I've yet to find anyway to beat it.

I MUST mix the chocolate flavor with milk however, with only water it is just vile..

You guys do realize you do not need all that expensive stuff to stay in shape right? Get a gym membership.. Job... Eat right.. etc does the trick very well.

Yes we realize it.


truenutrition and nutraplanet have BCAAs about 50 a kilo, TN offers an instanized powder which actually mixes. you can use TN coupon code KYG1026 for 5-10% off.

Hey guize. I guess we can just close down the thread. Someone just solved all our problems for us!

That's damn good that's 0.48 cents a serving before the discount. Thanks.

Difference between owning a stock, reliable Audi and replacing half the factory parts in your sports car. It's really not complex.

I always laugh when I see women say stuff like this about men and our little habits, as though the various insane competitions, rivalries, and obsessions women have are any better.

There is a difference between "staying in shape" and "training". You call it "fitness centers" and "exercise", we like to train and push ourselves.

As a blanket statement, at the very least, your comment was not very beneficial, as everyone here realizes that simple fact. Try going down to the track and telling the NOS-heads that they don't need those high priced car parts to get a fast car. You're in the wrong community for that. We're here to motivate each other and give helpful tips here and there, not scoff and mock the field of bodybuilding.

Your comment was not well thought out :(

eh; as someone who certainly loves pushing myself, I don't take any workout related supplements.

I'm not going to say they do nothing, because that's entirely untrue, but saying that it makes the difference between me simply staying in shape and training, considering I do more than the majority of people who do take supplements other than competitive athletes, it's not in any sense required.

I'm pretty bare bones when it comes to supplements- I take a multi-vitamin, some fish oil, flax seed oil, pumpkin seed oil, whey protein (otherwise it's just too hard to hit 200 grams a day with a reasonable caloric intake), and 5 grams of creatine monohydrate (dirt cheap... was like $20 for 182 servings at Vitamin Shoppe) on training days, and that's about it.

I have friends that swear by other supplements such as "pre workout," but I can't really justify spending that kind of cash when a cup of coffee seems fine lol

I take supplements for a variety of reasons. For one, I've been eating so much broccoli lately that I'm genuinely worried at the effect it could have on my thyroid, so I've started to supplement iodine (note: I use kosher salt for cooking, so I wasn't even getting a small amount from seasoning food).

Most of it is focused on neurochemicals and hormones, though. All these amino blends seem to be more marketing than substance.

Anyways, had a question that is tangentially related: I've got a meal that basically hits all my macros and my caloric needs. And it's damned tasty. But I'm fickle and get bored with eating the same thing over and over. However, a lot of fitness people seem to be able to eat the same damned thing day in and day out. Is there a way to get used to boredom?

I got fat because I like food (one of the reasons, anyhow) and I get the impression all those "I eat a chicken breast and some steamed spinach every single day" types were the skinny kids who never put on weight because they never ate anything.

Pre workout really kicks in for me when I don't get to bed until midnight then my kids wake me up 3 times during the night and I'm up at 530 to go to the gym :(

It all depends on what willing to pay for better results. Its like this game. Some are willing to spend millions of gil for even a few percent more.

Neither do I. I mentioned that above. I'm not a pillhead or a supplement fiend. Occasionally will take them, but, as arnold and Gaspari said decades ago "the hardest lifters will always be the best regardless of what they are taking".

I was moreso talking about the culture of bodybuilding/fitness, like all things. Theres two cultures. Theres the "public" concept of it, and then there's the ones who are more serious and involved in it than others. You can be serious about training and not take a single protein shake or supplement, and it won't diminish your effort one bit.

Sorry for double posting

Well, I'm kind of split between the two. Sometimes I take them, sometimes I do not. But they definitely help (some not as much as they claim). The point is, it can be very pricy to reach some goals that would otherwise be less strenuous with the right supplement support.

My take on supplements is simple: I'm only 26, and my body (for the most part) already produces most of the vitamins and proteins that my body needs. When I start slowing down and aging, I'll take something to keep my levels moderate. But unless I have a fitness goal in mind (competing, modelling, football, athletics etc), I train for the "occasion".


This is ultimately the decision right here. If you're fine going clean and putting your all into it, have at it. If you would like a little edge, even minor, and you have a fitness goal in mind and would like to achieve it in a certain amount of time, any amount of help you could get is welcome, even if it is only claimed to be beneficial.


Used to prepare all of my meals from Monday to friday, and it does get boring. I since learned to season my food a little better and differently each time (spices, lemon flavor, etc can make a boring meal enjoyable). In some cases, eating for me is because my body needs the nutrients and not because im necessarily "hungry". So you can be flexible with your meals, as long as you stick to the same foods that you'd like to eat. But I'd try seasoning and cooking your foods in different ways so that you can enjoy your meals when you do eat.

I enjoy what I make just fine. Part of why I taught myself how to cook is because I was such a picky kid (I had good reason) and the net result is that if dinner turns out lousy, I know it's on my shoulders. There's just a limited amount of mixing things up that I can do without straying too far. I have been lazy in recent months and haven't made any tomato sauce (I try to make everything from scratch), so I've got that in the works for today as something that will help. In the past, I've literally made pizza just to have an excuse to eat more tomato sauce which, the way I cook it, has practically no calories.

I couldn't agree more. I have friends who get a crapton of supplements and get absolutely no results because their diet and/or workout isn't in check. But I've also known guys who take nothing maybe a protein shake here and there, but still have great results because their diet and workout is solid.

Personally I got to have PWO, whey, creatine, fish oil and a multi-vitamin. Everything else is "optional."

You misread, then. The point was if someone is solely interested in getting stronger, they should be focusing on doing more of the big 4 for a good long while and not wasting a bunch of time doing stuff like leg presses and calf raises.

Picked up some more battle scars from my log jumps at Fossil

Leg Press is not something you are wasting your time on. Don't underestimate how much of a quad workout you can put together with presses. They absolutely help you get stronger. Calf raises, not so much.

Misreading again, I didn't say "leg presses don't help you get stronger," I said they are a waste of time if your sole goal is to get stronger. "Waste of time" meaning you will make faster progress towards the goal of overall strength gains if you do not do this. Big 4 will accomplish the task far more efficiently, which is why you don't see any of that stuff in strength training programs. They are focused solely on getting stronger... efficiently.

Machines and pure strength training don't really mix very much, except for pre/rehab and maybe lat pulldowns.

Speaking of legs. I've done Romanian dead lifts before, but never incorporated them into my workout consistently. I'm wanting to change-up my leg workout and add Romanian deadlifts. However, do Romanian deadlifts hit middle back, lats,shoulders,biceps and forearms much like regular deadlifts?

Friday: Leg Day <---Romanian Deadlift?
Saturday: Bicep/Tris

Is having a Romanian deadlift on friday going to be a bad idea?

I'll respectfully disagree with the discussion about leg presses and simply respect your viewpoint on it.

Legs on fridays is tough though, Bacon. I usually do it at the beginning of the week when im fresh, well rested and fed from the weekend. By friday I'm pooped. But Deadlifts (romanian) you will feel a good chunk in your hams and lower back, right around the "christmas tree" muscle (lower lats). Likely will feel it in your upper back as well.

If Hams is what you're trying to hit, I'd say do it on another day that is NOT a leg day, because trying to do quads and hams in the same day does not produce the best workouts in terms of how much you could do. Its almost like trying to do FFXI while on the phone with your girl, your attention somewhere will be lost.

Personally, I try to hit hams and calves on an unrelated legs day, like back or shoulders, so that I can really get it in and not have to feel drained from depleted quads.

But friday is not a bad idea, especially since the next day you are doing arms.

That makes a lot of sense. My quads have developed mass well, however, I typically throw in ham/calves towards the end...and well my calves suck :/

I usually hit legs earlier in the week monday or tuesday and then a second time later in the week. So i could easily do a ham/calves focused workout later in the week.

Yeah Bacon, that'd be my best advise. I went to see a sports coach last season for football to improve my athleticism and running technique. He had me do a bunch of drills, but soon into the workout, my Hams were DONE. I mean, I couldn't walk. He said its because I need to work on my "posterior muscles" because when I run the 40, I explode off my quads, but for lateral movements and backpeddaling, you use more of your hams.

I got advice from a guy in my gym who told me not to do hams or calves on the same day I do quads (squats). So i started doing power squats, regular squats, leg presses and extensions for legs day, and during chest or shoulders I'd add in Hams/Calves in between sets. It seems to be working.

Now my core and specifically my lower back are already strong from squats and regular deadlifts.

Can I just full-time a belt for romanian/straight-leg deadlifts?

THinking of setting up a routine as follows:

Straight-Legged Deadlifts
Reverse Calf Raise
Leg curls
Seated Calf Raise
Standing Calf Raise

Lol reopened the left shin today on the same obstacle at Fossil.

Ouch! I saw the pics looks painful...that's why I am terrified to do box jumps...

yeah use a belt for it.

One of the things I try to tell myself when doing straight legged lifts is to not fully extend down or up, but keep the tension solely on your hams. That means go about a few inches below your knees, and a few inches above them, but not deep towards the ground or standing tall locking out.

Some pictures show thats the "proper" way to do those lifts, but if you're really trying to give your hams a serious burn, keep your knees at a slight bend and don't ever let that weight hit the ground, and don't ever let your knees lock out. Just keep the tension behind you (lower back/Hamstrings) and rep it out. Will burn like a MOTHA, but will pay off immensely.

Could also do them with dumbbells, one legged, or do Good mornings for some back and Hamstring stretch