FitnessShock Nutrition 101: Protein?

Now I know some of you are saying or have said, “Protein is for body builders, Protein will make me fat, I don’t want to get bulky and huge, Protein is not for me I want to be lean, Why do I need protein?”.

Did you know that protein is second to only water as the most abundant nutrient in the human body and all living tissue is made of the amino acids that are present in protein. These amino acids are what maintain the health of our skin, eyes, hair, and guess what, OUR MUSCLE. A body supplied with sufficient protein is a body that will be able to have the necessary building blocks to build muscle. The more lean muscle you body has, the less lazy fat it keeps. Based on those facts alone, “and there are more”, protein is necessary for fitness success.  Now if you have read this far, you have to be interested in finding out how you can add more protein to your daily diet.

You can find protein from all kinds of sources. There are natural sources for protein. For example eggs, chicken, beef, milk, etc.…. if it had a face, than it is protein. Also naturally speaking you can find protein in plants.  For example nuts, beans, rice, etc.… in which are considered incomplete proteins. An incomplete protein does not have all of the amino acids the body needs to build muscle. Incomplete proteins are best when paired up with a natural source of protein. There are also manufactured proteins. Manufactured proteins are your protein powders and bars. You can find protein supplements just about at any local store these days.  This is where protein can get just a little confusing and overwhelming. At the store you will see Whey protein, Whey Isolate, Casein Powder, Soy Protein, yada yada yada. How in the world can someone choose the right protein according to his or her fitness life style? We can go into detail regarding the differences of each and compare them but it is not necessary for this blog. I believe the answer lies right on the packaging label. When I purchase protein powder I look at the label and first see how much protein per scoop. Then second I see how much carb per scoop. My goal from the product is to get as much protein I can get with as little carb as possible. Carbs are our friend but we don’t want carbs to be our best friend. I will save carbs for another post.

How much protein do we need daily?

The jury is still up for this question. You can find tons of articles and post on this question alone. For this answer it really depends on your workout intensity plus duration and your fitness goals. I stand by the 1-gram to 1-pound ratio because it fits my fitness life style. My goal is to build muscle and burn fat. I have been implementing 1:1 for about two weeks. I will post a results update soon. All in all protein needs for one may not be the same protein needs for another. Here is a calculator by the University of Maryland Medical Center to calculate personal protein levels based on age, height, activity level, and your build.

http://www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/protein.asp

You can use the calculator to get your starting protein point. Than based on the results you are getting. You can increase or decrease the amount.  We are our own personal lab rat. LOL!

Here is a helpful link to a High Protein food list:

http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Protein_Foods.html

In conclusion, protein is necessary for your fitness journey.  Protein provides the platform for your body to repair and build muscle. Muscle is the platform for energy to burn fat.

StayFit!

Supreme 90 Before and After “Next Level”

 

I have a lot of work ahead of me to get my body into the shape I desire. What is that desire? Hmmmm, to be ripped! LOL! In my last post I mentioned that I was starting a new workout that incorporated Insanity, Pose Running and FitnessShock resistance workouts. Due to the intensity and my age I just could not endure Insanity + Running. My left ankle could not take the jumping. So I had to remove Insanity from my workouts and make a few changes to my resistance workout. My resistance was focused on lifting 70 – 85% heavy with high reps and low sets but I decided to change it to a 60 – 70% weight with high rep, and low sets. This will plan will focus more on fat burning. I don’t think I need add more mass at this point.

My nutrition has also changed. I have now added supplements: Whey protein two times a day, BCAA twice a day, Creatine once a day, and Casein for last meal. My main meals are Protein, Carbs, and Veggies. My goal is to have 3 meals with  at least 40 – 50g of protein, 35g of Carbs, and 1 – 2 cups of Veggies.

To be honest, I have been up and down with the meals, but consistent with the supplements. I am currently weighing 242lb. The weight increase is probably due to my ankle injury and the lack of cardio. My ankle is back strong now, and my body feels good. So I should see some real results soon. In my next post I will blog about some of the supplements I am taking and how it is affecting my body and the workouts. I am also pondering on adding videos. I want to video display my workouts, some of my creative meals and my p progress.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or some cheers (LOL we all need some form of inspiration). Just drop me a comment. Thanks for reading and following me during my Supreme 90 Day journey. Look forward to some new post on my fitness journey and some helpful fitness blogs on supplements, resistance training, Cardio workouts and Pose Running.

Stay Fit!

Supreme 90 Day 88-90 “Endbeg”

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.   Sir Winston Churchill

Over 3 months ago I welcomed Supreme 90 Day to come along with me and be apart of my fitness journey. I wanted to see what challenges S90Day had and if this workout could take my body to the next level. I am what some might call a Fitness freak, a workout machine, that fit guy, that crazy neighbor that’s always jogging, or my daughter puts it “Dad your Buff”. I like my daughter’s description of me. But if I were to describe my self in one word or a phrase it would be impossible. Simply put I just like to workout and to keep my body moving.

Before S90Day I worked out with other similar programs. I worked out with Power 90, P90x, Insanity and Taebo. All of those workout programs have their pros and cons. I can give you specific details on what they are but I don’t think that’s necessary. The beauty of those programs is that they are available. They are easy to access, and easy to setup at home. They give the average human an opportunity to be fit and a platform to embark on a fitness journey. But most of all the programs will assist you with getting the body you have always wanted. Now, let me first be honest about my journey. I have learned that working out will change your body. You will build muscle and lose fat. But if your nutrition is not consistent and efficient; you will NOT get the results you desire. If working out is the key, than proper nutrition is the key chain that pulls of your workouts together. While doing s90day my nutrition was not on point until the last cycle. I noticed my weight stayed right at 248 and I started the program weighing 252. I knew than I had to focus more on my nutrition. Once I made a few changes to my nutrition, and I didn’t starve myself. I ended s90day weighing 239. Now weight is not a good way to measure fitness success but it does show progress in the right setting. My muscle mass has not change and my energy level improved.

S90day is an awesome workout and I love the workout times. The workouts are not to short or to long and they were very efficient but yet challenging. Utilization of the stability ball was awesome and I will be using the ball from this point on. The fitness instructor Tom Holland was great and very smart on how he designed the program. My body never got to a point where it was over worked and could not perform. S90day constantly keep my body in what I call a Shock mode. It never allowed my body to get adjusted to a particular workout. The scheduled layout for this program was excellent. All in all I would recommend this workout to anyone. I would recommend this workout to a stay at home mom, or to a fitness buff dude like me, LOL. It doesn’t matter. S90day can fit any individual at any level. You best believe I will do S90day again. What’s next for me? At this point I don’t know. What I do know is that I will “Endbeg”. Endbeg means that when ever there is an end there is a new beginning for me to embark on. Stay tune, and I will let you know whats next.

Stay Fit!